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It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas!
This coming friday night I'm going to be in a parade! One of my sisters runs a Christmas tree farm, and since this is her family's first year in selling trees, they decided it would be good advertising to be in the town Christmas parade. I'm going to join my sister and her six year old daughter and their beautiful dog (alaskan malamute/wolf) who will be pulling a little wagon loaded with trees. My sister has made me a poncho to match the ones she and her daughter will be wearing. I'm very excited, I've always wanted to be in a parade! Luckily, though I work that day, I'll be off in time to join them.
It's beginning to feel Christmasy. I hear it's supposed to snow tonight. At work, we have Christmas carols playing, and in the mall (Sears where I work, is in a mall), Santa is all set up to take pictures with kids. The trees around the mall parking lot are decorated with lights, and the streetlamps all along the roads are hung with wreaths. In my apartment I have my own carols playing - I prefer the old fashioned ones with Bing Crosby ... Gene Autry ... Burl Ives.... I'll wait until it's actually December before I put up my decorations. I don't have a lot, I prefer simplicity. I have some old fashioned things that I set around the place, and a few strings of small lights that I will tape around the windows.
It was around this time last year that I began this blog. Now here I am, celebrating the season in a different apartment, a different town, no longer living on the Island, and I'm close to my family. In fact, I just realised it was right around this time last year that I made the decision to send my family Christmas presents, which is what started the ball rolling for us to be reunited after years of estrangement. I regularly spend time with my mother, my sisters and their family's. My two youngest nieces and nephew run up to me when they see me, yell out "Tante Marian!" and throw their arms around my waist, yet I've only known them a couple of months. I've met nieces and nephews that I had never laid eyes on before, and I've become reaquainted with older nieces and nephews who were kids when I last saw them, and are now adults ... some are even married and about to start family's of their own. Last year I had no community around me, now I'm constantly being introduced to people who know my family, and had been hoping they would meet me one day. They rush up and hug me and welcome me home. Last year around this time, I was a lowly, but enthusiastic dishwasher/janitor. Now I have a fancy job at Sears. Last year I had no idea all of this would come to pass for me.
I'm learning my job very quickly. Most of the transactions are easy for me now. I rarely need to ask for help anymore, in fact, some of the other newbies who were trained after me, are asking me for help! I'm able to move easily from taking care of one customer who wants to buy items with their credit card, to the next who wants to make a payment on their Sears card, to the next who wants a price adjustment on the sweater they bought last week, to the next who wants to return an item and have the money credited to their account. I help little old couples find pants in an odd size (with pleats to accomodate the husband's expanded waistline), and I advise harried girlfriends on what shirt to choose for their new boyfriend's Christmas outfit. I put up with irritable customers who seem determined to find fault with me (some of them even leave smiling ... though there are always those who can't be persuaded to do even that). I just keep my head down while dealing with the cranky types. I concentrate on the job at hand, and just ignore the steady stream of insults (you wouldn't believe!!!) that they mutter during the entire transaction. Every once in a while, I think of a little joke in answer to their insult, and that lightens the mood.
Most of my customers are very nice. Some of them are obviously lonely, and just want a little personal attention. One elderly man came in, and handed me his Sears credit card that he had cut into four pieces. He had his latest bill, which was paid in full. He wanted me to go over everything in detail. As I made a show of scrutinising everything, he explained how he is moving into an old age home, and would no longer be in need of a credit card. He seemed a little sad. I got the sense he had no one to tell about this momentous change in his life, and so he had come to Sears with his cut up card. It wasn't necessary for him to hand it in, but I didn't tell him this. Instead I went over the bill and assured him it was all paid up. I made a phonecall to the switchboard to inform them that he would no longer be needing our services, and I wished him well. I've noticed that the most valued Sears employees do little things like this for customers. It makes people feel good, and to be honest, it makes me feel good too.
I hope I get asked back to Sears after Christmas. I've been hired as Christmas staff, with the possiblility of returning after the Season. On the last day of December I will be laid off, and then I have to wait (hope hope hope!!!) for a phonecall. If that call comes, I will have a secure job. This is the most wonderful job I've ever had, I really ... Really hope they ask me back.
Before I got this Sears job, I applied at a local college to work in the kitchen. I didn't hear from them until a couple of weeks ago when I got a call asking me to come in. Of course, I said no, since I have a much better job at Sears, but I told him I don't know if I'll be hired back after Christmas, and even if I am, I might have a couple of months before I'm asked to return, since the first months in the year are typically slow. We've decided that I will come in to work in the kitchen at the beginning of January, for two days a week. At least that means I won't have any months where I have no paycheque coming in. Although I have no intention of staying on in kitchen work (I've paid my dues!!!), still, it's nice to know I will have this safety net. Meanwhile, I'll hope for a call back from Sears, and if that doesn't pan out, I'll apply at other retail stores. At least now I have good experience in retail, and will be assured of a great reference.
It's beginning to feel Christmasy. I hear it's supposed to snow tonight. At work, we have Christmas carols playing, and in the mall (Sears where I work, is in a mall), Santa is all set up to take pictures with kids. The trees around the mall parking lot are decorated with lights, and the streetlamps all along the roads are hung with wreaths. In my apartment I have my own carols playing - I prefer the old fashioned ones with Bing Crosby ... Gene Autry ... Burl Ives.... I'll wait until it's actually December before I put up my decorations. I don't have a lot, I prefer simplicity. I have some old fashioned things that I set around the place, and a few strings of small lights that I will tape around the windows.
It was around this time last year that I began this blog. Now here I am, celebrating the season in a different apartment, a different town, no longer living on the Island, and I'm close to my family. In fact, I just realised it was right around this time last year that I made the decision to send my family Christmas presents, which is what started the ball rolling for us to be reunited after years of estrangement. I regularly spend time with my mother, my sisters and their family's. My two youngest nieces and nephew run up to me when they see me, yell out "Tante Marian!" and throw their arms around my waist, yet I've only known them a couple of months. I've met nieces and nephews that I had never laid eyes on before, and I've become reaquainted with older nieces and nephews who were kids when I last saw them, and are now adults ... some are even married and about to start family's of their own. Last year I had no community around me, now I'm constantly being introduced to people who know my family, and had been hoping they would meet me one day. They rush up and hug me and welcome me home. Last year around this time, I was a lowly, but enthusiastic dishwasher/janitor. Now I have a fancy job at Sears. Last year I had no idea all of this would come to pass for me.
I'm learning my job very quickly. Most of the transactions are easy for me now. I rarely need to ask for help anymore, in fact, some of the other newbies who were trained after me, are asking me for help! I'm able to move easily from taking care of one customer who wants to buy items with their credit card, to the next who wants to make a payment on their Sears card, to the next who wants a price adjustment on the sweater they bought last week, to the next who wants to return an item and have the money credited to their account. I help little old couples find pants in an odd size (with pleats to accomodate the husband's expanded waistline), and I advise harried girlfriends on what shirt to choose for their new boyfriend's Christmas outfit. I put up with irritable customers who seem determined to find fault with me (some of them even leave smiling ... though there are always those who can't be persuaded to do even that). I just keep my head down while dealing with the cranky types. I concentrate on the job at hand, and just ignore the steady stream of insults (you wouldn't believe!!!) that they mutter during the entire transaction. Every once in a while, I think of a little joke in answer to their insult, and that lightens the mood.
Most of my customers are very nice. Some of them are obviously lonely, and just want a little personal attention. One elderly man came in, and handed me his Sears credit card that he had cut into four pieces. He had his latest bill, which was paid in full. He wanted me to go over everything in detail. As I made a show of scrutinising everything, he explained how he is moving into an old age home, and would no longer be in need of a credit card. He seemed a little sad. I got the sense he had no one to tell about this momentous change in his life, and so he had come to Sears with his cut up card. It wasn't necessary for him to hand it in, but I didn't tell him this. Instead I went over the bill and assured him it was all paid up. I made a phonecall to the switchboard to inform them that he would no longer be needing our services, and I wished him well. I've noticed that the most valued Sears employees do little things like this for customers. It makes people feel good, and to be honest, it makes me feel good too.
I hope I get asked back to Sears after Christmas. I've been hired as Christmas staff, with the possiblility of returning after the Season. On the last day of December I will be laid off, and then I have to wait (hope hope hope!!!) for a phonecall. If that call comes, I will have a secure job. This is the most wonderful job I've ever had, I really ... Really hope they ask me back.
Before I got this Sears job, I applied at a local college to work in the kitchen. I didn't hear from them until a couple of weeks ago when I got a call asking me to come in. Of course, I said no, since I have a much better job at Sears, but I told him I don't know if I'll be hired back after Christmas, and even if I am, I might have a couple of months before I'm asked to return, since the first months in the year are typically slow. We've decided that I will come in to work in the kitchen at the beginning of January, for two days a week. At least that means I won't have any months where I have no paycheque coming in. Although I have no intention of staying on in kitchen work (I've paid my dues!!!), still, it's nice to know I will have this safety net. Meanwhile, I'll hope for a call back from Sears, and if that doesn't pan out, I'll apply at other retail stores. At least now I have good experience in retail, and will be assured of a great reference.
posted by Marian (Jolene) | 6:51 p.m.
1 Comments:
Marian, it's been such a pleasure to read of the wonderful changes in your life during the year. You've crossed many bridges and I hope your road remains steady. Hope you get the Sears job. Good luck! d:)
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