Tuesday, 19 April 2005

Eye'm scareded
My job has suddenly become thoroughly complicated!

It seemed innocent enough when last Friday I went to hand in my signed contract (same as the old one, only because of our new owners), and Mrs A asked me if I would like to try some office work. She said, from my checkout records, they think I'm fairly accurate, so they're trying me out on their paperwork.

Only that was last Friday, and now it's next-next-Tuesday-night and the gal who's done this work for fifteen years is suddenly leaving on Thursday, and I've had maybe eight hours at most, over several days, to train with her and I feel very overwhelmed.

I think I'll be able to do what they need me to do. It's just that I wish I'd had more time to be trained in this work that was heretofore something whose existence I was not aware of. Sorting the messy, numbered guts of a supermarket... and as I can only learn this by DOING it, I am starting out slowly and hoping fervently that I'm not doing anything wrong. My innate paranoia with figures makes me check, and check, and re-check everything I do. Perhaps this worry will fade with time, as I find that - wow! I'm actually doing things correctly!

It's weird suddenly being more than just a checkout chick. I never would'a expected this as my secondary supermarkety tasks. I'll be happier when they segregate my hours a bit, so I don't have to worry about being called to checkouts in the middle of messy paperwork. I'd like some days doing oh-so-simple checkout work, and other days for me to focus on officeythings.

I must pause to say it's a relief that there's another gal in the office who's being trained in the same things. here's hoping we can share the role of the departing person... jeez, I don't even know her job description. Bah humbug. They'd better give me a payrise soon; that's all I can surely say.

I'm afraid I got quite panicky when I realized how many - ick! - telephone calls I'll have to deal with as part of being Upstairs, and trying to help various people in the casual role of being the front face of the office. It just happens that way. I'm taking on more than I ever expected. Guh.

It didn't help at all that I woke up feeling mightily depressed this morning. I don't know what's wrong with me, except perhaps for goddamned PMS. I found myself standing in front of the pantry staring at the withered crusts of bread and tins of food, close to tears, despairing at what to have for breakfast, not to mention making something to take for lunch. Goddess bless my mother who looks after me in such times of hopelessness. I just felt like crawling back into bed and bawling. This is not a good feeling to be experiencing while having to serve customers in an hour's time. :/

Perhaps my upset is somewhat due to relief from some of our family troubles... I won't go into them here; suffice to say we have a human leech trying to suck the lifeblood out of us because he used to live with my deceased great aunt. But my other, living, great aunt has agreed to help us out with living expenses while we try to detach said leech, while he tries to sue us. Grrrrrr.

Anyway...!

I'm hoping that tomorrow I can ignore my extra piles of duties; to sleep in in the morning and just be a checkout chick in the evening. I need a day to relax from it all. Then on Thursday I can start worrying again. Yes, it's usually one of my days off, but since I'm working from five-'til-nine for one of the girls, I'll go in early and ask stupid questions of my officey teacher, on the last possible day before she resigns from us. *sighs deeply*

At least Sunday and Monday will be simpler. Sunday will be quiet; and I'll go in on Monday before any customers come in, since it's a public holiday for half the day... I'll be doing some of yet someone else's work while he goes on holiday. Nice, easy shelf-ticketing... boring, but easy, and good to be paid for. Ha ha ha.

~ posted by Anna @ 8:47 PM
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