Since I last wrote, I've been focusing on adjusting to the many steps, constant kneeling and standing, lifting, and the unforgiving nature of concrete floors. Poor little feet! Poor back! Poor wrists! But, I think I am finally getting acclimated to the physical demands of my job.
From the first few days, when I was planning to quit every fifteen minutes, I have gotten to the place where I genuinely like this job. It truly is physically challenging, but there are so many little satisfactions with the job.
I love helping the people in the store. From the ones who have the "Which aisle is it in" look on their faces, to the elderly who so appreciate genuine interest and kindness, to people who have fewer financial resources, to the apparently grumpy people who smile when I greet them, each interaction makes me feel so thankful for the opportunity to give something to someone else.
Everyone I work with in my department is younger than I, but several of them have MUCH more experience than I do in this industry and I have much to learn. At the same time, my natural leadership abilities and my customer service orientation offer something to my co-workers, and of course, my customers.
Does this sound like a cover letter for a resume? Ooops!
To top it all off, the realizations just keep coming. Since I stock OTC, I have learned that there is a pill for everything. No, make that FIVE pills for everything. And for some things, there are literally hundreds of choices.
I feel like I live my life in a perpetual state of agog-ness, wherein I discover things that probably most people already know. For instance, Kepler had a couple bouts of diarrhea this winter. I did my preferred medical treatment: have him drink more water, and wait. Oh, and I would worry. He missed quite a bit of school. Color me agog when I see several items on the grocery shelf that deal with the symptoms of diarrhea! See? You already knew that existed, didn't you. Not me.
In the picture of the tea, notice the box on top is oriented horizontally, and most of the rest are oriented vertically. When I first started stocking shelves, I was all indignant that some of the packages came in with horizontal packaging and sometimes the SAME THING came in with vertical packaging. I attributed this to the evils of marketing, as a secret ploy to get people to BUY MORE! IT'S NEW! It only took me, oh, FOUR WEEKS to realize that most items have horizontal on ONE side and vertical on the OTHER side, so that you can have the product name oriented correctly no matter how you stock your shelves. Doh!
As with the package orientation, I learn much of my job on my own. The instruction is sparse, and if I don't have my "listening ears" on, sometimes I miss it! The area I am most uneducated in is the merchandising aspect, and I look forward to learning about that.
All in all, I feel like I am a valued member of a team that is serving my community well. And that's very satisfying to experience in a job.
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2 comments:
My favorite job while I was in high school as at a pharmacy, but I worked the cash register, not stocking shelves. Even so, I loved the things you mention, making people smile, helping them out, cheering them up. You've made me miss that.
Hope the job is going well. I've been out of work for so long that I've lost touch with what it's like to go to work every day.
Lee
Tossing It Out
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