Well, We Always Knew He Was A Big HomoGay

I got this in my e-mail this morning while I was getting ready for work. I was late for work. Somehow uncontrollable laughter and horror is not a valid excuse. :( ENJOY!



I am rapidly approaching the realization that we are in the period of time that we at work call 'Draw Hell'. Here's how it works. I sell shoes. I make 9% of my total shoe sales. Sounds great, but it's not quite that easy. We also have a safeguard called 'Draw'. This guarantees that we make a certain wage. For us that wage is $6.50/hour. (I know - a fortune, right?) To make our Draw Wage we have to equal that in our sales. In an average week, I work 38.5 hours. So, to figure out what my Draw Sales are I take (38.5 hours) x ($6.50/hour) / (9%) = $2,780. That means that if I sell less than $2,780 in any given week, I will still get a check for $6.50/hour. Here's the catch...I still have to make those sales. Whether it be the next week or the week after I am still responsible for the money I 'borrowed' on my paycheck. The problem is that when we get in draw, it is usually because sales are crappy - and will be that way for a few weeks. so, your Draw keeps increasing. Each week after you enter Draw, you have to make the same goal, PLUS make up for whatever you missed your goal by the week before. Luckily, I am not in Draw yet...but the way this week is going, I am about to be swimming in it.

In other sort of work related news, my old store, SteinMart, is closing their Lafayette location. I got a call from a manager I worked with when I was there on Tuesday and she gave me all the dirt. Unfortunately, it's all not-public-knowledge dirt and I can't pass on all the juicy bits to you. I, for one, am really going to miss SteinMart in Lafayette. They sell better brands than most stores in the area (my current store included) and at better prices. They are famous for their home decor and linens departments and have revived collections and brands from the past such as Peck & Peck and introduced their own luxury brand (Boutique) in accessories, gifts, and linens. I love walking into a store and knowing that every price I see is at least 20% off of the MSRP and most items are offered at MUCH deeper discounts. You will be missed, my old Jewish friend.

Our days as L.S. Ayres are numbered...more and more each week we are recieving things with the Macy's logo on them and being referred to as a Macy's. Customers and associates alike are being taken a little bit by surprise with all the changes. While the name change is not official until this October, changes are being implemented soon and fast. Already we are noticing one big change. Macy's does not allow us to keep extra copies of paper coupons in the store. In the past, we could call a manager and have them deliver a coupon to a customer if necessary...now, the customer has to bring it in themselves, or use their house account to recieve discounts. People are not happy. Hopefully things will transition better as we get closer to the name change...

The only plus I see so far is being able to use my Ayres charge at Macy's stores starting on Sunday...but I will have a Macy's card soon enough, so it's really not that exciting. I have this recurring dream lately...One morning at our morning rally they pass out our Macy's nameplates and I quit. Right there on the spot and I have this whole speil (sp?) about not working for the devil, lol. My feelings are not quite so strong, but... There is a new department store opening a couple miles away from the mall I work in, though...might be time to check out my options (i.e. Run the fuck away from Macy's.)

Here's another gripe I have (since that seems to be all I can think of today). To the left, you see a map of Tippecanoe Mall where I work. I am WAY down on the right end (where it says L.S. Ayres) and our Food Court is WAY down at the other end. See that hallway between the H and I sections of the mall? That is where the food court is. (It's not a large food court, just Applebee's, Panera, Panda Express, and Cinnabon.) There are a few other places to get food in the mall...BUT, I am addicted to Panera. The problem is that from our door to the door at JC Penney is exactly 1/2 a mile. That means that if I want Panera Bread for lunch, I have a 3/4 mile round trip walk... Nothing can be done to change it...but it sucks and I wanted to say so.