This Sucks...

posted on: 2007-12-11 at 11:11:00 AM

Well here I am. I'm 32 years old, and I've been steadily rising in the ranks of retail management. For once, I am at a place where I can be financially well-off for in a job that I am comfortable in (well -- comfortable for 10 out of the 12 months.. the holidays suck).

I got my promotion on November 2nd (read here). I have been employed as a "Merchandise Sales Manager" for 34 days before one of the richest men in the world, Carlos Slim, cashed out one of his many empires, which happened to be the place of my employment.

GOD DAMMMMMMMMIT. Wait.. Doesn't this sound familiar? Haven't I already gone through this once before?

Yes. I have. I've already closed one of these stores. I've already gone through the ridiculous amount of wheeling and dealing with various annoying cheapskates while pedaling shitty merchandise. I hated it then, and I am fairly certain I am going to hate it now.

What is driving me nuts more than anything is how, at this company, I have never been stable. Here is the time-line:

• Oct. 2002: Carl gets job running video game store.
• Feb. 2007: Carl leaves fun (albeit low-paying) game store to work in greater pastures. Gets job at giant computer store as Asst. Sales Manager. More pay, great bonus opportunities, better benefits, etc. YAY.
  
• +4 days: Company closes half of their stores, including the one Carl was just hired in days before. Awesome general manager leaves. Newly promoted sales manager, myself, and warehouse manager forced to manage closing store without a CLUE.
• +80 days: We suck rocks. Close store. Carl has no new job in sight.
• +2 days: Carl gets re-hired as "regional" pseudo "manager in training" at new location. N0 benefits, no bonuses, no "home store."
• +3 weeks: Carl is back with his old boss whom he loves. Takes the good with the bad and makes-do with his half-ass situation.
  
• + 65 days: Carl gets temporarily relocated to far-away location. Enjoys 38 - 60 mile commute (depending on babysitting requirements). Begs and pleads to go back to the "home" store. Sucks rocks, again.
  
• +35 days: PROMOTION! Carl is back at his home store! Back with his favorite boss! Benefits! Bonuses! Breaths multiple sighs of relief!
• +?? Carlos Slim closes store. Rinse. Repeat. Retch.
  

I can choose to be upset.. And frankly, that is an option that is hard to resist considering the swelling ball of white-hot aggression I am feeling towards the lack of caring that big-box retail seems to universally share.

But instead .. I'll take this as pure entertainment .. again.

I think I am going to stop working in the retail field. I love people, I am a great salesperson, and I know it's an easy buck for me to make -- but IT IS NOT WORTH THE STRESS. My plan now is to go down with the ship. The light at the end of this fucked up tunnel is called "Unemployment Compensation." Yay liberal democrats!

I'll chalk all of this up as one of the weirdest years of my life.

What next? I am thinking of trying to brush up on web development again. I know I love to design and code websites -- and I know I am fairly good at it -- but I am as rusty as that Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac driver! LAWLZ. I do know that I will reap the unemployment for a good while as I spend that time restructuring my life. My house is a mess, my emotional foundation isn't very good, and I have a lot of repairing to do. Most importantly, I am going to spend a lot of quality time with my kid. I almost never get to see him and that isn't cool with me.

posted by Carl

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1 Comments: [ Post a comment ]

 mc3p0 said...

60 mile commute?! You are undoubtedly going to pull through this, but it's dissatisfying that with the subsequent closure there won't be any business to wreck vengeance upon. So sad..
Posted: December 22, 2007 7:48 PM

 

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