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Well, I wasn’t going to put this information in my blog or out on LitNet, but since it takes up most of my waking hours, I’ve decided to talk about my work. I work for Wal-Mart.
I really enjoy my work and like the store that I work at, but I hesitate to tell people because everyone has a Wal-Mart horror story to tell. Believe me, I’ve heard them all. It’s amazing that such a successful company has never offered any type of good customer service or product, or had anything in stock that any customer has ever wanted. Or that while being the largest employer in the country, no associate has ever been treated fairly. But, that’s really beside the point. I work at Wally World and have for almost 10 years. I make very good money, have very good benefits, and a good chunk in my 401K. Hopefully I’ll be able to retire someday and do what ever I choose to do. More important, Poppy will be able to retire when his time is in with the State retirement and fish all he wants. (Well, maybe not all he wants, he’ll have to come home and shower and change occasionally.)
I am a ‘member of management’…..a dreaded title. I listen to most of the foul language that customers use when they feel that certain rules are in place just so the company, or me personally, can steal their money. I spend a good part of my night telling other associates what, when, where, how, and why. I have fun, I try to make sure everyone has fun, and I believe that I am respected by my associates and most other members of management.
I build displays, I check in trucks, I unload, I pull pallets, I cashier, I do carry outs, and I push carts in off the parking lot. I can fry donuts, bake bread, decorate cakes and cupcakes, work the meat department, produce, service desk, CSM, process apparel, cut keys and clean bathrooms. I do not ever ask an associate to do anything I won’t do.
(Ok, so I don’t know how to mix paint and I don’t want to learn, but that’s about the only thing I don’t do.)
Every store is different because of the make up of the management team. The closer to the Home Office, the better the working conditions. You never know when someone is going to drop in! Now, I’m no company gal, I have as much to say that isn’t what the big dogs would want to hear as the next person. But I’ve had worse jobs and I appreciate that I’ve been able to improve my lot because of my strong work ethic and my positive attitude. Nothing has been handed to me. A positive attitude will get you more places in the work place than just about anything else….well, knowing the right people might get you further, but that’s just the way the world is. It’s not a good thing, but it is a thing. I will never be a store manager because I just don’t know the right people.
Anyway, I work 12 hours a night, 4 nights a week and I work hard. I enjoy working hard and having fun. And that’s what we do at my store. We have fun. Since I’ve been on the overnight shift, I’ve started having special nights about once a month. One month we had poetry night and a couple of months we’ve had song night. Next Saturday, we are having Wal-Mart’s Most Talented. Anyone on the overnight shift who wants to can bring a song to sing or a poem to read or do a dance. We don’t win anything, but it sure is fun and it puts everyone in a great mood. Productivity improves for about a week after our special nights. It only takes about 15 extra minutes in our nightly meeting and the pay off is unbelievable. As soon as the weather cools off, we are going to have bean dish night. That’ll lead us into musical night. I hope everyone has a nice day and Hey, Thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart!