Sunday, July 21, 2013

Fry's Food Stores 48th Street & Baseline/Camping Trip

Decided early yesterday morning to go up to the mountains and go to the camp party.
So, I went to Fry's.  This is the same Fry's that I have had endless problems with, mostly very, very poor customer service.
So, I went around and got everything I wanted, about 20 minutes of going from one end of the store to the other and then got in line at the checkout.  I was informed that self-checkout was available.  

No thanks, I'll just wait. I pretty much gave up on self service several months back, too many problems and too many inattentive employees who aren't manning the main station to monitor the activity going on.  

Then the cashier tells me that she will call someone up and points to the register behind her.  Okay.  But I didn't mind waiting, the line wasn't that long. She insisted, so I went over there, put all my stuff on the conveyor belt and waited.  She calls a cashier which never shows up.  Finally, yet another new manager, apparently front-end manager, shows up.  This place goes through managers like a smoke shop goes through packs of cigarettes, it's a bit ridiculous the high turnover. 

She informs me that that register is closed and that I will need to move my stuff to the next one over.  I simply stated that the cashier - right behind me - is the one that told me to come to this line.  She stares at me, shakes her head in disbelief and then informs me that she isn't logged into this register.  Just an unbelievable attitude from a person that I was not giving an attitude to.  I just stared right back.  I had just wasted almost 30 minutes of my time now in walking around the entire store getting my stuff, being invited over to another aisle that I didn't ask for nor did I really want since there was no cashier there, then given an attitude by a new manager that apparently decided that I am a 5 year old to be bossed around.

I contemplated it for a few seconds and then did it.  I just left all that stuff sitting there and I walked out.  I drove 2 miles down the road to another, much larger Fry's and got the same stuff all over again.  I have only had one problem in the past at that Fry's and it wasn't that big of a deal.  

I don't know if I am going to back to this other Fry's that I have been shopping at for almost 8 years now.  It's pretty amazing the attitude of the current general manager there, Christine, who basically doesn't give a rat's @$$ whether customers are happy or not.  That particular Fry's is used as a launching point for GM's to move on to bigger/better stores.  IMO, Christine is the worst excuse for a GM I have ever experienced at any Fry's, she doesn't deserve anything but a demotion.  But whatever.  The sooner they move her out of there, the sooner there will be yet another new GM to take her place and perhaps a bit more customer service oriented.

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That's the end of the Fry's story, the rest of this is about other things, you are welcomed to read it if  you so desire, but if you came here on a Google search looking for the Fry's stuff, that was it.

Relatively short drive up there. Something like 130 miles to the campsite.  Spartan showing for a company party/camping adventure, but I suspect it's because it was raining on and off the entire time we were up there.  Especially last night.  I made the mistake of not pumping up the air bed to sleep on, I didn't even try to put up the tent, I just decided to sleep under one of those ramada covers that they had set up on the ground with a sleeping bag.  Bad idea.  Hard ground, lots of rocks, didn't sleep too well. Prince was with me, he didn't sleep well, either.  

But I did have fun and a good time talking with people, especially the widow of the man that was killed earlier this year in a vehicle accident up on I-40 on a company related trip.  She showed me the pics of the pickup he was driving.  Unbelievable. That pickup was totally trashed.  The entire cab was sheered off and the steering wheel was flipped over and is what did him in: it went into his skull and they say he was killed instantly.  For being a woman that just lost her husband 6 or so months ago, she was remarkably well-composed.  She had a lit up box with a pic of her husband in it on a table with a beer next to it.  

Apparently they do these camping trips frequently and they bring George, the deceased man, along with them. 

Well, anyway, I got up early this morning, got my stuff packed, got Prince in the car and headed home, totally exhausted.  I got home in time to take a nap for an hour but couldn't get to sleep, so I took a shower, called Mary who was going to be there as well, and then went to church.  When I got there, it began to rain.  Before I could get out of the car, a downpour of the likes I haven't seen in years around here came out of the sky and I ended up sitting there in the parking lot for 5 minutes waiting for it to subside.  It never did and I ended up getting out of the car in the driving rain and getting wet before I made it to the church door entrance.

It was a good service, but I was yawning all the way through it.  Drove home and saw that aftermath of the storm on the streets in my neighborhood.  The streets are filled with mud, up to 6 inches deep in places!! I guess I won't need to water my plants for a couple of days!

Well, anyway, I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon and woke up feeling better after that.  I then got online and started looking for whale and dolphin watching boating trips out of either LA or San Diego.  My son he wanted to go, he doesn't really like the fishing but he loves being on the boat, I am thinking this time to go on a sightseeing tour instead of fishing.  I don't know though. I have this issue of getting seasick on those small boats and the ONLY thing that I have found that makes me feel better is alcohol.  If I drink enough vodkas and cranberry juices, that feeling goes away and I am right as rain - but also a tad inebriated.  

So I dunno about that, but it's the only thing that works.  I even tried those doctor-prescribed patches last year that you put behind your ear - no effect.  

Umm well whatever.  Another work week looming.  Plenty to do tomorrow, at least and the truck is already loaded, that makes it a bit easier to deal with Monday morning.  I have asked for the second week off of August.  I am pretty sure I will get it.  It's really the only week where I can take Caleb. 

Well, enough.  Just a lazy Sunday afternoon. The drenching downpour means I don't have to go out and water anything.

ben

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