Maintenance

Two weeks ago I wrote about failing an audit at Carlton. Things happened rather quickly after that, so instead of writing and updating and writing some more, I decided to wait until there were some answers. Mike, the store manager, did get fired after that audit, and I did express an interest in the position. The district manager went on vacation the next week, so I took the opportunity to work my ass off and show him what I could do. Two weeks of hard work, long hours and support from the girls made a huge difference in the store. Wednesday, when Rich was there, he said the store looked great and the back room was much improved. He also said he told the regional manager how nice everything looked. He did an audit while he was there, and once again, we failed, but this time, by only one point. He showed me as he was doing the audit exactly what he's looking for. Trust and believe those issues will not be seen again. We have bigger things to do than keep failing audits. Rich also insinuated that I would not be offered the position of store manager. While disappointed, I understand why he thinks I may not be ready. It simply strengthens my resolve to show him I am the right choice down the road.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, plant, things are going well. I took my sorter certification test (several times) and finally passed. I think I finally passed on the fourth attempt. I felt a little like JFK, Jr. taking the bar. Anyway, becoming certified basically locks in a raise. My pay has gone up 25% since I started at UPS four months ago. One night, about a week and a half ago, my supervisor told me to sort for a certain unloader. It was tough to keep up with this person, but that's not unusual. As we got to the end of the load, my sup asked me how it went. I told him I thought it went poorly because a lot of the boxes were backed up on the belt, and occasionally some had fallen on the floor. He asked me how many times this unloader had to stop the load because I was behind. I said maybe two or three times. He said, "Well, I happen to know for a fact that this load went well. You've been sorting Pitt, one of the fastest unloaders on the south side." That made me feel pretty good. Sometimes I feel like I'm moving really slowly and it's nice to be told that you can occasionally keep up.

I wrote most of this post on my cell phone on Thursday night and thought I could send it to my email. As it turns out, that didn't work, so I just transcribed it from my phone. I'm sure I had more to say Thursday night, and I know I have more to talk about now, but it will have to wait for another day.