mentalrage

So it's been a while since I last ranted about things and let you know guys know the sounds that currently bouncing around inside my cranium. Work related dramarama first, apparently the "credit crunch" is starting to effect things at my delightful place of work with sales apparently down around 3% due to "a decrease in profile" as the company waffle puts it or in simple terms less people are spending money on shit that don't need. One of the fundamental problems of having a store located next to a shopping centre is the vast majority of custom comes from the patrons of said shopping centre. When people don't have as much spare capital to spend on useless consumer junk which is all that is sold in the aforementioned shopping centre then you start to have a problem. Apparently only something like 20% of our trade is from repeat customers the other 80% is from so called "day -trippers". So the management are obviously in a bit of a bind as they try to figure out how to get more customers in while prices keep going up and up. Their stratagem for this is apparently to be really nice to them, so let's have look at this approach a bit closer shall we. About 60% of shoppers only reason for shopping where they do is because it's the nearest store. So add to this equation the astronomical price of petrol and ask yourself would you really get in your car and travel an extra x amount of miles to that other supermarket just because they were nice to you?

I think you'll find the answer will be a big resounding no. I don't drive and I suspect I'm not the only one who doesn't drive so I shop at my local Tesco. Not because I like the place (it's too small), not because of the friendly staff (most of them are brain dead and ignorant) but simply because I can walk there. My friend spent 265 on petrol going to and from work in the last month. I find it rather laughable how they expect him and plenty more like him to spend more on petrol to go to a supermarket just for the pleasure of having people be nice to him. Who goes to the supermarket to talk to the staff? Anyone? You in the back, what was that? You just want to buy your shit and get the fuck out . Funnily enough that's exactly what I want to do too. If you think you don't want to talk to the staff unless you really have to, trust me when I say they have the exact same point of view. Now as part of our new "we need more customers so lets be nice and they'll spend more money on shit they don't need" plan ( That's not the official title). Everyone has got to have "customer focus training" which like any other sort of training where I work involves sitting in a room and being talked at for about 30 minutes, that's it. I've been told how to "close a transaction with a customer" and it has been pointed that it has to be "genuine interaction". So no matter how you're feeling, no matter whether you just caught your girlfriend blowing your best friend the other night or whether you're going to be evicted unless you sell your child's kidney on the black market you've got to be "genuine" but to avoid confusion this actually means "happy" any problems need to be "left at home". I can see this plan working really well, "if you don't think you can achieve this then it's time to ask yourself whether you really want a job in retail", Um, hello, nobody wants a job in retail trust me on that fact okay.

In other news I'm now most definitely not getting a place with my brother after being told he is now definitely getting a place with his Canadian girlfriend who will be visiting for an undisclosed amount of time later this year. I was a bit annoyed by this after expecting to move out for 18 months after him convincing me that getting a place together was a brilliant idea but I've got used to people being unreliable so what the hell. So as a result of that it looks like I'm stuck here for the forseeable future especially with the economy in the toilet and energy and food prices escalating constantly.

Some other news for you I might end up writing for an e-zine but nothing's concrete yet so more on that as and when and if it happens. Things with the girl in question are still as complicated and confusing as ever but I'm an expert at phonesex now so I'm not complaining,ha. I've currently got the week off so I'm getting some sleep for a change, more than my normal 5 hours a night anyway. I'm going to see The Dark Knight Friday hopefully, might be going to see Gary Numan (again) and I'm also going on a works night out which could be alright but I have a feeling will be awful. Until next time enjoy the pics folks.

(all animal pictures were taken by me in my garden or at Tropical World , Roundhay,Leeds,UK. Don't claim credit for my photo's or I'll hunt you down and hang you with your intestines m'kay.)




Tonight Matthew I'm going to be........



As seen from my bedroom window.



One of the many Wood Pigeons that frequent our garden.



Indoor waterfall.



It's 'round here somewhere I'm sure.



LAND HO!



Playing Dead.