Today Had Nothing On Summertime.....

Today was the busiest day I've had at my job (customer wise) and I asked my coworkers if this was anywhere near what we deal with in the summertime and they said no! We sell fountain drinks and everyone loves them.. especially with the "nugget" (crushed) ice. So summer time everyone is coming to us for their drinks. This ought to be fun! I believe I'll finally lose all this extra weight.. maybe 5 lbs a week being that busy every day! LOL
My stomach hurt so bad today from all the leaning/bending out the drive thru window and stocking cigarettes which took me 4 hours to do because of all the people coming in and out/through the drive thru! It shouldn't have taken that long at all.
I can't wait for the warm weather! Watch out, coworkers, I'll be pushing you out of the window so I can feel the nice weather. LOL.

Camel Face!

So I decided to change my profile picture and tag the employee. I did tell him I'd been trying to think of a way to make a camel face.. I've accomplished that now. LOL. This was the picture I chose. I should have just left that there for a while, but I decided to go back to something normal before I had to answer a billion questions lol. #Clever

Who looks like a camel? This girl right here...

No body get mad, it's a joke.

I'm at work in the office area with my sister and our boss and in comes another employee. He looks to my sister who's checking in our order of cigarettes and says he needs some of (these, these, and these) so she hands him what he asks for, he turns around and sees me and turns back to my sister and tells her he needs some Camel cigarettes too. She hands him the cigarettes and he turns back to leave and I said, "Do I remind you of a Camel?" (or maybe I asked if he thought I looked like a Camel) and he of course says "huh" (or maybe it was "what") So I said you turned around, saw me and then told her you needed Camel cigarettes. I don't think he realized I was teasing, but us girls at least got a good laugh. Lol.
Thinking of changing my profile picture to a Camel just to see what happens LOL

Lottery

Work has been crazy. Everyone and their pets are buying lotto tickets. Powerball is obviously the most popular, Hoosier is second, and then mega million is third.
I've never had to answer so many questions about Extras or had to print so many tickets.
We'd printed and checked so many we thought we'd broken our machine, of course it wasn't broken.
We had 4 employees working the front and we were all in line at the lottery terminal getting tickets for the customers a lot of $10 - $20 worth.  
I haven't bought any, but I'm thinking I might. Guess we'll decide tomorrow.

Have a great night, everybody. Pray for my poor ankles (from all the walking) LOL

Employee Of The Month

So this gal is Employee of the Month.

Rude Customer

Another rude customer. I'm working the drive thru and a guy comes through wanting some cigarettes so I got them and came back, rang them up, and he handed me the money. I went to count it and it looked 10 cents short so when I tell him what the cost is he starts cursing and asking what I thought he gave me and to count the money blah, blah... He'd given me a few dollars in cash and a couple dollars in quarters and hid a dime under all the quarters. I couldn't feel or see it. So I didn't think it was there. I moved the money around in my hand more than I previously had and of course it was there. Either way that guy was far to rude!
It was a rough day. Non stop people and he has to be a jerk about my questioning the amount he'd given me. If only I had the option to give him his money back and tell him to come back when he's learned how to treat people (an option I've had at every other job I'd worked.)
On the plus side the rest of the day went well. Just a bit busy.

Happy New Year! 2016 Is Here!

2015 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. I can't really say it was a good year, but the year was better for me than it was for some others. 

I worked on New Years Eve and on New Years Day. 

New Years Eve was insane at work. People would NOT stop coming in and through the Drive-thru, there was no time to get anything done besides wait on people. I was SOO glad to get out of there LOL. 

New Years Day was pretty slow. I figure people were A. still sleeping, B. still drunk, C. out of town, or D. Officially broke from celebrating either way I was happy it wasn't crazy in there.  

After work on New Years Eve I got to spend some time with my mom, then I went home and relaxed. My husband's friend who lives out of state was back for the holidays so we've been hanging out with him some. He came to the house to hang out with us and stayed until a little after midnight. After he left I went to bed so I could get some sleep for work the next day.  

It's been a pretty boring year so far. Work on the 1st and a lazy Saturday on the 2nd. 

Hopefully this year will be better than last year! However I won't be holding my breath. Lol. I can't wait to see what's in store. Hopefully a lot of smiles and far less frowns!    

I hope you all have a great year!! Happy 2016!

Over Prep

In a lot of things it can be good to over prepare; make checklists, lay out your outfit, make sure you have the ingredients for the meal you're going to cook tomorrow/later tonight, have diapers and wipes for the soon to come baby (and clothes LOL), etc. 

However when you work for a company in the kitchen and food only has a 7 day shelf life in the fridge it's better to prepare less than you'll need than it is to prepare more. I've had to waste food because to much was prepped. Sure I'm grateful that my coworker filled up some of it no doubt! I just wish she'd done WAY less. 

Been a busy day and I had way more cleanup to do because of this.. I'm not even finished with it all yet. Tomorrow I should have it all weighed, bagged, and wrote down as expired.. oh and the dishes clean. 

Oh well, hopefully we've all learned our lesson. Lol.   

Have a great night! 

People Underestimate Us

I think a lot of people underestimate people who work at gas stations. I can't speak for all stations of course, but the company I work for you work 8 hours, get one 5 minute break (unless you smoke, as if that's fair. I was once even "informed" by a coworker that my break isn't as important because I don't smoke...), there's no break room, no seats to sit down besides the one chair in the manager's office (yes, I stand ALL day), no lunch break, we have a drive thru window so we are going back and forth to get people literally anything that we sell, we aren't allowed to hire someone or give more hours to current employees to have the staffing that we really need for our later shift, we deal with some really rude people (some really great ones too), we work Holidays, our scheduled hours keep us from seeing much of our children, no insurance/benefits, our break room is standing outside by the shed (unless you have a car and feel like sitting in it. I don't have this option.)... even factories have chairs, break rooms,  benefits and a lunch break.

I love my job, but I'm sore from head to toe, I'm tired and when the day is done at work I have no energy or care left to do anything but sit and use my heated foot massager. If my heated back massager wasn't missing the cord to plug it in I'd be using that too. All I want to do after work is eat OUT, come home, play video games and/or watch tv. That's it...

Appreciate us!

Now... my head is hurting so I'm going to rest now. Have a great night and a Merry Christmas, everyone! If you're lucky enough to have Christmas day (or Christmas + days off) just know I'm sticking my tongue out at you. Lol.

Thank You Mr. and Mrs. Obvious

Well if I wasn't self conscience before I started my job I am now. I've had 4 (possibly 5..) people make comments about my face in the 2ish months that I've worked there.

1 rude guy
1 nice guy (happened today)
1 Mary Kay worker (happened today)
1 kid (happened today)
and I may be forgetting someone.

I really must make an appointment with the dermatologist. This is getting ridiculous.

Don't mind the worker with the bag over her head...

I'm Getting There...

I think I'm getting the hang of this Gas Station work. I come in, make lunch, clean up the mess I've made from making lunch, help "up front" (cashier, cleaning, filling ice, etc) for a couple hours, I go back to the kitchen to make dinner, clean up that mess, help with the front again for another couple hours, take the food I made for lunch off around it's "shelf life" time, and then leave when it's time. It's a pretty much run non-stop day.

Register isn't hard, but it's different than the one I'd run at a previous job so I keep hitting the wrong buttons (On 2 or 3 parts, always the same ones). I'll get there. Some days I'm ringing things up without thinking about it and others I'm having to stand there with the "Which button was that again..." look and thought LOL

Lottery is still throwing me for a loop if they get ones that I have to print off through the computer. The scratch offs are really simple to deal with.

Cigarettes... I'm getting the hang of where they are and which ones are what, of the popular ones anyways. I try to always show them the box and make sure I've got the right ones that way if it's wrong I can fix it. If they say it's right and it isn't it's their own fault LOL

The drive thru is crazy! People come all at once, traffic is going by, you can't hear what the customer is asking for some times... Most of the customers have been very kind (Thank God!), but I've had some real jerks come through. It's not my fault we're next to a busy road and you won't talk louder or clearer. And heaven forbid I don't know everything in the station front to back. Lol. Oh well, people are people.

One of the girls from work suggested we do Secret Santa so those who wanted to participate signed up and she talked me into it. So now I need to figure out what to get for my person. I asked our boss what this person liked and I got a one word answer.. a pretty good one word answer, but you can find a lot of things to fit this. Our cap is $10 and I have to have it brought in by 2pm on the 21st.. Looks like I need to go to the store... I'll tell you more about that later.

Hope you're all having a great week!

"Can You Stay Over?"

Hmm.. can I stay over? Sure I CAN. Lol.
So my sister tells me one of the employees called in and she's trying to call someone to see if they can come in for him. After trying to get a hold of someone and having no luck yet she says "I hate to ask, BUT could you stay over until 7 or 8?" I say something like I should be able to and I looked at the clock to see that my husband should be on break so I told her I'd call and make sure. He says it's up to me and to let him know what time. So my sister says lets go ahead and go with 7:45. I text my husband and let him know.
So today I had my first day of staying over. It was fun working with the girls I was with, but OMW I'm SOOO sore. Way more sore than yesterday. My feet feel like.. idk.. a car ran over them.. yeah, I think that'd feel about correct.
I'm off this weekend and I'm hoping that my body will stop hurting so much. Unfortunately my church is having all the parents bring their kids in for Christmas practice tomorrow. I was really hoping to just BE... such is life.

My brain is in shutdown mode..

Have a great weekend, everyone!

An Intentionally Rude Customer..

Yesterday I was helping at the drive-thru window at work and a lady came through to get Lottery tickets. Well I'm new to the whole thing so it took me a while to get it all together. I finally get her through and the next vehicle pulls up...
The lady in the vehicle says, "What did you have to print those tickets?" (Obviously in a crappy tone) so I look at her and said something like "Sorry I'm new" and suddenly she's all "Oh, it's ok, baby" I'm just sitting there thinking seriously you couldn't just be patient?
People even if it does take a while, new person or not, you don't have to show how upset you are; be an adult and smile; vent to a friend or family member about it later! Lol.
Now obviously if this was happening a lot, especially with the same person, you'd need to notify a manager or contact the company. BUT you also have to take into account how busy of a store it is. In our station it's pretty much either you have no one there or you have the whole town, not much in between. People have us running to get them drinks, ice, lottery tickets, cigarettes.. you name it. When the employees leave my station they're sore and tired from running nonstop. If we aren't helping a customer we're putting away a truck, cooking, cleaning the floors, taking out trash, cleaning counters, cleaning the bathroom, stocking the cups, etc. Not to say there aren't employees who just stand there and talk, every company has some of those, not my problem (But it is an annoyance) Anyways stop being rude, people.

Full-time

Today was my first day of full-time. I figured it'd be kind of long, but then again I know full-time shifts can sometimes pass faster than part-time. It chose to be long. Good thing I love my job. Lol.
I got to do a lot of things I'd never done before at this job, including the cash register. It was different than the other registers I've dealt with, but everything seems pretty easy on it so I should have the hang of it in no time. However where to locate the several different kinds of tobacco is going to prove difficult. Lol.
My poor legs aren't used to this full-time stuff anymore. So my legs and I are going to go sleep so I can rest up for another full-time day. Can't wait to see the paycheck. Lol.

First Mandatory Meeting

This is my 3rd week on the job and I've already had my first mandatory meeting. I've never actually had a mandatory meeting for a job before so that was a new experience.
Our station(s) used to be through another company who decided they no longer wanted to be in the business so they reached out to the people who now own it to see if they'd like to buy the company, obviously they said yes. Everyone who worked for the previous owners really liked the way things were ran and some of the changes have left some of them upset. Change is never easy, but as they explained in the meeting the previous owners wanted to sell and sought a buyer. It was not our current owners bullying them into selling.
It seems there has been some us and them-ing and complaining, etc. They were trying to explain that we are all a team, it doesn't matter which owner we were originally hired under. We now all work for the same company; the company that signs our checks. From everything I've seen it's a great company. But as I said change isn't easy. The station(s) have been under the new owners for almost a year now so they're now cracking down on the things that need fixed or improved. Cut hours, mandatory uniforms, work harder, better customer service, etc. All normal things that happen in companies. The better we work, the cleaner it is, the friendlier we are, the more customers come in, the more we sell, the more hours we'll get; common sense.  

Semi-funny story: If you were to look up my station on Google Earth it is a picture of a female employee sitting in the ledge of our drive-thru window with her back facing the camera. I say it's semi-funny because who would have thought that's the moment google would have chosen to take the picture? But it's also not funny because that looks bad for the company, it makes us all look bad. That employee along with several others no longer work for the company.

I'm a bit amazed at some of the things that have to be explained to people...

Kitchen Only

So we left off with me on Cloud 9, but still completely aware of my imminent transfer to cashier....

Today I went in to work ready to learn the register like they'd told me I'd be doing today. I wore my hair in a ponytail which I don't normally do because I deal with the food, but since I'd be on register I didn't have anything to worry about. I go into the backroom nervous, but smiling. I'm thankful for my job and even if it meant transferring to a new shift and to a cashier, which I didn't want to do, I'm going to smile. Anyways as I was saying I walk into the backroom and my sister and her boss (my boss too, of course) are talking and they tell me I did a great job yesterday then my sister tells me that she won't be training me on register.. So I'm thinking that's odd.. and (not sure if I actually said anything now that I think about it. Either way with a look or words I asked why) and she said that corporate told her I'm Kitchen only! That thrilled me beyond words. I did not want to be a cashier. I'm all for hopping on a register to help when they're desperate, but for that to be my job, no, please don't make me. My sister and boss told me the inspector told them all the same things he'd told me about me taking pride in my job, how much he appreciated the pride I took, and how good I do cooking the food, etc. After that my sister walked out to do something and I looked at our boss and said well I guess I'll put my hair up LOL
My days and shift are going to change a little. I'm going to do 1/2 of my days on 1st and 1/2 on 2nd, which will make it easier on my whole family. I will be working 2 jobs on Fridays, but I'll be getting a 3 day weekend this way so it's a fair trade.
I'll have my first mandatory meeting on Friday, if my sister was correct about me having to be there. I'm excited to start this newer part of my new job. This is my 3rd week and it's been crazy and changing so quick, but I'm loving it and I'm so grateful to be "stuck" in the kitchen. God knew what I wanted and needed and He gave it to me. I'm so blessed! Now speaking of my job I need to get to bed so I'm well rested tomorrow.
Can't wait to tell you new stories. I'm sure I'll have some soon!

Inspection Time

I went to work yesterday thinking it would be a normal day. It wasn't. I come in and my sister tells me not to be intimidated, but there are inspectors in the kitchen. Of course I immediately get intimidated, but I tried not to show it. I go back into the kitchen and start doing what I'd normally do. The inspectors are going in and out of the kitchen checking things, then they bring food back into the kitchen to try. After they finished the food they started talking to me more, which was intimidating. After they asked their questions they continued to talk to me and I found out they're really nice and cool. (Awesome!) I got to ask tips on cooking some of the food to their liking.

When it was just about time for me to leave they started thanking me and telling me they loved how much pride I took in my job and that, that's something very hard to find in people now. I was about 2 seconds from doing a dance, I was so excited! I'm sure the smile on my face was huge and possibly goofy. I left for the day feeling super great about my job and how well I do.
See I'd been worried about it. I was so afraid I wasn't cooking everything as well as I should; I knew I was cooking it as well as I knew how to and I tried my hardest. It was just.. amazing (doesn't even seem a strong enough word) to hear inspectors tell me that I was doing a good job and that they appreciated it! Don't mind me on Cloud 9 over here LOL

As happy as I was I knew they still were going to teach me to be a cashier and move me into the store :-( .... But this leads to a whole new post, which took place today....

My New Job

Had you told me a couple months ago that I was going to work at a gas station I would have thought you were crazy. Had you told me not only would I be working in a gas station, but I'd be their cook I would have started setting up your sessions for counseling. And had you continued on to say I'd even like the job I probably would have tried to slap the insanity out of you.
However I am working at a gas station, I am the cook, and I do like my job. *Mind blown* LOL
The days go by fast, the employees are all pretty cool, I get to pretty much set the menu, and I get to make pizzas which I've found can be fun. (In case you didn't know, I'm not really a pizza fan. Our pizza is good though!) I get to stay in my kitchen pretty much alone, which honestly works very well for me. (I don't hate people I'm just a bit awkward around them. lol) Along with cooking I clean up the kitchen and help out with cleaning the store and bathrooms.. obviously the bathroom is no one's favorite room to clean, but luckily our bathroom isn't one of THOSE gas station bathrooms. *Insert horror movie music*
I started out only getting 2 days a week, 4 hours each day. Well that lasted a total of 2 days and I was bumped BLESSED with 2 more days also at 4 hours a day. Also I was informed that I'll probably be going to another shift soon *dun, dun, dun* and I'd be a cashier *Insert horror movie scream* So I'll only have the comfort and not lonely loneliness of my kitchen for a little while. I would prefer to stay on my current shift and in my current position, but 1. I'm needed in this other position/shift and 2. It's currently what's best for my family. *Insert me sobbing with the violin playing in the background* (Okay so I'm not really sobbing, but I seriously like what I'm doing) When Seth goes to school I'll probably try to switch back to this job, but that won't be happening for a little while.
Also a plus I've been able to see my sister a lot more because she works there too. Amazingly the company is fine with hiring family members into the same store.   
I'm sure you'll hear more about my job soon be it because I got moved into the new position or because some customer says/does something crazy. Oh actually I have a short story for that already, but I'll put it in another post...