How to Go Crazy at Christmas Sales | Eastern NC Now

    You are right about Christmas sales --- it is so totally laughable that now Black Friday is outdone by the 2 weeks prior BS!!

    Lonya, my wife, has started part time at a large Department Store here. With the sales she is working odd hours and a total of 30+ a week. She has to debrief each day and here are the observations:

    • They have the computer in charge of all / scans of tickets tell the customer and person at check out what is "real"

    • The idiots in advertising tell the local store nothing and the customers the same

    • People are greedy and some are like lighted sticks of dynamite

    • The store now has the same outlook as car dealerships = promise 25% off / fine print says "not on this or that, but I will give you 10% off a 50%-inflated sticker price" --- and I thought political ads were over

    • Stupid and greedy people think a store can stay in business on 10% of advertised price

    • At $8 an hour, what newby employee wants to put up with the mess of crazy computer and crazy customers?

    • After taxes, the actual pay is $5 an hour

    I have my best-paid man at $12 per hour with no deductions. All start at $7.50. Some get a raise in a few days because they work hard and have the experience they claim. Climbers start at $15 with no experience because of the danger factor. I pay a real experienced and quick one with his own equipment as much as $50 per hour. They are all crazy and full of arrogant climber attitude! Most have a drug or alcohol problem-or both!

    I try to put what big store is doing with Lonya in terms of tree work:

    • Point your finger to a spot and tell the worker to figure out what needs doing

    • Put a Chainsaw in his hand and tell him nothing about tricks to crank it nor how to avoid kickbacks that could cut an artery

    • Watch him put the bar into a limb certain to pinch him because he knows nothing about reading the pressure points

    • Sit on the big Bobcat that does the clean-up work of 10 men and enjoy the comfortable seat because it's too much trouble to climb off and help or instruct

    • Wait for using the Bobcat until whatever happens does so at 10 times less than the normal amount of a trained crew

    • Throw the guy a rope and tell him to tie a Bowline knot when he only knows a square knot that will never come lose after the pull

    • Print up coupons to customers that claim a 50% discount and the fine print says "I weel screw yew!"

    . . . And we wonder why people hate Christmas shopping and why they spend all their money on the crazy --- when I need to address their un-pruned tree waiting for winds of winter to blow it over.

    Instead of contributing to some charity, just take out a person who is in real need. Buy him a meal / get him a present / pay for a motel room on the cold nights so he does not freeze to death / open up the church Fellowship Hall and kitchen and give people help --- right there in a building already bought and heated "for spiritual purposes."