Lettin It ALL Hang Out

Monday Morning....aug 4th

Rancocas, New Jersey

First Delivery of the week.

The setting is an inside dock platform, trailer to be unloaded with an overhead crane.

I managed to get backed in, opened the trailer and unstrapped the merchandise. I am crawling all over the load and have broken a sweat as of 7:02 am.... Too early to be gettin hawt!!

I begin to notice that the dock is literally swarming with employees who seem to be whispering amongst themselves. This is fairly normal for me. There are not too many little female flatbedders in my customer line-up.

I have only been to this particular customer a handful of times over the past 7 years, so I am still quite the novelty to them.

But they are lingering a bit longer than normal, and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

I f i n a l l y notice (I am a bit slow) that my 6 button shirt has only 2 buttons fastened. The bottom two.

I should have known right then that this was NOT going to be a good week.

At least their week got off to a good start.

Freebies

The Trucking Company has a uniform policy and every year they credit each employee $150.00 to purchase new uniforms.



Every year, this has been a problem for me. It always ends up taking about 6 months to fulfill my order properly.... The order gets lost or the items are not sized appropriately..One year, the pants were so big, I swear we could have all worn them together.. Okay, that may be an exageration, but seriously, they were at least 12 inches too big in the waist. Last year, they fit in the waist, but no where else. The shirts managed to come in a separate package that someone had dropped and run over... The package was torn, the buttons were ripped up and there were rubber stains on the clothe... TIRE MARKS!!



From the beginning of my employment with these folks, a few folks have fussed about me not following the uniform policy... So I wore them.. And they laughed!!! The issue itself, seemed to fade into the past, but the clothes have forever been a source of humor...



I should take a picture, right... To let you see why I call them "My Clown Suit"



Well, it is that time of year again... I received my order pamphlet and just as I was about to discard it (I have only 2 months left here), the assistant suggested I order me up some freebies..

They do after all, offer things like boots and coats, gloves, toboggans, etc....



Well, they offer these things to normal size people :(



They had a nice pair of work boots, but don't offer them in anything remotely small enough for my feet. The coats are typically too large.. The gloves~ fahgetta bout it!!



So after glancing thru the brochure, I placed my order....



5 Hoodies



2 Parka Liners.. ( I already have the Parka)



I placed my order on May 16th.......



On May 21, my order arrived..... HOLY MACKEREL.... I have never received any order items within 3 months of placing an order.. Seriously, but 5 days.......



So, The hoodies are perfect for jogging in cooler temps!! Although they do display the Trucking Company logo.... But hey, 5 free hoodies, RIGHT!!



The Parka Liners are awesome too. I could not imagine actually inserting one of these into the parka and wearing it, unless I was living in a frozen tundra.. Seriously... I brave the colder temps of the NE every winter and these things could serve as insulated weight loss attire when worn together... So suffice it to say, it is like I got 2 more free coats...And this time, no Company logo...they are liners after all... And SMALL, really did mean small.. They FIT PERFECTLY!!



I actually think , they made a mistake with this order also, because don't liners usually have a way to fasten themselves inside the item they are lining.... The parka has a zipper that should attach the liner.... But these so called liners have no corresponding zipper...And the liners are reversible, and they have the little hidden hood tucked into the collar and they are fuzzy and warm and water resistant and.... Well, they are just the nicest damn parka liners I have ever seen. Can you tell, I like them?



So, Score One for the Trucking Co... Items that actually fit, delivered in 5 days!!



I think, they are trying to entice me to stay.... But too little, too late there buddy!



Wednesday May 23, I officially accepted the offer of employment from The New Employer. ( Honestly, I was beginning to worry that they had not made me an offer yet)

Finish What You Started!!

Okay, I figure it is about time to go and close up some loose ends...

1. Wally World- After many attempts to get a resolution, I finally decided just to let it go. My limited amount of home time is precious to me. I spent many Saturdays at Wal-Mart trying to get them to see things my way, but to no avail. I made many phone calls to speak with the appropriate Manager only to be dismissed. My last attempt was sometime in November, and the response I had received was to go get an estimate from a particular vendor (whom was over an hour away). I was instructed to bring the estimate back to the Tire and Lube Express for approval. Then the manager informed me, " I have to be honest with you here, There is no evidence of abuse on our video tapes. No visible proof that our technician damaged your wheels. And our claims department is more than likely going to deny the claim with no footage."
Now let me get this straight... The car was 4 months old, the tires had never been rotated or balanced, the technician had 3 days of untrained experience, and the wheels had to be rebalanced when he got finished. Not to mention that I would need a police report of the damage before a police officer could view the video tape (not me, I would not be allowed to view it without a court order!!) OH TO HELL WITH IT!!!
I know that my meager contribution to Wal-mart will in no way be missed, but I have not purchased anything at that store since then... Besides, Publix has fresher produce and fruit anyway!!!

2. Scratches- I have yet to pick up the little thing-a-ma-jiggers for my doors. I went by there, but the parts guy was at lunch and his replacement did not know how to look up inventory to find them... Other than that, I am just procrastinating.

3. Uniforms-Six weeks (or is it seven??) and still no replacements... I am not making this up. That's okay, the uniforms remind me of a clown suit anyway. By the way, we order our next set of free uniforms this month. I should have mine by Fall, at this rate.

4. Old Flames-Yes, I can breath again. It took two weeks (not bad if you ask me) but I got a response from Mr Wonderful. I was pleased to hear he was doing so well. He even remembered old passions and nicknames which really got me going!! I was hoping for a reunion, but did not mention it because he is to be married soon. So, I will let that slip back into my memories and wait for the next available individual of the male species whom has a pulse to come along..

5. New Home- Yes I still have some boxes that need to be unpacked. *hee hee* I told you I am the Queen of Procrastination.

Well, I guess that should about cover it!!

Uniforms

I have been with my current employer for over three years. We are required to wear uniforms. Some of the other employees have complained that I am not always in uniform.

My boss has "called me into his office" several times concerning this situation. My excuse is to blame it on the uniform company. Naturally, everyone thinks I am just making up an excuse because I simply dont like the uniforms... They are partially correct. I do despise the uniforms!

Recently we were allowed to send in our old clothes in exchange for some new ones. They had decided to update the dress code and the old uniforms did not meet the criteria for approval. Needless to say, the uniforms still suck!! Bright RED is not my color.

Our new replacements arrived and the Boss sends me a message telling me to check the order and sign off on it if it was correct. I get to the shop and ask the assistant for my clothes. She hands me a torn bag with stuff hanging out. We pulled out the items to have a look-see.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW

The pants were stained and the shirts were torn. It looked like someone had run over the bag. There were actual skid marks on it!! This time, instead of returning them myself, I left the bag with the assistant. The Boss can have a little look-see for himself. I told you I was not making excuses!!!!!