Thursday, November 09, 2023

Last night, PBS re-ran a 2002 episode of Frontline entitled “Shattered Dreams of Peace: The Road From Oslo.” I don’t recall previously seeing this documentary and last night couldn’t tear myself away. For two hours, it knits together pieces of a peace process that began in 1993, and since has alternately represented both promise and destruction.

That peace process began in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accord by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. At that time, President Clinton facilitated the first-ever recorded handshake between those leaders. Following their handshake came years full of threats, violence, and setbacks by radical nationalistic factions. Those factions represented both Jews and Palestinians. An evolving Hamas was totally opposed to any comprise between the two nations.

Watching, I recalled that Clinton-facilitated handshake, and also not long afterward, the tragic assassination by a Jewish extremist of the peacemaker, Rabin. The Jewish population became more right-centered and facilitated the rise of ultra-conservative Benjamin Netanyahu.

From its beginning, the Oslo Accord repeatedly has been interrupted by radical and nationalistic Jews and Palestinians alike. This documentary helped me recall key Israel-Palestine conflicts. Its narrative flow clarifies what’s happening and why between those nations and why many other nations are involved.

Last month’s Hamas uprising immediately plowed a hammer into Ukraine’s war. Both battles are involving most of the world’s nations. To gain an overview and insight, watch this Frontline. It’s available on PBS, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

Dear Friends: This morning in my world, I’m going horseback riding. Diana

Wednesday, November 08, 2023

Yesterday, in Lowe’s Garden Department, looking for my friend Debbie, I found her crawling under shelves stacked with pavers and bricks and counting items for inventory. I wasn’t surprised that she was working on her knees. She’s a born organizer and perfectly willing to crawl and climb to get jobs done. Debbie’s energy has improved the shape and appearance of that department. Her boss, Todd, loves her.

We spent time talking and catching up. After hearing my current working plans, Debbie said that if I ever decide to return to hardware, she’ll link me up with Todd. He happened to be nearby and confirmed I’d be welcome. So, possibly a backup plan.

I went out with my camera but didn’t download pictures. I got sidetracked while hunting in my pantry for not out-of-date canned food, for bagging and setting outside for the Gonzales family’s annual food drive. My pictures and all else went forgotten because searching among the cans forced me to tackle the pantry’s overdue cleaning and rearranging–the sort of task Debbie would have dispatched, long ago. Oh, well.

Dear Friends: This morning it’s just below 30 degrees and I’m heading into it. Diana

Tuesday, November 07, 2023

Yesterday was my first day of selling at Macy’s. I shadowed an experienced salesperson to learn her routines and to operate the store’s electronic cash register. I was surprised to find that my four hours there had me with a sales quota of needing to sell slightly over $500. I just laughed.

It’s a vast store, over 40,000 sq. ft., that often seems empty, but during my shift, customers appeared in a steady stream. Everything the store carries seemingly is on sale. That confuses me, but for now, I’ll leave it alone. Yesterday, I recognized how delighted people are to pay less than originally-ticketed prices.

For me, this 60-day gig increases my hands-on retail selling experience, an advantage moving forward. Besides, Macy’s wants me to “dress up” for work, fun after Home Depot’s allowed grubbiness. Need I mention that awful orange apron HD forces its employees to wear?

Having planned my working routine over the next couple of months, I will focus on other interests. One arises from this season’s entering winter. It’s visual in an interesting mix of lightness and darkness, encouraging me to capture its drama elements in photos.

Refocusing will provide some distance from employment challenges. It’s been a long time since I’ve paid attention to my more creative side. Moving forward might take baby steps, and I’ll describe my progress.

Dear Friends: This gloomy time of the year seems bright. Diana

Monday, November 06, 2023

I’ve been trying to become self-educated in the marketing and selling of retail clothing. The industry is extremely competitive. Its phases include design, sewing, importing/exporting, and online and in-store marketing and sales. Predictions in the future of clothing sales suggest that today’s in-store sites might evolve into merchandise pick-up sites staffed by humans and robots.

I’ve begun pointing my working interests toward retail clothing sales. So, the industry’s current realities and future predictions are interesting, challenging me to gain more insight into its struggles and evolving realities.

This weekend, I visited several local discount clothing stores and checked the types of merchandise being displayed to learn “what’s hot and what’s not” in local styles. I keep wondering how Macy’s positions itself against deep discounters. Today, while working at Macy’s, I will compare the styles I perceived as “cheap n’ chic” to those the large upscale store is marketing.

I must do more research. For example, instrumental in keeping alive the local Macy’s is this city’s growing population. Retirees moving here with wealth are familiar with and shop in Macy’s. Another consideration is Macy’s extensive nonclothing specialty areas. It offers wide-ranging choices in the makeup and jewelry departments. Moreover, it carries housewares and (I think) a beauty shop.

Of course, Macy’s has a very active online presence. After checking its site for a few articles, I keep receiving reminders of my interest and notices of dropping prices.

Dear Friends: The world of commerce is brain-boggling-complicated. Diana

Sunday, November 05, 2023

This morning, I’ve been using AI to explore the future of retail environments. AI informs me that the future will continue supporting retail stores, but they will be staffed by combinations of humans and robots.

A future walk-in customer already will have accessed the internet and done the homework of evaluating and selecting products (as customers now do). On entering a retail store, they will be greeted by humans with computers who will instruct robots as to items needed for pulling and delivering to an in-store customer.

That future will have robots handling mundane tasks while humans attend to the customers. Combining robotic technology and human skills will provide advantages, like increasing inventory accuracies, reducing opportunities for thievery, and adding to business profitability.

All that’s good. Still, powerful technologies bring new questions. Start by considering the world’s increasingly massive populations and how future wealth might be distributed. Questions associated with an AI-predicted future are, what might formal education start looking like; who could find work, and who couldn’t; who could afford to buy, and who couldn’t?

Those are just the beginnings. What if medical technologies do start keeping some or all of the elderly alive for the now-predicted 120 years?

Dear Friends: Indulging in mental challenges on this wintery but balmy Sunday. Diana

Saturday, November 04, 2023

This week has warmed and turned these days into another Indian Summer. I have a free weekend and welcome warmth that facilitates doing work outside. I’ve done work on this property during low temperatures and alongside high winds. That’s challenging, and now thankfully, we’ve a temperature respite.

I’ll also process the changes in my personal agenda. Yesterday was my last working day at Home Depot. On Monday, I’ll start with Macy’s to learn about clothing sales in a retail environment supported by an online presence. This experience could point me toward new working goals.

In the last couple of years, I’ve sought jobs to teach some basic skills demanded in Central Oregon. This working environment is primarily retail- and service-oriented. I have learned such as cashiering and general merchandise selling. Also, I understand the modern retail teamwork model of non-relationship selling and servicing.

Today’s businesses reel from enormously profitable merchandising and sales by the online retail giants. Online businesses, now assisted by artificial intelligence, alter previous business models. I’m personally reeling, with one foot caught up in my conviction that relationship-oriented selling is best.

Dear Friends: I’ll reluctantly evolve, for likely, there aren’t choices. Diana

Friday, November 03, 2023

On Sunday, we will lose an hour. Thus, daylight’s slight dawning. now visible at 7 a.m., on Sunday will become visible earlier, at 6 a.m. The morning loss of an hour will shorten the evening’s daylight. It just goes on. By mid-December, here in Central Oregon, darkness will happen around 4:30 p.m.

I’m just saying, of course, for we’re all aware. I am ahead of the change preparing for its impact. With horses to feed, In December, I’ll be caring for them in the darkest afternoons. Our manufactured early shutdowns of winter’s natural light are discomforting.

When darkness is at 4:30, I will start refocusing much as I am now. I’ll be preparing for a light-extending that’ll be about to occur. In winter’s deepest dark days, the daylights will start to increase, just in tiny increments–mere moments daily–stretching the light. By mid-January, we will be aware of a natural light/darkness ratio that feels more balanced.

The annual time changes altering natural lighting are hard on humans. We must plan ahead to absorb them. I am anticipating (1) grumbling my way through Sunday’s hour-drop; (2) surviving the deep winter’s depressing darkness; and (2) celebrating when the daylights start to lengthen.

Dear Friends: This weekend’s shortened night will make us all grumble. Diana

Thursday, November 02, 2023

I live in one of the fastest-growing small cities in the U.S. Its growth is a fairly recent phenomenon that’s evolved quickly. I’ve been assigned to work during late shifts recently and have been driving home in darkness.

For me, night driving in this city becomes a nutty business because most of its roadways are very dark. I have experience in driving on the roads and know how they’re laid out, but am challenged to identify safe spots for shifting into other lanes and for accurately turning onto adjoining streets.

I am less challenged by daylight driving, but it brings headaches, too. Our roads, built for a community of farms and ranches, inadequately support increasingly heavy traffic. Not to mention evermore new roundabouts. Driving through any roundabout calls for experience, and often sheer luck, to move safely into a circling lane that goes toward the wanted exit.

Recently in Home Depot, some customers and I shared our distress about driving on dark and confusing roadways. One woman explained that at night she couldn’t see where to turn to get onto her own street. Her solution was to tear a roll of illuminated tape into strips and glue them onto the post supporting her street sign. Now, her headlights reflect the tape, and she knows exactly where to turn.

I’m from L.A., which has plenty of confusing roads, but with key ones well-lit at night. Unlike here, where they’re dark and challenging. As to the roundabouts, they take practice to navigate safely.

Dear Friends: Changing workplaces might mitigate my night driving. Diana

Wednesday, November 01, 2023

It is dawning on me that I’m in a new world. I suppose my awareness began to emerge during the months of my working at Home Depot. I had to adjust to the company’s ways of managing and selling. The past couple of days, however, have altered my mental landscape because of my interview at Ross Stores and my orientation at Macy’s.

To my surprise, both Ross and Macy’s promote hands-off selling. I’m gathering that while at Macy’s, I’ll work at a register, straighten stock, and be available if a customer wants help, but I needn’t approach anyone. (Too bad, for I enjoy initiating energy.)

Thanks to the internet, consumers have access to more information than ever. They can compare prices, read reviews, and see what items look like on different people before they enter a store. Consumers educated about the products they’re buying are more empowered to decide independently. Also, people are busier today, with less time to browse, and want to get in and out of stores quickly and easily.

So, today’s sales techniques don’t focus on relationships with customers. That’s completely opposite to my many years of training salespeople. In my career days, creating and maintaining relationships were major components in selling and increasing profits. Today, and to my shock, that’s gone.

Retailers under increasing pressure to be efficient and profitable seek ways to reduce costs and improve margins. One is by reducing the number of salespeople on the floor. Whether leaving customers alone is better depends on the buyers’ preferences about shopping at their own pace or being helped by a salesperson.

I can understand now more clearly why Ross Stores has a strict policy of hands-off to helping customers. Yesterday, I observed at Macy’s a balance between giving customers the space they want and being available to help when needed. It’s worthwhile to note that both retailers also sell online.

Dear Friends: More education is leading to readjusting my perspective. Diana

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Happy Halloween! Get ready for Black Friday.

It’s surprising that this year’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas aren’t already history. These weeks of working and shopping have had me constantly in areas noisily celebrating the occasions simultaneously. Our commercial world kills anticipation. Back in the day, It was the eagerness for sharing and togetherness that helped to enlighten the dark months.

Through the upcoming holidays, I might be working at Macy’s. I hope to learn the moods of today’s apparel customers and how they’re anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our current environment of huge commercialism and price discounting might make gift exchanges less of a big deal than in the old days. Big spending is rampant and especially confusing when trying to relate it to traditional big anticipating and giving.

“Might be working….” is my weasel phrase for another confusion. Yesterday, I interviewed at Ross, liked the manager, and would enjoy working with and learning from her. However, a supervisory position that I assumed I was applying for wasn’t available. She asked for a couple of days to discuss this with her District Manager and maybe create a new position.

Meanwhile, in that “couple of days,” and specifically today, I’ll be onboarding at Macy’s. I’ll go ahead because it’s certain employment for a couple of months. And it’ll give me experience in apparel sales. If Ross becomes “a go,” I’ll decide what to do.

Dear Friends: All activities are guides leading to somewhere that feels right. Diana