Saturday, July 31, 2010
Reflections
Friday, July 30, 2010
Work Peeve: Closing Time
Working retail means you see a whole side of human nature that I never realized existed. People are often cheap, rude and stupid.
The owner of the company makes the rules, and the rules for closing are that we are not allowed to tell the customer that we are closing. We are not supposed to hurry them, but just let them shop. My manager does not stand for that, and within 10 minutes of closing, lets new customers know. 15 minutes after closing, we often helpfully hint that they wrap up their shopping.
It gets old. Most people do not read the sign stating the hours on the door. Even when they are aware of the closing time, they are not aware of how quickly those minutes fly by when they want to leisurely browse.
I often get "I know you want to go home, and I will go fast!" but they are some of the worst offenders, taking their time and contradicting what they said to me.
Having to wait to close gets old fast. At the end of the day, I am tired, hungry and cranky. Those minutes are often precious, especially if I have a meeting to attend, or a movie that is starting, or just a dinner date with my husband.
By staying open even five extra minutes means expenses go up, which indirectly means prices of merchandise goes up as well. Heat, electricity, and overtime wages all add up very quickly.
Some customers assume that we get to go home right after we lock the doors. Not so. There is cleanup to do, reconciling the till, etc. And if the till is off, we get to stay until the problem is solved.
The other issue is when these customers purchase nothing, or a small item, like a 25 cent post card. That does not pay for our wasted time, sorry.
Tonight, I had a mother and daughter browsing the store for nearly an hour before closing. They were the last people in the store, and after closing, they still wandered around. Finally, at ten after, they purchased a $20 item and left, but not before announcing that they were "killing time before the 8:30 movie :)"
Most places don't appreciate loitering, especially after the store is closed.
I could go on and on about the countless times I have had to stay later at work, and how I feel about it, but that is not very constructive. Basically, always try to be aware of when a place closes. If you can't find a sign, ask. Be courteous to the workers, and if you are in a restaurant, leave a big tip :).
The owner of the company makes the rules, and the rules for closing are that we are not allowed to tell the customer that we are closing. We are not supposed to hurry them, but just let them shop. My manager does not stand for that, and within 10 minutes of closing, lets new customers know. 15 minutes after closing, we often helpfully hint that they wrap up their shopping.
It gets old. Most people do not read the sign stating the hours on the door. Even when they are aware of the closing time, they are not aware of how quickly those minutes fly by when they want to leisurely browse.
I often get "I know you want to go home, and I will go fast!" but they are some of the worst offenders, taking their time and contradicting what they said to me.
Having to wait to close gets old fast. At the end of the day, I am tired, hungry and cranky. Those minutes are often precious, especially if I have a meeting to attend, or a movie that is starting, or just a dinner date with my husband.
By staying open even five extra minutes means expenses go up, which indirectly means prices of merchandise goes up as well. Heat, electricity, and overtime wages all add up very quickly.
Some customers assume that we get to go home right after we lock the doors. Not so. There is cleanup to do, reconciling the till, etc. And if the till is off, we get to stay until the problem is solved.
The other issue is when these customers purchase nothing, or a small item, like a 25 cent post card. That does not pay for our wasted time, sorry.
Tonight, I had a mother and daughter browsing the store for nearly an hour before closing. They were the last people in the store, and after closing, they still wandered around. Finally, at ten after, they purchased a $20 item and left, but not before announcing that they were "killing time before the 8:30 movie :)"
Most places don't appreciate loitering, especially after the store is closed.
I could go on and on about the countless times I have had to stay later at work, and how I feel about it, but that is not very constructive. Basically, always try to be aware of when a place closes. If you can't find a sign, ask. Be courteous to the workers, and if you are in a restaurant, leave a big tip :).
Rainbow Over the Lake
That night, I was. It wasn't the most vibrant of rainbows, but I am still happy that it showed up nicely for me!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Fireweed and Lupine Together
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 14
Day 14 of the sugar fast. I haven't given in yet, but I sure am craving sugar! It feels like I am eternally hungry, since I am wanting something sweet. I'm dreaming of brownies and chocolate in the end of August!
Two posts ago, I whined about not getting to shoot the sunset. I was able to shortly after that! The sunset looked promising, but I never got that far, because a rainbow appeared. The sunset fizzled out before it became amazing, so I was able to focus (ha) my attention on the rainbow and its reflection on a lake.
I was able to buy plane tickets for our trips in the coming months. Very excited to be getting out of town. Not excited to be leaving during fall time, but that is a price I pay, I suppose.
I need to purchase a laptop before too long so I can complete my school work while I am away from home. I have been looking at several, and while I don't need anything special, I do want a bit of processing speed so I can potentially edit photos on the road. Main reason for this purchase would be for school, but the other would be for a photo dump. Now that I shoot RAW, my photo file sizes are incredible, and I fill up memory cards like crazy.
I am continually saving up money for camera stuff, and I am running into the chicken and the egg problem. My camera is slowly dying. Canon Rebel's don't last long, and I have run it hard in the past year and a half that I have had it. It's most definitely still usable and in working condition, but I am afraid it will not be much longer. I have set my sights on a much more expensive camera, but it will take me years to save up for it. In addition to this problem, the full frame camera will not work with my wide angle lens. Buying better lenses is a great investment, so I have been saving up for those first and foremost. Maybe the solution is to buy a step up in the camera department after this one bites the dust instead of going straight for the pro level one. Not sure.
In other news, summer is sort of winding down. The fireweed is in full bloom, less tourists are coming through and the days are getting shorter. I start school in a month.
Many people have been complaining about how rainy and miserable this summer is. I admit that it has been quite rainy, but I really have not noticed it much. I work inside all week, so I don't get much chance to enjoy it, and I don't let the weather faze me when I am out shooting, so I suppose I have been a bit oblivious to it. I do wish it would be warm a bit more, since summer is almost gone.
C and I have a weird work week. Our weekend occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and not Saturday and Sunday. It makes it obnoxious to go to church and Saturday events, but we get time off during the week when weekday businesses are open. It also makes lunch dates less stressful as there are less people milling around.
Yesterday, C had to work and he has to do so on next Tuesday as well. It's all overtime pay, which will be nice, but we'd rather he have the day off instead!
Going into the day, I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. Working full time makes me forget that I get to stay at home all winter long. I did the dishes, then went to lunch with a friend, and did the grocery shopping. Then I came home. I ended up finishing up a book I had been reading at work all week on my lunch breaks. Then went out to shoot some flower photos in the yard. Next week I will probably watch a movie.
It's just not the same without him at home!
Photo by the other photographer at the wedding we shot of our friends' last month. I am really happy with this image!
We went on a hike last weekend and I was taking waterfall shots. Unfortunately, a slow shutter speed does not work well for self portraits!
I love summertime, because that means that my summer is free for reading novels, instead of textbooks! Here are some I have completed so far:
This is probably the longest post I have written in a long while!
Two posts ago, I whined about not getting to shoot the sunset. I was able to shortly after that! The sunset looked promising, but I never got that far, because a rainbow appeared. The sunset fizzled out before it became amazing, so I was able to focus (ha) my attention on the rainbow and its reflection on a lake.
I was able to buy plane tickets for our trips in the coming months. Very excited to be getting out of town. Not excited to be leaving during fall time, but that is a price I pay, I suppose.
I need to purchase a laptop before too long so I can complete my school work while I am away from home. I have been looking at several, and while I don't need anything special, I do want a bit of processing speed so I can potentially edit photos on the road. Main reason for this purchase would be for school, but the other would be for a photo dump. Now that I shoot RAW, my photo file sizes are incredible, and I fill up memory cards like crazy.
I am continually saving up money for camera stuff, and I am running into the chicken and the egg problem. My camera is slowly dying. Canon Rebel's don't last long, and I have run it hard in the past year and a half that I have had it. It's most definitely still usable and in working condition, but I am afraid it will not be much longer. I have set my sights on a much more expensive camera, but it will take me years to save up for it. In addition to this problem, the full frame camera will not work with my wide angle lens. Buying better lenses is a great investment, so I have been saving up for those first and foremost. Maybe the solution is to buy a step up in the camera department after this one bites the dust instead of going straight for the pro level one. Not sure.
In other news, summer is sort of winding down. The fireweed is in full bloom, less tourists are coming through and the days are getting shorter. I start school in a month.
Many people have been complaining about how rainy and miserable this summer is. I admit that it has been quite rainy, but I really have not noticed it much. I work inside all week, so I don't get much chance to enjoy it, and I don't let the weather faze me when I am out shooting, so I suppose I have been a bit oblivious to it. I do wish it would be warm a bit more, since summer is almost gone.
C and I have a weird work week. Our weekend occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and not Saturday and Sunday. It makes it obnoxious to go to church and Saturday events, but we get time off during the week when weekday businesses are open. It also makes lunch dates less stressful as there are less people milling around.
Yesterday, C had to work and he has to do so on next Tuesday as well. It's all overtime pay, which will be nice, but we'd rather he have the day off instead!
Going into the day, I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. Working full time makes me forget that I get to stay at home all winter long. I did the dishes, then went to lunch with a friend, and did the grocery shopping. Then I came home. I ended up finishing up a book I had been reading at work all week on my lunch breaks. Then went out to shoot some flower photos in the yard. Next week I will probably watch a movie.
It's just not the same without him at home!
I love summertime, because that means that my summer is free for reading novels, instead of textbooks! Here are some I have completed so far:
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan: I had heard piles about this book, and finally picked it up. I ended up skimming through it again after I was finished with it, because it was so thought provoking. Great book for shaking up the mundane Christian life.
- Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: The newest teenage obsession. An interesting read. The second book just came out, but I have not picked it up yet (saving my money, as stated earlier!)
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I found this book at the thrift store after having it on my wish list. I have not seen the movie yet. It was an interesting story, but I was depressed after finishing it. I might rent the movie next Tuesday to watch by myself.
- The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker: Ted is my favorite author, hands down, but his recent "supernatural thrillers" are not my cup of tea. This will probably be the last one I read for a while. Seems like he has been beating the same drum for several books now, and I am not interested in the creepiness of it.
- Never Let You Go by Erin Healy: Debut novel from an author who collaborated on two of Ted Dekker's books, that I enjoyed. This was also a "supernatural thriller" like Ted's, but it was not as dark. Good message at the end. I definitely could see Ted's influence in her writing.
- The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood b Rebecca Wells: I really don't know anything about this book, but I have seen many copies of it at the thrift store and decided I could spend 50 cents on it. I started it this morning, and so far I am ambivalent on continuing.
- In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore: I heard the praises sung on this nonfiction book, so it is on my to read list next.
This is probably the longest post I have written in a long while!
Friends
First time participating in Today's Flowers!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Diamond Creek
Monday, July 26, 2010
Reaching for the Sky
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Dreamy
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Dying Lupine
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