Again, I really had no clue that it had been over a year since I posted ANYTHING on this blog. Back when I first started blogging I was posting daily (sometimes more than once a day). In my defense, back then I had no job as well as a very ‘interesting’ life (crazy roommates, problems with my mother, so on and so forth–if you are really interested, read all about most of it here on this very blog).
In December 2015 I went to work for Safeway as a checker, and in December 2016 I moved into the file maintenance department at the same store. Reasons for the move included learning new things and I was also promised 40 hours a week by my supervisor (sadly I found out later that she didn’t have the authority to promise me anything and that at most I should have gotten 20-25 hours per week)
Approximately a month after my move into file maintenance my boss (the one who promised me 40 hours a week as an incentive to get me to move into the department) had a stroke. Things hadn’t gone smoothly before that mostly because she wasn’t willing to train me on hardly anything, presumably because she thought I would then take her job. A secondary problem was that the lady had very poor communication skills to the point of fighting with vendors as well as other employees.
The person who took over my boss’s position had also not been trained on all aspects of her job so it was like the blind leading the confused LOL!!
After several months of feeling unhappy and incompetent (solely because I hadn’t been trained) I started looking for another job. On Monday June 12 2017 I was offered a job at Market of Choice (a small regional chain with 12 stores located in Oregon). I accepted the job, attended orientation on June 21, 2017, and went to work as a Kitchen Clerk on July 2 2017.
I am extremely happy with my decision to leave Safeway for several reasons.
1) I am getting 40 hours per week and have been getting that many hours (plus overtime nearly every day) since I started.
2) I am making $12.00 per hour (I was making $11.75 per hour at Safeway but was NOT getting 40 hours per week)
3) There is little to no micromanagement at Market of Choice. If you know what you are doing they leave you alone and let you do it.
4) My job is very physically demanding and there is no waiting around for anything. In an average day at Market of Choice, I walk over 10,000 steps. I sweep, bend, walk, squat, stoop, etc for the entire shift. I go home exhausted every night and that’s a good feeling.
5) I couldn’t find the soda aisle at Market of Choice so I gave up soda–not one drop of soda, diet or otherwise, has passed these lips since July 2, 2017. I drink water, green tea, iced black tea. I get my caffeine that way and don’t have all the sugar going into my body (I was NOT drinking diet soda!!). I feel much better and my energy level is unbelievably high
6) The physical activity has helped with the arthritis pain in my knees and feet to the point that I can now walk up and down stairs with little to no pain. In fact, I now choose to take the stairs nine times out of ten.
7) Because I earn nearly $500.00 a week before taxes, I can afford to pay my own space rent (that means no more roommates, I haven’t had a roommate since May 1, 2017–and I am happy as a clam about that. They have all been insane in one way or another, and their craziness made me crazy and unhappy).
8) I like nearly ALL of my coworkers *this was true at Safeway too* and they seem to like me, which makes stressful days less stressful.