The Week in Suckville
Well, I already knew, going in, that it was going to be a bad week. Last Friday, a mere 15 minutes after I'd left the building, the espresso machine at the Haunted Coffee Shoppe blew up. Okay, it didn't so much blow up as it did lay down and die, but you get the point. Acrid burning smell, over pressurized, and green, milky water. Yay! Normally this portion of the evening is prereserved for nappage, but was instead spent on a backup plan.
The espresso machine accounts for a rather sizable portion of our business, so it is not something that can slip by. Luckily, we had a spare, though far less efficient machine available. That was acquired from its storage niche, and set up, and we were good to go. For now.
The repair shop is out of Tallahassee, and only comes to Gainesville every other Wednesday, so it was wait 'til Wednesday to get it fixed. Yes, they'll come out sooner, but at a $150 mileage fee, added onto the otherwise already overinflated pricing for service so rare... Wait until Wednesday it shall be.
In the meantime, we find out Sunday night that "S" fell down over the weekend and broke her arm. She was scheduled to open the shop first thing Monday, but obviously that was right out. I had to leave Tampa, and my weekend snugglefest with Sheeps ended early. Dammit. This is the third time she's blown a weekend for me; the third time "S" has had some emergency or other, which forced me to have to open. My day now begins at 5am.... Understaffed... With a slower machine....
It wasn't tooooo bad, all things considered, but I was still ready to kill something, anything by the time my backup help arrived at 7:30. We were still understaffed, but managed, somehow to get through the morning shift. I then received a phone call from "S", telling me the she had a note from a doctor, informing us that she'd be unable to work for the next two weeks. (No real surprise there.) This takes us through the time when she leaves for her holiday time off, but I still need her shifts covered until then. And we've just lost 3 other employees, two due to graduation, and one due to getting his worthless arse fired. Holiday vacations are coming up. It's scramble time. Luckily, I managed to get most of them covered, all but one, actually. I'll just have to pony up and work shorthanded that one shift...
Wednesday arrives, as does the long distance repairman. To make a very long story short, after two hours, he determined that the problem is bigger than originally thought, and that he'd have to cart the machine up to Tallahassee for repair, which will most likely run to the tune of $2K. That's a pretty big bite out of the budget. Huge. So much for any hope of a Christmas bonus. Dammit!
To all my friends and loved ones, you shall be receiving a large package of express holiday wishes of good tidings and joy. Sorry, that's all I can afford. :( Well, it's the thought that counts, right?
Wednesday night is also "bar night" so I worked late. This is probably the last week I'll work for the next few weeks, as school will be out and it will be dead in there. Well, it is sort of like a vacation... Of course, we were packed chock full of butthead fratboys blowing off steam from studying for finals. Much arseholiness ensued.
That brings us to bright and early this morning, when I arrive to the shop and find out that Michael is having pains in his side. The stubborn idiot went in and opened the Hunter's shop anyway, but is feeling worse and worse. We manage to find someone to cover (he would not close the shop down, regardless of his emergency status) and get him taken to the emergency room. He is, as I type, being wheeled into surgery. Appendicitis. Yay. Take another employee out of the equation, this one being a manager... This week is getting suckier and suckier...
Well, they say bad news travels in threes, and I've had my fill for the week. Did I say week? I think I'm good for the rest of the year, thankyouverymuch.
So, how was y0ur week?
The espresso machine accounts for a rather sizable portion of our business, so it is not something that can slip by. Luckily, we had a spare, though far less efficient machine available. That was acquired from its storage niche, and set up, and we were good to go. For now.
The repair shop is out of Tallahassee, and only comes to Gainesville every other Wednesday, so it was wait 'til Wednesday to get it fixed. Yes, they'll come out sooner, but at a $150 mileage fee, added onto the otherwise already overinflated pricing for service so rare... Wait until Wednesday it shall be.
In the meantime, we find out Sunday night that "S" fell down over the weekend and broke her arm. She was scheduled to open the shop first thing Monday, but obviously that was right out. I had to leave Tampa, and my weekend snugglefest with Sheeps ended early. Dammit. This is the third time she's blown a weekend for me; the third time "S" has had some emergency or other, which forced me to have to open. My day now begins at 5am.... Understaffed... With a slower machine....
It wasn't tooooo bad, all things considered, but I was still ready to kill something, anything by the time my backup help arrived at 7:30. We were still understaffed, but managed, somehow to get through the morning shift. I then received a phone call from "S", telling me the she had a note from a doctor, informing us that she'd be unable to work for the next two weeks. (No real surprise there.) This takes us through the time when she leaves for her holiday time off, but I still need her shifts covered until then. And we've just lost 3 other employees, two due to graduation, and one due to getting his worthless arse fired. Holiday vacations are coming up. It's scramble time. Luckily, I managed to get most of them covered, all but one, actually. I'll just have to pony up and work shorthanded that one shift...
Wednesday arrives, as does the long distance repairman. To make a very long story short, after two hours, he determined that the problem is bigger than originally thought, and that he'd have to cart the machine up to Tallahassee for repair, which will most likely run to the tune of $2K. That's a pretty big bite out of the budget. Huge. So much for any hope of a Christmas bonus. Dammit!
To all my friends and loved ones, you shall be receiving a large package of express holiday wishes of good tidings and joy. Sorry, that's all I can afford. :( Well, it's the thought that counts, right?
Wednesday night is also "bar night" so I worked late. This is probably the last week I'll work for the next few weeks, as school will be out and it will be dead in there. Well, it is sort of like a vacation... Of course, we were packed chock full of butthead fratboys blowing off steam from studying for finals. Much arseholiness ensued.
That brings us to bright and early this morning, when I arrive to the shop and find out that Michael is having pains in his side. The stubborn idiot went in and opened the Hunter's shop anyway, but is feeling worse and worse. We manage to find someone to cover (he would not close the shop down, regardless of his emergency status) and get him taken to the emergency room. He is, as I type, being wheeled into surgery. Appendicitis. Yay. Take another employee out of the equation, this one being a manager... This week is getting suckier and suckier...
Well, they say bad news travels in threes, and I've had my fill for the week. Did I say week? I think I'm good for the rest of the year, thankyouverymuch.
So, how was y0ur week?
posted by Turtle at 2:21 PM
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