Sunday, August 20, 2023

For years, I worked as a part-time sample server inside Costco, a store located near my home, with short working hours that allowed time for my personal interests and activities. As a single person working inside that store, shopping there was convenient and easy.

That encouraged me to ignore the more expensive shopping in a big box store. Costco is a marketing/merchandising expert; it rotates products in and out and introduces new, interesting ones. I routinely brought home more than one person could consume and wound up often tossing excessive, outdated, and under-appreciated purchases.

Costco charges for “membership” at two levels, Basic and Executive. The Basic membership is less expensive than the Executive; however, the Executive offers percentage kickbacks that can cover a membership cost and even kickback more. In general, large families that purchase big might save money; I certainly didn’t.

I always knew that my buys at Costco were more expensive and wasteful than if I had shopped at independent supermarkets. In “my Costco days,” however, I wanted shopping that was “easy and out.” My attitude began to change after I stopped working in the big store and transitioned to working in non-grocery environments. I began shopping differently and seeing cost reductions.

Long story short, after weighing all the pros and cons, I have decided against paying up-front for permission to enter a store, to see and buy its merchandise. So yesterday, I marched into Costco and relinquished my membership. Its Customer Service team tried to dissuade me, but I had made up my mind.

Dear Friends: Now, it’s as if a magic lasso holding me has dissolved. Diana

Saturday, August 19, 2023

I’ve responded to one of my inner self’s interests on a whim by joining the Central Oregon Writer’s Guild. The Guild encourages both professional and casual writers by providing opportunities for individuals to meet, learn, and write together.

For writers, teaming and communicating could boost their writing skills and output quantities.

Writers often are lone wolves, and I might be that type. Logic tells me that the Guild would offer fewer get-together opportunities if writers weren’t showing up and doing. So they must be, and maybe I will, too.

I usually write about whatever’s in my head, and more from emotion than careful planning. Sometimes, however, I do plan–but don’t necessarily follow through. Not following through is a habit and I want to overcome it.

I can be inspired by others who share many of my perceptions but also see some things differently. Their inputs help to broaden my scope and encourage me to start playing. I begin by doing some things differently and before long begin feeling more creative.

Dear Friends: As a no-joiner, I will see where this sudden step may take me. Diana

Friday, August 18, 2023

Today is calling for an early start. My friend Mike will arrive soon to repair my tractor and my riding mower. The tractor is out of commission because the young man repairing my broken fence posts, who loved driving it, was hard on the tractor gears. Earlier, the mower’s blade belt had fallen off while I was out mowing, and Mike knows how to reinstall that belt.

Aside from assisting Mike, I will stay inside on yet another hot smokey day until time to go to work in the late afternoon for an evening shift. Part of today’s “being inside” will happen in a gym. I’ll be exercising for strength which is helping me at work. I feel a little more upright, and stretching upward to reach is easier. Both require exercising, and I’m doing it.

Folks are crowding into air-conditioned gyms to escape the outside heat and smoke. This situation is the complete opposite of the self-isolating Pandemic years, which emptied most gyms. Back then, I’d skip a crowded gym. These days, I willingly slip in and figure out how to work on whatever equipment is available.

Dear Friends: Post-Pandemic is proving too bearish in many ways. Diana

Thursday, August 17, 2023

This week, I wrote about attempting to pay for purchases in the area’s big box store and finding two separate cashiers giving me free products. The first incident involved a “Mr. Bill.” On his last day of working at the store, he knowingly and routinely undercharged customers. Another incident occurred a day or two later. I was self-checking out and discovered one small item that lacked its SKU. I requested help and the overseeing cashier said, “Just put it in your bag and take it. I haven’t enough time to look up every small item!”

I reported to management that incident, the second within a few days of product giveaways. One reader who has written reader understands the importance of reporting that first incident, but wonders if I struggled over whether to report the very low-dollar, second incident.

Actually, I did. Customers, anywhere, sometimes receive low-dollar giveaways from cashiers very busy or simply lazy. Few customers elect to report a dollar or two of store loss. In my case, I had to think about ratting on a coworker.

I had thoughts that the two giveaway incidents were related. Mr. Bill had been a cashier in a function that sometimes, or often, might give away small products. Theoretically, giving free items totally is wrong, but practically, maybe it’s necessary. I forced myself to set aside theoretical questions.

In reporting the second and smaller incident, I wondered if, in his cashier role, Bill had habitually given away small items. On his last day at work, for whatever reason, he might have elevated that practice.

During each of my reporting, the managers seemed seriously to be listening.

Additionally, I’m in training to become a backup cashier. My training insists that the cashier looks for and rings up every item in a basket and/or a customer’s hands.

Dear Friends: This story has its “if’s” and its unanswerable questions. Diana

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Here in Central Oregon, we’re having weather of intense heat. From late mornings to late afternoons, it’s too hot to work outside. Fortunately, local thermometer temps are less than those in more intensely heated states.

CO’s air looks gray and it’s smokey smelling. That’s because western winds pushing toward Central Oregon are delivering, from serious wildfires, lots of heat and smoke.

Yesterday, I did little except for feeding my animals and guzzling cold beers. Today might pass similarly.

I must be off now. I’ve planned to make an early morning run to the dump and beat the heat.

Dear Friends: I’ll happily return to my working hours in a cooler environment. Diana

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Here’s the start of a couple of days off from my part-time job. Today, the horse fencing repair work could be completed. Doing that finishing will send me again as a customer to Home Depot for additional concrete and various other needs.

The other day I complained about Mr. Bill, an HD cashier I’d not met before. While he was checking out my fencing materials at his register, he said that would be his last day working at HD, and he gave me a couple of pencils. Later, I landed again at his register, and he gave me more free products. Now aware that on his last day, he was giving products away for free, I reported him.

I felt the reporting had solved my problem. It lightened the weight of having recognized insider theft. Actually, however, the Mr. Bill episode didn’t solve a problem. By heightening my awareness of insider theft, it added a dilemma.

Here’s why. The other day in my customer role and buying a starter setup for drip watering, I self-checked out. The boxed starter set had an easily identifiable SKU. A single other piece I was buying had no identifier, and I asked an overseeing cashier what to do. That person said, “Just take it.” I froze and then heard, “This job doesn’t give me time to spend looking up and identifying little pieces, so go ahead and take it!”

That added a piece to my Mr. Bill puzzle. Perhaps he and other cashiers routinely gave away products for free; and for whatever reason, he expanded the practice on his last day of work.

My new dilemma is about recognizing an organizational weakness behind lots of small value losses. I’m weighted by the question of what now to do if anything.

Most of the store’s cashiers are good people; many for years have worked there; they know from experience it takes time and effort to look up and identify SKUs to price small items. I understand and can sympathize; I prefer not to go blabbing.

In business, however, losses add up and are key drivers of price increases. Theft is a huge issue having several categories. There’s outsider theft, insider theft, and system-error theft. Businesses responding to outsider theft are installing lockable cages for high-value items. and to insider theft with training to reinforce company values, and to system-error theft with training designed to increase awareness and accuracy.

Dear Friends: I’ll decide what to do and will keep you posted. Diana

Monday, August 14, 2023

It’s likely too late in this season to start establishing a drip watering system for my small garden. However, I have obtained a boxed starter set and will set it up. Even in this late summer, if I manage to activate the system, it’ll ease watering; and early next spring will be at-the-ready.

“If it becomes active”…that’s my weasel phrase.

Friends long have insisted that it’s super-easy to install a drip system. So, several years ago, I began setting up a starter system and failed for several reasons. The instructions confused me for lacking an understanding of such as backflow prevention and moisture distribution. Finally, I managed to hook up and arrange, in my garden, the main thingamajig–a hose-like apparatus for providing water to various areas.

I was starting to feel hopeful, but soon everything fell apart.

The main thingamajig was pre-punched with holes. I needed to insert a sprinkling device into each hole. That proved impossible. I tried pushing devices into holes with my raw hand and arm strength. When that failed, I did some research and learned there’s a tool specifically designed to assist. I obtained one, tried using it to insert sprinklers, and found that accomplishing still was impossible.

Frustrated, I left everything in place and drifted off to reconsider my efforts. Eventually, I returned to the system, pulled it, and tossed all the pieces.

Now, here I am about to start over. These days, I’m not smarter and certainly not stronger. But I am full of determination. Hey, wasn’t it determination fueling my efforts the last time?

Dear Friends: Well, I’ll keep you posted. Diana

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Yesterday evening my horse fence appeared normal for the first time in years. Gone were weak areas of fencing that I had reinforced creatively with visible, catawampus post supports and weird wiring. The capable Gustavo had intently and creatively reworked bad spots, restrengthening them to soundness.

This week, Gustavo will return and repair the remaining spots of weak fencing.

It’s back to work for me today, with an early clock-in time.

While shopping several times for fence repair supplies the other day, I ran into a little drama. A cashier calling himself “Mr. Bill, ” checked me out twice, undercharging me both times.

The first time his giveaway was small–two 20-cent pencils. He tossed them to me, saying, “Happy Birthday, just take them.” To my surprise, he added, “Today’s my last here; I’m quitting. What can they do, fire me?” I left with the pencils that Gustavo needed, feeling confused over what to do about 40 cents of unpaid merchandise.

Later that day and shopping again, I loaded eight bags of concrete onto a platform cart. I tried to avoid Mr. Bill’s register, but his opened up first. A customer behind me refused to push ahead of me. He insisted I go to the empty register and started pushing my concrete to Mr. Bill.

When Mr. Bill said, “Four bags,” I didn’t correct him but wondered how much product he was giving away.

After the bags were loaded in my vehicle, I moved it and parked, re-entered the store searching for the manager on duty. I described what Mr. Bill was doing, showed my receipt, and asked to pay for four concrete bags and two pencils. The manager looked serious, thanked and checked me out. As I was leaving, he began focusing elsewhere, probably on Mr. Bill.

I had never before interacted with Mr. Bill. Who could know what motivated him to steal from the store blatantly? I embrace a good organization’s values and one biggie is employee honesty. A giant business like Home Depot with hundreds of locations, suffers greatly from the smallest thefts. For example, five dollars of loss multiplied across all its locations adds to millions.

Besides economics in general, the huge reality of theft is that it’s a key driver of higher prices.

Dear Friends: T’was a big day, repairing fence and squealing on a co-employee. Diana

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Gustavo did show up yesterday and repaired one of my two most flimsy, frightening sections of horse fencing. He’s a concrete expert with notably different ways of post-setting. First, he dislikes the popular style of QuikCrete that will set in 10-20 minutes; says it doesn’t hold up long and why my fence posts loosened and broke. Second, he prefers wire-tying fence fabric to posts over using U-nails as it’s stronger and lasts longer.

Several times yesterday, I hurried to and from Home Depot for supplies. He needed bags of old-style concrete, rebar-style wire ties, and cardboard tubular sleeves. This morning, Gustavo is returning, and my errand will be to find the 6″ screws he prefers over nails to connect top rails to posts.

His perception of what works best isn’t what fencers usually say. They prefer the fastest-setting concrete and also hammer-in U-nails. Gustavo, a believable perfectionist, yesterday reset a trio of broken posts into 21″ deep, wheelbarrow-mixed concrete. To my touch, the posts seemed rock solid, but wheelbarrow mixed concrete needs overnight to harden.

Today, he will repair the flimsy posts on a boundary with my neighbor. My horses lean into the fence and drool at the adjoining grassy property. They boom both posts and rails.

Dear Friends: This experience is making me better educated and more capable. Diana

Friday, August 11, 2023

After standing me up a couple weeks ago, Gustavo, a skilled laborer, called yesterday wanting to work for me. He survived my scolding over his not showing up or even calling by explaining that his cell phone had been on the blink. Sure, I believe that–and I also know he can handle almost everything related to property and home.

The header photo is of Gustavo several weeks ago working at my home.

He’ll be here early today to repair the scattered broken fence posts around the horse area. I’ve attempted alone to accomplish thost repairs, but my progress is slow because of too little time and energy for the work.

The broken posts are caused by my horses leaning into the fencing fabric and scratching their behinds against it. Seeing that happening makes me crazy, but horses are what they are. I will stop that behavior by having Gustavo install a solar charger and re-hotwire the fence.

Today will begin, at first, by seeing him show up. Since Gustavo initiated this, he probably will; but experience teaches, so who knows?

Dear Friends: Today might offer up better ways to repair broken posts. Diana