Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Concerning work...

I had an interesting conversation with Amy, my manager today. She asked me about inventory procedures at Express after she gave me a checklist of things to accomplish. I said something about everything being "spot on," and Amy exclaimed, "I haven't heard that phrase in years! It's British, isn't it?" This led into a conversation about our families. Evidently, her family is from Ulverston, a town in the Lake District of England. Coincidentally, my dad is from Barrow-in-Furness, a nearby city in the Lake District. We swapped stories about family disasters involving the "mad British relatives." It was quite a bonding moment.

Destiny is my fellow Foley's inventory partner. I like her a lot... she's had to deal with a lot of shit in her life, but she's a trooper. She had a baby at fifteen with a boy who refuses to associate with their child. But she still managed to complete her high school education, and move to Houston in order to attend the University of Houston. She's going to be a sophomore next year, and she has plans for a Ph.D in Psychology. She has a wonderful, kind fiancee who provides both financial and emotional support. Destiny's also a hard worker, with a quick sense of humor. She's "salt of the earth," so to speak.

When I got home, Sam started IMing me about her problems with Victoria's Secret. For details, you can consult her blogger. I used to work at Express, which is owned by the same company and has identical store policies, so I know exactly why she's frustrated. And I started to think... I never had such nice conversations with my managers at Express. I used to dread every moment I spent in that store... my feet hurt, my face hurt from smiling too much, and I ran around, attempting to sell credit cards to every man, woman, and child who entered the premises. Needless to say, a four hour shift seemed like eternity. However, my longer shifts at Foley's seem to fly by. I have just as much or more work, but the work environment is much more pleasant. I need another job after this is done... but hopefully I'll find a job that does not involve Express, Victoria's Secret, the Limited, Bath & Body Works, or any related company.