I seem to be busy at the moment. I have so many things to do & I'm inclined to get a bit stressed when I feel this way. Please excuse me anyone if I have missed a diary or a note that I should have answered. No offence intended ever.
I spent yesterday at the opshop where I froze. It was not as I expected as a new manager had been appointed as of yesterday & a "new broom" is going through it. She is very much a black & white person & we agreed on lots of things but I think she will mostly serve & I will mostly clean & rearrange shelves etc, under her direction. I got on ok with her but I think many will quit because of this. The opshop has never had a manager before & I get the feeling some pretty dodgy practices have been happening. It is one of the coldest buildings in the town I discovered yesterday.
It does appeal to me more in some ways as she is a stickler for things being in order but she is left-handed & I pointed out to her that she was putting everything back-to-front compared to any other shop of any sort that I had ever been into. I didn't say it as bluntly as that but after a while I did ask her if she was left-handed & she said she was. "Ahh, you are putting everything right for a left-handed person" I will have to be careful that I don't tell her what I think too much at the start but I must admit I'm more used to being a boss than an employee. I only spoke up because on one rack she was saying put them this way which was right I thought & I had done heaps that way, done up all the zips & buttons & re-hung messy ones etc but then I saw her putting everything a different way on another & pointed it out nicely I thought.Mmmm. She seems to think you would do them differently, depending on which way the rack faced but I don't think so as the racks will get moved about at times. She is managing the store as of yesterday but has been working in a central sorting place for 5 years. I'll stick to only Mondays & see how I go before comitting to anything else. I think that may be enough. I was almost sorting out clothes as I was trying to drift off to sleep.
There will be no nabbing clothes as they come in or putting them away for my GK's or getting them cheaper etc. You pay up front & get a receipt but can try things on at home & bring them back & everything has to be done by her. It will be easier that way as I won't have to lie to anyone. I gather some people have been doing the wrong thing & now it will be clear & no favours for anyone.
Already I have had some strange things said to me like "I didn't know you were of the faith" which threw me I must admit. The guy who said that is the landlord & I ahve known him for 25 years. I said "Pardon?" and he said 'I didn't know you were Catholic' to which I replied that I don't discriminate against anyone's religion & as far as I was concerned religion didn't come into being a volunteer. Mmm. I think his bias might have been showing somehow as he's Anglican. My grandmother was like that, to my shame. I don't get bias or prejudice. I did get some funny looks though. Some of the locals just came in & watched. I don't think they could work out what the heck was going on. 2 new people & major re-arrangements. We were their entertainment for the day. I know some of the volunteers will quit & they will probably lump me in with the new "boss" as we just happened to start at the same time. Oh well. It doesn't worry me much.
If I don't get to serve people at all I won't continue but I will tell her that before I actually decide to leave. I wonder if she gets paid? I would imagine so. That was one of the reasons I chose that opshop rather than another one that I prefer because it has a manager who gets paid & the volunteers are usually out the back sorting & she goes out the front & serves everyone & she's very bossy.
I have been 'chatting' to my YS again this morning on FB. It is so nice to feel connected still to him. He is usually just there for a brief time but the other night I 'chatted' for about an hour as neither of us wanted to go. He is about to go off on a Galapagos Islands tour.
Ok- now it's time to go do some work. Bills to check & pay, Internet banking to do for us & our YS, dishes to wash plus it is freezing where I'm sitting. My laptop battery dies after about 10 mins so I have to sit well away from the fire & it's freezing today. Max of 14c. Brrr
Our YS's laptop which I bought off him(acted as a pawn shop really but w/o any interest) seems to have a nasty virus so I'll get it fixed I think so that I can use it as it's a beauty. He told me about the virus. Ahh- parents that will give you what you paid for your computer, get it fixed for you & then sell it back to you for the same price if & when you want it back & then probably let you pay it off over time, w/o interest usually, when you get back from O/S.
I will be back tonight as my LH is going out to 8-ball without me. I'll just have to rug up or maybe get an extension cord. That's a better idea. Cheers, Cate
