YAY Vacation!!

Where do you vacation? Do you board a plane and head to a tropical paradise? Do you rent an RV and tour the country? Do you spend the time fan tanning in the backyard? For me a vacation is any time more than 3 days that I don't have to deal with any customers and little miss ray of sunshine! Who is little miss ray of sunshine you ask? Little miss ray of sunshine is one of my employees, she is the daily thorn in my side, the 40+ year old lady I have to babysit. She reminds me daily how much I hate 40+ year old baby's. Honestly my 6 year old niece needs less supervision. Need an example of what I mean? Okay you asked for it. (Well no you didn't but I'll tell you anyway) Little miss sunshine was scheduled 9am to 5:30pm yesterday, Little miss sunshine believes that if you are working until 5:30 that means at 5:30pm you should be on your bus on the way home. Now I may be wrong about this however as I understand it when you work until a certain time that means that you sign out and leave at that time... Not 30 minutes early so you can be outside leaving the neighbourhood when your shift ends. So yesterday I get a phone call from little miss sunshine at 5:05pm, it goes something like this: Ring.. ring.. (me) Hi little miss sunshine (I already know it is her) ( LMS)Jennifer I have a customer that has a return.. (me)Okay what do you need me for? (LMS) I dont have time to do a return.. I have to get ready to go... (me) LMS it is five after five you are scheduled until 5:30, it only takes a minute to do a return.. please just help the customer and then you can sign off.. your replacement isnt ready to relieve you yet... (LMS) But...well...oh alright.. Click.. Now if you are like me you are thinking good god woman just help the customer and do your job.... So now I am thinking I can't believe I have to convince my staff in front of customers to provide my customers with some kind od decient customer service. Imagine you are this customer and the cashiere in front of you is complaining on the phone to her boss that YOUR return is going to take too long! ... Ring..ring.. (me) What LMS? (LMS) this lady has lots of returns to do.. whine.. I NEED you to come here... I donnooooo..... (me) LMS you haven't done this return yet... you know if you just stopped complaining and do it you would be done by now...(LMS)Jennnnnnn... (another whine) I donnooooo... (Me) Oh jesus LMS I'll be right there (click) Now all I care about is this customer leaving my store happy and I will deal with LMS later... So I go out appoligise to the customer for her wait and am done the return in a matter of minutes.. Meanwhile LMS is signing off her register and going to count her till... I just picture an office worker whining to her boss saying something like can you finish this call I have to go catch my bus, and getting on the elevator 5 minutes before the actual end of her shift.

Do you now understand why I need a vacation? This year my vacation will consist of my partner myself and our puppy will be backpacking in Algonquin park. The trip will take 4 days and span 35+ km. Nothing but us and nature.. Ahhhh sounds wonderful to me! After the backpacking trip we will be heading to Grand Bend to spend the rest of the week on the beach. Lake huron is beautiful, it is as close as Canada gets to the tropical ocean.

Pray that we dont get eaten by any bears on ourtrip and know if any do well we died on vacation and at least it wasnt at work...LOL... LMS wouldnt know what to do if I was injurded at work or god forbid if I hurt myself too close to her time to go home...