"George M. Middius" > wrote in message
...
> The Other Guy wrote:
>
>> >Magic Jack? I didn't even know people used those things!
>>
>> VOIP, and WAY cheaper than anything else, and works fine for me.
>
> Julie's in her zone today. Next she'll say something like "A frying pan
> with
> PAINT on it? I never!"

It's just that the commercials for it are sooo cheesy! I can't imagine
anyone buying stuff like that.

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2013011015594293314-xxx@yyyzzz...
> On 2013-01-10 23:37:18 +0000, Julie Bove said:
>
>> One of which was not reporting problems to us. I was working POS at the
>> time. We fixed broken equipment or if it was too complicated for us, put
>> the call through to repair and also made sure that things scanned
>> correctly. Nobody wanted to take the time to use the report sheet to
>> report the problem or all us right away so that we could fix it.
>
> Now, see if I was getting bad wages and looking for another job at that
> place I would have done whatever was necessary to ensure I didn't get make
> myself visible. If you get in trouble for slacking that's just causes more
> trouble. You either get the carrot or boot. They won't pay the carrot so
> you get they have to ride you. Which takes time and energy.
>
>> His response to me was that he was paying them $5.00 an hour and we could
>> only expect that amount of work out of them.
>
> Precisely: Everything is working exactly as they intend it. People who
> hate the work will do $5 worth and eventually leave, and people like you
> stay and progress. Those that won't do what *management* thinks is $5
> worth of work will get fired quite early.
>
>> Made me kind of mad because at one point I had been one of those people,
>> but I did advance.
>
> You did the work too well. I did too a few times in life and got trapped
> in a dead-end jobs that gave me satisfaction, and sometimes with great
> co-workers, but no hope for cash or advancement.

And that's exactly what happened. I applied for countless other jobs and
was told that they couldn't pay me what I was making there or couldn't give
me the same benefits. I had an entire month off for vacation each year when
I quit. And for my first year there they gave us free medical insurance.
And good insurance at that! They paid for everything. But people were
abusing that so that quickly changed.

And the various benefits got less and less and the insurance got worse and
worse and most people stopped getting full time hours. And then sadly I
heard from a friend tonight that they dropped the bomb today that the store
will be closing. The property managers for that building were always quite
bad but now they were doubling the rent and the company decided not to pay
it. So those people have until March to find new jobs. And that's going to
be rough. Many are my age and older.

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/10/2013 2:55 PM, Cheryl wrote:
>> On 1/9/2013 11:40 PM, Michael OConnor wrote:
>>
>>> Never sent a text message, and I hope I can get thru the rest of my
>>> life without doing so.
>>>
>>> My pet peeve is when I am in a restroom and I start hearing that click
>>> click click sound from behind one of the stalls.
>>>
>> Why does that bother you?
>
> This is a good question. When I use a public bathroom, I don't hear
> nothing, I don't see nothing. I don't say "hi" or look anybody in the eye.
> I just mind my business and do my thing and then get out of there in an
> expeditious manner.
>
> Getting into other people's business in bathrooms sounds like bad policy.
> Hell, they can be in a stall typing away on an old manual typewriter,
> smoking a cigar, and wearing a funny hat and that would be A-OK with me.

I don't usually hear things but once in a while I do. And things that I
don't want to hear. Once was at a rest stop. The woman in the other stall
was either constipated or doing something else. Kind of hard to tell which
but I didn't want to analyze it. And neither did my mom who was on the
other side of her. We both looked at each other with bugged out eyes.
Washed our hands as quickly as we could and ran.

The thing that gets me is the Kotex with the "quiet" wrapper. Although they
haven't advertised it in a while, it is still mentioned on the package.
Like all of us female walk around living in fear that we'll open a pad and
someone will notice the sound of our wrapper. And then they'll know what we
are doing in there. And... And... And... Jeez. I'm sure I heard such
noises before and paid them no never mind.

On 1/11/2013 1:09 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:10:49 -0500, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
>> LOL That "Uh-oh!" voice at a local mini-mart doesn't apply only to beer.
>> When they ring anything up it says "Uh-oh". It's the same electronic
>> "voice" as when someone sent an IM on the old ICQ chat program (circa
>> 1990's).
>
> It makes a sound for beer or is it the norm for the total of anything
> you buy? How long has this been going on?
>
It makes that "Uh-oh!" sound for every item the cashier rings up. I
first noticed it early last year and started laughing. I used to use
ICQ chat a long time ago.

Jill

On 1/10/2013 7:30 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> On 1/9/2013 11:06 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> On 09/01/2013 10:04 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>> On 1/9/2013 9:58 AM, Sharon wrote:
>>>> Even if she wasn't busy with a customer, there must have been other
>>>> jobs that could be done. Cell phones don't belong on the job unless
>>>> the
>>>> calls and texts are job related....Sharon in Canada
>>>
>>> No kidding! Leave the cell phone in your car or in your purse or your
>>> locker or whatever. You're there to do a job, not to exchange
>>> meaningless, unimportant chit-chat with your friends.
>>>
>>
>> I wonder sometimes. The wife of one of my nephews is constantly texting
>> him from work or posting stuff to FaceBook from work. She works in a
>> coffee shop and I know they have video surveillance in there. Maybe she
>> is one of those who is under the impression that it is to watch the
>> customers. Most of those cameras are to watch the staff.
>>
>>
> The company I work for has very strict firewall rules for sites that
> aren't allowed to be accessed by work computers, but Facebook is
> allowed. You even have to click a button on a page loaded on the proxy
> server that says you recognize you're going to a social networking site
> and that you'll use the computer responsibly, so they know people are
> going to use work computers for Facebook. BUT, it is up to us to not
> overuse it and not to spend all day on it. The company realizes that we
> need to let off steam or just take a quick break even if it isn't break
> time. It helps keep you sane. I notice a lot of people who object
> to texting and facebook at work don't even work, and probably haven't
> for years.
>
>
Of course people need to blow off steam, but not at the expense of the
customer. It wouldn't have killed that cashier to hand Ed his change
before replying to a text.

I was the senior analyst at one company in TN for 12 years. If a couple
of people in a relatively small department are constantly slacking off
everyone else suffered for it, not the least of which were the people
who called us with software problems. Rather than work on the reported
issues, one guy would spend his time on a chat program. I guess he
figured we didn't notice that he'd hit Alt+Tab to switch screens
whenever someone walked by his desk. Another woman was always having
some sort of drama which kept her on personal calls all day. I'm sure
if they'd had cell phones they'd have been texting as well. That's not
blowing off steam, it's wasting their employers time and money.

Jill

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...

> Getting into other people's business in bathrooms sounds like bad policy.
> Hell, they can be in a stall typing away on an old manual typewriter,
> smoking a cigar, and wearing a funny hat and that would be A-OK with me.

lol

--
--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On 1/11/2013 7:31 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:45:16 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> On 1/11/2013 1:09 AM, sf wrote:
>>> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:10:49 -0500, jmcquown >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> LOL That "Uh-oh!" voice at a local mini-mart doesn't apply only to beer.
>>>> When they ring anything up it says "Uh-oh". It's the same electronic
>>>> "voice" as when someone sent an IM on the old ICQ chat program (circa
>>>> 1990's).
>>>
>>> It makes a sound for beer or is it the norm for the total of anything
>>> you buy? How long has this been going on?
>>>
>> It makes that "Uh-oh!" sound for every item the cashier rings up. I
>> first noticed it early last year and started laughing. I used to use
>> ICQ chat a long time ago.
>
> I can't see any POS system doing that for every item when a mild,
> inoffensive beep has been the industry standard for decades. Anything
> more would quickly get annoying and I can't imagine any clerk or store
> owner putting up with that for long.
>
> I only see one other mention of this on the web:
> http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018173206#post11
>
> -sw
>
Come for a visit and I'll take you to the Exxon station. I bought a
dozen eggs there earlier this month and it said "Uh-oh!" Maybe the cash
register is concerned about people who buy eggs

More likely just shoddy programming of the (fairly new) register. I did
buy some beer there last October but if, as the above link suggests,
they're supposed to ask for my ID they didn't. The clerks don't seem to
notice the "Uh-oh!" sound at all.

This place isn't exactly a top of the line Exxon station. I went to put
gas in my car yesterday and they didn't have any! I had to drive five
miles further to fill up the tank. They *do* usually have lower prices
on a dozen eggs than at the grocery store. I think the guy who runs the
place knows the chicken farmer who lives on St. Helena.

Jill

On 11/01/2013 1:01 AM, sf wrote:

>> Ten minutes later, Richard came to me with a part in hand and a sly
>> grin on his face. He handed me a perfect part and said "can I go to
>> the storeroom now?" Yes, he went and was never questioned by anyone
>> again. And he always did the 100%. No one else ever came close.
>>
>> Point well made!
>
> Good story! My brother is like that. He's a machinist. He doesn't
> comprehend the written word perfectly, but he can read blueprints like
> a dream. His boss gives him the blueprints for a new machine and lets
> him figure out how to use it so he can tell his team mates how to do
> it after that.
>


My oldest brother is similar. He has poor social skills and has never
read a book. He can follow instruction manuals and was a heavy duty
mechanic and very good at it.

Julie Bove wrote:
>
> "Pete C." > wrote in message
> ...
> > What carrier and plan are you on? Get a real plan on a real carrier,
> > none of the big ones plans are like that. Even when I'm physically
> > roaming internationally my costs are low. I've used my cell in Mexico,
> > Egypt and the UK and non of those bills were more than $20 extra.
>
> Sprint.

That's your problem...

Sqwertz > wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:45:16 -0500, jmcquown wrote:

-snip-
>>>
>> It makes that "Uh-oh!" sound for every item the cashier rings up. I
>> first noticed it early last year and started laughing. I used to use
>> ICQ chat a long time ago.
>
>I can't see any POS system doing that for every item when a mild,
>inoffensive beep has been the industry standard for decades. Anything
>more would quickly get annoying and I can't imagine any clerk or store
>owner putting up with that for long.

My favorite family owned hardware store has 2 registers that make a
'broken clock spring' sound when they ring anything up.

Funny the first few times-- but I don't even notice it any more. [been
like that for a decade, at least]

Jim

"jmcquown" > wrote in message

(snip)
> This place isn't exactly a top of the line Exxon station. I went to put
> gas in my car yesterday and they didn't have any!

??? Weird???? I've never heard of such a thing except when there has been a
major union problems and the last of those would be decades ago now. Was
there any reason why they wouldn't have fuel?

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:14:40 -0800, gtr > wrote:
snip
>
>So I weary of it all.

OMG . . rolling eyes . . . pure theater done badly.
Janet US

On 1/11/2013 7:44 AM, jmcquown wrote:

> Come for a visit and I'll take you to the Exxon station. I bought a
> dozen eggs there earlier this month and it said "Uh-oh!" Maybe the cash
> register is concerned about people who buy eggs

Sounds rather like that third brake light, it will save on accidents.
Uh, yeah, people notice it when only a few cars have it, when every
car has it, you don't get that wow factor.

If the register says Uh Oh all day long, what good is it?

nancy

On 2013-01-11 07:02:50 +0000, sf said:

> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:18:42 -0800, gtr > wrote:
>
>> I'd discipline him and if he took no heed I'd fire him--if I already
>> had somebody prepped to cover his shifts, and it wasn't too close to
>> September when all these punks quit anyway. Or near the holidays when
>> they do the same.
>
> Don't they quit after the holidays?

I don't really know, it was just a broad projected outline of the
inconsistencies in labor a manager or Jr. manager assistent's trainee
needs to consider. The certainly hire a lot of people explicitly for
the holiday, but I figured it was because they couldn't get regular
hours out of their regular crew.

On 2013-01-11 14:33:57 +0000, Janet Bostwick said:

> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:14:40 -0800, gtr > wrote:
> snip
>>
>> So I weary of it all.
>
> OMG . . rolling eyes . . . pure theater done badly.

You must be a teacher.

On 1/11/2013 9:41 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
> On 1/11/2013 7:44 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Come for a visit and I'll take you to the Exxon station. I bought a
>> dozen eggs there earlier this month and it said "Uh-oh!" Maybe the cash
>> register is concerned about people who buy eggs
>
> Sounds rather like that third brake light, it will save on accidents.
> Uh, yeah, people notice it when only a few cars have it, when every
> car has it, you don't get that wow factor.
>

Good example! Then there are car alarms... how long did it take people
to ignore them? (laugh)

> If the register says Uh Oh all day long, what good is it?
>
Beats me.

Jill

On 1/11/2013 9:16 AM, Farm1 wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
>
> (snip)
>> This place isn't exactly a top of the line Exxon station. I went to put
>> gas in my car yesterday and they didn't have any!
>
> ??? Weird???? I've never heard of such a thing except when there has been a
> major union problems and the last of those would be decades ago now. Was
> there any reason why they wouldn't have fuel?
>
>
Obviously the clerks didn't know. Someone ventured a guess about
Hurricane Sandy but that doesn't explain why other gas stations a few
miles away had fuel and they didn't. I suspect this is a poorly managed
franchize or possibly a single owner with rights to use the Exxon
name/logo. I really can't explain it.

Jill

On 1/11/2013 10:05 AM, Janet wrote:
> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
> career.
>
> Stamina, resilience, flexibility, time management, dealing with all
> kinds of people, workplace stress, difficult situations, budgeting
> income, self reliance.. all skills that can be acquired in even the most
> menial, low paid, repetitive job.


Agreed. I've had some really crappy jobs in my life... short order
cook, dishwasher, waiter, busboy, car wash, taxi driver, cashier, gas
station attendant etc. None of them were career makers but I learned
something useful at every job.

One of the problems with some of these jobs is that many of the people
holding the position don't NEED to work. Most are teens living with Mom
and Dad, others are working part time to supplement income. If they
lose the job, they won't go hungry.

When you can't afford to lose a job, you work harder at keeping it.

George L

In article >, ost
says...
>
> On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:45:16 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>
> > On 1/11/2013 1:09 AM, sf wrote:
> >> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:10:49 -0500, jmcquown >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> LOL That "Uh-oh!" voice at a local mini-mart doesn't apply only to beer.
> >>> When they ring anything up it says "Uh-oh". It's the same electronic
> >>> "voice" as when someone sent an IM on the old ICQ chat program (circa
> >>> 1990's).
> >>
> >> It makes a sound for beer or is it the norm for the total of anything
> >> you buy? How long has this been going on?
> >>
> > It makes that "Uh-oh!" sound for every item the cashier rings up. I
> > first noticed it early last year and started laughing. I used to use
> > ICQ chat a long time ago.
>
> I can't see any POS system doing that for every item when a mild,
> inoffensive beep has been the industry standard for decades. Anything
> more would quickly get annoying and I can't imagine any clerk or store
> owner putting up with that for long.
>
> I only see one other mention of this on the web:
> http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018173206#post11
>
> -sw

Beleive me, POS systems have gotten WAY into the realm of customizable.
You can attach different sounds to items too. It's a cutesy feature and
only some merchants want it.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 1/11/2013 7:31 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:45:16 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> >> On 1/11/2013 1:09 AM, sf wrote:
> >>> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:10:49 -0500, jmcquown >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> LOL That "Uh-oh!" voice at a local mini-mart doesn't apply only to beer.
> >>>> When they ring anything up it says "Uh-oh". It's the same electronic
> >>>> "voice" as when someone sent an IM on the old ICQ chat program (circa
> >>>> 1990's).
> >>>
> >>> It makes a sound for beer or is it the norm for the total of anything
> >>> you buy? How long has this been going on?
> >>>
> >> It makes that "Uh-oh!" sound for every item the cashier rings up. I
> >> first noticed it early last year and started laughing. I used to use
> >> ICQ chat a long time ago.
> >
> > I can't see any POS system doing that for every item when a mild,
> > inoffensive beep has been the industry standard for decades. Anything
> > more would quickly get annoying and I can't imagine any clerk or store
> > owner putting up with that for long.
> >
> > I only see one other mention of this on the web:
> > http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018173206#post11
> >
> > -sw
> >
> Come for a visit and I'll take you to the Exxon station. I bought a
> dozen eggs there earlier this month and it said "Uh-oh!" Maybe the cash
> register is concerned about people who buy eggs
>
> More likely just shoddy programming of the (fairly new) register. I did
> buy some beer there last October but if, as the above link suggests,
> they're supposed to ask for my ID they didn't. The clerks don't seem to
> notice the "Uh-oh!" sound at all.
>
> This place isn't exactly a top of the line Exxon station. I went to put
> gas in my car yesterday and they didn't have any! I had to drive five
> miles further to fill up the tank. They *do* usually have lower prices
> on a dozen eggs than at the grocery store. I think the guy who runs the
> place knows the chicken farmer who lives on St. Helena.
>
> Jill

Imagine my surprise when I had to get eggs at the no-name gas station
near me. It's in the heart of the city of Providence and the eggs are
free range from Baffoni Farm in Johnston, RI.

Can't get much more local than that.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 11/01/2013 1:01 AM, sf wrote:
>
> >> Ten minutes later, Richard came to me with a part in hand and a sly
> >> grin on his face. He handed me a perfect part and said "can I go to
> >> the storeroom now?" Yes, he went and was never questioned by anyone
> >> again. And he always did the 100%. No one else ever came close.
> >>
> >> Point well made!
> >
> > Good story! My brother is like that. He's a machinist. He doesn't
> > comprehend the written word perfectly, but he can read blueprints like
> > a dream. His boss gives him the blueprints for a new machine and lets
> > him figure out how to use it so he can tell his team mates how to do
> > it after that.
> >
>
>
> My oldest brother is similar. He has poor social skills and has never
> read a book. He can follow instruction manuals and was a heavy duty
> mechanic and very good at it.

RTFM - wow! I'll reference the manual on occasion.

Ever replace a water cooled lasing cavity? That's great fun!

On 11/01/2013 11:05 AM, Janet wrote:

> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
> career.
>
> Stamina, resilience, flexibility, time management, dealing with all
> kinds of people, workplace stress, difficult situations, budgeting
> income, self reliance.. all skills that can be acquired in even the most
> menial, low paid, repetitive job.
>

Some of them can be motivators. I had plenty of menial jobs when I was
young. I know what it is like to have to work your ass off, lugging
heavy things in the hot sun and not even being able to stop for a drink
of water, carrying a heavy bundle of newspapers on a route more than a
mile long, having to deal with the public and to put on a smile even
when faced with the most obnoxious jerks. I remember my first day
working in an allow plant, a summer job I had while at university. The
money was really good, but the working conditions were something else.
I had never been a great student but I sure buckled down so that I would
not be stuck doing something like that for the rest of my life.

It worked for me. When I graduated I ended up taking something for which
I was over qualified, but I had good bosses and I worked my way up. I
ended up in a job that was interesting, challenging, fun, and I made
good money. As much as I enjoyed my job, I had no qualms about
retiring at age 53. That is not the way things would have worked if, in
these menial labour days I had treated customers with so much disrespect.

On 2013-01-11 16:05:00 +0000, Janet said:

> In article >, says...
>
> Because I was myself perhaps just a step up from
>> a menial worker. I was trained to do things beyond that but... I also
>> learned that those skills didn't carry over to other jobs.
>
> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
> career.
>
> Stamina, resilience, flexibility, time management, dealing with all
> kinds of people, workplace stress, difficult situations, budgeting
> income, self reliance.. all skills that can be acquired in even the most
> menial, low paid, repetitive job.

To be fair, there are myrid kinds of menial jobs which require some of
these many skills and some of which deny the worker these
opportunities. Years ago when I was interviewing potential trainees at
production software shop everybody had great educational and
significant work background. But there were also a number of resumes
that indicated waitress experience. Candidates were frequently
embarrased by this if I mentioned it. But I found that they were
frequently the kind of worker that could extricate themselves from
almost any difficult circumstance without a lot of hand-holding.

One said "I don't think the experience was that useful", I quickly
tossed her a tennis ball and she caught it easily. I said, "A lot of
people would watch that bounce of the wall. She agreed. Of course she
agreed--she was interviewing for a job!

Waitressing is actually a lot more complex a job than handing burger
bags out a window. Or sweeping, cleaning toilets and emptying ashtrays;
I gained nothing from that job during college EXCEPT how to loaf
artfully. And, not suprisingly, you'll find waitresses huddled with
their smart phones at various points in the evening. Surprisingly they
seem to mirror the behaviour of most of the rest of the planet.

I live one block and around a corner, from an elementary school. Folks
park in front of my house and walk little Suzy or Jimmy to school each
morning. I've been here 12 years. They use to walk together. Now mom
or dad walks about 5 feet in front of Suzy, face buried in a phone,
while Suzy tags along behind, sometimes yammering away merrily to the
unresponsive parent. It galls me, but I assume that's what the walk to
school now looks like in Beijing or Berlin too.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> On Wed, 9 Jan 2013 20:41:54 -0800, Juan Anonly > wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>
> >>>The glories of a shit entry level job are not the blue print for jack
> >>>shit. If that was your early glory days, good for you. Other people
> >>>stay there for their whole life, and have no interest in doing more
> >>>than is necessary to keep the job.
> >>
> >> If they have no interest in bettering themselves, they deserve what
> >> they get. Good for them.
> >
> > Not everyone is capable of doing better.
> >
>
> Very true, and we need them doing the jobs they can do. I've also worked
> with a couple of workshops for people with lesser abilities. One thing
> that stood out, no matter what they did, they did it with pride. They may
> have limited abilities, but they had unlimited enthusiasm to do a good job.
>
> Too many people today just want to get through the day and get paid.

I'm afraid these days I just want to get through the day and get paid. I
*used* to care about my job, and it's a decent enough job, however over
the years I've become surrounded by more and more often outsourced
incompetence. What used to be a relatively productive and efficient job
is now bogged down in the absurd level of administratium that comes from
the incompetence around me as well as management trying to keep those
incompetent folks from totally ****ing things up. I sat through a 45
minute con call recently listening to what was essentially a new group
trying to justify their existence and explaining how their entire
function is essentially to duplicate things that already exist and work
just fine. Sad, very sad...

On 2013-01-11 16:28:37 +0000, Janet said:

>>> You asked the question.
>>
>> And you side-stepped it. Do we need to cover that again?
>
> I answered the question: " I do every menial task properly: never found
> it necessary to "give my all" to achieve that."

Clearly we do need to cover it again...

My question: Do you give your all to every menial task?

Your answer: You DO NOT give your all to every menial task--because it
isn't "necessary". The shorter answer would be "no".

This is the same logic that has burger-bag handlers stopping to text
someone instead of delivering change: The menial task at hand didn't
deserve their "all"; it was "unnecessary".

> I haven't mentioned OR carped about any labourers.

Assuming you aren't finessing this point as well, I apologize.

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:28:38 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
> "George M. Middius" > wrote in message
> ...
> > The Other Guy wrote:
> >
> >> >Magic Jack? I didn't even know people used those things!
> >>
> >> VOIP, and WAY cheaper than anything else, and works fine for me.
> >
> > Julie's in her zone today. Next she'll say something like "A frying pan
> > with
> > PAINT on it? I never!"
>
> It's just that the commercials for it are sooo cheesy! I can't imagine
> anyone buying stuff like that.
>
I've Googled Magic Jack in the past and people weren't happy with it.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 07:20:31 -0800, gtr > wrote:

> On 2013-01-11 07:02:50 +0000, sf said:
>
> > On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:18:42 -0800, gtr > wrote:
> >
> >> I'd discipline him and if he took no heed I'd fire him--if I already
> >> had somebody prepped to cover his shifts, and it wasn't too close to
> >> September when all these punks quit anyway. Or near the holidays when
> >> they do the same.
> >
> > Don't they quit after the holidays?
>
> I don't really know, it was just a broad projected outline of the
> inconsistencies in labor a manager or Jr. manager assistent's trainee
> needs to consider. The certainly hire a lot of people explicitly for
> the holiday, but I figured it was because they couldn't get regular
> hours out of their regular crew.

They take on extra workers to help with the holiday rush and screen
potential full time employees for later on.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

sf wrote:

> > > Julie's in her zone today. Next she'll say something like "A frying pan
> > > with PAINT on it? I never!"
> >
> > It's just that the commercials for it are sooo cheesy! I can't imagine
> > anyone buying stuff like that.
> >
> I've Googled Magic Jack in the past and people weren't happy with it.

Except for those who WERE happy with it.....

sf wrote:
>
> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:28:38 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
> >
> > "George M. Middius" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > The Other Guy wrote:
> > >
> > >> >Magic Jack? I didn't even know people used those things!
> > >>
> > >> VOIP, and WAY cheaper than anything else, and works fine for me.
> > >
> > > Julie's in her zone today. Next she'll say something like "A frying pan
> > > with
> > > PAINT on it? I never!"
> >
> > It's just that the commercials for it are sooo cheesy! I can't imagine
> > anyone buying stuff like that.
> >
> I've Googled Magic Jack in the past and people weren't happy with it.

Most every technical product is going to have people unhappy with it,
usually due to their own incompetence. Any online forum will be
predominantly people with issues. I know several technically competent
people who use Magic Jack and are quite happy with it.

On 11/01/2013 11:35 AM, T wrote:

>> My oldest brother is similar. He has poor social skills and has never
>> read a book. He can follow instruction manuals and was a heavy duty
>> mechanic and very good at it.
>
> RTFM - wow! I'll reference the manual on occasion.
>
> Ever replace a water cooled lasing cavity? That's great fun!

I can't say that I have, but I have a pretty good ability to figure out
how things work and how to assemble them. My wife is amazed that I am
able to follow instructions from manuals. It is not that I am
particularly good at it but more a matter of her being really bad it it.

One of my crappy jobs of my youth was working in the toy and sporting
goods section of a department store. One day they sent me down to the
basement to assemble bicycles. There were no manuals but I figured it
out. I felt guilty that I had spent so much time on that shift and only
got a few of them put together. My boss was thrilled because the other
were a lot slower. Once I got the hang of it, the job was a snap. When
things were slow in the department they would send me down to assemble
the latest order of bikes and I had lots of time to chat with anyone who
came down to the store room. Out of sight out of mind, and I did not
have to work very hard to keep the boss happy.

"Janet" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, says...
>
> Because I was myself perhaps just a step up from
>> a menial worker. I was trained to do things beyond that but... I also
>> learned that those skills didn't carry over to other jobs.
>
> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
> career.



--
--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/11/2013 9:16 AM, Farm1 wrote:
>> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
>>
>> (snip)
>>> This place isn't exactly a top of the line Exxon station. I went to put
>>> gas in my car yesterday and they didn't have any!
>>
>> ??? Weird???? I've never heard of such a thing except when there has
>> been a
>> major union problems and the last of those would be decades ago now. Was
>> there any reason why they wouldn't have fuel?
>>
>>
> Obviously the clerks didn't know. Someone ventured a guess about
> Hurricane Sandy but that doesn't explain why other gas stations a few
> miles away had fuel and they didn't. I suspect this is a poorly managed
> franchize or possibly a single owner with rights to use the Exxon
> name/logo. I really can't explain it.

When you started out by saying 'obviously the clerks didn't know'. I
wondered what was obvious and that I'd missed.

I reread your previous post and it seems that there is nothing at all about
the lack of fuel was the least bit obvious to either you or the clerks.
They should have had some information, or even some excuse. to tell you who
are a customer.

But it seems that from your comment that it's not a top of the line place
that you've unconsciously noted something about the place that is not quite
right. The one thing a customer such as yourself should be able to expect
to be able to buy at such a place would be fuel for your vehicle.

Interesting.

"Janet" > wrote in message
> In article >, says...
>
> Because I was myself perhaps just a step up from
>> a menial worker. I was trained to do things beyond that but... I also
>> learned that those skills didn't carry over to other jobs.
>
> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
> career.
>
> Stamina, resilience, flexibility, time management, dealing with all
> kinds of people, workplace stress, difficult situations, budgeting
> income, self reliance.. all skills that can be acquired in even the most
> menial, low paid, repetitive job.

Yep. All jobs have some similar requirements and those attributes you've
mentioned above would all apply.

But beyond that, recruitment is based on past performance. Interviewing
potential employees only partially looks at what the intereviewee says they
will bring to a job. They can make any claims they like but if they have
been a dud in previous jobs, they are most likely to be a dud in the job for
which they are applying.

"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/11/2013 10:05 AM, Janet wrote:
>> I've always found the opposite. Every menial job I ever had, taught
>> employment skills that carried over to the others... and my professional
>> career.
>>
>> Stamina, resilience, flexibility, time management, dealing with all
>> kinds of people, workplace stress, difficult situations, budgeting
>> income, self reliance.. all skills that can be acquired in even the most
>> menial, low paid, repetitive job.
>
>
> Agreed. I've had some really crappy jobs in my life... short order cook,
> dishwasher, waiter, busboy, car wash, taxi driver, cashier, gas station
> attendant etc. None of them were career makers but I learned something
> useful at every job.

IMO, you'd have to be dead not to learn something new in any job. Sometimes
it can be things you'd rather not learn though.

> One of the problems with some of these jobs is that many of the people
> holding the position don't NEED to work.

Well that certainly applied to the menial jobs I did after retirement.

Most are teens living with Mom
> and Dad, others are working part time to supplement income. If they lose
> the job, they won't go hungry.
>
> When you can't afford to lose a job, you work harder at keeping it.

True to some extent but not always applicable.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message

I remember my first day
> working in an allow plant, a summer job I had while at university.

What's an 'allow plant'?

On 11/01/2013 5:49 PM, Farm1 wrote:

>
> But beyond that, recruitment is based on past performance. Interviewing
> potential employees only partially looks at what the intereviewee says they
> will bring to a job. They can make any claims they like but if they have
> been a dud in previous jobs, they are most likely to be a dud in the job for
> which they are applying.
>
>


Heaven forbid we return to the topic of the thread, but one might expect
that if the job is nothing more complicated than filling orders, taking
money and making change (now calculated by the cash register), that one
might at least have the attention span that they can treat their
customer like they matter, instead of stopping in the middle of the
transaction to send a text.

"gtr" > wrote in message

> I live one block and around a corner, from an elementary school. Folks >
> park in front of my house and walk little Suzy or Jimmy to school each
> morning. I've been here 12 years. They use to walk together. Now mom or
> dad walks about 5 feet in front of Suzy, face buried in a phone, while
> Suzy tags along behind, sometimes yammering away merrily to the
> unresponsive parent. It galls me, but I assume that's what the walk to
> school now looks like in Beijing or Berlin too.

Good point and it'd gall me too. But then perhaps that is the grandparent
in me responding and as a young parent I could make the same choices as
those younger phone owners. But what are we all doing reading and posting?
I know I could be doing a lot more useful things elsewhere.

On 1/11/2013 12:06 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> On Wed, 9 Jan 2013 20:41:54 -0800, Juan Anonly > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The glories of a shit entry level job are not the blue print for jack
>>>>> shit. If that was your early glory days, good for you. Other people
>>>>> stay there for their whole life, and have no interest in doing more
>>>>> than is necessary to keep the job.
>>>>
>>>> If they have no interest in bettering themselves, they deserve what
>>>> they get. Good for them.
>>>
>>> Not everyone is capable of doing better.
>>>
>>
>> Very true, and we need them doing the jobs they can do. I've also worked
>> with a couple of workshops for people with lesser abilities. One thing
>> that stood out, no matter what they did, they did it with pride. They may
>> have limited abilities, but they had unlimited enthusiasm to do a good job.
>>
>> Too many people today just want to get through the day and get paid.
>
> I'm afraid these days I just want to get through the day and get paid. I
> *used* to care about my job, and it's a decent enough job, however over
> the years I've become surrounded by more and more often outsourced
> incompetence. What used to be a relatively productive and efficient job
> is now bogged down in the absurd level of administratium that comes from
> the incompetence around me as well as management trying to keep those
> incompetent folks from totally ****ing things up. I sat through a 45
> minute con call recently listening to what was essentially a new group
> trying to justify their existence and explaining how their entire
> function is essentially to duplicate things that already exist and work
> just fine. Sad, very sad...
>
Or, when you've worked for years for a company and then there's a
takeover. After that the company that took over sells the division,
which makes you wonder why they bought it in the first place. After a
few times it gets old.

The job description doesn't change but management does. I started out
at that job with great managers. Everyone enjoyed going to work. It
was hard work but an enjoyable atmosphere. Then the takeovers and such
started. Managers were pressured from the new corporate muckety-mucks.
They moved on and were replaced with drones who couldn't have done my
job if their life depended on it.

The woman who became head of IT freaked out once when email was down.
She came to my desk ranting. Yes, I know, one of the servers is down.
She wanted to know what I was going to do about it. Uh, nothing. I
don't have access to those servers. I'll call and have that department
add your name to the list of people having problems with email. Sheesh.
Like she couldn't have done that herself.

Jill

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2013011109122923878-xxx@yyyzzz...
> On 2013-01-11 16:28:37 +0000, Janet said:
>
>>>> You asked the question.
>>>
>>> And you side-stepped it. Do we need to cover that again?
>>
>> I answered the question: " I do every menial task properly: never found
>> it necessary to "give my all" to achieve that."
>
> Clearly we do need to cover it again...
>
> My question: Do you give your all to every menial task?
>
> Your answer: You DO NOT give your all to every menial task--because it
> isn't "necessary". The shorter answer would be "no".

LOL. The short answer is that a normally intelligent person who does things
properly, is doing exactly what its required to do the job and to do it
competently, efficiently and pleasantly.

> This is the same logic that has burger-bag handlers stopping to text
> someone instead of delivering change: The menial task at hand didn't >
> deserve their "all"; it was "unnecessary".

It's not the same logic at all.

On 11/01/2013 5:54 PM, Farm1 wrote:

>> One of the problems with some of these jobs is that many of the people
>> holding the position don't NEED to work.
> Well that certainly applied to the menial jobs I did after retirement.

I am grateful that I opted to stick it out in my career with the
government. There were times when I was ready to pack it in and to look
for something more in line with my education and with more opportunity
for advancement. Having paid a lot into a pension fund was an incentive
to stay. And.... along came an opportunity for early retirement.


I jumped at the opportunity. I was tired of working with a sword hanging
over my head. I retired at the age of 53, and I set myself a goal. I
wanted to lose 5 pounds a year through exercise, a goal that I was meeting.

I made a deal with myself when I retired. I promised myself that if I
ever found myself watching Jerry Springer on daytime TV I would have to
go out and get a job. That was 8 years ago. I can tell you that,other
than the news, I rarely watch daytime TV.

Meanwhile, my brother, who does not like wine, is taking a wine course
at a local university because he wants to get a job in the tasting rooms
at one of the local universities.





>> When you can't afford to lose a job, you work harder at keeping it.
>
> True to some extent but not always applicable.
>
>


Yep. There are a lot of people who are constantly losing their jobs.
One aspect of having a menial labour position is that the boss is going
to be an asshole, and, since there are minimal requirements for the
position, you are easily replaced.



I had one of the best paying jobs in the bargaining unit with our
government. I had to deal with a a half dozen statute laws and the
associated regulations and a policy and several procedures and
procedures manuals. It was challenging and interesting, and the money
was good.

I suppose that post retirement employment could give me some extra cash.
It would give me something to fill my days, which I don't really need.
I might be tempted to get a job somewhere just so that, if I got an
idiot boss who gave me a hard time, I could just say "screw you" and
walk out in the middle of a shift.