Slacker

Let me go ahead and tell you the ending to this blog...when your job becomes work, it is time to move on.  I am lucky enough to be able to work part-time with a good retail company.  And by part time, I mean 30+ very flexible hours doing manual labor.  I am well respected for what I do, and will be one of the first people called when a store needs assistance with any type of physical labor or cleaning up a receiving area, including vendor returns.

Almost two months ago, I chose to leave the store two minutes from my house and transfer to one on the south-side.  I have to get up earlier, drive further, and do a lot more work on a daily basis.  And, I know, some people would say, you must be a glutton for punishment.  When in fact, I guess in some ways I am; but the main reason I did was to enjoy working again.

There are one million and one different types of managers in the retail world.  From the ones who sit on their ass in the back office, to the hands on, to the delegaters, to the ones who have no control over their employees.  I have been extremely lucky, due to the fact that Office Depot rotates managers fairly frequently, and have, for the most part, worked with really good ones.  There is always that one exception, but she was just a horrible human being put into a position of authority under false pretenses...but I digress.

At my last store, I was slowly losing motivation to bust my ass day in and day out.  For me, it was hard to get up in the morning to go do the same thing over and over again...clean up everyone elses crap.  And at the same time, get behind on the things that really needed to be done.  In my last weeks leading up to my transfer, I was working the least amount of hours possible...just to get the basics done and get out.  If you know me, this is not at all how I operate.  I will stay extra hours in order to complete things in a timely manner.  I will work split shifts if necessary as well as overnights. Last year for inventory, I counted almost every item in our overstock...because I wanted it to be as accurate as possible and I could get it done quickly.

Since my transfer, I have found that passion, that work ethic which I am known for.  My job is fun again and I don't see it as a job or work.  It is what I do to make one location and its manager function more efficiently...and take un-needed stress off the management team.  And it always helps when they tell you how happy they are that you are there.  I love my job!  And the bossman that has stuck with me through thick and thin...aka when I first stopped drinking...well, I kinda like him too.  I gave him plenty of chances to throw in the towel on me, but he never did.  He believed in me and in return, I bust my ass for him.  I guess you could call it....respect.