An End of an Era

posted on: 2007-05-14 at 8:49:00 AM

Jebus... Where do I start?

Firstly: I want to hereby publicly announce that I am chalking up the past three months of my professional life as PURE ENTERTAINMENT. As I've written in prior blogs, and as some of you know from talking to me in real life .. the Computer "Mega Store" that I was hired on to be a manager for closed within the first four days of my working there.

Replace super-cool store Manager, Mike with Bob. Bob had bitch tits. WAIT NO, NO HE DID NOT HAVE BITCH TITS. THAT IS A LINE FROM A MOVIE. I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT FOR MONTHS

Bob is the man in charge of the liquidation sale. He is one of the most interesting and bizzare people that I have ever had the pleasure to interact with. Bob is from Wisconsin. He is old(er) and has been in the retail-sales arena since the 1970s. I've been in sales for a long time -- and maybe it's as simple as old-school vs. new-school, but where I come from, being a successful salesperson equals being helpful, understanding, and caring. I think, possibly, the general intelligence of the average technology consumer has increased in the past decades -- and with the advent of the internet, getting specifications, price comparisons, reviews, etc. is second nature to most people.

You can't swindle most customers today. In the 1970s, you could -- and moreover, that was how salespeople thrived. Consumers didn't know what "solid state" or "high fidelity" meant because (unless their uncle was a Ham radio operator) that information was only spread via specialty magazines and "shop talk."

Bob's disposition is one of cynicism and pessimism. I find myself trying to "cheer him up" (as do the girls behind the counter .. which is another source of hilarity for me). He smiles often, but it seems to me he's just waiting for the next opportunity to hem-and-haw about something insignificant. I will cut Bob a break because his job is to deal with stores that are closing -- customer retention, referrals and overall customer satisfaction are not things that will necessarily serve him well. Also, making lasting relationships with those he works with has no lasting value, either.

Bob is a nomad.

It has been both grating and wholly entertaining to work in my closing store for the past few months. I have been serendipitously placed in the middle of the likes of Bob and his cronies, bright-eyed high-school kids, and the most overly-dramatic and rabble-rousing employees I've interacted with in a long time (which isn't a bad thing-- it takes a very comfortable and open workplace to allow such behavior).

So, I've been working amidst chaos. The store looks like an Alabama mobile-home park and I'm quite done with it. Today is the last official day there, and I am EFFING HAPPY. As I've said .. this is 100% entertainment for me. I have a few days of store clean-up ahead of me and then I start my new job (same company, different location). I cannot wait!

*SIGH* In other news, the spawn is awesome. He's kicking ass and taking names and as it's turning out to prove, he's quite the flirt. He loves people and he LOVES the women (I don't know whether to be proud or scared). He's four months old now and you can see TONS of pics in my pics section.

He had ear surgery last month and is now officially bionic in that he has tube implants. There was a significant amount of drainage which in most cases is bad, but in our case, is good because it shows that his hearing loss was probably due to some "leftover" gunk in his middle ear. Hopefully his hearing will increase significantly soon. We still have some more tests to go through to find out, though.

I'm going to hit level 58 in World of Warcraft soon and FINALLY make it to the Outlands. Before any of you reading this get angry at that last sentence, please realize that I've played that game since December of 2004. You do the math.

I'll catch you all up on the other facets of my miserable little life soon.

PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

posted by Carl

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2 Comments: [ Post a comment ]

 Jenn Harris said...

What store are you being moved to?
Posted: May 14, 2007 10:12 AM

 
 Anonymous said...

I have only one thing to say BOB was a complete imbicule and a major pain in the ass NOw I have a very patient personality but he wore mine thin but I do have to say I hear I have him scared to death because of him leaving bruises on my arm which i took pictures of and sent to Lance needless to say he will no longer be working for anymore of Gordon Brothers liquidations due to his rude and assinine behavior.Carl you 've been a pleasure to work with and continue to do so.:D
Posted: July 10, 2007 8:12 PM

 

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