The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[arouetta]

Tallyollyopia, just a word of caution. Whenever you type parts of your book, you're giving the site unlimited irrevocable permission to publish that part of your book.

Anyway......

See this? This is money running down the drain.

I've gained a couple of pounds over the last few days, despaired in my lack of weight loss, and then wondered if the bike is causing muscle gain to the point of weight gain. Measured myself again and while the girls have maintained their size, nothing else did. So I tried on everything in my closet. This is the Goodwill bag. Nine of these items have never been worn. For office apparel, I have one skirt left that I haven't hemmed yet. For my never-worn dresses, two of the four are in this stack.

Nearly all of my shirts are still wearable, I think because the girls are the same, but the shirts are getting looser. The test shirt I bought a while back that is one size too small is also getting looser, just still a tad too tight for my tastes under the arms but fits well everywhere else. Luckily the three blazers I own still fit great. I would have cried if I had to add those to the stack as well.

Not all my bras fit so I'll be adding those to the stack. Didn't think anyone wanted to see those though, lol.

I'm really, really happy I'm losing weight and losing inches. But sometimes the money cost hurts.....a lot.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yep, I survived.

Yesterday I stopped before the usual place, so I didn't push myself into near exhaustion. Took a breather, drank a lot of water. I planned on a second stop but I didn't need it when I got to the expected stopping point.

>HUGE HONKING SNIP<

Something just occurred to me. I have real issues with heat. If I get the least overheated it can actually trigger a vertigo attack, and I wind up on the ground, clinging to the dirt so I don't fall into the sky. THAT kind of vertigo. One of the tricks I've learned that helps tremendously is that I never leave the house without a handful of those alcohol wipes in individual packets. When I start to over heat, I wipe my wrists, my nape, and my throat, and it cools me down very quickly. Maybe that would help, as well.

 

[arouetta]

I'll try that. The other forum, the nice people had a lot of suggestions, some I couldn't do though, some I could. One person suggested putting a bunch of ice in my water bottle before starting so I could cool my core temperature more easily and I remembered that trick at my stop point, oops. Someone else suggested putting ice packs in my clothes and I think Therapearls might do well for that so I'll buy more. I did buy a pair of athletic leggings last night and suffered the embarrassment of a nearly 200 pound woman wearing a tight tank top and leggings and it kept me much cooler than wearing my work pants. I took a thermometer along today, it was 88 with barely a heat index and my temperature was up by a whopping one degree at my stop point. Ooo ah, a single degree, but considering how much mouth breathing I was doing and the weather being better I was a little surprised. I might have managed not stopping but I hadn't drank enough water throughout the day and I was dying for a drink.

I just gotta say, I thought the "huge honking snip" was cute.

 

[Margret]

arouetta , I'm in my 60s and I've given up on trying to explain why people do insane things. They just do.

As for the CVS number, why don't you just tell them to call back, the same number they just called, and select the pharmacy on the menu? That way you don't need to memorize the CVS number.

Also, there are, mmm, what are they called?, cool wraps?, ah, there are a lot of different names for them, no wonder I'm confused. Here is one brand: MiraCool Cooling Headband - The Warming Store

The thing is, you can make these yourself. The beads inside are a kind of plastic that absorbs a huge amount of water, and they're readily available at places like Joann's, where they're sold to be used in vases for cut flowers. Whenever I plant a new rose bush I'll put a few of these in the hole with it, so that it won't dry out too fast. Just don't get the really big ones; they swell up to the size of a marble. So, you decide what size you want the cooling part of your head/neck band to be, and sew a pocket that size in a bandanna. Insert the beads and sew the ends closed, and leave the rest of the bandanna there to use for tying. Don't insert too many beads; they can burst the seams when they puff up with water. Get or make a couple, so you have a spare. Moisten one at night and put it in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. In the morning you tie it around your neck just before you leave. It starts out cold from the fridge, and it stays cool by evaporation. When you're doing something that doesn't require a helmet you can use one as a neckband and one as a headband. Just don't leave them moist all winter. You have to let them dry out so the fabric doesn't get mildewed or rotten.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

As for the CVS number, why don't you just tell them to call back, the same number they just called, and select the pharmacy on the menu? That way you don't need to memorize the CVS number.

There's a few different reasons. First, I can be stubborn. If someone can't actually think to Google "CVS Target <city>" or go on CVS' website and use the store locator and instead gets upset with me because I can't transfer to a separate business, I'm not inclined to go above and beyond. Second, once a customer has crossed the frustration level of getting upset with me, telling them to hang up and call back is only going to add gasoline to the flames, and I don't want to deal with that. Nor do I want to risk them demanding to talk to my manager and spinning a story of how I told them to hang up (and either not hearing to call back for the option or not bothering to add that part).

There are times to babysit an upset customer. There are times when doing so is not going to fix their world and is an exercise in futility. Someone who gets upset over me not being 411, it's not worth trying to fix their world. I gave them the business name, I say to use Google or CVS' website, they have all the information they need.

I can't be doing all that bad at judging customers. My yearly review......well, I walked away from that saying "At least I didn't get fired." But during the review my boss said I am the best they've ever had working the phones.

(Add on to that part - there's an unofficial forum for Target employees and a few said that they make the reviews fit the payroll budget rather than grade honestly. I did get a raise during the review. And I absolutely need to get rid of a shift so I looked at everyone's schedule to know who to beg earlier this week....and found I'm getting a lot more hours than many of the long-time coworkers whose schedules list them as available every day. So maybe my review was graded to fit the payroll budget.)

 

[Margret]

(Add on to that part - there's an unofficial forum for Target employees and a few said that they make the reviews fit the payroll budget rather than grade honestly. I did get a raise during the review. And I absolutely need to get rid of a shift so I looked at everyone's schedule to know who to beg earlier this week....and found I'm getting a lot more hours than many of the long-time coworkers whose schedules list them as available every day. So maybe my review was graded to fit the payroll budget.)

I'm sorry; I didn't understand this. I would think that grading reviews to fit the budget would mean grading down the higher paid employees, to justify cutting their pay. Obviously I missed something.

Margret

 

[arouetta]

I'm sorry; I didn't understand this. I would think that grading reviews to fit the budget would mean grading down the higher paid employees, to justify cutting their pay. Obviously I missed something.

Margret

From what the people were saying, it sounds like no matter how much of a star you are, if they need to save money on raises, the grades go down, no matter who is making what. So there's a chance, with them keeping me right around an average of 30-32 hours a week, that my performance wasn't as pitiful as the paperwork said. It's not the greatest, apparently attention to detail is actually a detriment in retail as making all the details right is slowing me down, but I'm getting more hours consistently than a lot of other people, both long-time and new folks.

And I do get a bit of pride out of the fact that if they want something perfect, I tend to be the one they send to do it.

 

[KatsPurrrsians]

What's on my mind.... hmmmm?... Game Of Thrones Baby!!!! Less than 24 hours away!

 

[Mother Dragon]

There's a few different reasons. First, I can be stubborn. If someone can't actually think to Google "CVS Target <city>" or go on CVS' website and use the store locator and instead gets upset with me because I can't transfer to a separate business, I'm not inclined to go above and beyond. Second, once a customer has crossed the frustration level of getting upset with me, telling them to hang up and call back is only going to add gasoline to the flames, and I don't want to deal with that. Nor do I want to risk them demanding to talk to my manager and spinning a story of how I told them to hang up (and either not hearing to call back for the option or not bothering to add that part).

There are times to babysit an upset customer. There are times when doing so is not going to fix their world and is an exercise in futility. Someone who gets upset over me not being 411, it's not worth trying to fix their world. I gave them the business name, I say to use Google or CVS' website, they have all the information they need.

I can't be doing all that bad at judging customers. My yearly review......well, I walked away from that saying "At least I didn't get fired." But during the review my boss said I am the best they've ever had working the phones.

(Add on to that part - there's an unofficial forum for Target employees and a few said that they make the reviews fit the payroll budget rather than grade honestly. I did get a raise during the review. And I absolutely need to get rid of a shift so I looked at everyone's schedule to know who to beg earlier this week....and found I'm getting a lot more hours than many of the long-time coworkers whose schedules list them as available every day. So maybe my review was graded to fit the payroll budget.)

As someone who taught Telephone Customer Relations in both the public and private sector (I've taught a lot of things) I have to say that every time you make a customer mad, you're cutting your own paycheck. They shop somewhere else where they're treated better. Look at Chewy. They answer promptly and bend over backward to help.

You should remember, too, that not everyone who calls has immediate access to Google or the internet in general. They may be sitting at a stop light or waiting in the doctor's office. All you really have to do is ask them if you can transfer them to a number where they only have to press one number to get a person who will be able to help them. It's not WHAT you say, Arouetta, it's HOW YOU SAY IT. You need to make their experience simpler, not harder. I promise you they'll remember the next time they need something how you treated them. And studies show people who are not treated well tell an average of ten other people of their experience. It's a nasty ripple that spreads and as I said above, it eventually comes back around to you in the form of your paycheck.

Put yourself in their shoes. Would you prefer to be treated like a Chewey customer or a nuisance? Then do the little extra. Don't let their attitude control yours. I promise it pays off in the long run.

 

[arouetta]

Put yourself in their shoes. Would you prefer to be treated like a Chewey customer or a nuisance? Then do the little extra. Don't let their attitude control yours. I promise it pays off in the long run.

I have been doing phone service for well over a decade. There are three types of people. The nice ones, the ones that are a pleasure talking to, the ones that you will go above and beyond because they deserve it. The jerks, the ones that will be upset and unreasonable no matter what you do because they want the impossible and they want YOU to do it, even if you don't have the power or ability. And the frustrated ones, they come off very similar to the jerks at first but hearing them out and making them feel validated turns them into the nice ones.

There is no need for a person doing customer service over the phone to accept being treated badly. We're not whipping posts. One can insist on being treated well and even ending the call if the jerk is too extreme.

So yeah, when I have someone who calls and gets what I feel is unreasonable about having to *gasp* call another business at their phone number instead of a different business' phone number, I'm going to do what is called yes them away. I'm going to be polite but their reaction means I'm not going above and beyond. I have already given them the name of the business, they have the information at hand. They are unreasonable in tone, and they are basically expecting to call Foot Locker in the mall and asking to be transferred to the Verizon store next door (different businesses under one roof) and they want to be upset. No matter how nicely I were to ask that they call back, they are not going to accept it and they are going to throw a fit and I have no idea how much of a fit they are going to throw so I'm not risking an escalation.

The customer is not always right. The customer can be wrong and mean and unreasonable. When you run across one of those, you be polite, you give them no reason to complain, but you stick to your job description. I had someone call and basically wanted the same thing, she wanted the number to a different business, and when I was telling the manager she even responded by saying the woman should call 411.

And even with your scenarios, doctors' offices are absolutely no problem about looking up a phone number. If they are already on the phone calling you, they are already breaking the no cell phone rule, and can break that same rule again to look up and call a different business. Far more disruptive than someone sitting right next to them quietly playing Angry Birds. If they are driving they can wait until the next red light or pull over if it's urgent. Those ones are the ones that tick me off the most as they start punching buttons in your ear, and that's loud enough to hurt your ears. (And since everyone has had a button pusher and knows how loud and hurtful it is, I gotta wonder about the people who are callous enough to feel free to hurt the speaker's ears.) And like the manager said, they can call 411 if they absolutely must keep moving.

So yeah, I'll move heaven and earth for the ones that are pleasant to deal with. I'll hear out the ones that are frustrated and direct the conversation to a) what got them frustrated, b) tell them that it's understandable that they are frustrated, c) figure out what it is they are actually wanting, not what they initially say they want, since that difference can lead to the frustration, and d) either solve it or direct them to the person who can solve it (giving the person a synopsis of what's going on whenever possible before the transfer). But the ones who get nasty for no reason, such as the woman who was all mad about CVS' phone number not being on Target.com and taking it out on me, they get politeness, and they get talked about after the phone call is over.

And since most of the people who call for the pharmacy are happy with the explanation and end the call on a positive note, I think my expectations are not unreasonable. If most people were unhappy, that's one thing, and I would clearly be doing something wrong. If most people are happy, then it's the customer, not me.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

SING IT! I worked for AT&T Global Sales and Service. I was the one on the other end of the phone when someone living here called their mother in Djbouti and talked for an hour and 45 minutes without a calling plan. I can recognize being called truly foul names in about 23 languages.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

GOOD GRIEF! Where IS everybody?

 

[Mother Dragon]

I'm here but I have the terminal sleepies. I think I just dozed off unless I really am 5'10", blonde, and rich, riding around in my Bugatti Veyron.

I think Arouetta and I will have to agree to disagree about dealing with customers. It seems she may have received different training than what I had and taught my students. Of course, I worked in Consumer Affairs for 23 years for what at the time was the world's largest civilian employer. For the last 17 years of that my primary job was to work with members of congress and their staffs. Some were very nice and some were unspeakably puffed up about themselves and rude to match. No matter what, I was trained on how to keep them happy and if necessary, tell them and their constituents to take a long walk off a short pier and make them look forward to the trip. Sometimes it was very hard, but it was required.

When I worked with regular customers, things were said about my ancestors and progeny and some things were suggested that were interesting but anatomically impossible. I regarded the difficult ones as a challenge and I usually won.

And on that, I'm going to end this discussion for good and perhaps grab a nap. Maybe I'll dream up what I'll cook tonight. Right now I'm thinking of Tex-Mex.

As for what's on my mind right now, I'm thinking of how doctors make up for what Medicare pays them by ordering a lot of tests and unnecessary return visits. I have insurance and Medicare, but it's still my money they're taking. What ever happened to "Take this and call me if you don't feel better when you're through."?

Maybe I better not get started on doctors or I'll get kicked off the site!

 

[arouetta]

Yeah, agree to disagree is used far too little. I'm happy to settle with that.

Doctors, agree with you there. I tend to stick with the doctors that do the more moderate approach, come back in 3 weeks if you're still hurting kinda thing.

But a long, long time ago when I was barely more than a dumb kid (22 I think), I was a military dependent and there was no co-pay so I didn't think to report it. But I noticed that when I was getting the explanation of benefits from Champus that my daughter's speech therapy sessions had been billed as speech therapy, but the occupational therapy she was getting from the same place were being billed as both occupational therapy and as having seen a doctor that same day. When I asked the place, it was commented they did that because the compensation was so low.

Same thing happens in the private sector though, a former friend gave birth to a child that lived only a few minutes. It was known that would happen by everyone involved, the routine ultrasound showed a severe case of anencephaly, so there were no provisions made for a living child. Yet when she got the explanation of benefits, the hospital had charged the insurance company for a standard baby packet, things like pacifiers and diapers and all the things needed for the couple of days the baby is there and discharge materials to go home with the baby.

 

[arouetta]

Thanks to my husband, Shadow has been thoroughly corrupted. My daughter made a cake this afternoon, yellow cake with green colored vanilla frosting. My husband was in the kitchen, cut himself a piece and sat down in his chair. Shadow practically lives on the arm of his chair when he's home and when he sat down she looked at his plate and gave the most demanding of meows. Yeah, I knew what she wanted. I told the husband "No", he looked at me and she immediately reached out and clawed at his hand that was holding the fork. So yeah, he fed her cake (no frosting). I have never seen her so demanding of people food before though. She has a calmer reaction to a can of tuna or grilled chicken breast.

 

[raina21]

So update on the living situation: we found a travel trailer and we are going to sign for it tomorrow!!! I'm really excited! It is a 2016 Starcraft AR-One Maxx 30BHU. It's 36 feet long and has 2 slide-out rooms so we will have a lot more living space than a lot of travel trailers!

Me standing in front of it (I look awful. It was over 90° when this was taken so I was all sweaty):

Floor plan:

Living room/kitchen:

Kitchen cabinetry: (lots of storage!! Even more storage cabinets to the right too, justg couldn't fit them in the picture)

And if we do end up getting a cat to live in the trailer with us, I found a cat enclosure that I really like online that I can order and assemble (might have to get one for our current cats in the house too so they Don't get jealous lol ). The door part fits into any window so the cat would be able to go outside whenever he chooses . In the picture it is just free-standing though. And it also has a larger access door for us humans too. Maybe it would be a good place to keep the litter box? I will probably put a large sheet of plexiglass over the top of it so that rain wouldn't be much of an issue.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

GORGEOUS! And the trailer "ain't" half-bad, either! I like your idea of adding a catio to give the cats more territory.

Hekitty has now learned to open the Temptations containers. AND she knows how to open every door in the house (except for the deadbolts on the front and back door, thank goodness). I'm going to have to get creative with storing the treats very soon. Like within minutes.

 

[artiemom]

raina21 Congratulations!! It looks gorgeous.. I hope you will be very happy in it.. (((HUGS)))

 

[arouetta]

That trailer looks awesome!

For the treats, in the immediate a square storage container with two rubber bands spider wrapping it. In the long run I've seen storage containers, not the disposable stuff, that have hinged latches that go partially over the top.

 

[muffy]

Your trailer is beautiful. Both inside and out. I like your cat cage, also. I would love to have one.

Muffy