This is where it gets kinda confusing.and even somewhat comical in a depressing sort of way,
let's just say I began to lose a lot of faith in quite a few people. some people just do NOT grasp the concept that "working" purely for the sake of "working" is counterproductive if you CANNOT meet your daily expenses,
and that "getting a job" under the circumstances is NOT as simple as asking for one, there must be a job, they must want YOU, and no matter what you anyone tells you, Supermarkets, KMART, Target, Macy;s Walmart, Mcdonalds etc are NOT always hiring. and sorry, they are not lining up to hire those over 40, with a dicey employment background. in many cases you cannot even see a person, often it goes more like this, you are directed to an "online application". you are than sent through a 40 something minute "screening process". than you are told via email, "Thank You for your interest, we will contact you, if and when we have something that meets our needs that matches you". I tried them ALL. of course by this time many began to doubt my efforts,and quite a few decided I was a "lost cause".and let's be honest, none of these jobs was going to meet my financial needs by any stretch of the imagination. I tried Job Fairs, monster, craigslist, all the while digging a deeper and deeper grave with credit cards and living off my "loan". I even returned to the scene of a job I left behind decades ago. for 3 days, don't ask. I prefer to pretend it never happened, and what DID happen was pretty damn strange and I never understood it.. it was one of 2 "incidents" that I was hired and "let go" in under a week with little explanation. it also was one of the most depressing years of my life, the ONLY bright spot during this time was the return of my favorite radio host and her daily podcasts. (that is a post unto itself, maybe more than one, and maybe the next post or 2).
Next up in short order was "Bob's Discount Furniture". it had possibilities. I did not know how many at the time, I know better now. but at the end of the day, I was "not what they were looking for", I was let go shortly after they opened a big new store. I am not convinced I was ever meant to be there longer, the store was flooded with too many salespeople from day 1, less than 3 weeks. and I was sent packing. it was a bad "mix". I was not the "rah rah type",. (I was also "ill".having recently been told I was type 2 diabetic,and I worked myself into an exhausted state during the opening and it probably showed). and last but not least, I took ONE last shot at furniture and got into Ashley Furniture, 10x more salespeople than Lazy Boy with about the same number of customers. after a massive error in my paycheck, and a 13 hour day after which I sold nothing but a 49.00 ceramic CHICKEN, ( that at least has provided me with an excellent "in joke" among a few friends). I entered into a "conversation" with management that went sort of like "you cant fire me I quit, you cannot quit your fired". "are you sure YOU are letting ME go"? "yes" "Thank You I now qualify for unemployment" (not fired for cause, enough time amassed in the last year and a half) which also paid more than I was making at Ashley. (FYI, they had 25 people already, were about to hire 10 more, and they NEVER stop looking for help for some odd reason. they advertise daily on craigslist as often as today. cant seem to keep people much? wonder why that is),
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
January, 2008. I should have known better,after PC.
I survived my heart attack, (obviously,) and "PC Richard's" became a name I never wanted to hear again. I still had a few dollars, (but a lot less than before and it was dropping like a rock by now).
before Craigslist became known primarily as a place for serial killers looking for hookers, it also was known as a place to find jobs.( it may still be used for that, but it has not done ME a damn bit of good in years despite nearly daily visits).
I figured this was a good place to begin. I now had no "connections" left any place at all.
I very quickly found a position that sounded VERY promising in Scarsdale/Hartsdale with Lazy Boy Furniture,
and learned a very old lesson. "If it sounds too good to be true, run like Hell", I should have known better after PC Richards. but I again needed the money, needed a job, and in spite of some misgivings about "selling on commission" again plus selling furniture, which I never found appealing in ANY way, I signed on and shortly began to suffer "Deja Vu". no matter HOW much I sold, it was NEVER enough to generate commission. the manager was bi-polar and NASTY, one minute he was friendly and nice, the next, he was rude, dismissive, never available to assist you, he hid in his office and avoided all contact with customers, and on and on. than it took on a whole other dimension, they kept hiring more and more people, in a store that did not have enough customers for 3 salespeople at one point we had 8!! and I was competing for sales with an Assistant Mgr, (who also was on commission, and often made little more than I did, and who never stopped saying how soon he wanted out of the Titanic). I was hired at ONE rate of pay. it dropped 2x in 6 months. I never made a penny of commission, at the end of 6 months I had made 10,700.00 working 40 hours a week.
this was not a job, it was a money pit. it was "Anti-Income". I stayed as long as I could. I truly tried like Hell,
but the writing was on the wall. It was not going to improve, my saving were almost gone, I had begun using what are known as "balance transfers" on my credit cards to pay bills and rent, I spent 6 months believing that it would turn around, that maybe there was some good left there. the other salespeople were mostly attractive females. they were a fun bunch, none of them were making money either, but it did not seem to matter much to them. I had bills that never went away..Than I got another "gift". Bank of America pre-approved me for a 15k "loan". ( I still had great credit remember? I paid every bill on time in full. I never saw this coming, nor did I seek it), I took the money, and said "see ya" to Lazy Boy. I knew I could exist a while on that. I had applied for a few jobs while employed at Lazy Boy. I was sure one would call me. I was wrong. but at least I was not SPENDING more than I was making just to go to work again..I had savings again, even if they belonged to the Bank of America.it was the start of the long downward spiral. but through all the madness and bad decisions that followed, I never gave up hope that there was another door waiting to open, and that all I needed was the "right" fit. June of 08. was the last "consistent" employment I have had. I held 2 jobs since that time. both lasted under 5 weeks. one I left, one I was asked to leave. I will post about both next, and following that I want to "change gears" a bit and talk about some other things.
before Craigslist became known primarily as a place for serial killers looking for hookers, it also was known as a place to find jobs.( it may still be used for that, but it has not done ME a damn bit of good in years despite nearly daily visits).
I figured this was a good place to begin. I now had no "connections" left any place at all.
I very quickly found a position that sounded VERY promising in Scarsdale/Hartsdale with Lazy Boy Furniture,
and learned a very old lesson. "If it sounds too good to be true, run like Hell", I should have known better after PC Richards. but I again needed the money, needed a job, and in spite of some misgivings about "selling on commission" again plus selling furniture, which I never found appealing in ANY way, I signed on and shortly began to suffer "Deja Vu". no matter HOW much I sold, it was NEVER enough to generate commission. the manager was bi-polar and NASTY, one minute he was friendly and nice, the next, he was rude, dismissive, never available to assist you, he hid in his office and avoided all contact with customers, and on and on. than it took on a whole other dimension, they kept hiring more and more people, in a store that did not have enough customers for 3 salespeople at one point we had 8!! and I was competing for sales with an Assistant Mgr, (who also was on commission, and often made little more than I did, and who never stopped saying how soon he wanted out of the Titanic). I was hired at ONE rate of pay. it dropped 2x in 6 months. I never made a penny of commission, at the end of 6 months I had made 10,700.00 working 40 hours a week.
this was not a job, it was a money pit. it was "Anti-Income". I stayed as long as I could. I truly tried like Hell,
but the writing was on the wall. It was not going to improve, my saving were almost gone, I had begun using what are known as "balance transfers" on my credit cards to pay bills and rent, I spent 6 months believing that it would turn around, that maybe there was some good left there. the other salespeople were mostly attractive females. they were a fun bunch, none of them were making money either, but it did not seem to matter much to them. I had bills that never went away..Than I got another "gift". Bank of America pre-approved me for a 15k "loan". ( I still had great credit remember? I paid every bill on time in full. I never saw this coming, nor did I seek it), I took the money, and said "see ya" to Lazy Boy. I knew I could exist a while on that. I had applied for a few jobs while employed at Lazy Boy. I was sure one would call me. I was wrong. but at least I was not SPENDING more than I was making just to go to work again..I had savings again, even if they belonged to the Bank of America.it was the start of the long downward spiral. but through all the madness and bad decisions that followed, I never gave up hope that there was another door waiting to open, and that all I needed was the "right" fit. June of 08. was the last "consistent" employment I have had. I held 2 jobs since that time. both lasted under 5 weeks. one I left, one I was asked to leave. I will post about both next, and following that I want to "change gears" a bit and talk about some other things.
What Came Next,?
well, nothing that was good, and nothing I am terribly proud of. A short time following the demise of Rockaway Bedding, and the denial of my unemployment by the State of NY, I had to make the first of many "bad choices.".Faced with no income, a rent of 950.00 a month,a reasonable (at one time) amount of debt, and an ever shrinking pool of employment options, I did what I had to. I closed my 401k and had around 40,000.00 deposited into my checking account, I instantly lost almost 8000.00 due to penalty for early withdrawl.(and was taxed again for another 7g's at the end of the year). I paid off every card to 0.00, and spent a lot of time at home, online looking for the "right" job rather than ANY job at all. time passed quickly,I had sold electronics in the past and was rather comfortable and skilled at that. in spite of never really enjoying it, so I dialed up another "face from the past". ( and BOY do I have stories about this guy coming up later). and got myself hired by PC Richards, it was September. just in time for Christmas Season! , this proved to be a HUGE mistake, I was beyond miserable. in spite of being on the Upper East Side an area I had worked in for many years and knew well.. the Treatment I recieved by this company was akin to torture. the compensation was akin to slave wages. how anybody is able to work there and NOT require at a minimum Food Stamps escapes me. I was treated like fool, spoken "down" to by so-called managers and sent (at my OWN expense mind you) on trips to Long Island for "meetings" that were pointless more than once, ( Heaven forbid I should actually be in the store selling! as I worked on commission that I never recieved). every night I left that place I swore I might not return, One night in early Nov, I was right. the stress,( and years of a less than healthy diet) sent me to the hospital. I had a heart attack. and that was the end of that. I was fired in under 90 days (at JUST before the point that this wonderful Co, that paid garbage to begin with, would have had to offer me Medical Benefits among other things). I was relived, not sad.I was spending more than I made at this point just to go to work every morning. there had to something better out there, and I was going to find it. I still had a lot of money. No rush, right? this was just a minor set back. little did I dream how much more difficult and bizzare things would get. PC may have been the worst place I ever worked hands down, but there were at least 2 others that sure as Hell gave them some serious competition for the Title..
Monday, May 30, 2011
"Burn Notice"
"When your burned you have nothing,no cash,no credit, no job history, your stuck in whatever city,you rely on anyone who's still talking to you, you do whatever work comes your way"-Michael Westin. from the opening of the USA Network Spy Drama "Burn Notice".
When your a spy.. OK, when you are a suddenly unemployed, still somewhat shell shocked manager for Sleepy's in the NY area, you "do whatever work comes your way". and the first and fastest way of "getting things back on track, was taking my butt to the "competition". problem was by 2007, my ex-employers had pretty much eaten every alternative to shopping with them alive,. and once you have been "let go" by them the rest of the Retail World see you as "damaged goods", a "problem child", who MUST have done something heinous and possibly Illegal, to be terminated from such a job. It is true that an ex cannot TELL them what you did, that is illegal. What is NOT and has been used forever is the question "would you rehire this party"?
this is how they cover each others ass, and insure "Bad People" do not slip in. Of course LOGIC would dictate that if you would rehire someone they probably would not have been fired in the first place.
I got lucky. I knew someone who had become very friendly with an employee at "Rockaway Bedding". The last company that existed in the model of Sleepy's. I quickly was hired no problemo! the pay was better than average if not equal to what I was making, I co-managed 3 locations, 125th in Harlem,.East 86th and 2nd, and sometimes East 57th. and I thought all was going to be just fine. the people were "OK", the pay was "OK". they were very nice to me, very helpful., and happy to have me, it took a little getting used to, but they even carried a line of mattresses I LOVED selling that Sleepys had dropped. what a shame that after 6 weeks they filed bankruptcy papers, and shut every location in Manhattan. (less than 6 months later the remaining locations were bought up by ..you guessed it,my ex's). on my last day of work, I made over 600.00 in commission, was allowed to leave early if I wanted to, (I did), and told "it was a pleasure having you with us, I am so sorry we have to do this to you, and call me if you need anything at al", by the Distrct Mgr.
NOW I was starting to worry. there were no other places like Sleepy's in New York.
but I was still OK financially, I had savings and Unemployment would be enough, right? at least for a while.
surprise! NY state denied my claim. (fired for a violation company policy, = NO unemployment for YOU).
and Sleepy's fought the claim. and won.
When your a spy.. OK, when you are a suddenly unemployed, still somewhat shell shocked manager for Sleepy's in the NY area, you "do whatever work comes your way". and the first and fastest way of "getting things back on track, was taking my butt to the "competition". problem was by 2007, my ex-employers had pretty much eaten every alternative to shopping with them alive,. and once you have been "let go" by them the rest of the Retail World see you as "damaged goods", a "problem child", who MUST have done something heinous and possibly Illegal, to be terminated from such a job. It is true that an ex cannot TELL them what you did, that is illegal. What is NOT and has been used forever is the question "would you rehire this party"?
this is how they cover each others ass, and insure "Bad People" do not slip in. Of course LOGIC would dictate that if you would rehire someone they probably would not have been fired in the first place.
I got lucky. I knew someone who had become very friendly with an employee at "Rockaway Bedding". The last company that existed in the model of Sleepy's. I quickly was hired no problemo! the pay was better than average if not equal to what I was making, I co-managed 3 locations, 125th in Harlem,.East 86th and 2nd, and sometimes East 57th. and I thought all was going to be just fine. the people were "OK", the pay was "OK". they were very nice to me, very helpful., and happy to have me, it took a little getting used to, but they even carried a line of mattresses I LOVED selling that Sleepys had dropped. what a shame that after 6 weeks they filed bankruptcy papers, and shut every location in Manhattan. (less than 6 months later the remaining locations were bought up by ..you guessed it,my ex's). on my last day of work, I made over 600.00 in commission, was allowed to leave early if I wanted to, (I did), and told "it was a pleasure having you with us, I am so sorry we have to do this to you, and call me if you need anything at al", by the Distrct Mgr.
NOW I was starting to worry. there were no other places like Sleepy's in New York.
but I was still OK financially, I had savings and Unemployment would be enough, right? at least for a while.
surprise! NY state denied my claim. (fired for a violation company policy, = NO unemployment for YOU).
and Sleepy's fought the claim. and won.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
First Post, Where do I begin?
Who is this guy and how did he get here?. well I am a 46 year old caucasian male, who has discovered late in life that he has almost nothing left. and it ALL began on March 19th, 2007. well it really began in Aug of 1998.but first a little history lesson. For most of my adult life, I was something of a "lost soul". I had a pretty messed up childhood, and have always been something of a "loner". I have always had terrible luck with women, and issues with "confidence" and "finding my place in the World". ( there will be plenty of details on this stuff to follow). I drifted from one job to the next. nothing ever lasted long term. the longest one lasted nearly 2 years. In Aug of 98, things FINALLY changed for the better in ways I never expected. an old friend from High School (actually Jr HS), came back into my life and helped me in a way I NEVER dreamed possible. I was hired by a MAJOR NY retailer and my whole world changed. in under 2 years I went from 0 to making over 65k. I had savings, for the 1st time in my LIFE. I had credit!, I moved out of the hellish, windowless "no pets allowed" basement I had been trapped in for 11 years and INTO a bright, sunny, air conditioned UPSCALE building that had a TERRACE,! I adopted 2 cats that I still have today, and the future seemed finally to be brighter. I hit the "jackpot"! and I could not have been happier! I finally found not only a REAL job with a paycheck to match, I found the confidence that had eluded me for 30 years. and I EVEN found some friends. I worked harder and longer than I had ever worked in my life. over 50 hours a week sometimes. nothing was going to stop me. I made my share of mistakes, (nobody is perfect), I was often the king of "bending the rules". and I have a big mouth, and a very sarcastic sense of humor. I even got fired once for 3 days. but in the end I always seemed to "rise like the Phoenix" and come back somewhat humbled and always willing to "suck it up". and move on. and for the 1st time in my life I woke up on day and had almost perfect credit, a 401k, and was celebrating 5 years at the place that I really, truly believed was going to last. "for the rest of your life", so where did ir all go so terribly wrong? that will be my next entry. but on March 19th 2007 I left work as an Employee for the very last time. 2 days later, in the Store I loved above all other locations I had worked in for over 8 years, I was terminated around 9AM. and the nightmare began. and slowly, EVERY trace of who I had become was ripped away as if it had never happened.and 4 years later I am back at less than Zero.
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