Archive for January, 2007

The following are simple suggestions that I think the entire world should latch on to in an attempt to restore sanity and happiness:

1. Automobile manufacturers need to stop releasing model cars a year before the dated model. It seems like the 2007 models came out at least, six months ago. What is that? To make it better, I saw a commercial, today, in which the manufacturer claimed to have received awards for the “Best Car of 2007″. We’re sixteen days into the year. How was this determined? I don’t even want to know. Just stop it. Release your 2007 models in 2007. Keep to this and stop the insanity.

2. Fast food franchises need to take realistic photos of their food. Seriously, why does the burger in the picture look great, yet the one in my hand looks like it’s been crushed a few times over? I’m not even going to mention the lack of steam and juiciness that was so nicely portrayed in that commercial. Be honest. We’re still going to buy it. People are dumb, they’ll buy anything you offer. That, or sell me the burger you took the picture of cause that thing looks delicious.

3. Speaking of which, more fast food places need a $3 value meal option like Wendy’s has. I have no complaints here, it’s just a great value.

4. The Nextel “chirping” sound and function needs to be killed or locked in private mode. Nothing like riding the subway to work in the morning, tired, dreading the day ahead and then having to deal with some genius who is using their Nextel phone’s “chirp” feature in walkie talkie mode, so, not only do you hear loud beeping every 3 seconds, you hear the entire damn conversation. Nextel, in a sense of decency and respect for the common man, needs to lock these things into the private mode where the feature operates more like a button pressed phone call, a.k.a quietly without annoying us.

5. Politicians shouldn’t be allowed to speak. It’s like listening to a 6 year old explain how he didn’t break a window with the baseball he has in his hands. These grown men skirt around the issue as though they would be struck down immediately if they said anything with substance. Since they already say nothing, how about they keep silent? Our ears will be much happier.

6. Fox News needs to be shut down. No, not because of their outlandish views (their segment on how the movie “Happy Feet” is about homosexuality was especially intriguing), but because of the fact they still claim to be “Fair and Balanced”. Their as balanced as the seesaw with the fat kid from your class on it. No matter how hard you try, your boney ass isn’t going to even things out. The only way to fix things is to form a schoolyard coup d’état and get him out of the way for good.

7. SUV’s need to be fitted with a random self destruct mechanism unless there’s a commercial plate on the back. I know some people need them, but the single guy with the small “manhood” who likes to burn barrels of fuel an hour while waiving his middle finger at the earth, as a whole, needs to know that he can die at any moment. Then, we can promote hybrid cars and alternative fuel vehicles as the only automobiles that won’t kill you immediately, any time soon, or wipe out your grandchildren when the polar ice caps melt.

8. Censorship needs to be toned down. Seriously, why are words like “gun” and “pills” now censored on the radio? It makes no sense to me. Where are these people who are suddenly getting offended by such words? They definitely need to take a chill pill or be shot in the head. We need to take these wasted censoring beeps and silences and apply them to something really offensive (see #6).

…is more work.

That has been my mantra for some time now and, again, it’s ringing true. This move from Home Theater to Merchandising is proving to be a real challenge because of the fact that people like the job I do. As a result of my good work, neither the new home theater supervisor nor the general manager want me off of the sales floor. While I appreciate the fact they think I do a good job, it’s always really bothering me that this has become such a difficult task. Let me explain today’s events.

The product process returned from his 4 day vacation today and I decided I should ask him what the story is with my potential move. He informed me that, while he was fighting to get me over, the home theater supe and the GM were fighting back. This struck me as odd since the home theater supe was supportive of my decision last time we talked (after I did some convincing). So, I got him on the side and had a discussion with him. One of the first things out of his mouth was, “I don’t think it’s the right move for you”. It really pisses me off that he’s trying to decide this for me. I understand two good salesman are leaving and that my knowledge is unchallenged and I take a load off his shoulders by handling some of the managerial tasks such as issues at customer service. However, he has to understand that I need a break. I have been dealing with customers for three years now and I’m burned out. I need a break from it all. Hell, for all I know, I might want to come back to home theater in a few months, but, right now, it’s not the place I need to be.

After a lot of back and forth and awkwardly accepting a lot of compliments in regards to my skills to help people, I think I’ve finally convinced him.He said he’s going to talk to the GM during the Thursday meetings. I’m hoping this actually goes through because I’m losing patience. As it is, next week’s schedules are already set, so I have, at least, a week and a half left in Home Theater. I do have some leverage, thankfully. Most people in the store think I do a good job (I always think I suck at my job, but I’m a pessimist and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t help my case to argue their perception) and there’s some big work coming, starting Sunday, for the merchandising department and they are very short handed.

Just wish me the best guys. This has become an insanely complicated task.

First off, thanks to everyone who’s been talking to me the past two or three days about my decision at work. I’m still not 100% sure what I’m doing is the right choice, but I guess you just have to hold your nose and dive in sometimes.

On a more positive note, I finally hit the 30,000 posts mark at Neowin. Yeah, I’ve made 30,000 posts. Yes, I know it’s kind of sad, lol. Either way, I’m the first to the mark and am a little proud of the fact that most of it is of some kind of use. You can check out the thread if you want by following this link.

That’s what I’m doing right now, just hoping.

For those of you who may not know, I have been a Home Theater salesman at Best Buy for over 3 years. That’s three years of dealing with the general public and, as I have expressed in past entries, they are a very dumb breed. This has definitely worn on me and, for the past six months, I’ve really come to dread going to work. That’s not a good feeling to have considering I have to do it so often. So, where does this leave me?

Well, if you remember to a few months ago, I was trying to make a move to the merchandising department when talks of Magnolia came up and I decided to wait for the higher paying sales job. That job and Magnolia as a whole, however, never came and so I fell back into the abyss of Home Theater. Well, recent changes in the store have only further coaxed me into thinking of changing departments. The entire management staff, with the exception of one, has turned over and the leadership in Home Theater has also changed completely. Unfortunately, these changes somehow found a previous home theater supervisor, who failed at keeping things together, back as home theater supervisor. I’m not sure how a group of managers sat down and felt this was a smart move, but I’m not willing to go through it all again. I need out.

Merchandising is hopefully where I’ll be as soon as next week. Details are slowly coming together and I have enough support and circumstance on my side where it should actually happen this time around. I’m actually praying it does because I can no longer tolerate dealing with the customers. Merch will give me a chance to work with people I get along with very well and also work with my hands, setting up displays and the like. On top of that, I wouldn’t have to sell anymore. Ok, maybe that last part is the most intriguing.

It’s a tough choice. A lot of people in my department and store are pulling me to apply for a Senior (one step below supervisor) position in Home Theater. I almost bought into the talk, but then I realized it wouldn’t be for me. For starters, I;d be even closer to the customers and, even worse, would be the scape goat when things inevitably fail under the new supervisor. My dad seemed pretty disappointed when he heard my decision, but I guess he’ll just never understand that happiness is more important to me than money. Having gone through depression and even dealing with tougher times these days, I appreciate how much more satisfying happiness is. Does that make me a hippy? No, since they don’t exist anymore.