Kind Of Good News

So today at work one of the owners came in and was talking to me and Pops. He said his son is going to start working here with us. Pops is wanting more time off he is having a hard time standing for long periods of time anymore. Plus he just don’t feel like coming in sometimes. He is 75 after all and just took this on as part time to have a little extra money to go out and help the guys out. But we have days that we are slammed and he is here all day instead of an hour or two or half the day. Then some of the work he has to stand the whole time and he just can’t anymore and it takes him longer to do he work because he has to take breaks.

But we are not to a point that we needs someone all day everyday or even to say we can hire someone a few hours everyday. We stay steady most the time but then have days where we have no one or a couple things. Right now I think the shop side breaks even or just under breaking even.

Me and Pops were talking about it the other day and we really can’t hire someone and tell them you might get 5 to 10 hours a week and we don’t have set hours to give you we just want to call you when we need you. No one needing a job can really live on that and it really isn’t worth it to drive over here for. I said I would not mind learning some of it to help give him a break.

The boss said today his son was going to start coming in after school and working a few hours to help take the stress off Pops. He is also trained to go out on the bus with the guys to help there if there isn’t school or a weekend and they have something.

So he will come after school if we have things to be done and get it all ready for the people to pick up the next day. Pops can come in during the day if I have things that needs done for the day or he can’t get it all done or something. But this should give him a much needed break. It works out great for what we were talking about since he isn’t needing the money to live on and all that it is just gas money or what for him and he still lives at home. He just a kid.

It really don’t change much for our customers other than maybe instead of being able to get it back the same day they will have to wait until the next business day. Now I have a rule if they get it in before 1 or 2pm they can have it back after 3 that day. This way I will just start telling people unless they set it up ahead of time with me it is next day. Because we have some people that come 20+ miles to get their things done and would like to wait for it or get it back as soon as we can get it done. We can still do that if they let me know before hand they are coming I can set it up that Pops will be here to do their stuff.

We are always changing but not changing at the same time with that part of things. But people don’t mind because most are shocked they can get it back after three the next day much less the same. They expect to wait a few days to get it back anyway. So I just go by what is going on that day. Like if Pops is busy even if it is only 11 or 12 I will start telling them the next day because we are busy and have work to get out by three already we had to start bumping things until tomorrow. I have only had one or two people complain and they were just that type of person they have something to say about everything you can tell. But being the only place in the county that does the work we do people have to understand that sometimes we get busy. We do everything we can to get it back as quick as we can but that is not always possible and we are getting back quicker still than what we are told we have to get it back. When I started I was told I could tell them anywhere from 2 to 3 days up to a week to get things back depending what it was but at the least tell them 2 days for everything. Once I got in here and seen how busy we are and how long it takes to do things I was able to get it to after 3 if in by x time that day or after 3 the next day if after that time. Most the time really the after 3 the next day could be picked up in the morning after we open a lot of times. He will get them done in the evening before we close. But this way he can have time to get to them if we are busy and he isn’t having to stand there until he can hardly move to finish them after the days work is done. He comes in around 11:30 but then if he has doctors or something not until after lunch. Plus if I am running late or have to come in late for something there isn’t people sitting here waiting to get their things back first thing in the morning. We have some flexibility if we need it or something unforeseen happens and we have to take off to take care of it. We can get someone to come in and cover or time to get here. We don’t have a lot of people coming in to drop off in the morning if we miss someone they understand things happen. But I hate to give someone a set time to come back and not have something ready or not be here and I don’t want a rush of people when I am trying to open. because I find I tell them after 3 and they will come at 12 or 1 or 2 and say I need to get my stuff or I know you said but I just wanted to see if it was ready. So if I tell them 12 they will be here waiting on me or trying to get in why I am trying to open or return calls and things in the morning and a lot of our drop offs are in the morning. This way I don’t have a lobby full of people.

The owners don’t care they told me do things however you feel works best for you or the shop or however they need to be done. We just own it your the boss take care of things. It works nicely.

An Ah Ha Moment

Maybe this weekend was just what I needed after the last 15 days or so before it. I was able to just be and not think to much about all that has been going on for a day or two. When we went to the Space Center I just rode the bus around and helped the kids and talked to them. Enjoyed being with them. When we got to the last place they dropped us I did all of a sudden have a feeling I should call my dad. I walked outside why they watched the couple movies and called he said he was laying down and not feeling to good. He was having a ruff day. But he sounded pretty good even though. I talked to him a little bit and let him go rest. Then he called me Sunday before we left and I talked to him a while and he was feeling better. So I was ok with everything.

But sitting there at the party I heard father of the years brother and some others talking about school and things. They are always talking about school or work it seems. Most of them have went to school have good jobs or they are in school. I don’t know what made me think about it when I did because they had been talking about school the night before two at his uncles house. But all of a sudden it was like someone just twisted the light bulb and I looked at father of the year and said I need to see about getting into classes since I can’t move like I was planing on trying to do. Yes laugh I probably looked just like that because I felt like that is how I looked when the thought hit me. It was like why hadn’t I thought to go ahead and check into classes before now since I found all this out about my dad. What am I waiting on since moving is what I was waiting to do before I started. I didn’t want to start one semester here or a semester and a half and then move and have to change everything out of state.

But honestly with the news, Daddy’s Bad Day right after finding out and then my little guy breaking his arm (What The Weekend Held) Most people probably wouldn’t be thinking hey classes are starting in a few days I better try to sign up. Still didn’t keep me from feeling a little stupid for not thinking of it and a little excited to know I am finally going to do it. Still feel a little slow but probably from being so sleep deprived most the time.

 

So there is my ah ha moment for the day.