The first of many days the stores were short-handed started on Tue Mar 25. I worked the front-end from 2pm to the end of my shift. I took my first two phone orders. I learned the hard way any product with an inventory number 12 or less must be physically verified before processing the phone order. Also, workers should create another order instead of adding to processed order when customers add more wines after their order was processed. I also learned the hard way anyone who wants to talk with the owners without an appointment should email the sales department. Ask the caller who he or she was and the reason for the call. Finally, I learned there is no such thing as 100% customer satisfaction.
I worked my first Wed at the second store on Wed Mar 26. The manager and a co-worker arrived late because of their doctor appointments. There was a short time period it was the co-owner and myself in the store. I had trouble using the cash register to check out a customer who ordered $450.00 worth of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Another co-worker told me what I did wrong. I delivered her wines to her house on my lunch break. I received 5 minutes of formal training. I have been learning the rest of the cash register system the hard way.
I worked my first Thur at the second store on Thur Mar 27. I entered too much new. Fortunately, there was plenty of staff to work the front-end.
The store's environment was dry on Mon Mar 31. I drank lots of water to stay hydrated. I worked the front-end during the morning because the owner's father, mother, and brother returned from a vacation. The father worked on my desk. I asked the brother, who is a manager, the last time the store checked inventory. He laughed at my question. The answer was "a long time ago".
There was no April Fool's Day on Tue Apr 1. Another manager and I had a long discussion on solving a problem with receiving inventory from the second store. I stood up for what I believe the best way to correct the problem despite my limited accounting experience. Neither of us questioned who committed the error. Neither of us assigned fault. I felt the long discussion was a waste of time. The manager should have told me how to correct the error even though I believe it was the wrong way.
Wed Apr 2 was the ribbon cutting ceremony with the local city government at the second store. The store featured ten stations of wines and spirits. The station next to me was the spirits. I met our store's representative from a vendor. I see his name on the invoices. The manager said we made $2,000 in cash sales alone. There were at least 200 attendees.
Everyone went home early at the second store on Thur Apr 3. One of the first store employees worked at the second store today. It was very rare. The employee told me he applied to become a journeyman electrician yesterday. There were at least 300 people who applied. Almost all of the employees in the second store shares their shifts between the first store and second store. I share my shifts between the first store and the second store.
I had a phone conversation with a co-worker at the first store. She was mad for changing an invoice order. She said we should never change the orders on an invoice. I disagreed. I believed orders in an invoice are not 100% accurate. Sometimes the products are out of stock. Sometimes the vendor substitutes a product with a comparable product. My solution was I cancelled the original invoice and created a new invoice whether it's true accounting practice or not despite my limited accounting experience. All of the deliveries arrived late. Fortunately, they arrived before the co-owner closed the store early.
I created an Excel spreadsheet tracking the wines in the email specials. I hope tracking the wines helps me learn wines and helps me assist customers when they call asking about email specials. I also created an Excel spreadsheet tracking the wines to be delivered soon.
I realized I'm lucky I have a job at the end of the day. I continue to hear stories the long-term unemployed are having difficulty finding a job. Every job opening receives hundreds of resumes. I reminded myself never complain. I reminded myself to be professional. I reminded myself good things are coming soon. I do my time and pay my dues. Be patient.
Finally, the co-owner unofficially told me part of the store is set up for a wine bar environment. To repeat, this is off the record.
Fri Apr 4's morning weather was showers. I waited outside the back. The water delivery truck arrived early. He gave us a 5 gallon jug. He picks up the empties next Fri. There was a Washington State pick-up truck with a trailer advertising dirt motorcycles parked at the back for the Yoga studio. I texted the co-owner the managers didn't open the second store. He arrived ten minutes later. He told me one of the managers was at an eye doctor and the other manager was out due to a physical injury.
We were short-handed for most of the day. I learned how to void a product in case I make a mistake. There was no way I figured it out on my own. The co-owner contacted one of the managers at the first store for an emergency pricing for today's wine tasting.
Some of the employees from the second store came to the first store on Tue Apr 8 for wine training. The in-store training took place in the tasting room. We had a combination of first store and second store employees. I drank my first Pinot Gris and Riesling wines for the first time. The back-end was occupied with the other full-time and the part-time data entry/bookkeepers. I worked in the tasting room and front end.
It was another day of being short-handed at the second store on Wed Apr 9. The manager and I talked about retail sales slumping during the following periods: after Christmas, after Valentines, and after tax season. Consumers become conservative by scaling back their purchases. The store was dead the entire day. The only activity was a private birthday party in the tasting room. The co-owner released all the employees early.
The second store was informed the second manager is out for 14 days because of a wrist injury. The short-handed shifts continued. My entire work on Thur Apr 10 was copying products from the first store to the second store. I copied at least 40 wines and beers.
I small talked with the beer expert. He said the beer market is dynamic. One week a beer is a top seller. The top seller beer is most likely not a top seller the next week.
Fri Apr 11 was hell during the mornings. Being short-handed made it worse. I answered phones from the back-end. The second store received wines for Sat Apr 12th's tasting. The two co-workers and I compared notes with the featured wines and the delivered wines. The notes were different. We requested a transfer of wines on the tasting list from the first store. The co-owner went ballistic. She was angry. She said we didn't need a transfer request. She knew what she ordered. She believed the wines the second store received were the wines for Sat Apr 12th's tasting. She was wrong. The co-owners had a conference call with the vendor for at least 20 minutes. All the co-workers and I speculated they were finger pointing each other and nobody accepted fault. The resolution was using the wines received for the tasting. The tasting sheet was re-created again from scratch. The co-workers and I were collateral damage. What hurt me was the fingering pointing and immediate blame. It wasn't the mistake itself. Everyone makes mistakes. The co-owners never apologized for the confusion and errors.
It seemed the fallout affected the female co-owner. She has experienced a lack of confidence such that everything must now be double checked. Her communications has a lack of confidence. The entire week was full of mistakes. Mistakes happen when a store is short-handed. There is extra strain on the workers. Let's hope the bad streak of errors stop today. Let's hope next week is better.
The shipping and receiving clerk told me he applied to become a commercial pipefitter.
The second store provided the staff for the first store on Mon Apr 14. The assistant manager and warehouse clerk were from the first store. The second store's employees assisted the customers.
My shift was changed to the second store on Tue Apr 15 because of the continued short-handed schedule and the second manager out due to a wrist injury. We were short-handed the entire day because there was an offsite tasting the co-owner and a staff worked.
On Wed Apr 16, I saw the true colors of the company in a negative way. I have a better understanding why people have been quitting in the company. The tasting schedules were changed due to a cancellation. The rest of week went crazy.
One of the regular delivery truck drivers is going to work at Tesla. He found a better job with better hours and better pay. Congrats. The real reason he visited the second store was because he delivered wines to the wrong store. He picked up the wrong delivery to deliver to the correct store.
The end of my shift I realized I should work at a satisfactory level. Don't overstress. Don't work at an outstanding level when I worked at my jobs after San Jose State. Don't be taken advantage by management and ownership. Promise less and deliver more.
I played the workplace tactical card on Thur Apr 17. Be more discrete. I thought before I communicate. For instance, I minimized the emails I sent and replied. I wanted to be quiet and invisible. I also delayed pricing new products. The owner was too busy. It could wait. My priorities were finishing anything I could finish in the same day and anything clear and present I could complete today.
The toilets were plugged up. The shipping and receiving employee went to the hardware store to purchase a $20 plunger.
We were fully staffed for most of the day. Ironically, the store was dead. Very few people shopped and very few people came for the tasting. There were more customers on Tue and Wed when we were short-handed. One of the co-workers hurt his back and requested to leave work early. The second manager with the wrist injury visited for an hour.
It was a partial Good Friday on Fri Apr 18. There was more customer activity today compared to yesterday. Everyone was tired including me. The day started with in-store beer training for all second store employees. It was the first time I drank beer. The first beer I drank was Coors. Disgusting. The rest of the beers were craft beers.
There was a minor incident involving today's tasting. It was significantly tame compared to Fri Apr 11's tasting fiasco. One of the wines on the initial list was removed and another wine was substituted. Nothing big.
Nobody stayed for an after close wine social. We all wanted to go home. Let's hope everyone rests on Easter Sunday for another work week.
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