Monday, November 13, 2023

I will enjoy having time off from work today and tomorrow. Our local weather still is relatively warm, and today might reach the mid-fifties. Temps are anticipated to drop later this week. On these still-warmish days, I will repair horse fencing and do some trail riding.

A coworker at Macy’s tells me that her son is a meteorologist and says this winter will be warmer than last winter, which was a harsh one. This coming Thursday’s temp drop could initiate the deepest winter locally; hopefully, he predicts correctly.

The local grasses might be frozen enough for my horses to graze safely. I will ask my neighbor, Bobby, if they may graze on his pasture. If so, we will resume twice-daily walks as a group to and fro. Those walks always challenge me, to move while holding two horses that step out and one donkey that lags. But we’ve done it, can do it, and will again.

Dear Friends: Have a beautiful day. Diana

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Oops, I’m enjoying working at Macy’s. It’s a very different experience from mine at Home Depot. Both roles are somewhat hands-off, while also sales-oriented. At HD, working in Hardware, I unlocked bins, removed tools, and carried them while escorting customers to the checkout counters. I pulled stock to refill shelves, put away returned merchandise, and encouraged customers to open HD charge accounts. At Macy’s, working at a cash register, I check out purchases and encourage customers to open a Mary’s charge account. I assist in restocking new or unwanted merchandise.

Those sales models are similar. My HD sales experiences make Macy’s routines familiar and absorbable. My biggest new learning is operating correctly the store’s cash registers. What’s refreshing is experiencing a management model with women in charge. They’re not a drop less capable of running an organization, but the softer style feels welcome.

Nonetheless, Macy’s employees must perform. Macy’s assigns us daily sales quotas that my working companions say must be achieved. These days as a seasonal employee, I’m unworried about quotas. Often, I see the store’s manager and other higher-level employees circulating, and their feedback has me sensing their keen awareness of how sales folks are performing.

At the bottom line, at Macy’s, I feel important. At HD, I was just another part-timer, and too old for its young managers to consider promoting to some role of significance. At Macy’s, feeling more needed, I’m working happier.

Dear Friends: I do miss HD, a fine organization, with nice capable managers. Diana

Sunday, November 11, 2023

This photo demonstrates the size of those warmbloods that accompanied my pony the other day. My head is about the height of Z’s saddle buckle. Ashley is taller and can see over Avantos, but she climbs onto something to get onto his saddle. All these are sweet and willing horses.

Yesterday was my first full day working at Macy’s. I was surprised to find myself liking the place. My coworkers are nice. They include new employees like me; the more experienced folks are kind and helpful. One long-time employee told me she was born and grew up in this city. She then lived on her family’s 40-acre ranch, on the property where Bend Dermatology is now. Then that location was way out of town. She and her siblings often ran up and down the nearby Pilot Butte.

Of course, Bend Derm’s location today is one of this city’s most developed, busy areas. My imagination is stretched to try and visualize the area, in the old days, as a country ranch with farm animals. Those early kids probably accessed the mile-high Butte on informal paths they created or those by Native Americans and earlier settlers.

Railroads and timber originally turned early Central Oregon into a boom-and-bust area. Today’s population demographics are making it boom again. I gather that one reason Macy’s remains open locally is that many people regularly drive from Idaho and Washington to shop in the store.

Who knew the local Macy’s is such a vigorous place? What more might I learn about the store, its employees, and this vigorous community?

Dear Friends: Our +40K sq. ft. Macy’s is considered one of its smallest. Diana

Friday, November 10, 2023

Yesterday, I rode my pony, Sunni, alongside Ashley and Keli riding their giant and kind hunter-jumpers, moseying over three hours and maybe covering five miles. Last month, I was at Ashley’s home celebrating Keli’s birthday when a skilled bagpiper Ashley somehow had discovered came marching up the hill, serenading everybody wonderfully with his pipe.

The ladies are excellent riders and their retired horses are tall, ribboned world-class champions. Yesterday, the giants walked alongside my little Sunni while we riders chatted and caught up. I loved riding with them and have bragging rights, too, about my pony–always willing and even-tempered–she makes me proud.

In the photo, Ashley’s horse is a character nuzzling her neck. His life has been one of transitions, from a world champion jumper to a nearly total physical failure, and then with Ashley’s determined care, to rehabilitation with a return to competitive and winning performance. His life story is book-worthy and ought to be written.

Dear Friends: Going forward, I’m self-promising to ride my fine horses more. Diana

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