Month: May 2016

Commercialism and Memorial Day…

Memorial Day really…

Noticed something at least in the town I live in only banks and post office was closed to celebrate Memorial Day.  I remember when stores if they were open at all were closed at 6 pm.  The two places I went to yesterday were open normal business hours and I know the company I work for was open normal business hours.  Additionally, the places I went to did not even need to go it was convenient to run out and buy take out then cook after doing yard work.  The two places were not even busy and I saw very few people out and about.  Never mind I remember there used to be a parade through town that took two hours now it was a half hour walk from a school to a cemetery.

So I guess my thoughts are trending this day toward if Memorial Day is in memory for the sacrifices our military and their families have made and are still making.  Should we not put aside the commercialism and need to cater to every individual whim and go back to limited company hours or heck close for the day.  If it was not for our military, we would not be a free nation and I would not even be able to write so freely. Limiting the hours allow us as a nation to go back to the purpose of the Day and support the military families in their time of grieving.    Make it a day of honor again instead of just another day off to have a cook out and lessen the celebration of beginning of summer.  Spending time with the families invite them to the cook out or go over to their homes and see if they need anything.  For those of a religious or faith based life choices take time to meditate and pray for our military and families.

Corporate world question is it really necessary to lessen the sacrifices our military men, women, and families make by being open.  For hospitals and nursing home I understand the need for them to be staffed but maybe to lessen hours of individual staff do a rotational five hour shift instead of and eight to ten-hour shift allowing people to contribute to this day as they see fit. I am just as guilty as others I did nothing to remember our service men, woman; which got me to thinking that there are choices that need to change come next year for me.

Observation on the table is what happened to remembering the sacrifices of our soldiers and also their families?

History of Memorial Day (taken from History channel)

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

Happy Mother’s Day?

Another year down and another year I contemplate the randomness and frustrated aspect of our society.  Mother’s Day is a day of revering and showing our love for Mom.  Over the week prior you get the famous question what are you doing for Mother’s Day?  For the week after what did you do for Mother’s Day?  Response I worked this year past years I have done yard work.  Then the response oh, you poor thing didn’t they take you out or wish you a Happy Mother’s Day, they should have.  Response nope not something we make a big deal about and try to leave it alone.  Yeah would I have liked to go out to eat yes but I can do that any day and do I want to eat with thousands of other people that are out doing the same thing, No.  Dining around large crowds of people that are tired and cranky because they do not want to be there and the children are misbehaving because they have been shifted out of their comfort zone does not make for a pleasant dining experience.

Does anyone stop to think that making a big deal of this day has repercussions for a wide variety of lives.  There’s women that have no children due to a wide variety of situations infertility, put up for adoption at an early age, lack of family, difficult relationships, self-centered family, never married, women in nursing home not visited, mom passed away, and many more.  People that financially cannot keep up with other’s spending on this day.  Another are mom’s that find this day stressful and wasteful having to please their direct mother’s expectations or their mother in-laws and their needs are trampled.  Most of all as a Mom should I not be respected and thanked throughout the year not just when the media reminds ‘you’ that you have a mother.  Unless you are a father with young kid’s the husband should not be required to do something for his wife that is what anniversaries are for to show thankfulness and love for each other this allows the husband to spend time with his mother.

Floral Department where I work is routinely busier day on Mother’s Day than Valentines.  But to do this they have to work twelve hour days for four days. Several of them are mom’s.  To put a perspective on the amount of people remembering Mother’s Day is staggering.  A second vehicle is rented and a department that normally has one to two staff daily had five to six staff for four days from 7 am to 10 pm.  All just to handle the work flow.

Here is my thought is instead of making a big deal of a made up day why don’t we thank our mom’s or help our mom’s in all they do daily.  If Mom likes flowers pick up one or two of her favorite on any old day and give them to her and say thank you.  Stop by her house or if still at home do a project that she daily does before she does or she asks you to.  Pop over and ask her to lunch or if she works make arrangements with her boss to take her to a long lunch on any of the three hundred sixty-four days of the year.  Mothers are always here let’s strive to respect and love as a constant not a once a year event.

So, what did you do this Mother’s Day? Opps, let’s try this again what are your ideas for randomly offering thanks to your Mom without prompting?

THANK YOU to all those that worked up to and during the chaos of Mother’s Day.

Hourly Employee Random Observations, Thoughts, and Perspective

Coming from the thoughts of an hourly employee of the American Corporate Machine.  Have been working for twenty plus years in retail food service industry have noticed a decrease in how many employees there are to customers. Additionally, prices for consumers are increasing.  This decrease and increase I perceive began as our hourly wage (example Ohio starting wage 2007 $5.25 – 2015 $8.25).  My concern is that with many states striving to enforce companies to pay a minimum wage of $15.00 over the next 2 to 4 years.  Can the consumer and the corporate structure truly support the increase.  If the minimum increases so does all of the other wages above minimum increase, or they are supposed.  Yes, having an increase in salary be nice visually but really and truly am I gaining anything by my state forcing my employer to increase my pay when I can no longer easily gain full time work in the industry I have always been in. The food or entertainment I enjoy increases to cover the cost of the employee that is providing the service I am using. Additionally, amount of team members I have to work with on a shift decreases to support the increase in money the company I work for is paying out.

Other aspects of company cost that have a tendency to build up is couponing, double couponing, fuel perks, courtesy card discounts or points.  All of these ‘freebies’ are not free the money to cover these ‘freebies’ has to be covered by the company.  With all these accumulating costs over the next five years where will the hourly employee be part time or full time or un employed due to the corporate structure consolidating as seen with Kohl’s, Walmart, and other big companies in 2016.  For those that comment on forms of Social Media that customer service does not exist.  Here are some thoughts the employees have to work with less co-workers to do the same work they did in previous years.  When a company had six staff on the floor to provide “excellent” customer service; now they only are scheduled one or two employees.  Many are part time and cannot obtain full time hours that their family budget needs.

For those consumers out there that get frustrated and impatient with long lines.  From personal experience get used to it.  In many locations in the retail and food service industry those lines will only increase as the demand for higher minimum wages increase means the leadership of corporate structure will need to reduce cost and that will be at the register, counter, or the method of production.  The increases are sadly in my perception a done deal but as consumers strive to keep in mind that the people that are waiting on you are people to and that having to interact with rude and impatient people day in and day out become tiring.  To put it in a visual picture the ‘family’ member that everyone avoids do you want to interact with that individual on a daily basis.  Think of this when you are impatient or rude with an employee at your favorite shopping location.  That employee has to deal with short tempered, angry people hour upon hour there is no walking away when you are at a counter, table, or register.  Yes, as a consumer you should not be treated rudely but are you treating the worker with respect as well.