mountains

Hello again, autopartophiles. Yeah, I just invented a word. Don't judge me, it's no worse than "ginormous".    

    Today was pretty tough. I can't go into detail since it involves internal operations and whatnot, and I'd like to not be fired because I blogged about super-secret corporate policies. Also, I've been fighting a migraine and some rather unfulfilling sleep lately, so I haven't been in the mood for my cursed phone which just will not stop ringing.
     I seem to have become the "go-to guy" for some counter-people in our store group. Certain people call me every time they need help with something. I have absolutely no aversion to helping people, but I have so much shit to worry about in my own store that I really don't need to worry about anyone else's. Can't you ask your own manager for help? Maybe that's the problem. When someone doesn't have faith in their leader, it belies the whole corporate structure, and I envision the world coming undone, like at the end of "The Never Ending Story". I probably shouldn't help, since the chain of command abhors it, but I cannot resist helping people when I am capable of doing so. It's how I was raised. So I offer answers to questions on a regular basis, despite the fact that if certain people were better at their jobs, said questions would have no need to be placed. It's the proverbial vicious cycle, but I suppose it's not the worst thing ever, since Things Get Accomplished and I end up justifying my ingrained moral need to help those who need it. Sometimes it just makes me very, very tired.
     On the complete opposite side of all that, I was trained pretty well. It's very rare that I have to ask a superior for help. One of the things I love about my job is problem solving. I often tell people that I don't sell auto parts for a living, I solve problems. Auto parts sell themselves. If your car is broken, you go to a garage. They diagnose the problem and order a replacement part (hopefully) from me. I don't have to sell a damned thing. All I have to do is figure out how to get merchandise to those who need it. My job is like a big puzzle. I take what I'm given and try to find solutions. I think that more often than not I am very good at my job, since my brain loves a challenge and finds puzzles irresistible (I do crosswords and sudoku in my spare time). When I'm in the mood for it and my resources are at 100%, it's my favorite place to be.
     Lately I just haven't been in the mood. When I feel this way, it's utter misery. I cringe every time the phone rings, and I have an unfounded resentment for any customer that walks in and interrupts my epic slacking. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I seem to have way too much shit to accomplish lately. Almost every day, I'm tasked with inventory counting, overstock sweeping, infinitely boring spreadsheets that require zero cognition, or some other such annoyance.
     Recently I was selected as one of two stores to be loaded with a relatively new product line. I received five pallets of fresh inventory, which I had to check in and put in stock in addition to my regular routines. Needless to say, it was nothing short of overwhelming. Me vs. five pallets of mixed parts totaling about $15k. Not only did I not have time to sort through and account for it all, but I didn't have any-damn-where to put it.
     Enter my outside salesman. He used to run one of our retail parts stores, has years of experience, and a resolute attention to detail. He sympathized with my situation and generously cleared three days of his busy schedule solely to help me sort through that huge shipment of new product. I was pretty humbled. This job is an uphill battle for all of us, every day. For someone who already has a full plate to drop everything just to help little ol' me gave me a different viewpoint and therefore a different attitude. It suddenly changed from an overwhelming task to a solvable problem. In just under three days, we managed to sort, inventory, and stock every single piece in that order.
     I often complain about the people I work with. They drive me crazy sometimes, and I have days when I wonder what in the blue fuck I'm doing there. More often than not, I just end up with an overabundance of repressed anger. Sometimes though, when things get too deep for me to keep swimming, someone will offer to help me stay afloat. It's then that I realize I'm in the right place. I realize that when I solve problems, it's not mine that I'm solving, but someone else's. Every day I get to do for other people what my salesman did for me. I take customers' complications and dissect them until they're manageable. Their problems are mountains to them, and just a beginner's crossword to me. Perspective is everything.
     Someone recently told me that my blog is too grouchy, and I should write a happy one. I don't do happy, so this is as close as it's going to get. What often seems like a burden is really just a blessing. I love what I do, and helping people find solutions is what I'm good at. I have little patience for ignorance, but sometimes ignorance is nothing more than a problem in need of a wider field of vision.
     I thought maybe I was getting too philosophical about what I do. Essentially I just move auto parts from my building into someone else's. Today a customer called me out of the blue to thank me for a quick delivery. A young lady brought her car into their garage for a desperate repair, as she needed to make a road trip to visit her sick mother. They ordered parts, we delivered parts. They repaired her car and she was quickly on her way. It was routine for us, and a miracle for her.
      I thought that maybe I was reading too much into it all, and that we didn't make much of a difference in the long run. I thought it was rare that I go out of my way to help someone, but today I realized that it's what I get paid to do.
     I think sometimes I think too much.