I’m off now, for over a week, and I’m very pleased about it. Initially, I thought I may get bored though I have a ‘list’ of things that need doing so I’m sure I’ll keep myself occupied. Work has been quite a slog, with Christmas and the New Year, and an average of almost 500 orders a day; it’s been exhausting! Customers have been mostly okay, but there’s always one or two, and today I was told to move my trolley. Honestly, a polite request will get you want you want, and we’d all be happy that way. People! Can’t k… LMAO

I’m a tad miffed that I have to use up so much leave now, with very little in the way of a break in March. The manager, in the past, has approached us about leave, and asked when we’d like to take it. He’s off at this time, and the supervisor just told us when we would be off. I know we need to work to the requirements of the business, but I’ve never been told, in all my years of working, when I had to take leave. Hmmm.

This week, we were ‘told off’ about the amount of non-picking time. Apparently, we’re taking too much time if we pop to the loo, and between trolleys there’s often a lag. Well, we speeded up a tad, and that left us having to put bags in our own trolleys because the baggers couldn’t keep up. So that’s even more ‘down’ time. Can’t win… We were also told that there’d be no overtime for a while. Most of us were relieved about that. However, the very next day, at short notice, several us were asked to work over. Most of us, including me, politely declined. Can’t have it both ways; chastise us in one breath and expect us to work overtime in the next. I’m glad I’m off for a while as morale has been a tad low. I’m hoping the manager will be back soon. He’s good at chivvying us along. He’s the one who gave the ‘rallying cry’ a while back. He’s funny.

We had a bonus in our pay this month, for work over the holiday period. It was a percentage of actual hours worked, and whilst it was a nice addition, due to my part time hours, and the fact that we had to take 3 days off when we don’t pick, it wasn’t that much, and fell way short of what I’d read the discount stores had paid their staff. We had the opportunity to fill in an anonymous staff survey, about what it’s like to work for this supermarket, and at the end there was the ability to add your own suggestions/complaints and so on, so I mentioned how I feel we lag behind certain other food outlets. Still, it all helps pay the bills.

So, my time off: I need to replace some lightbulbs though first I need to buy a freaking ladder. I’m so annoyed, because we had a step ladder, and I left it in the shed at the previous house. D’oh! I plan to make half a coffee cake; I like cake though most shop cake leaves a lot to be desired IMO. I plan to open some boxes that we never unpacked; that will free up space under the stairs. I need to see if the paint under the stairs matches the living room; the Deckhand recently scratched the paintwork whilst moving something; honestly, the paint is so thin here that if I wipe the walls the damn paint comes off! The Ship’s Dog needs a good grooming; he’s leaving so much ‘fluff’ around the house I joke that we’ve all been fluffenated. I never got around to cleaning the cooker or fridge, so there’s that. Finally, I hope to catch up on some sleep; not been sleeping at all well lately, and I keep dreaming about work. Give me strength! Lol

Well, that’s enough rambling. I feel tired just reading my plans lol. I’m making chickpea tagine for dinner tonight (vegan) then it’s a full roast chicken dinner for Sunday with cider gravy. Yum!

Take care, be safe out there, and hopefully we won’t have the awful weather that’s been forecast for many of us.