Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - THE PROBLEM SOLVERS

During these last two weeks, I have attempted to try my hand at becoming a  'do-it-yourself ', gal.  Uh, not going too well.  But I have not thrown in the wrench, just yet.

One of the advantages of working  at the store, is all of the information one can tap into when attempting to overcome a dilemma.  Have a problem with a car, an electronic issue or just need to find out who to call for a repair?  Just go to work and throw that problem out there and the responses will come pouring in.

A week ago, the port connections to my Laptop were not working correctly and I would have to jiggle it in order to get my Mouse to make tracks across my screen.  So, I asked a few knowledgeable co-workers and they offered some possibilities to the problem.  One thought it might be the 'mother-board?' while another co-worker suggested a software problem.  And a customer chimed in with the possibility that I just might need a new Mouse.  And the winner was?  The Mouse.   Simple, cheap and I was a 'happy camper.'

And then the following week I went to work with another dilemma, no I take that back - there were two dilemmas.  The night before I had been using the shower and, to my dismay, the water would not turn off all the way.  So, the next day I went to work and lo and behold, one of the girls gave me some instruction as to what needed to be done to take care of my plumbing issue.  Well, I went home and pulled out the big tool box, with an accumulation of tools that I am still learning to use, and proceeded to follow the instructions I had been given.  Things were going well, but the stem would not come out.  So, I resorted to the Laptop with the new Mouse and Googled the problem, watched the video and went back to playing plumber. 

Since this exercise was getting me nowhere I resorted to stopping at the hardware store on my way to work the next day, where I bought a can of spray to help me retrieve the stem.  Leaving the  hardware store, I ran into another dilemma - my car started vibrating and wanting to stall. 

The rest of my day was spent asking questions relating to automotive and plumbing and my co-workers, and a customer, were more than happy to provide some possible scenarios. So for the plumbing, well we are headed back to the hardware store.  And the car?  Well it is in the hands of my wonderful mechanic and there is no word yet.

What is nice, though, is that these people kind of provide me a sense of security.  With no one else to depend on, but myself, I find that others are usually far more knowledgeable than I am.  Most generally, there will be someone who will have had the same problem and either has a solution or knows who to call to get the job done.  And what is really nice is that they are always eager to provide the information and have been very resourceful in the past.

So, here's to all of these 'do it yourselfers', their experiences help provide me with solutions to those annoying problems that arise from time to time.

And do I think that I can follow their lead?  Like I said, I'm not ready to throw in the wrench just yet!

Talk at ya later!




 

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - HERE'S TO THE LAST TEN YEARS

Today marks a milestone for me;  I have now been employed at the store for ten years.  Who would've thought?  Not me, that is for sure.  Nor my friends for that matter.  They said that I wouldn't last, that I was not cut out for this type of employment.  I guess, we were all wrong; either that, or the store was desperate for help.   Whatever, it has now been ten years.

I remember my first impression - damn, these people work too hard.  And my second impression?  I could not believe how people acted when they became customers. But once in the door, I began to evolve and have been evolving ever since.

It has been the coaching and the tremendous patience that my co-workers have provided me, over the years, that helped me to sustain during this decade.  Through them I learned how to handle myself, use my imagination, be creative and learned how to be a team player.   They took this highly opinionated person and brought me down a peg or two by teaching me skills and showing me what I was really capable of doing. 

Customer Service is a difficult job and not one that everyone can do.  It can be exhausting, hurtful, difficult, humiliating and at times, exasperating.  There is no significant gain and the personal satisfaction depends on you.  As I have stated before, 'Customer Service is not a learned behaviour, it is something that comes from within'.

I know that I have not really made a difference in this store, with my service, for all I have really accomplished is to fill a space.  It is, however, the employees that I have worked with over the years that have made a difference in me.

And as far as lessons go, well, there have been many.  But the most important lesson that I have learned is that no matter what you do for a living it takes skill, knowledge and the will to want to do it - this is what makes all employees, professionals.

So, here's to the last ten years - I survived.

And with that thought I seem to recall a conversation, which I overheard ten years ago, between two former employees and it went something like this:

"What about that new girl?"
"Ah, don't worry, she won't be here long!"

LOL!

Talk at ya later!

 

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - ODE TO THE CUSTOMER

There are many ways  in which the customers lift us.  It can be by a simple acknowledgement, a mere 'thank you', calling us by name, a conversation, a heartfelt laugh, a wave  or just a smile.  And when these occurrences happen, it can lift one past the drudgery's that may have been encountered throughout the day.  Simply put, these things mean a lot.

We have customers who have become more like friends then just a consumer.  Through conversations we come to know their families, get the latest recipes, learn their wants and needs and, more often then not, we learn that we all have so much in common.

And there have been plenty of times when customers have been there to provide encouragement, given us a pat on the back and even surprised us with homemade desserts, candy bars and bags of M&M's.

So, here's to all of the customers who make us laugh, bring a smile to our face, make us feel accomplished and treat us with respect - Thank you.  You make this job seem so worthwhile.

Talk at ya later!

 

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - SAYING GOODBYE, AGAIN

When employees decide to move on, word spreads fast.  For some you might give a chuckle, or you might make statements like, "Good luck". But, more often than not,  you say, "I am really going to miss them."

And so it goes, again, we are having to say farewell to two more employees.

For the record, these guys are really going to be missed and in more ways than one.  You could not be around these guys without laughing, even when you were down, for they were the life of the party.   And when it came to helping, these guys were right there.

But more then just being great co-workers, they have been an asset to the company.  These guys worked in our Meat Department and continuously received rave reviews from the customers.  And, the customers were right.  This department never looked so good, until these guys showed up.

So, with heavy hearts we all said our goodbyes and wished them well.  Not seeing them in the building will be awkward and the loss of their stories and hearty laughter will definitely take some getting use to. 

But there is one thing that stands out, more than anything else, and that is having had the opportunity to have worked with them; to be associated with these guys.

We were lucky - and, we knew it!

Talk at ya later!

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - HBD

                                                



                                    HAPPY BIRTHDAY
CINCIGAL GROCERY STORE CLERK

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - CHANGE OF SCENERY

After three days, and a lot of advice from my co-workers, I have finally changed the landscape of the Blog.  Tired of all of the blinking and ever changing scrolls of ads running down the side, and across the bottom of the Blog, I decided to make a change to the scenery.

Now, although these pictures may not be posted in the proper places or add anything extra to the site - they do, however, stand as an achievement to my knowledge, or lack thereof, in technology.

I have learned to upload, size, rename, move and more importantly, get from Point A to Point B.  So, due to my lack of knowledge and capabilities in the world of technology, this has been quite an undertaking for me.

Now, if I could just remember how I did it all!

Talk at ya later!

Cincigal Grocery Store Clerk - TIME VS CHANGE

So, an employee said to me, "You haven't written anything on your Blog lately."  "I keep checking." Okay, so I haven't written anything in what - a month?  I guess the reason is that, there is nothing new.  The employees are still the same, as are the customers, and anything new that might be going on, well, no need to dwell on things that bring us down.  And for the first time, in a long time, I notice that journalism has taken a break from reporting on grocery shopping.  There are no new surveys as to consumers likes and dislikes, no research has been reported on the topic, lately, and no one has come up with a list of the best and worst grocery stores across the continent.  So, I guess there is nothing new to report and apparently, all has been said on the subject.

But the other day, a fellow co-worker and I had the following conversation;

"Do you remember when we use to have a sense of control of what we did around here?"
"Yes I do."  "We would come up with ideas on how to make something better and nothing would happen, but then in a couple of weeks they would take that very idea and use it."
"You know why that is?"  "Because we know what we are doing, because we care." 
"We all were working for the same purpose."
"Boy, times have changed."
"Yeah, but we haven't"

As our conversation continued, we discussed how long so many of us had been here and realized that that was probably the main reason so many of us were alike.  We had come here, each of us, so different but with time we all began to blend into a united workforce.  Although we are each different by race, origin, religion and backgrounds, we all became one.  And remain as such to this day.

Feeling the need to get back to work, we ended our conversation.  With a pat on the shoulder and a wave goodbye, we each headed in a different direction.

A lot has changed for us, over the years, and the stability of what we once knew has been replaced with uncertainties.  But when we look at the workforce that occupies this store, it is evident that this is the one thing that has remained the same over time.

In a business world that is full of constant change, it is nice to see that some things do remain the same.

Talk at ya later!