The latest with me.
Dec. 6th, 2003 03:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lbd_nytetraynI was selected at Toys R Us for a "work sampling" project at a couple of different stores. I was selected simply because "I lived closer", according to my manager. Glad to know it's because I'm hard working or dedicated or something meaningless like that.
Anyway, what it involves is me with a palm pilot(you know, those weird little handheld computers you poke with a pen-shaped piece of plastic), logging the activities of a set of employees over 15 minute intervals. Rather, I log what one is doing the instant I see them, "snapshotting" it as they say. Each quarter-hour, I repeat. Seems there are tons of code numbers to use to record stuff.
So I found out about this a few weeks ago, without any real idea what I'd be doing. And from what little my manager had told me, didn't sound anything like it.
So starting this past Monday, I'll be spending 8, no, 9 hours a night, 11pm to 8am or so, doing this over the next two weeks, save for Friday nights.
I was scheduled to have last Thursday and Friday off(11/27 and 11/28). Management at my store, I was told, had received a memo two weeks ago stating that I'd be going to head office for training on Thursday, and doing in-store practice on Friday. I only found out about Thursday's training on Wednesday night, and only found out about Friday's training at the Thursday meeting. Fortunately, the head office guys saw to it that thanks to my management's collossal screw-up, I got Saturday and Sunday off. Add the fact I didn't go in until Monday night, that's almost like three days off.
The meeting at head office was neat. At the entrance, there is a Geoffrey the Giraffe made out of Legos, about three or four feet tall. Inside, there are big mock-ups of the two stars of Monsters, Inc.(Mike and Sulley), like the ones used at the movie theatres. We got food(muffins and pastries and the like, along with coffee and juice for breakfast, sandwiches and roll-ups for lunch with chips and soda. Think those might've been catered. The sandwiches were good, the turkey sandwich's bread reminded me of what I got on Air Canada flights, except this was pretty good. And later, they had a big plate of cookies brought in). Also, we each got some of those clip-watch things you see around, with the Capcom logo on it. So now I have a working timepiece again that has a compass, day, alarm, stopwatch, time, and a backlight.
Leaving was amusing as well, as I got to see some ladies moving some boxes to a car using a Little Tykes plastic wagon. Only at Toys R Us.
Also met someone there who works for a Nintendo fansite, "the biggest online" called www.n-philes.com I believe, and he was interesting to talk to. He's actually been to Nintendo of America before by invitation, all expenses paid. He works in the stockroom of one of the other TRUs as well.
Friday, we went to a store in Woodbridge for on-the-floor training. Very nice store. A fair bit smaller than mine, yet it looks TONS better. Seems they do better with less space than ours does with more. We worked in teams at first, then they split us up later after they bought us Pizza Pizza for lunch. Almost predictably, Pizza Pizza screwed up our order, screwing us out of several Cokes. 'S why I don't give them my money. The food is good, the prices are cheap, but the service is lacking enough that I find they just aren't worth it. But if it's on someone else's dollar, hey, who am I to complain?
Anyway, seems I worked tons better in a group than on my own. Fate must've smiled on me, though. We were told that we were going to stay til we all got 100%, meaning we found everyone and got them marked down in a fifteen minute period. Wasn't until the last period I had that I found everyone I was assigned, and I got the last one logged in with 4 seconds to spare before I'd have had to take another turn.
But working with the night crew, has been easier. I was told there should only be about 8 of them, but there's usually 10-12. And they usually remain fairly static over periods, stocking their shelves and whatnot. I've gotten good, though. I can usually clear my route in five minutes, less on a good run.
The rest of the time, each quarter hour, I get paid to do nothing.
Worst part so far has been the drive. Takes me an hour to get there, but I've had to get there around 9 in the morning, and leave around five in the evening. In bad rain/slighty snowy weather. Fortunately, 11pm traffic is easy. And my coordinator gave me a better route. But I get paid from the time I leave my house to the time I get back. So it's good. :)
Incidently, I did take a bit of a liking towards head office, and got a card there which I may try and use to gain better employment once the season ends at my TRU. Maybe with any luck, something can come of that, and I can get a better job that can pay the bills, and start saving for NIB broadcasting school...
Anyway, that's pretty much my week. That, and lately my "deja vu" sensations, seeing stuff happen in real life that I've dreamt about before, are happening more and more frequently. Three times the other night. Red says I should see a psychic or something. But we can't afford that. But it's driving me nuts. It's happening at work, it's happening at home, and it's really starting to grate my nerves.
...and that's probably far more than I should've said, but I don't feel like deleting it at the moment. Oh well.
LBD "Nytetrayn"
Anyway, what it involves is me with a palm pilot(you know, those weird little handheld computers you poke with a pen-shaped piece of plastic), logging the activities of a set of employees over 15 minute intervals. Rather, I log what one is doing the instant I see them, "snapshotting" it as they say. Each quarter-hour, I repeat. Seems there are tons of code numbers to use to record stuff.
So I found out about this a few weeks ago, without any real idea what I'd be doing. And from what little my manager had told me, didn't sound anything like it.
So starting this past Monday, I'll be spending 8, no, 9 hours a night, 11pm to 8am or so, doing this over the next two weeks, save for Friday nights.
I was scheduled to have last Thursday and Friday off(11/27 and 11/28). Management at my store, I was told, had received a memo two weeks ago stating that I'd be going to head office for training on Thursday, and doing in-store practice on Friday. I only found out about Thursday's training on Wednesday night, and only found out about Friday's training at the Thursday meeting. Fortunately, the head office guys saw to it that thanks to my management's collossal screw-up, I got Saturday and Sunday off. Add the fact I didn't go in until Monday night, that's almost like three days off.
The meeting at head office was neat. At the entrance, there is a Geoffrey the Giraffe made out of Legos, about three or four feet tall. Inside, there are big mock-ups of the two stars of Monsters, Inc.(Mike and Sulley), like the ones used at the movie theatres. We got food(muffins and pastries and the like, along with coffee and juice for breakfast, sandwiches and roll-ups for lunch with chips and soda. Think those might've been catered. The sandwiches were good, the turkey sandwich's bread reminded me of what I got on Air Canada flights, except this was pretty good. And later, they had a big plate of cookies brought in). Also, we each got some of those clip-watch things you see around, with the Capcom logo on it. So now I have a working timepiece again that has a compass, day, alarm, stopwatch, time, and a backlight.
Leaving was amusing as well, as I got to see some ladies moving some boxes to a car using a Little Tykes plastic wagon. Only at Toys R Us.
Also met someone there who works for a Nintendo fansite, "the biggest online" called www.n-philes.com I believe, and he was interesting to talk to. He's actually been to Nintendo of America before by invitation, all expenses paid. He works in the stockroom of one of the other TRUs as well.
Friday, we went to a store in Woodbridge for on-the-floor training. Very nice store. A fair bit smaller than mine, yet it looks TONS better. Seems they do better with less space than ours does with more. We worked in teams at first, then they split us up later after they bought us Pizza Pizza for lunch. Almost predictably, Pizza Pizza screwed up our order, screwing us out of several Cokes. 'S why I don't give them my money. The food is good, the prices are cheap, but the service is lacking enough that I find they just aren't worth it. But if it's on someone else's dollar, hey, who am I to complain?
Anyway, seems I worked tons better in a group than on my own. Fate must've smiled on me, though. We were told that we were going to stay til we all got 100%, meaning we found everyone and got them marked down in a fifteen minute period. Wasn't until the last period I had that I found everyone I was assigned, and I got the last one logged in with 4 seconds to spare before I'd have had to take another turn.
But working with the night crew, has been easier. I was told there should only be about 8 of them, but there's usually 10-12. And they usually remain fairly static over periods, stocking their shelves and whatnot. I've gotten good, though. I can usually clear my route in five minutes, less on a good run.
The rest of the time, each quarter hour, I get paid to do nothing.
Worst part so far has been the drive. Takes me an hour to get there, but I've had to get there around 9 in the morning, and leave around five in the evening. In bad rain/slighty snowy weather. Fortunately, 11pm traffic is easy. And my coordinator gave me a better route. But I get paid from the time I leave my house to the time I get back. So it's good. :)
Incidently, I did take a bit of a liking towards head office, and got a card there which I may try and use to gain better employment once the season ends at my TRU. Maybe with any luck, something can come of that, and I can get a better job that can pay the bills, and start saving for NIB broadcasting school...
Anyway, that's pretty much my week. That, and lately my "deja vu" sensations, seeing stuff happen in real life that I've dreamt about before, are happening more and more frequently. Three times the other night. Red says I should see a psychic or something. But we can't afford that. But it's driving me nuts. It's happening at work, it's happening at home, and it's really starting to grate my nerves.
...and that's probably far more than I should've said, but I don't feel like deleting it at the moment. Oh well.
LBD "Nytetrayn"
