Hard To Take Stock Of This Madness

(After I graduate college, I work for a few months in a local dollar store until I can find a job in my actual career field. I am hired as a “stock and inventory specialist,” and one of my main duties is to help unload the semi-truck load of merchandise that comes in each week. The usual driver is on a very tight schedule, so he and I always unload everything from the truck into the stockroom, and then I take the individual boxes out to the sale floor after he drives off. It usually takes about 30 minutes to unload the truck, but my boss, who is very proud of her “business management skills,” has other ideas.)

Boss: “Why aren’t you getting these boxes out to the sale floor while you’re unloading them from the truck? We have a lot of empty space on the shelves, and we need to fill that space as quickly as possible.”

Me: “I’ll put everything out there as soon as I get everything off the truck and let him leave for his next stop.”

Driver: “Ma’am, I have a very tight schedule. I need to get everything off the truck as quickly as possible, so I can get to my next stop on time.”

Boss: *to the driver* “You’re not qualified to tell me how to run my store! All you do is drive a truck all day. If you’re so worried about being late to your next stop, just find a shorter route, or drive faster.” *turning to me* “Just take each box out to the floor and get everything shelved right away. Trust me; it’ll be faster!”

(The driver gives up and jumps back into his cab to call his boss, and my boss goes back into her office, leaving me to unload the rest of the truck on my own. In total, it takes about three hours to unload the truck, one or two boxes at a time. This happens with every delivery we get in for the next three weeks. The owner of the trucking company finally rides along with his driver one day to figure out why it’s taking so long.)

Owner: *watching me use my boss’s method* “Why are you doing it that way? My driver has to get on to his next stop. Just get everything off the truck. You can make it neat and pretty after my driver leaves.”

Boss: “I tried telling him the same thing, but he just insists on doing it his way.”

Me: *barely holding in my anger* “You were the one who ordered me to do it this way!”

Boss: “Why would I ever tell you to do something like this? That’s just bad for business!”

Driver: “It’s true; she told him to do it this way because she thought it would be faster. She also told me off for trying to tell her about my schedule, and insisted that I should break the law to make up for any delays.”

Owner: “I’ve heard enough. I’ll be cancelling our shipping contract with this place tomorrow. We don’t have to put up with this woman’s crazy ideas every week.”

(I also quit that night, because I didn’t want to put up with her crazy ideas anymore, either. The store is still in business today, about two years later, but I’ve never seen a truck from that company anywhere near the parking lot.)