The Damn I'm Old Thread - Putting Up With Being a Geezer

[SteveSly]

I'm always tempted to shop at Hobby Lobby, then eat at Chik-fil-A wearing my Cannibal Corpse t-shirt.

r.

Although I am not a fan of Hobby Lobby’s owner’s policies I have 2 friends who work for the company in one of their retail stores (they are married to each other). One friend fell from a ladder in their back warehouse earlier this year. He broke all of his ribs on his left side along with his clavicle and a punctured lung. He was in very bad shape in the hospital for several weeks. Hobby Lobby has been great in paying all of his medical bills and providing support through this ordeal. He has nothing bad to say about them, and this is a guy who has worked for some not-so-great companies over the years.

For retail jobs Hobby Lobby offers really good medical insurance including vision and dental, paid vacation, and other benefits that are not the norm for retail, so I have to give them some credit even though I am not a huge fan of some of their viewpoints on things.

[Dave (in MA)]

I forgot what I was going to post.

[ronmac]

Although I am not a fan of Hobby Lobby’s owner’s policies I have 2 friends who work for the company in one of their retail stores (they are married to each other). One friend fell from a ladder in their back warehouse earlier this year. He broke all of his ribs on his left side along with his clavicle and a punctured lung. He was in very bad shape in the hospital for several weeks. Hobby Lobby has been great in paying all of his medical bills and providing support through this ordeal.

Well, he did get hurt on their premises. They could very well have the best intentions. Or they could simply be following the advice of their attorneys. Or maybe both.

[SteveSly]

Well, he did get hurt on their premises. They could very well have the best intentions. Or they could simply be following the advice of their attorneys. Or maybe both.

True, but he had an accident at a company he previously worked for and had a very different experience. Yes, Hobby Lobby is covering their own asses for sure, but in this particular situation they have been very good all the way through it. Just the fact that they offer full benefits and vacation for a retail store is pretty unusual.

[progmatist]

Well, he did get hurt on their premises. They could very well have the best intentions. Or they could simply be following the advice of their attorneys. Or maybe both.

That would fall under the category of Workman's Comp. All companies MUST pay for on the job injuries through Workman's Comp insurance.

For retail jobs Hobby Lobby offers really good medical insurance including vision and dental, paid vacation, and other benefits that are not the norm for retail, so I have to give them some credit even though I am not a huge fan of some of their viewpoints on things.

A month and a half ago while shopping at Costco, some guy asked the manager on duty if they had any job openings. She said no. Funny how the companies who've always treated their employees well don't seem to be having any problems during our labor shortage.

[Lopez]

I've travelled to 44 of the 50 states, and have only ever seen a Culvers in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Roy Rogers almost went out of business, than the whole Roy Rogers system was purchased by a family in the Maryland town, where I live. (The Plamondins, in Frederick, MD.) So RR still has a reduced regional presence in MD, VA, PA, and a few other locations and they're hoping to expand again.

https://www.royrogersrestaurants.com/locations

When I first started college in 1971 outside of Philly, there were two Roy Rogers near school. One was Roy Rogers Jr., which was a fast-food outlet; the other, just plain "Roy Rogers" was a sit-down type of restaurant with a wait staff. If I remember correctly, both disappeared before I graduated in '75.

[ronmac]

That would fall under the category of Workman's Comp. All companies MUST pay for on the job injuries through Workman's Comp insurance.

Right, but, I'm referring to a lawsuit.

[markwoll]

[JKL2000]

^ Heh-heh...

[Gruno]

Any thread that includes Paulie Walnuts is my kinda thread.

[Camelogue]

W

I'll take a sub from DiBella's any day of the week over any fast food.

d

Mmm had one yesterday and I got my 92 year old mother one too. She loved it

[Plasmatopia]

True, but he had an accident at a company he previously worked for and had a very different experience. Yes, Hobby Lobby is covering their own asses for sure, but in this particular situation they have been very good all the way through it. Just the fact that they offer full benefits and vacation for a retail store is pretty unusual.

I got an electrical shock at the last company I worked for (over 20 years ago) due to something not being wired correctly at a transformer outside the building. I wasn't really injured, but I recognized an unsafe situation and went around the building looking at the equipment that was similar to what I was using at the time of the shock and found they all had the same issue. It was a wonder no one else had been electrocuted. The next building over had different wiring, so the same equipment there was safe. When I pointed this out they got one of the big managers and dragged me into a room and were basically threatening me and blaming the issue on me and my unsafe behavior, lol. I think they were worried I was going to sue them or something. Assholes.

[ronmac]

I got an electrical shock at the last company I worked for (over 20 years ago) due to something not being wired correctly at a transformer outside the building. I wasn't really injured, but I recognized an unsafe situation and went around the building looking at the equipment that was similar to what I was using at the time of the shock and found they all had the same issue. It was a wonder no one else had been electrocuted. The next building over had different wiring, so the same equipment there was safe. When I pointed this out they got one of the big managers and dragged me into a room and were basically threatening me and blaming the issue on me and my unsafe behavior, lol. I think they were worried I was going to sue them or something. Assholes.

That's what you get for doing them a favor. American capitalism.

[Plasmatopia]

That's what you get for doing them a favor. American capitalism.

Pretty much. It's a weird thought process. It would have taken very little expense to solve the problem, but their first instinct was to attack me.

Where I work now we have OSHA VPP Star status. We're proactive about safety, we can submit suggestions for making things safer, there are no questions asked when money needs to be spent on safety equipment.

[SteveSly]

I got an electrical shock at the last company I worked for (over 20 years ago) due to something not being wired correctly at a transformer outside the building. I wasn't really injured, but I recognized an unsafe situation and went around the building looking at the equipment that was similar to what I was using at the time of the shock and found they all had the same issue. It was a wonder no one else had been electrocuted. The next building over had different wiring, so the same equipment there was safe. When I pointed this out they got one of the big managers and dragged me into a room and were basically threatening me and blaming the issue on me and my unsafe behavior, lol. I think they were worried I was going to sue them or something. Assholes.

Every situation is different. At the Pfizer plant where I worked, safety was taken very seriously. As a manager myself, if any employee brought up a safety concern we were obligated to investigate it. If there were legit safety concerns the company would not hesitate to spend money to rectify the situation. Considering the plant had around 2000 employees we have a very good safety record. The last thing I wanted was to get one of my crew hurt on my watch. We did have the occasional cut and scrape, but thankfully never anything serious in all the years I was in management.

[ronmac]

^^ See, a business doesn't need to be driven 100% by their wallets.

[spellbound]

You remember the saying, "The customer is always right?" Not any more. The safety issues you describe are similar to how I've been treated in a few (not all) restaurants (pre-pandemic) and other businesses. If they screw up your order, and you point it out to them, they will send a manager out from his lair to chastise you as though it were your fault. I am clear in my ordering and always polite and friendly to the staff. How the heck is it my fault? I will listen to the manager, but if he is rude or unreasonable, I vote with my feet. There's other places I can take my business.

Something installed in my home needed repair, so I called the company that had made and installed it (before we moved here). The man who answered their phone said they don't service or repair their products. Their website said opposite. I called later to see if I could reach someone else, but the same guy, with the same attitude, answered the phone. Guess they don't want my business. I wonder how they have survived all these years on first time sales only.

Strange days have found us.

It didn't used to be this way.

[SteveSly]

You remember the saying, "The customer is always right?" Not any more. The safety issues you describe are similar to how I've been treated in a few (not all) restaurants (pre-pandemic) and other businesses. If they screw up your order, and you point it out to them, they will send a manager out from his lair to chastise you as though it were your fault. I am clear in my ordering and always polite and friendly to the staff. How the heck is it my fault? I will listen to the manager, but if he is rude or unreasonable, I vote with my feet. There's other places I can take my business.

Something installed in my home needed repair, so I called the company that had made and installed it (before we moved here). The man who answered their phone said they don't service or repair their products. Their website said opposite. I called later to see if I could reach someone else, but the same guy, with the same attitude, answered the phone. Guess they don't want my business. I wonder how they have survived all these years on first time sales only.

Strange days have found us.

It didn't used to be this way.

Back before my pharma career I spend some time as an assistant restaurant manager. Back then the customer was mostly right and we treated them as such. Of course there were individual incidents where customers were complete assholes, and there are always scam artists out there who excel at trying to get free food, but for the most part we tried to treat every customer with respect if they had a complaint.

[Plasmatopia]

^^ See, a business doesn't need to be driven 100% by their wallets.

Well you could argue that being proactive about safety saves in the long run since it can protect from the more egregious accidents. But who really cares about the future when there's money to be made, right?

[progmatist]

You remember the saying, "The customer is always right?" Not any more. The safety issues you describe are similar to how I've been treated in a few (not all) restaurants (pre-pandemic) and other businesses. If they screw up your order, and you point it out to them, they will send a manager out from his lair to chastise you as though it were your fault. I am clear in my ordering and always polite and friendly to the staff. How the heck is it my fault? I will listen to the manager, but if he is rude or unreasonable, I vote with my feet. There's other places I can take my business.

Something installed in my home needed repair, so I called the company that had made and installed it (before we moved here). The man who answered their phone said they don't service or repair their products. Their website said opposite. I called later to see if I could reach someone else, but the same guy, with the same attitude, answered the phone. Guess they don't want my business. I wonder how they have survived all these years on first time sales only.

Strange days have found us.

It didn't used to be this way.

I don't know about your state, but here in AZ, one simply has to call the Registrar of Contractors. A company contacted by the RoC will suddenly feel a fire beneath them to correct the situation, or lose their contractor's license.

[ronmac]

The customer is not always right. I always found the notion to be silly and needlessly subservient.

In my industry (marketing communications), if the customer was always right, they wouldn't need us. It's okay to tell them no, if they are wrong. But, of course, it must be done diplomatically and should be followed up with some education and a solution. And, truth be told, my clients usually know their business better than I ever will. But, no, they are not always right.

[Plasmatopia]

Every situation is different. At the Pfizer plant where I worked, safety was taken very seriously. As a manager myself, if any employee brought up a safety concern we were obligated to investigate it. If there were legit safety concerns the company would not hesitate to spend money to rectify the situation. Considering the plant had around 2000 employees we have a very good safety record. The last thing I wanted was to get one of my crew hurt on my watch. We did have the occasional cut and scrape, but thankfully never anything serious in all the years I was in management.

Definitely every place is different. I remember many years ago being at one of our business partners out in Wichita and watching a couple guys drive a golf cart over four 2/0 cables that were carrying 480 volts three-phase power from a 200A switch box like it was just a regular occurrence, lol.

[spellbound]

I don't know about your state, but here in AZ, one simply has to call the Registrar of Contractors. A company contacted by the RoC will suddenly feel a fire beneath them to correct the situation, or lose their contractor's license.

I don't think we have that here, but thanks.

[Jerjo]

I just blew out the driveway again. It occurs to me that even though I walked just under a mile on the step counter, the exertion of pushing a 250 lb snow blower for 30 minutes in single digit temps HAS to be the equivalent of doing two miles on the treadmill. Anyway, that's what my heart rate tells me.

[Duncan Glenday]

I just blew out the driveway again. It occurs to me that even though I walked just under a mile on the step counter, the exertion of pushing a 250 lb snow blower for 30 minutes in single digit temps HAS to be the equivalent of doing two miles on the treadmill. Anyway, that's what my heart rate tells me.

We're still waiting for that mandatory exercise here in the mid-Atlantic.

We've had a pretty mild winter so far, and I haven't even thought about gassing-up the snow blower yet.