Some of the actual comments I have heard from co-workers on the Bob Nardelli fiasco (Yes we are still hopping mad): 

Now that they have cut my hours and refuse to let me drop my health coverage (yes we pay for our health insurance), I'm having a hard time putting food on the table for my children.  If they cut my hours too much am I going to have to send them money?  Catty says-We could have all had six months of free health insurance for what they gave Bob.  That is 355,000 employee's with free health insurance for 6 months.  You know how I love a good math problem. 

They gave that A**hole 210 million to go away and I got a 10 cent an hour raise.  Catty says-Yea that's fair.  That 10 cents translates to an extra $208.00 gross per year.  How do you like that restraint Mom?  I didn't type everything they actually said, it was much worse than my tirade from the other day.

While Bob is out buying his wife and offspring summer, winter, and vacation homes, I'll be using my 12 dollar success sharing check to buy my kids an extra layer of Salvation Army clothes because we sure won't be able to afford the extra cost of heat this winter.  Catty says-Think positive, there is still that 30 million (1/7th the amount they gave to just Bob) that they set aside for all 355,000 employees to compete for by giving the best customer service you can.  You may be able to add a whole $100 to $1,000 to that $12.

Thanks for making Home Depot the laughing stock of the building supply world.  Catty says-Nothing, it's shamefully true. 

From an actual customer:  Why is it you only have self checkouts available?  I hate self checkout.  Is Home Depot to cheap to hire a human cashier or two?  Catty says-Cashiers cost money.  Money that goes to Bob.

From a politician:  This just shows a need for stockholders and employees to have a say in the compensation of executives of publicly traded companies.  Catty says-What's taking you so long to draft the bill? 

From a stock market analyst:  When the stock rises 10 points and the stockholders are making money they will forget about how much Bob was paid.  Catty says-This guy is as stupid as the people who thought paying Bob 10 million a year, and 210 million to go away was a good idea.  Most of the employee's are also stock holders, including me.  I WILL NEVER FORGET!  I genuinely like my job and the people I work with.  I have an interest in seeing that we do well, and I don't like it when someone or something makes us look bad.  We move heavy boxes, walk from one end of the store to the other, and enjoy helping our customers with their projects by selling them products only to have one person reap all the benefits EXCESSIVELY.  Then to top it off, we are no longer known for the good things we do, but the outrageous payoff of one person.  This makes us look bad.

Honey said that when he sees this kind of figure associated with one man from one company, he thinks that company has way too much money.  As a customer he is inclined to spend his money elsewhere.  I start thinking if a good person like Honey is thinking about spreading the wealth elsewhere, can you imaging what a dishonest person is thinking?  How about something like Home Depot won't miss this hammer, drill, flat screen tv, if they are throwing millions at some guy to leave?  How about a dishonest employee thinking it's ok to supplement his income by stealing merchandise because it's not like Home Depot can't afford it?

 I just don't see anything good coming out of this whole mess.

How does your mind work at 3 am?

I leave for work at 3:40 am.  While driving to work I've noticed two vehicles (different routes) delivering newspapers.  What do newspaper carriers make now a day?  Does it really pay to use your car to deliver the paper with gas prices so high?  If you are old enough to drive aren't their better paying jobs than newspaper carrier? 

Why do hunters complain that there are no deer to hunt in PA?  I see herds of them on my way to work every morning.  At 3:40 in the morning, when walking down to the garage, that Christmas tree that Honey unceremoniously dumped onto the garden, looks just like a bear.  Nothing like getting the old ticker moving bright and early.  Yea, it is the city but if the deer are out roaming around at that time of the morning, why not bear?  And while you are trying to unlock the garage door, if your lunch bag is bumping up against the door, it sounds like (to the hearing impaired) there is someone (or bear) rummaging around INSIDE the garage.  Also a good ticker kicker.

Speaking of being hearing impaired, hearing aids are just that, aids, they help you hear.  They are not new ears.  They don't restore hearing loss to it's previously perfect state.  I've discovered hearing loss is more difficult for the people who hear well to deal with.  When I have to use the phone, I tell people up front that I am hearing impaired.  Most people slow down, speak a little louder, try to enunciate.  It's those who can't make an adjustment that get angry and frustrated because I can't hear and I'm getting tired of apologizing for my handicap.  I'm curious as to whether blind people have to put up with that kind of behavior?

When it's not annoying, I can have a sense of humor about my lack of hearing.  I have thought customers were asking for a Cole slaw drill bit (hole saw drill bit) or a pom pom miter saw (compound miter saw).  And I secretly think my co-workers like walking up behind me and saying my name or tapping me on the shoulder to see me jump out of my skin.  It's twisted fun.

Honey and I started working on our new kitchen floor this past weekend.  We didn't kill each other even though we both had hammers.  Honey discovered that I'm a bit anal about how floor leveler looks (I like it smooth, like a wall).  I discovered that Honey obsessed about the chiseled shims under the cabinets being straight.  We are both nuts because leveler and shims are covered by flooring and shoe moulding.  We have to finish laying the floor in the front and back hallways and put the shoe moulding in.  One more weekend and it should be done.  It looks so pretty and bright.  Here's a preview:

Before you finish that sigh of relief for having survived another Christmas season, there are only 355 shopping days till next Christmas.  It's just around the corner.  It will be here faster than you think.  Thanks to my friend Barb we can all see that Santa is preparing for next year:

 

Reindeer Auditions

tags: home depot  anger  jobs  hunting  flooring  christmas  hearing  

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