Why is Christmas so depressing?

The day after Boxing Day is always the most depressing day of the year. You spend too much on Christmas presents that no body wants, uses or is interested in then you spend the rest of the year worrying about how you are going to pay back the money you spend on presents. And if that wasn;t bad enough all those pounds in weight you put in. Everything revolves in losing those pounds and inches. Everything. When you don't loose the weight you gained in a matter of minutes you become depressed.

Gyms are crowded with people who remind you how fat you are. So do you want to lose weight or not?

January is always a "months of Mondays" - everyday is a Monday. Nothing happens. Days are long. Easter is a long way off. It's just everything.

Last minute Christmas shopping

Why is it that shops and supermarkets are heaving with customers to the point where it seems like the end of the world. Supermarkets and food shops are only closed for one day Christmas - and even then you could probably find a shop somewhere that is open.

I don't know about you but by the end of Christmas day the last thing I want is food. And the last place I want to go is a shop or supermarket. I have bought too much, feel bloated, overweight and uncomfortable. All I can think of is how much weight I put on and how long it will take me to get rid of it.

What has happened to buying one thing for each person on your list and making the most of the day rather than trying to outdo each other buying presents nobody wants and that will be forgotten about in a matter of hours.

What has happened to the our society? We have never had it so good, even in this recession but we are not happy, in fact, we are more depressed than ever.

Anyway,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - I hope that 2010 will be a happy and healtby year for you and your families.

Who said that life is easy?

What a weekend this has been! Nothing to do with work just BT engineers, BT customer services and BT management.

Friday my broadband connection went. Great start to the daty Rang BT and they did send someone out quickly and it was free!

The engineer disconnected my modem from the extension and hooked it up to the main telephone line - that left me with no extension which I needed. But the broadband was working - yipee.

One problem sorted but the telephones decided to to pack up. It's funny how you have things for ages then nothing, gone, and everything goes at once. Yep, one phone after another - although I have had them for ages.

Tesco's have an inexpensive range of landlines. However, when I went to buy a new one all they had was phones with large numbers on them - and when I say large - you can see the numbers from another room. So that's what I bought, a few of them because I have 3 extensions and they all went, one after another. That cost me a small fortune.

Next problem, getting the landliens to fit into small corners - I suppose I could have nailed them to the wall but do I want to ruin my wall - no.

My problem with BT is trying to convince them that it was their engineer who disconnected my extension that I can no longer use. To reconnect it would cost £125 plus and I refuse to do it because the extension worked fine till the engineer disconnected it. I'll know tommorrow if the battle with BT continues. Whatever next????

Merry Christmas to Checkout Operators Everywhere

Don't you just love this time of year? Festive decorations, lots of nice things on the shelves of stores, supermarkets and decorations everywhere. But where is the season of goodwill when it comes to Checkout Operators?

This Christmas, when you are buying your shopping, putting your food on the conveyer belts with lots of goodies spare a thought for the Checkout Operators.

1. Be patient - mistakes happen when people are in a rush.

2. Be a good customer - have empathy for all checkout operators

3. Remember CO's are people too and someone has to do that job.

4. Be polite - it is amazing how far a please and thank you will go - it really does speed up
your chopping experience.

5. It is not the CO's fault when things go wrong. Technology has a lot to answer for.

6. For many CO's who work long hours normally, Christmas is a time when they too can
make extra money.

7. Season greetings apply to everyone.

8. Don't forget to write a letter to the Store Manager and tell them about your good customer
relations experience and who the CO was that provided it. It will make the CO's day too!

Make this year a season of goodwill to everyone - especially Checkout Operators (CO).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

You've done a good job - now you'll get a verbal warning !

What a strange week this has been! First I had a Red Obervation for my lack of Customer Service i.e. there was no beginning or an end although the middle bit was better than anyone else - so I failed. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was followed by my getting a Shinning Star (£10 voucher) for my Customer Services. This was given to me by the Store Manager because a customer has recommended me for it. Crazy isn't it???

Two weeks later, a student, not even a manager gave me another Red Observation for once again my failure in producing a beginning and end. Although this time I was award TWO Shinning Stars - one from a customer who said I gave superior customer service and a second from the Mystery Shopper.

And guess what? I was also given a Verbal Warning that my Customer Service skills are lacking - you couldn't make this up could you?

So who decides on the customer services template? Some bozo in head office who has never sat on a till in their life - let alone for 8 hours a day. Is this unfair or what?

The funniest thing to come out of this is that I suggested to Head Office that we, the staff, be able to assess management the way they assess us - and guess what - I got a Shinning Star for that too! To date I have 9 Shinning Stars from Head Office this year alone. Pity my customer service skills are lacking?????????

How to avoid (serving) customers!

Although you work on checkouts in a large store you may be interested in learning how colleagues I work with avoid working!

1. Think of the irrelevant - like cleaning your till area when there are lots of customers about.
Take your time making sure you haven't forgotten a speck of dirt.

2. Go to the loo a lot. And take your time walking there and back . Don't forget to wash your
hands so clean that the skin almost falls off.

3. When it is hot - ask to get a drink . . . and again, and again.
When it is cold you will need a hot drink and a jumper. Don't get them on the same trip
make two very slow trips to the changing rooms and to your locker.

4. Forget about queues - there will always be long queues - let your supervisor through their
weight around. It is not your problem.

5. What ever you do - don't be good at it because people who do their job and people who work
hard are the ones who get all the aggro from staff. It is the people who milk the system
that get on in this environment. Learn from others who are successful how to milk the
system otherwise you will be the odd one out.

10 ways to speed up your shopping

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 – remember even checkout people are human.

2, Don’t forget the checkout assistant is always right.- when they tell you
something listen, absorb and remember!

3. Don't stress them more than they are already. Checkout operator have targets to meet and trust me, they are doing their best to process your order as quickly as possible.

4. If an item is unknown – don’t fret – it is not the end of the world. Unknown items, items that don’t scan or disappearing bar codes annoys checkout operators more than you. So don’t get annoyed with the checkout operator it isn’t their fault. If you are in a hurry either accept it and or politely 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 and you want to pack – ask the assistant to put your shopping from the trolley on the belt.

7. Don't distract the checkout operator they will probably have more important things to think about than processing your order.

8. If you have a problem, ask to see a manager and suggest they spend a week on the checkout.

9. Id you 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.

Disciplinary for doing your job

Sorry to my supporters for being absent - health problems! Never mind I am back with Tales from the Checkouts!

What has happened to work? Remember in days not so long ago, you were excepted to do a days' work for a days' pay - not avoid being on the tills.

I work with one lady who is such an expert, my manager gave her more jobs to do (otherwise known as more opportunities to get off serving people) and she got away with it. I am beginning to wonder who is the MUG here. Think it is me.

Hope you all had a nice summer!

Another beautiful day - but why do I hate any sunny day?

The problem is my neighbour. His family believe that a garden should be a recreation centre - any my neighbour use to be respectable until he moved in just over a year ago. And what a long year this has turned out to be.

First there was the golf course! Well one hole with a huge red flag in it. Astro turf leads up to the hole - why is anybody's guess. Next came the stones. Any available space there were stones - perhaps as he is a policeman he no doubt gets stones thrown at him. That was followed by his son playing tennis against his double-glazed windows. It use to be my fence until I profusely complained.

This weekend it was one of those really large adult paddling pools. Bearing in mind there is no grass in the garden. I'm dreading the pool parties his kids will have especially when he is away. Last year his daughter must have advertised a party on the internet because turned out to be more of a rave than a party. It went on till I left for work at 530 a.m. yes that was a.m..

My guess is that the neighbours thought someone else would ring the police. I was in great shape for work!

Why do people have to be so inconsiderate? All I want is a nice quiet life. The forecast of a hot summer fills me with dread. Is there any recourse? Probably not because he is a policeman, so who do you turn to?

I'm still running Sainsbury's

The episode last night featured a new recruit who had a successful career in sales and it showed. She definitely knew what she was talking about and her ideas were doable. From the trailers I thought it was going to be more agressive selling but what she in fact did was make Sainsbury's user friendly. So for me it worked. And I liked the idea!

No doubt they will be implementing this into our store. It will be interesting to see who the Store Manager chooses to be the sales person that is where the difference will occur. Because the way I see it you need someone who is approachable, confident, able to "personality" sell and a person who is keen to do a good job.

Yes, this is bringing back communication to the customer. It is also a good way of finding out what customers want.

I'm running Sainsbury's

U watched this programme with great interest! The idea seemed too good to be true . . . and it was. What it was, was a PR exercise to show how good Sainsbury's are. But are they?

Knowing what I do about how superstores like this are run, I found it strange that Head Office did not give this poor girl a hand like they would do for every other new product on the shelf i.e. vouchers, start the campaign at the weekend, offer tastings, even showing her how to sell. But then they wouldn't because it is not really in their interest to simply because they would stop the customer from buying more as they searched for the key things to make up their "Feed a Family for a Fiver".

I also thought the staff at Head Office were patronising to Becky.

So they got their PR but I personally don't think they got very good PR because it showed how ruthless they are especially when it comes to supporting staff and their ideas!

Who is the mug??

Ok, I am paid to do a job. The job is not brilliant but it pays money and that is what I am paid to do. However, my bone of contention is the fact that I have to work twice as hard because two people I work with spend all their time doing anything but work. Which I think is grossly unfair!

And the worst part is that you tell your manager who does nothing. You tell senior management who also does nothing - so who else is there?

Would you like to know what really gets my goat is when I am pulled into the office for stupid things like I took my tea break at the wrong time or I asked too many questions - but that is how you sell, by asking questions. So perhaps I am the mug by not milking the system like the women I work with do. Therefore, in future I will try to milk the system and do it better than them. At then, I won't feel like such a pratt!

Scandal hits the checkouts

Just about every month you have someone who thinks they can "get away" with stealing money from the tills. But they are told when trained that it has been tried and no one has EVER succeeded, yet still the people who steal seem to think the store won't miss an odd £100 here and there. When will they ever learn? The system is bigger than any one or collection of people and nobody ever gets away with it.

This time the victim was the daughter of one of the supervisors (who didn't have anything to do with it, nor did she know her daughter was stealing money). How awlful that must have been for her to go back into the store knowing that everyone was talking about they theft. But she did it, my heart really goes out to her because she is a good person and would never do anything like that ever. Most of the people I work with would never do it either.

What they don't seem to appreciate is that they are stealing from us the workers rather than the fat cats at the top. We are the ones who will suffer with our bonuses etc.. It is not fair! But then the world is not fair either.

Back to work

Finally, after another operation on my hand, I am back to work. But am still working on the tills. Fortunately, I am doing reduced hours although I am not sure for how long. However, there is another lady also doing rehab hours and she is milking the system and playing a strange game of making sure everyone knows her problems i.e. she was injured by a customer. My point to her was why didn't she do something i.e. take it up with the unions solicitors sooner rather than later? Because she does keep going on about money and how much she needs to live. Her situation is really odd - I think.

There I am plodding along and making the most of it. But I have another operation to come and am waiting for a date. I am convinced that someone has put the evil eye on me because of all the medical issues I have had. Normally I am fit and healthy and had enough operations during my early years to last a lifetime - so why more now????

Managers Meeting

As you know I work in a large supermarket superstore. Recently, I have had an operation on my hand explaining the absence of my postings. I went back to work last week to find that I have been the subject of a managers meeting because they (the managers) think I am negative. My colleagues think that I am no more negative than anyone else.

You would think that managers would be more interested in increasing profits rather than talking about me.

It's springtime????

Another beautiful day! Have you noticed that people behave differently when the sun is shinning?

Who knows if this weather is going to continue! But it is nice to hear the dawn chorus, see all the daffs, watch the new shoots grow - this time of year inspires you to get out and do something! And that should keep the weight off!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck Wellworths, I hope you succeed!

It's nice to see the passion that the new boss of WellWorths has. It's also good to see that someone has the courage of their convictions and "went for it".

Chris Evana made a passing comment that this story was going to be made into a movie, I hope so because it would make a brilliant story - wish I thought of it.

Perhaps others will follow and do what they feel passionate about. Including me!!!

This spring weather makes me feel better

What a difference a day can make! This week has been like the start of spring - the dawn chorus has started; the sun has been out; long gone are the heavy coats, ice and snow; is this is what it is going to be like the rest of the spring. I hope so. With the doom and gloom of the recession, we do need something to cheer us up. After all we should be thankful for what we have rather than what we don't have. But it is easy for me to say that because I haven't lost my job or my house - yet.

Have had a good week award wise. Got my oldies played on Steve Wright BBC2; had my top five played on Wave 105 and am a finalist in the Walkers Crisps name a flavour (mine was Fish and Chips - amongst others). Can't wait to see what momento I will get although I would rather have the £10,000 and the royalties. I wish. Never mind.

When is far too far?

After all the excitement from yesterday's snowfall, I was astonished to learn that a few of my work colleagues were unable to make it to work. You would think this not surprising bearing in mind how difficult conditions were, but:
I work in Southampton; one manager travelled from Salisbury, Wilts,; one from Chichester, Sussex, and one from Christchurch, Dorset. the distances they travelled were considerable yet one colleague who lives literally a 10 minute walk away rang personnel to say that she couldn't get in because of the snow?????

Keep ice from forming in the snow

How soothing is to watching the snow falling! Especially if you don't have to go out in it!
I use to love snow when I was a kid, now I just like watching it.
A good way to keep ice from forming on your paying slabs and drive is to spinkle table salt. Great for drives as well. And you don't have to use vast amounts of salt to make a difference - table salt is only a fraction (pence) compared to all these other things.
Salt is also good for keeping weeds at bay inbetween paving slabs.

Your life can change in a matter of minutes

It is amasing to think that the outcome of todays drama when a US Airways pilot saved the day by landing his plane, in tact, on the Hudson River in New York. On a wing and a prayer was the headline in one of the tabloids and how appropriate that was. Deemed as "the Miracle on the Hudson River" this incident has put a "smile on the faces" of many people in a week when there has been little to smile about.