Tuesday, May 16, 2006

COSTCO

So, yesterday I began to work for Costco Wholesale. It was a 6.5 hour day, for which I was paid, to "orient" myself with the business, policies, and workplace. It was pretty easy money, to say the least. The "shift" started at 1:00, on a glorious gloriously sunny afternoon. We all went downstairs in a hotel to a chilled conference room. I think we should've been taught on the beach. Anyways, the next 5 hours were watching crappy 90's videos featuring the president and vice president of Costco, either teaching a class about our Code of Ethics or recanting a fictional nightmare about how Costco should not be run. Neither of which seemed particular important to my specific job, but required nonetheless. The rest of the time we signed various things saying that we would not be an ass and they can send our money to the bank account here.

We got free sandwhiches. They were alright, I guess.

The last hour and a half was a tour of the warehouse. We were shown the lunchroom, how to punch in and out for our shift and lunch hour, the various parts of the warehouse (majors, centers, foods, endcaps, etc), the tills, and how to enter/exit the building when it's closed. Which I'll be doing tonight.

None of this taught me how to do my job, which is to put stuff in people's carts. Apparently, it's pretty basic and I'll just pick it up. Alrighty then.

So anyways, in the middle of our tour, Costco got busy so we got thrown onto some tills packing groceries. It was pretty sweet. I kinda suck at it. One of the other guys (who was wearing the same shirt as me.. weird) came over and helped me out when I was slow or whatever. When the cashier I was helping got switched off, the other cashier started doing my job, thinking I was just a customer helping out or something. Heh. Awkward. Oh well.

At least it helped me figure out how to do what I'm supposed to do.

Today I get an 8 hour shift doing that, all day, pretty much I guess. I don't really know. I don't have my card to punch in and out, I don't know where to go to get it, and I don't know where anything is in the store. So ok. This'll be interesting.

I want to do well, I'm just not sure I'll be able to, yet, given the lack of training. I guess I'll just figure it out.

Let's rock this roast.

5 comments:

ChrisTopher said...

Rock it man, just rock it!!
Pwn those groceries.
Are you going to be full time?

alan.schram said...

I'm seasonal. They have different classifications there. Full-time, part-time, and seasonal. Full-time is 40 hours/week, Part is 25-40 (depending on the season), and seasonal is like, whatever they bloody well want to give you. Anywhere between 0 and 50. So, closer to August I'll be full time, but until then I'm probably going to average 30 hours/week. This week I have two 8 hour shifts, but next week I have 5, Mon-Fri 6 hour shifts..so.. we'll see. I'm going to be awesome so they'll give me all the shifts I want. And then some.

ChrisTopher said...

That's the attitude! I hope it works out well for you. being casual at the hospital is like that. I kind of don't like not knowing when I'll be working, there is a nice feeling in knowing when you work and how much...I've also gone through that with the Liquor Store. Definately got almost full time all summer though + Christmas.

ChrisTopher said...

I posted the picture post. Go look :D

ChrisTopher said...

So...are you too busy to post now?!?
C'mon!