Saturday, June 25, 2005

A Man's Got To Know His Limitations

A  RANT

A glory, glory day! I don't have to go into work! Nine days in a row is over load for me. I was ready to snap. I was sarcastic to my boss last night when he asked the question, "I've always wondered what it would be like if I worked in a large sales center?" "You'd spend a lot more time with your wife." I fired back without thinking. Without thinking, mouth and brain not connected. I thought I had conquered that flaw in my personality...apparently not.

He wanted to see me in his office a little later. I quickly ducked into the bathroom and calculated the number of hours I had worked since Monday (54) and was prepared to add in the 10 hour driving time to and from work. Thank God, he over looked my irritability and just stated that I was going to be on my own pretty soon and wanted to make sure I was feeling comfortable.

Some of you may know I work for a major beverage company, THE  MAJOR BEVERAGE company. My world has been rocked joining a sales center that delivers a little over a million cases. The Lexington Sales Center delivers over five and a half. It is like going from the Marriott Hotel to the Super 8 Motel.

To say I am in shock is an understatement.

To add insult to injury, the man who is training me is one of the applicants who did not get the job! In effect, they are making him train his replacement. He has been moody and silent all week. Which makes me talk and jabber all the more. I know why he did not get the job. He is too slow! I call him the Turtle.

I will suffer fools, I will suffer bratty kids, but I cannot suffer a Turtle out in the field. I WANT TO BE HOME AT 5:30! Is that asking too much!!! I spent about a week shadowing him and then I was master of the computer to take the orders! This has got to be the source of his sorrow. I think he did not fully understand that I did this, for the Cold Drink side, for over seven years! It is nothing new to me! Ordering huge truckloads of product is new, but the concept is not! Maybe he thought I would roll over and die when I had to do the ordering. Fact is, I can do it in a fraction of the time it took him! It's not brain surgery!

This might be my first rant entry! Yea!!!! It sure feels good!

In Lexington, when I would leave the plant, I would take off my shoes and stockings and slip on flip flops. Those are my shoes of  choice during the summer months.

Now I must wear men shoes! Woe is me!! And I have to wear my cell phone on my belt! Belt!!! I don't own a belt! The first time the phone rang, I could not get it off the stupid plastic holder and it flopped open and I was yelling, "I can't get it off my belt loop."....it was my boss, and Thank God it was on mute! I don't recognize myself in the mirror. My hair is pulled back in a pony tail, because when you are throwing cases and operating a pallet jack, flowing hair does not cut it.

This is my plan. Transfer to a Key Account position in six months!

If  I survive.

* (added later) In a perverse bizarro way, I really like this job. I had to operate the pallet jack in the stock room of one of the accounts to get a pallet of our product out on the floor into a display.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH my! You have to operate a pallet jack. I have always worked in customer service for three major companies but I never had to load the product. Sounds like damn hard work. You can get a phone holder that attaches to a pocket and makes things easier! I am looking for a job now and there's not a whole lot out there, I am considering going back to the last company I worked for. Good luck! Nelle

Anonymous said...

I worked loading the soda trucks when I was in my teens.  The drivers would pay by the truck.  This was in the late 1960's and the price for an entire truck was under 3 dollars.  It took several hours to load if we were quick.  -Mark-
my homepage/link to my journals:
http://hometown.aol.com/mtrib2/landscapeartwork/

Anonymous said...

Sorry, still asleep, my homepage is:
http://hometown.aol.com/mtrib2/myhomepage/index.html

Anonymous said...

I have to admit, I am sort of mystified by what is going on here.  I feel for both you and your trainer, though.

Anonymous said...

You are so awesome...I would be the "turtle" and you would be annoyed by me...sometimes, I just don't get it!  Ever!  I hope you get through this, and they recognize you can do more than this...JAE

Anonymous said...

Sorry ~ had to laugh at the picture of you bending over and yelling into your sell cell phone, "I can't get it off my belt loop!"  Very executive and fast track.... ;D

Anonymous said...

You need some practice getting your "gun" out of the holster, lol....xoxo

Anonymous said...

    Keep up that Alphawoman confidence and additude and you will own that soda pop company in no time. Turtle will find out the hard way why you got the job and not him. And don't put those flipflops away too soon. Keep up the good work.
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/JMoranCoyle/MyWay

Anonymous said...

sorry you are having probs but truly enjoyed your rant! Maybe you need to wear your boots! (like with the police officer)
Marti
http://journals.aol.com/sunnyside46/MidlifeMusings