Left and Leaving

Ahhh... home.

I thought this week was going to be a breeze, but it has turned into a tropical storm.

Yesterday my manager approached me with an odd question, but before I go on, I need a bit of a backdrop to our conversation...

Several weeks ago, our store started cutting the hours of the shift managers, due to low sales, and too many managers... We all started seeing 24 hour workweeks and the like, and while I filled the other hours by working at other stores, I wasn't getting what I wanted which is a 40 hour week in my store. Several weeks later, I was offered 16 hours a week at a nearby store, and it made sense to do, so I went with it. In the time since then, I have enjoyed working at this other Starbucks, but I have had mostly closing shifts, and it is a bit of a drive. I was anticipating going back to full time at my Woodridge store soon, but yesterday's conversation with Dave, my store manager, changed that.

Dave approached me with the question of how I would feel going to Hinsdale, the other store, full time for 1-2 months. I was stunned. And frustrated. And I felt a bit alienated... However, as he explained my store's situation, I realized how much sense it made for me to be the one to go, and I agreed with him, and agreed to do it. Hopefully, at the end of the 2 months, I will be able to return to a 40 hour a week schedule at Woodridge, but for the time being, I get to work with some really great people in Hinsdale, and I will be seeing some much welcomed 40 hour workweeks... all at one store, to boot! So I go, partially happy, and partially sad, to Hinsdale for the next month or two. I hope it goes well.

Other than that, not much has been going on. Sarah is heading into her final weeks of school before she graduates later this month!!! I am SOOOOOOO proud of her! She has been such an amazing student, and deserves this degree so much! Emails of congratulations can be sent to saremil@yahoo.com.

For now... I'm done.

Jim