Friday, May 21, 2010

Going Out Of Town Tonight

I've been doing some last minute cleaning/packing before I go out of town tonight. I'll be babysitting my nephew.

While I will try to give updates on how that's going, but since the "job" of babysitting is basically 24-7, computer time will be limited. I might be able to give updates every night. I might not. We'll just have to wait and see.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Days 48-49 At Doggie Bag

I wasn't sure I would be able to make it in on Tuesday as I had a hair appointment in the morning. (I got a trim.) I had told the manager the day before that I'd maybe make it in on Tuesday, but there were no promises. I got in at noon. The big project of the day was to clean/thin out some of the displays. Our $1.00/bag rack is officially gone.  At one point, someone had a huge donation, and I was supposed to be one of the people in the back helping the person out, but let's just say I had misunderstood the message, and by the time I had gotten to the back, it was already taken care of. I still felt awful about not being where I needed to be as I worry that making mistakes of any nature on the job would ruin my professionalism. (Besides, part of my purpose for working at Doggie Bag is to redeem myself within the working realm as I had failed at my Burger King job four years ago. I wasn't fast enough for the latter. I still have tons of remorse about my failure if for no other reason than the fact that I don't like to let other people down.)

This morning, roughly 15 minutes before time to open, someone said they had come to do community service. I had called the manager to find out the proper procedures regarding that, and let's just say that I apparently, I should've known exactly what to do. I got it figured out to the best of my abilities.  This isn't the only time I've ticked someone off for asking about something that I should have known the answers. (Take both of my parents AND my older sister for example...) I'm going in tomorrow to turn in my key (as I was one of the people designated to open and/or close depending on shift) since I will be gone from Friday night until the first or second week of August. If I happen to see the manager then, I'll apologize for bothering him over that which I should've known the drill on.  Either that or I'll leave a note and state that I will understand if that kind of stupidity will disqualify me from reclaiming my spot in August.

Despite all the rain we had today (which was pretty heavy), business was better than I would've expected. I didn't find out how much we made exactly as I ended up leaving early out of fear that the weather was going to get worse.

Such were my last two days at Doggie Bag before time for me to go out of town. I'm hoping to reclaim my spot in August, but I don't know if I'll be able to or not, especially given the mistakes I have made in the last two days (if not at various other times on duty).  The other reason I may not be able to reclaim my spot is because it could very well be filled by the time I return. If I am allowed to return, it's going to be a real wake up call to me that I need to step up, get my act together, and stop making mistakes.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Day 47 At Doggie Bag

The donations seemed to have calmed down somewhat. It's mostly down to clothes and items that only the manager is authorized to price.  Some of the bags of clothes smelled so awful that they were automatically put in the recycling pile.

One of my colleagues who was sick last week and couldn't come in is back. She says she's trying to quit smoking. (I think my sister and her boyfriend are too.) The manager, on the other hand, wasn't able to make it in today. He did say that he'd be in tomorrow though. I might not be in tomorrow as I may be out getting a haircut, but I still plan on being in on Wednesday.

Well, that was my day. One or two more working days left until I go out of town.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Day 46 At Doggie Bag

Another Day At Doggie Bag with donations to go through. One of my colleagues was present for less than an hour as something came up and she had to leave.

The donations keep coming in, and we're lucky if we get caught up anytime soon. Amongst the pile of today's donations was one of those nettings for a bed. I don't know where it'll be placed once it's priced. There were also some chimes in one person's box, but one of the pieces was missing, so I ended up trashing it. Other donated items included shoes, belts, purses, fabric, and candle holders.

Such has been my day. Three more working days until I go out of town.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Day 45 At Doggie Bag

Sale-wise, we had a better day today than we did yesterday.  I think the rain worked against us yesterday.

We have had a couple of donation ambushes lately. I almost wish I never had to go home just so that I could get stuff done. Then again, I don't think my mom or stepdad would like me to never be home.  (Stuff to sort through, etc.) I've also been going through racks looking for torn or stained clothing that needed to be pulled. If marking down clothes that had been around since at least March was an option, I'd probably try that, but that sort of thing isn't up to me.

Just when I thought that nobody was buying from the $1.00/bag rack anymore, someone bought four shirts off of it. I may need to check with the manager about how long he wishes for the current $1.00/bag rack to stay or if it'll be until everything is gone.

Were it not for my commitment to babysit my nephew this summer, I'd probably work at that store every day possible. (Of course, I'd be limited on days out of respect for my search for paid employment.) Someone who used to work at Doggie Bag said that it had become like a second home to her. I think it's starting to feel that way for me too.

Only four more working days left before I go out of town.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Day 44 At Doggie Bag

For the second day this week, I was the only cashier on duty all day.  Today wasn't our best day sale-wise as we only made $78.32.  It must've been the rain that we got today that worked against us.

During one of our slower periods, I went through the clothing racks to see if there was anything damaged or stained or otherwise needed to be discarded (and I did find things in that direction) as some of these details sometimes slip beneath us, and that's not a good thing, especially since in some sections there's not enough room for everything coming in. I have some ideas as to how to go about fixing that, but I haven't been able to talk to the manager about them as either he has not been around or we have both been too busy.  I'll probably write him a note with my suggestions, and it'll be up to him as to whether or not they're used.

There were also times when I rearranged the purse section in an attempt to make it look less cluttered and wiped down some of the children's toys so that they'd look nicer. (When you've got a lot of stuff to work with, you can only control the order of it so much.)

Today may not have been great sale-wise, but at least I got some stuff done.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Day 43 At Doggie Bag

I put in an early day again. There wasn't as much stuff to deal with this time, I don't think. One of the bags that was left had, among other things, more books. I bought seven books to help free up space. (I haven't gotten them registered with Bookcrossing or added to my RAB-PIA list yet, though.) In the last couple of days, we've been down to mostly clothes, I believe, and some of the clothing racks are full.

The manager's new puppy was in again. It turns out that its name will be changed from "Roger" to "Chewbacca" as it looks more like the ladder.

When I was calculating the totals for the morning, there was a dime's difference between when I added the "total" column alone and when I added the "amount of sale" column and the "tax" column. I wasn't sure where I had made the mistake. When I was balancing the register, I left a note explaining the situation in the envelope used for collecting the money made today. (The money was in there too.)  Maybe someone else will be able to figure it out.

I don't have much else to say. I think a week from today will be my last day there before I go out of town. (I think I'll be going on the weekend, but I'll need Thursday and Friday to take care of some stuff and pack.) I'm hoping to return to Doggie Bag in August, but by then, my spot may be filled. But there's no telling what will happen.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Day 42 At Doggie Bag

I put in my earliest day yet, going in at 8:30.  There was stuff to put out and not to mention boxes to break down.  Someone else on the staff took them to the recycling center, and later, whoever usually comes to pick up clothing that had to be discarded came by. So, there's some chance of us catching up in the back room, at least until the next donation ambush comes along.

During one of the times when I was on the register, someone paid with a $100 bill for some stuff that together cost far less than that, which left me low on change. To be fair, the person said that she thought she had smaller bills, but she didn't. When I had a moment, I asked one of my colleagues if she could cover for me on the register so that I could go over to a nearby credit union to exchange the $100 bill for smaller bills. However, it turned out she had smaller bills that amounted to $100 so she swaped me those for the $100 bill.

For the second day in a row, I was the one who balanced the register. I've seen other cashiers do it, and it isn't hard.

Well, that was my day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Day 41 At Doggie Bag

I am one of two cashiers who is normally on duty on Mondays. However, the other cashier was out sick (which I found out from the manager's partner), so I was on the register almost all day. However, a lot of money was made today.

For a while, our display window had prom dresses and shoes in it. However, it had to be switched out for a blanket that's going to be raffled, as well as some animal related decor (which is not up for raffling.)

We've had so much to put out today, possibly more than what we're able to display neatly. (You don't want to know what the audio/video tape/CD/DVD display looks like.) But then, it is garage sale season, and the donations have been pouring in like crazy.

The last customer of the day was someone I knew from church. She bought a couple of craft-related things and some books. I keep thinking to bring my little bag of "book change" with me, but I keep forgetting. Oh well, maybe some other time. Besides, I have enough books to last me for a while.

Such was today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Day 40 At Doggie Bag

This morning, I was thinking about all of the sheets, curtains, tablecloths, and even fabric that I needed to get measured out and prepared for the sales floor. Apparently, the manager had been in at some dark hour in the morning and took care of it. A lot of the storage crates in the back were empty, and there were carts of stuff to be put out.

We got even more donations today. Was I able to go through all of them before I ran out of time? I wish. There are a lot of boxes in front of one of the counters.  It looks like I'm going to be putting in more early days in hopes of getting caught up or as close to it as possible. I still keep getting these feelings that I'd buy some of the stuff that's on display if for no other reason than to help free up some of the space, but I can't right now either because I don't have the money for it or I have no cause to use it.

Were it not for my commitment to go out of town and babysit my nephew this summer, I'd probably be giving a lot of my time then over to Doggie Bag.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Day 39 At Doggie Bag

Once again, I was the first person to go in today. However, because I had applications to turn in so I was only able to make it in ten minutes before time to open. I've decided that after today, I'd put the job search aside until I return home in August or until I get called in for an interview, whichever comes first.  This is so that I can give more time over to Doggie Bag for what few weeks I have left in town.

The donations coming in had calmed down somewhat. One of the things that did come in turned out to be a toilet tank/seat cover set. I was able to start on the bedding, towels, etc. today, but it was afternoon before I could as someone else needed the space to work. So, I started doing stuff like break down boxes and put clothes on hangers. (Someone else prices them.) I started doing the bedding, towels, etc. when I had the space to do them, but I ran out of time before I was able to do all of them. I'll probably finish the rest of them tomorrow or Monday, barring unforseen circumstances.

In closing, today was another busy day for me.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Day 38 At Doggie Bag

As many times before, I was the first one to come in today, and apparently the manager had been in earlier this morning as there were four carts of stuff to be put out.

Lately, the back room has been getting pretty crowded. However, three of my colleagues and I were able to make it less crowded by getting stuff sorted out. At the very least, there is more space in front of the counters. I have the sheets, towels, etc. the prep either tomorrow or Saturday.

I came up with an idea while I was stocking stuff up today. A paperback at Doggie Bag is 25 cents. Add tax to it, and it's 27 cents. I figure that every 27 cents I am able to scrape up, I will put towards buying paperbacks from Doggie Bag that I can use for RAB-PIA. If paperbacks run out, my next focus will be hardbacks. Anyway, hopefully, it'll help free up shelf space at Doggie Bag as well as allow me to have more books to register with Bookcrossing and release when I've finished reading them.

Such was my day. I can't wait to see what's in store for me tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Day 37 At Doggie Bag

I got in at 8:50 this morning. I don't normally get in that early, but there has just been so much to do lately. There were a couple of carts of stuff waiting to be put out. As it turns out, the manager had been in earlier this morning but had to be somewhere else during business hours. I may continue to go in kind of early between now and when it's time for me to go out of town so that I can help catch things up to the best of my ability.

Not only has the back room been crowded, we're lucky if we are able to find spaces for everything in the front. As of late, a couple of my colleagues have said that there needs to be another big sale of some sort, like 50% off on anything in the store. (We have had that once, but those sorts of things are up to the manager.) Maybe we could bring back the $3.00/bag sale on clothing since we have more of it than we can put out.  We still have the $1.00/bag rack that has been around for who knows how long.

I have to say, I'm learning more about the resale business than I thought I would.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Day 36 At Doggie Bag And Job Application Stuff

I had decided that I would go in every single day this week in order to increase the chances of the back room getting cleared up. We got almost all the non-clothing donations we could taking care of until the next onslaught of them. (I think it helped that the manager was actualy able to make it in today.) I still have fabric to measure out and prepare for pricing and boxes to break down for recycling.

It turns out the manager and his partner have a new rescue: a rotweiler puppy named Roger. Supposedly, he had belonged to some college kids who had no business getting him. Anyway, the manager's taking care of him until he's able to find him a permanent home.

On an unrelated note, on the way over to Doggie Bag, I dropped off a couple of job applications I had filled out last week and picked up four more: two motel ones, a gas station one, and one to a liquor store. (Don't tell my grandma about the last one.) Since I look far younger than I really am, it was a good thing I had my state I.D. with me. (There's a temp. agency in town called Manpower. If it wasn't for my pending engagement out of town, I'd check them out, but I might upon my return.)  In three out of four of those places, I was told that they weren't hiring per se, but my application would be good.

Such was my day. I'm a bit worn, but there's still stuff for me to do.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Day 35 At Doggie Bag, Or So Many Donations, So Little Time

Once again, I was the first person at Doggie Bag. There was stuff from outside to take in. Despite all the work I've done today, the backroom is still crowded. I put out what I could and tried to put whatever I couldn't put out into the bin designated for it, if it had one. If it was an item designated for a holiday that was a long way off, it had to go in the storage closet.

One of the things we have a lot of right now is books. In order to help free up some shelf space, I even bought some of the books. The list can be found here. I may end up buying one of the reusable lunch bags that we have.

Normally, I don't work there on Tuesdays, but this week, if that's what it's going to take to get the back room cleared up, so be it. (Sometimes the manager and his partner work at the store at really early hours in the morning. I'm almost tempted to ask if there's anything preventing me from doing the same.)

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Day 34 At Doggie Bag

Today was probably one of my busiest days with Doggie Bag, both sale-wise and things I needed to do.

I made a lot of money this morning, thanks in part to a group that came by this morning. This particular group was involved with something called a "30 hour famine." As Doggie Bag is affiliated with our regional Humane Society, the money they spent on the shirts and pants that they bought plus whatever they bought from our current $1.00/bag rack would be going towards the Humane Society. Little did I know that I would have a role in their agenda. My name is not in the article that I've linked to but Doggie Bag is. (For what it's worth, I was the only staff member on duty at the time.) The staff member who took over the register after me was so jealous of how much I had made in the morning.

After I had some lunch, I started working on some stuff in the back. There were books and ties to put out on the sales floor,  bedding, curtains, etc., to measure (if needed), fold, tape, price, and put out as well. At various times, donations came in. The back room is crowded again. 

I didn't get as much done as I would've liked to as I ran out of time. However, I'm going to see to it that I really step up this next week.