Today was horrible. I had a sick feeling as I was heading down to work that something was going to go down today. I couldn't place it, but I knew it was something.
Sometimes I wish I could just be wrong about things like that for once.
Anyway. Today is Monday. Kim (who works nights) is off. NSBHB is off because she has school and then baby-sits at night. C comes in at 4 to cover Kim's hours for the day. So who does that leave to be Mary's punching bag relief for the day? Yeah, you guessed it. Me.
Usually, I don't mind much, as I've gotten used to it. But there are days when I really wish that I could just go into work and do what I was hired to do, without being pulled away to finish so-and-so's order, or check this or that department, or cover so-and-so's lunch, etc.
Anyway. Today I did what I normally do on Mondays. I came in, put my coat and purse away, and sweetly asked Mary what she wanted me to do. She told me she wasn't going to take any of her breaks today because we were swamped. Martyrdom in the first degree, but whatever. So basically, I took that as, "Shop your ass off. I don't need you down here today." And thus, I did.
Actually, I did one order. Then I went to pick up another one, and she told me to put it down and check on another order that was waiting on meat, deli, bakery, and seafood. However, before I could even finish reading the Post-It on the order, she tells me I have to call a customer from another order, and also that Debbie is going home in 15 minutes and I'll probably have to finish her order, too. Basically a honey-do list, minus the "honey" part, because there was nothing sweet about it. heh.
So, I call the customer she wanted me to call. I tie up the loose ends on that order, then go and check the departments for the first order she wanted me to check on. I scan in the stuff I was able to get. Then I hear Linda announce that she is taking over Debbie's order. I breathe a sigh of relief, and prepare to shop another order.
But then Mary stops me. She says something like, "You have to finish Debbie's order, remember?" I point out that Linda just said she was taking care of it. She makes some excuse, something like, "The next order isn't until 3:30 and this one needs to get done." Never mind the fact that it would've gotten done regardless, because Linda was done with whatever she had been doing, and she's also pretty much the fastest person we have. But for whatever reason, she made me do it anyway.
And that's when I started to get pissed off.
Eliana was out in the room where the order in question was, and even she thought it was ridiculous. So I started to sort of vent to her about how I felt...how I always feel, quite frankly. I don't remember verbatim what I said, but I know it was mainly something along the lines of, "I'm tired of being a gofer. Every day it's always finish this or check on that, and it's always me, regardless of who else is there. I'd give anything to just have one day where I can just shop. That's what I signed up to do, and it's really pissing me off."
And that's when Mary had to chime in. Her immediate response was "Don't get pissed off, you're helping me!" Which would be a valid point if she actually showed me some appreciation once in awhile. But since that never happens, I retaliated. I explained that I get overwhelmed and feel like I'm being run ragged. A decent supervisor would've either pulled me aside to talk or at least would've said something helpful, but not this bitch. Oh, no. She turned it into a full-on, claws-out argument, right there in front of everyone.
Her response to my statement was basically "Deal with it.", so I got pissed off and reminded her that I never wanted the responsibility of the technical part of the job. She basically screamed at me that if I didn't want to work there, she could very easily tell me I had to go up on register. I said that I hated register and besides, I wasn't talking about not wanting to work in the department, period. I just meant running it. Then she fought me on the fact that I had ever even been on register, and ended on her usual, "It's your job!" I said "Whatever." and she walked away and didn't say a word to me for the rest of the day.
End result:
She's scheduled a meeting for next Monday, because she doesn't have the balls to confront just me.
And also, about her little register threat? Yeah, let her go ahead and out me on register. Trade me in for one of the cashiers who's worked in our department 3 times and always screws up. Lose me as both a shopper and your gofer the week before a holiday. We'll see who gets the last laugh.