Santa's personnel problems (Part 2)

On the plus side, some of the problems that Santa runs into are easier to deal with than others. In fact, some of them actually turn out to be non-issues, as it were --

Old technology

It doesn't always work out that Santa is able to find all the places he's going as easily and quickly as he'd like...

Mrs. Claus

As busy as Santa and the rest are during Christmas, and the days leading up to it, Mrs. Claus has her share of problems, too...

My cat is a perv...

Radar, the kitten I got as an emergency backup cat, has turned into some kind of pervert.

It seems that I can't make vertical use of the commode without her not only following me into the bathroom, but jumping up on the commode to watch as I take care of things; she particularly likes to watch the water swirl around when I flush.

Having an audience while I go about my business is one thing -- but I get nervous when she starts eyeing my dangly bits...

Santa's personnel problems (Part 1)

As previously mentioned, some of the crew up at Santa's Workshop have what might politely be called "issues".

Another problem that some of them experience is loneliness, which cropped up last year...

Out in the toolies

One of the things about Santa Claus' operations is that it's way the hell out in the toolies -- so far, in fact, that they don't even have a Starbucks.

As you might expect, living in that kind of isolation means that Santa and his staff are pretty much on their own outside of Christmas. That results in some of them developing their own little... foibles, as shown:

Safety

After an unfortunate incident last Christmas, Santa Claus has installed a number of safety features on his sleigh. Here's an illustration of why the first item was a seatbelt...

(un)Express Lane -- redux

Got an alleged response from the twerps at Albertsons.

I say "alleged" because it didn't respond directly to what I had to say, made no promises, and was about as generic and mealy-mouthed as it could be. To wit:

Thank you for contacting us regarding your latest shopping experience at your local Albertsons store. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We strive for continued customer satisfaction and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused you. We appreciate you taking the time to share your comments with us. Your comments have been sent to the Store Director. If you need further assistance please contact us by phone at 1-877-932-7948 or via email.

Sincerely,


XXXXXXXX

(the name has been redacted to protect the poor schmuck that had to send it out).

Dumb bastards -- don't they know that the only way they've got to fight Wal*Mars is by offering something 'Mars doesn't? Namely, customer service?

In the spirit of the Season

Wishing anyone that happens to wander by a Merry Kwanzmasukkah!

When is an Express lane not an Express lane?

When the cashier at the local Albertsons doesn't say anything when some inconsiderate, unobservant, ignorant git go through it with two full shopping carts of groceries -- totalling nearly $350.

I know this because it just happened to ME. When I got up to the checkout area with my half-full little basket of stuff, one lane had three people with full baskets; the next lane closed while I was still five or six feet away from it. The last open lane was the (HA!) "Express Lane" for 15 or fewer items -- where said git was industriously unloading her second basket. Oh, and as an added bonus attraction, the assistant manager of the store was puttering around in the immediate area, and completely failed to say anything to either the cashier OR the git.

When I finally got my turn to be checked out, the cashier seemed surprised that I was rather less than cheerful, happy, and friendly.

On my way out, I said something about what had happened to the assistant manager. The correct response, of course, would have been something along the line of "I'm sorry, sir. We'll speak to the cashiers about working on the Express lane"; what I got INSTEAD was a half-smile as she hemmed and hawed and tried to play it down.

After getting home and putting the groceries away, I went to the Albersons web site and left them some testy (but polite and not profane) feedback. Supposedly, I'll hear something back from them within 24 hours; if/when they actually respond, I'll update this entry.

From where I live, the next-nearest grocery facility is a (gag, retch) Wal*Mars. I wonder if I shouldn't do my shopping there for a while to make a point...