Stealing time from your employer

I did think I was alone in my opinions about the queen of milking the sytem, but I found out that I was NOT alone and that more people than I first realised felt the same as I did i.e. that it had been going on for too long, that it wasn't fair on the rest of us, that she wa also bullying me. However, when I went to management, on three occasions to complain about the bullying nothing was ever done except that it got forgotten. So much for management helping resolve issues like this. But, I refused to go once again to management and be degraded into thinking it was my fault although this time it wasn't the issue. The issue was stealing from the company which to anyone else would have been instant dismissal but to her it was just another warning. Let's face it when you are suppose to be working and manage to do other things that take forever you are clearly milking the system and stealing from your employer. Trouble is that management in these large supermarket superstores don't see things like that they seem to see things in front of their face.
I'm not hoping for miracles just for this to be resolved for once and for all but I am not holding out a lot of hope on that front either - I am realistic.

Bozos

Monday was a really bad day because I wasn not conforming to regulations set out by senior management who are never on checkouts anyway. Apparently, I do not great customers appropriately - whatever that means. Nor do I treat them in a patronising way. Shame on me for showing them respect and dignity. After all these bozos who are senior management haven't got a clue about how people, how to manage and what customers want. Can you blame checkout operators for not wanting to stay in a job?

Red is for HWAID

What is an HWAID you ask? In supermarket superstore speak it is "How Well Am I Doing" which in laymens terms is suppose to be an assessment of your customer relation skills. And I had mine yesterday.
Bearing in mind I am on a till (all day) serving customers (all day) with the use of one hand (due to medical conditions preventing me from using the other.).
One of the criteria of this HWAID is being observed by some jumped up know it all . Needless to say I failed on this because I could not pack customers items. I really find it hard to take this job seriously when so many of the people I work with clearly abuse the system by disappearing off the tills for long periods of time leaving the rest of us to cope - yet they are the ones given the responsibility, they are the one given Shinning Stars and they are the ones management likes. I know this world is unfair but that just about takes the cake.
Anyway, I did badly on this HWAID because I am disabled and unforunately this is not taken into consideration. But who do I go to? Where can I turn?

Half term madness

Half term is a wonderful time of the year if you have kids - or it should be. It never ceases to amase me that parents would rather bring their kids shopping than to spend quality time with them. I know when my daughter was younger, I would look forward to being with her at half term, doing things going out for the day, making things anything but shopping.

It is such a shame that most parents seem to replace quality time for shopping time. Let's face it there is more to life than spending money.

Working on a supermarket checkout you certainly see all forms of life including very loud and unruly kids who appear bored by shopping too.

Why can't we go back to how things use to be inexpensive but meaninful?

Celebrity Spotting

Working in a supermarket superstore you get to meet a lot of celebrities. All kinds of celebrities, TV, sportsmen and women, radio, famous people, successful business people and many American Express Black Card members but I think the highlight of my day is getting the chance to meet "normal" people who have achieved astonishing feats.

No one could make up the takes that Joe Public tell you. For instance, in the course of serving a customer - who looked pretty ordinary - I found by making a comment about the contents of their shopping that they had started a business dealing in organic baby food - making everything from raw materials and not mass producing it. It is the kind of idea that you think "I should have thought of that" because the concept is so simple - just put in pure indegrients, organic foods, no colourings etc.. and this woman has gone from strength to strength because her idea has captured a niche market.

Someone once said to me, how do you do it? I replied, I just have a sincere interest in people and am a good listener.

Migrant worker vs. British

I read in the Daily Mail yesterday that Sainsburys prefer migrant workers because they work harder than the British. You've got to ask yourself why is that?

Part of the reason, I think is the way management treats you. Most supermarket managers regard their staff as thick, lacking in ability, not useful for anything and never use their brain. Their employees are sub-normal and sub-standard. So it is no wonder that workers lack motivation, inspiration that transpires into just not caring. After all most managers don't care either. As far as they are concerned they are above the workers and are always right - perhaps this is what they are taught when they train as managers or maybe it is in their blood - who knows? But what is annoying is that a company like Sainsbury's who is one of the major companies who disregard their staff to the point that they either leave (after a short time), or end up on anti-depressants because they are bullied should then produce a statement along those lines. What chance is there for anyone then if this is how they think? It's not good enough if you ask me.

I didn't like yesterday

Sunday was not a bad day, it was just a normal Sunday - very busy but not excessively busy. Monday was the problem. Unbeknown to me MegaMouth had a bad day on Saturday - fortunately, I didn't see her on Sunday so it wasn't until Monday that she became annoyed with me. What did I do to deserve her wrath? Come to work was enough.
For some reason she thinks she is a manager and tries to behave like one. The problem is that chronologically she is an adult but mentally she is only 10 and a school yard bully. Her life must be so empty because all she cares about is picking on someone - she has worked her way through members of staff. Regretfully, our manager has tried to put her in her place but she is not dealing with someone normal but someone with a host of problems, in particular, her lack of interpersonal skills. She is not able to talk to people - any person. Yet she is put in charge of people and even those both customers and staff have, over a long period of time, reported her to their managers and personnel, nothing is ever done.
It isn't fair because anyone else would immediately get the sack but not her. She is unbearable to work with. Your worst nightmare!
So Monday, she was more of a problem than she is normally because of the row she had (in front of a customer) with another member of staff and she also missed out seeing male strippers because she had to work.
I don't wish ill luck to anyone, but her. She is pure evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday working

I don't know what is worse - working under extreme pressure or working with people who make your life hell. They both probably are equal but on a bad day one is head and shoulders above the other.
Petrol prices are going up to £1 a litre from tommorrow night, so I have been informed by one of my colleagues. That means, in terms of work, that everybody will be buying petrol to avoid paying that extra 2p for as long as possible. Customers are probably spending more than that queueing up for the petrol in the first place not to mention putting themselves under undo stress. So guess where they are putting me . . . in the petrol station.
This is typical of how these big supermarket superstores take no notice of your personal medical conditions and simply place you wherever they want. The petrol station will certainly be very busy and people working there will be extremely stressed out because of it. And that means customers too. Customers hate queueing for long periods and sometimes get very aggressive because of it. But there is nothing we can do about it except to take it. There never is anybody who stands up for us, although the Union Reps are suppose to. But can you ever find a union rep when you need them? No? They are just like management, they hide away at times when they are most needed. At least that is the case where I work.
If only I didn't have to work in a place like that. I have tried everything I could think of to get out and find myself another job - as most people who work there do but some, like me have no choice for a host of reasons.
How I am NOT looking forward to going to work tommorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some people are just evil

Yesterday, I had the worst day of my life on the checkouts - and it wasn't with a customer. I find customers are generally very nice and undersatanding.
My day started off as normal. Although I am only able to use one hand, the supermarket where I work still insist on putting me on tills where I find packing extremely difficult. However, I agreed with my manager that I would work on a less busy till and she was happy with that. The problem then came when another member of staff came in.
Orginally she was going to help the mamager do something on the shop floor but another colleague came and the manager then asked her instead which upset shall I call her the "fat blond" because she wanted a skive, like they all do. whereas I am happy to plod on. An hour into the shift and this "fat blond" wanted to do something else and this time the manager asked me to do it - bearing in mind this job was "no big deal" although it did mean that I would get off the tills for 15 minutes - which is what she wanted to do. So that upset her!
Then she starts on me saying why do I have to sit on this particular till; why can't I go on another? I told her thait my medical conditions were none of her business and told her to speak to the manager if she wasn't happy with what I did. Two fingers to her I thought.
I am normally a very placid person and would not entertain such pettiest but this "fat blond" seems to have a problem with everything.
I do the job to the best of my ability. My manager is happy with me and my work and leaves me to get on with things, so it is none of her business what I do and who is she to tell me what I can do and can't do.
I should have learned by now that most people who work on supermarket superstores do it because of a variety of reasons however, there are a few, like the "fat blond" who are not capable of working anywhere else and you can see why.

NB. I emphathise that this is not anit-fat people, I use the term "fat blond" simply as a way of describing her and nothing else. Fortunately, fat people like her are rare - just like people like her are rare. And unfortunately, we all need bad people to make us appreciate the good people in this life.

Trouble brewing

Today I was asked to shift my hours forward and go in earlier. That was no problem, but I have to take medication for my ills and ails at regular intervals and with food. The problem became having breaks in order to take my medication. You would think that the company has a duty of care - well that is senior management not the ground level management i.e. supervisors who have more control and power over our life than we do.

What started out as a simple task turned out to be a major feat. Do I go off and have my medication upsetting my supervisor who would in turn make my life more hell than she does already or do I suffer and hope for the best. Should I strugglem while other totally fit people are off sciving avoiding serving customers, getting paid more than me for doing it and pretending to make themselves useful when clearly they are not.

I decided that my health and well-being was worth MORE than those stupid people - now I live with what repurcussions there could be tommorrow.

The fastest 10 ways to get promoted at work

If supervisors would only let you do your job working at a checkout would be so much easier! Unfortunately, they are usually power hungry put-downers who contribute little other than making your life as difficult as possible, simply because they are small minded and narrow thinking people who have nothing better to do.

Below are the qualities you need to be a checkout supervisor in a supermarked:
1. Brown nose managers, especially store managers
2. crack the whip
3. Make certain staff know who you are - those who shout the loudest get noticed and promoted.
4. Zap up your CV - make sure people believe you
5. Upset the workers on a regular basis
6. Make sure you keep on the right side of management and the wrong side of those who don't matter
7. Be two-faced
8. You don't have to know what you are doing as long as people believe you know what you are doing
9. Talk a lot of jibberish
10. Be more than assertive

There you go now you are a supervisor. Carry on for a bit longer and you will soon be manager. This is no place for nice people

Enterprising customers

A customer came to my checkout this morning. She was mid-twenties with a few dreadnots. She looked like a new ager complete with multiple piercings - there must have been at least forty. They were up and down her ears, through and around her nose; at various places around her lips; a few in and around her eyebrows. In fact there were so many, I had difficulty in looking at her as I was serving her. Her clothes looked shabby as though she had changed in a couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, my job is not to judge but to process people through my till. And I wasn't judging - honest!

I scanned her items and told her that would be £41.23. She then produced a cellofane bag with lots of coins and proceeded to count. She counted and counted - Forty pounds worth of counting.

"Did you do a car boot sale yesterday?" I asked her.
"No" she said "I sold shots at the Isle of Wight festival."
Being not completely with it, I asked what shots were.
"Tequilla. I sold shots of tequilla for a pound. I got all dressed up and went around asking people if they wanted to buy a shot for a pound,"

My opinion of her immediately changed to one of an enterprising person. How clever was that? I thought it was genius. Making money with little outlay. A pound a shot is not alot, something most people can afford.

It just goes to show you can sometimes misjudge people just by what they are wearing and what they look like.

Technorati Profile

The secret life of a supermarket checkout operator

"Good morning" the checkout operator says with a pasted smile across her face. She has been told by her supervisors that if she doesn't smile, say good morning, ask if the customer would like to buy: a lottery ticket, car insurance, house insurance, pet insurance, contents insurance, stamps or have cash back she will not get her bonus???
Most customers I have spoken too just want to get out of the supermarket as quickly as possible. They are not interested in the operators trying to sell them whatever, they want to pay for their goods and get out.
Some assistants take this personally because they can't process 19 items a minute, ask all these questions, pack, smile and pass the time of day with their customers because:
1. customers are not interested
2. they (the assistants have enough on their plate already - so why should they have to put themselves into the firing line even more than before while their supervisors and managers just putter around making themselves look important. Where are they when you need them?)
3. they are unable to multi-task.
4. they are on a minimum wage - who gets the commission from all these sales anyway?
5. rather than look at the positives management always picks up negatives and doesn't seem to appreciate, know or care what goes on behind the tills unless it is something un-to-ward.
6. it is not in their job description to do these extra jobs - where are the unions?

Support your local checkout operators by writing to Supermarket Store Managers telling them what a good job the assistants are doing and how they should be financially recognised for their significant contributions.

10 ways to speed up your trip through the supermaket checkout

Have you ever wondered how to speed up your trips through the supermarket checkouts? Simply follow the following rules:
1. Smile at the checkout assistant
2, Remember the checkout assistant is always right.
3. Don't rush her/him - they have plenty of time - let them process your order at their own speed.
4. If something is unknown, doesn't have a bar code, is or gets damaged don't lose your rag with them - just accept it and say "never mind, I'll leave it."
5. When you forget to hand over your coupons or vouchers, take them to the Customer Services Desk to refund your money. Don't argue!
6. Pack yourself - if help is offered ask the help to put your shopping from the trolley onto the belt - they can't get that wrong.
7. Don't distract the checkout operator they will probably have more important things to think about than processing your order.
8. Ask to see a manager and suggest they spend a week on the checkout.
9. Lose your temper with a manager - you will probably get a voucher!
10. Take an interest in the life of your checkout assistant - it will probably be the first time someone has.

Good shopping!

Mega Mouth is Back

These past three weeks have been bliss - no Mega Mouth (outwise known as my supervisor). It has been so quiet. None of this, I can't talk to you because she doesn't like you and will not like me if I talk to you. I know what you are thinking how childish. It is! She is chronically an adult but mentally a 10 year old and she is our supervisor who we have to take orders from. It's not fair but life is not fair, is it?

However, it does make you wonder what hold she has over the company because anyone else who upset customers with her very loud foul mouth, she gets away with it. She also gets away with being off sick at the drop of a hat. Passing germs are attracted to her like a magnet.

Having said that she does have her good points - the only trouble is that I don't know what it is? But it takes all kinds of people to make up a world. It is just ashame she is in my world.

Who said being a shop assistant is easy? I think it takes a lot more than just going to work to survive. You have got to be polical otherwise you get eaten alive. And it seems that unless you milk the system, no one wants to know.

Different Sock Society Day - 24th October 2007

The Different Society Society (DSS) encourages the use of different socks.: wearing them, making things from them; giving them a better quality of life by adopting them.

Wearing them:
Be proud, be bold, make a statement - wear different socks - one plain - one coloour. Don't hide them wear them with pride.

Make things:
Odd socks make all kinds of useful things. There are the obvious like dusters, mittens but have you thought about car seat covers or dog jackets?

Adopt a sock
Socks that have become single through no fault of their own feel left out, unwanted and useless. Be kind to your sock. Adopt one, Give your sock a name. Provide it with a place to live. Don't forget to ensure they get out in the fresh air. Remember Christmas.

How to be a successful Checkout Assistant

The best ways to get on with fellow members of your Supermarket Colleagues, Supervisors and Managers are:
1. Bake cakes - bake a cake for every shift - make certain the cakes you bake are favourites of management - give them the biggest piece - forget about the added cost and time - it is definitely an investment in your well being and will earn you enough brownie points to be able to do what you want. If you don't know how to bake, LEARN.
2. Milk the system -take longer breaks - if you keep your head down and do your job - other members of staff will not like you - you will become "the only one"
3. Do not inform management of anything - management generally are idiots and only look after themselves - you too must learn to do the same.
4. Don't take anything personally - especially when customers are rude - customers know that you can't answer back otherwise you will get the sack - if only you could.
5. Remember that everybody is out for themselves - you must be too
6. Tell management how good they are this too will earn you extra priviledges
7. Brown nosing will get you everywhere and will make your life a whole lot easier

Faster than the speed of light

All of a sudden he started going faster. I thought it may have something to do with trying to make a fool of me, being English and didn't think any more about it. So I too increased my speed. And he went still faster. So did I. Then I looked in my rear view mirror to find a policeman behind me indicating for me to pull over. I never had a speeding ticket before and was nervous.
However, as luck would have it. The Fireman turned off the road and pulled into a blazing house fire. I did the same. And the policeman followed.
The Fireman got out of the car (this wasn't Wendy's I hasten to add), I did and the policeman did.
The policeman came up to the car and asked for my license. I tried to explain that we were following the car in front (the fireman). It was at this point that the fireman realised what had happened. He turned to me and said, "I forgot all about you following me. Sorry officer this was my fault. I told them to follow me because they were lost."
And fortunately for us the policeman believed the fireman and let us off.
Two hours later we turned up at my nephews restaurant - fortunately it was for a lunch - and he asked what happened to us. My sister explained we went to a fire.
The irony was that my sister use to tell my nephew off (he was a volunteer fireman) for going to fires and not letting her know.

As darkness approaches. . .

My sister and I pulled into what we thought was an offical building to ask directions. The building looked like an American government one - very official and very clean. When I say clean, I think clinical would be a better word.
Just as I was about to get out of the car, a man in a uniform came out of the building. I thought the uniform looked like a policeman but it wasn't it was a fireman.
With a British accent, I asked him if he heard of my nephew's restaurant. He replied yes he knew it and proceeded to tell me how to get to it. The trouble was his directions were full of Highways this and routes that - he might as well have been talking in another language because I certainly didn't understand any of it. In England, we are more direct with our instructions.
I then asked him to draw us a map whereupon he said, "Follow me. I'm going to Wendy's but if you carry on straight down the road after I turn off at Wendy's you'll see it on the right."
It sounded pretty simple to me.
He got in his car, drove out onto the main road and I followed.
I was saying to my sister how nice it was for him to put himself out for us. She agreed.
We had been following him for about 10 minutes. He'd stop at the lights for us and wait till we caught up because we had no idea where we were going. It was a case of following the leader.
Then, out of the blue . . . . . .

The road to nowhere

The directions the Amish mother gave us seemed straight forward, if you knew where you were going and the area. Unfortunately, there were no road signs, no indications as to where we were no nothing really. But we were lost - well and truly lost.
So we did what anyone else who was lost would do and just keep driving. Turning left after two crossroads then right to a smaller road that looked more like a drive way than a road. Eventually after what seemed to be a lifetime although it was probably only an hour or so we saw our first MacDonalds - the well known American signpost to anywhere in the world. So we turned right. A few miles down the road we came across a signpost that said Lancaster 5 miles. Lancaster was the place we wanted to visit.
As we approached Lancaster my sister flicked a couple of switches that pulled the roof of the convertible over her heads. She locked the roof in then proceeded to lock the doors with the electronic locking system. "Why did you do that?" I asked in a surprised voice.
"Two people were shot and killed here last week." she replied.
"Do you know where we are going now?"
"Not exactly she replied"
"What does that mean?" I asked.
It was at this point that I began to look for somewhere to stop and ask for directions. The people we saw walking down the road looked harmless until my sister informed me that there were more gangs here than in many of the big cities.
What a fun day this was turning out to be. We were already over an hour and a half late for our restaurant booking.
Just past a set of traffic lights I saw what looked like an official building. I decided to pull in and ask for directions.

You couldn't make this up

Last year I had to go to the US because my mother had been taken seriously ill. She subsequently died. Just before I was due to fly back to England, my sister suggested that we visit my nephews' restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Off we went. We thought we knew where we were going but in the US road signs are far and few between - but we had a rough idea of where it was. After all there couldn't be that many restaurants in the Lancaster ?
It was a beautiful day and we were more than happy to drive in a Thelma and Louise style - top down in a red mustang convertible.
As we were driving down this one road it became apparent we were lost - no signs, no nothing really. And this went on for what seemed to be miles and miles. But it was a beautiful day and we weren't in a hurry.
There we were driving down this road when we came across an Amish girl (about 10) with her two younger brothers. My sister said to ask her. So I pulled over and asked this little girl directions to Lancaster - my sister replied, not her . . . HER point to her mother who was hidden by the blackberry bush,
That was the start. Come back tommorrow for tnext installement.

IF YOUR FACE FITS

It is amazing the affect that the absence of one supervisor can make. If this Supervisor doesn't like you she makes your life hell. Complaining to managerment, personnel and the union makes no difference - for some reason she has a hold on them. Although she is always off sick, ill or otherwise she gets away with it - anyone else would be given warnings and fired. Yet she is the person we take orders from - someone with NO interpersonal skills!.To look on the bright side of things she is away for 3 weeks during the summer holidays and it is bliss. There is none of this - I can't talk to you because she won't speak to me; or she doesn't like you so I can't either. It is sad that in this day and age people will not stand up for themselves. However, having said that I appreciate the difficulty in standing up for yourself because no on will take action nor will anyone in authority support you. All you end up doing is upsetting yourself and she goes onto bully you even more. I suppose that is what it's like working at the check-outs - there is one rule for one and another rule for everyone else. The only winners are those people whose face fits!

What are your socks made of?

The kind and colour of the socks you wear reflect your personality.

Cotton socks

- wearers like a simple life ; are eco friendly; easy going; has expensive tastes; eats fruit and veg. visits National Heritage sites; walks alot; reads loads

Man-made fibres

- like a bargain; have a sense of humour; loose more socks than other wears; likes socialising and going out with friends; watches football matches and sports in general.

Woollen

- wearers live in a colder environment; probably has poor circulation; eats sweets and crisps; drinks beer; prefers a quiet life - sitting in front of the telly of an evening.

Be sure to return when I will be describing what colours you wear affect your life/choices/kind of day you will have.

8 ways to enjoy the RAIN

The following are ideas to make the most when it rains.

1. Put containers outside to gather water
2. Make a bird bath
3. Wash your car
4. Use water to flush toilets
5. Watch the rain fall
6. Go for a walk - rain is good for your complexion
7. Wash your dog
8. Hang out the washing - clothes will smell refreshed.
   
   

Making a tea cosy from odd socks

To make a tea cosy using odd socks you will first need a tea pot. Make certain there is no tea in it when you are using it.

• Next gather your odd socks together.


• Place them up and down the tea pot so that you can work out how many socks you will need. Use colourful or unusual socks.


• Once you have gathered the socks together stitch them from side to side.


• These will form a barrel of odd socks.


• Next place the barrel over the teapot to see where gaps for the handle, spout and tea pot top.


• Then stitch the socks accordingly.


• Do this until the tea pot is covered.

The great thing about this pattern is that it doesn't look perfect - it is practical and usable - saving you a fortune.

Sign up for more uses.

The best ways to get served - your guide to being a successful customer

The following are ways to ensure that you get served when you go into shops:

Smile at the assistant
Remember to say please
Treat the assistant like a member of the human race
Don't be demanding
Don't be patronising
Take your time, there is no need to rush
Leave your anger at home
Don't be abusive - language or actions
Treat assistants as though they have some intelligence
Don't be rude
Remember shop assistants have a life too!

How I Became Happy

It took me all week but at last I think I found the true secret to happiness. And I've created a formulae to book:

1. Take 1 life
2. divide it by happy
3. substract the bad bits
4. multiply it by positiveness
5. equals
6. TRUE Happiness.

Nothing could be easier. Let me know if it works for you.

Today we mourn the loss of Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. He declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.Common Sense took a beating as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.Common Sense lost the will to live when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone."

This says it all and was passed to me by a friend

Saturday night

Getting Started - Here we go

Sometimes I wish I was a virtual person, it would make writing these posts easier. I'm at a loss to know what to put - I want to write about so much - the people I meet (when I am working - am checkout operator on a till) ; the bizarre things that happen to me - I win a lot of things; am unable to think clearly - will need to gain a bit of "blogger" confidence - then . . . tommorrow will be a better day.

All I did today, was clean no empty would be a better phrase - took everything out my wardrobe, everything means everything - it's easy once you remove all the things cluttering up your wardrobe. It's amasing the things you'd forgotten about. And the things that have lots of memories - photos, odd bits of papers/receipts/notes/rubbish basically.

As I start to put things back having piled everything up around my bedroom I think to myself "Do I really need/want/use this? " The trouble is that things take on a life of their own - most have little characters themselves - but it's only junk. I haven't used it for years - forgot I had it - so it must go.

Stores should not be allowed to sell "junk". Having said that, once you "throw it out" you feel a sense of relief - that's one less thing in my life.

It does make me wonder why I bought it in the first place. If I didn't hoard all of these useless things then I wouldn't have to clean. And do I hate cleaning.