How to start,two things,the emptiness ,sadness, i felt when doing the floor at Dodges, over the fact that i will not be doing the floors for Express Lane no more,and Reeds statement he could call me out on a lot of things ,with the exception of my love for the Express Lane family.
ohhhh, i can tell this is gonna be a long one, but i have already started and have been putting it off for awhile so might as well get it done.On Thursday,ihad talked to Holly who informed me Reed was upset about all the strips being done.Me, being me , thought that Reid felt i took advantage of the situation,as Mark told him he only authorized some strips.In order to clear my name i went to the office and waited a couple of hours for Reed to come out so i could explain it to him.He heard me out and then told me there was never any question about me, and that they,Express Lane never had any doubts about me.It made me feel a lot better, we said goodbye and i left to cash my final check.
I have always had a problem with speaking my mind, and at the same time not always being swift enough in thought to actually convey the thought properly.I say something then ten minutes later which i had said it better, or phrased it differently, or not said anything at all,hehehehe. Oh well, from these things life becomes what it is, we live with it, i guess.While Reed and i were our discussion at the end i brought up a subject that maybe i should not have ,it was all good till he made a simple question,"and you"..to which i really had no answer ,except to state that honestly ,even though i dream the dream, thought due to my being a vendor i would not be included.As i told him i am just a vendor and if there is one thing i have learned in the last couple of years that was my lesson.Oh,Oh here i go again, one thought leads to another,and, i want to start off on another tangent, but will wait to go into that, hopefully.New paragraph hehehe.
Myself,my dream was to build a company, similar to my old cleaning company,Suburban Contract Cleaning,here the owner built up a successful business, did well for himself and some of the employees bought it from him, when he was ready to get out.He had taken a small business, hired people,taught them how to become successful, and shared it with them in order for them to create their own legacy.Which has gone very well, i guess i failed in that aspect ,though i still have time to change it,but, i have definitely created opportunities for people others would not take a chance on and thus enrichened their lives, by giving them the chance to run with the ball.Very, very few disappointment's there, for which i thank them.Looking back,i realize that most people, when given encouragement, and shown trust will, do whats right, not all, but most. In the entire time ,i only had to fire 1 person,sometimes they deserved to be fired but if you think about the fact we are all human, make mistakes ourselves,be a little forgiving, most do not make the same mistake twice. Ok,back to the meat and potatoes, I sidetrack so well,hehehe.
In todays world,when a company sells out pr changes hands,there is often a big story if the owners sell back to the employees or reward them with a monetary bonus, usually the higher ups in a company have themselves covered with severance packages or such. However every once in awhile we hear stories of companies that also reward the everyday worker who has been with the company for an extended period of time, or contributed to the general welfare of the company.Here we go now,Express Lane has always been good to its employees,flat out, no b.s.,I remember commenting to Jim Lewis one time that if people did not screw up at work, they would always have a job. I meant this, because the Lewis family actually cares about the people that work for them and they work with the employees not ride over them,if you had a problem someone would listen, if they could help they would.This tradition was started by Mr. Jimmy Lewis and was carried on by his sons, who all had to work their way up, no gimmes here.One of the results of this of this well run operation,is you end up with employees who, quite frankly, dont which to go to work else where, and are content knowing they will finish out their days working for this same company.I know, in todays world it may seem unrealistic,with companies going this way, that way, and no safe havens anywhere,but it does happen, and used to a lot more. It is called COMPANY LOYALTY, the thing companies are always screaming for and forgot that you have to give to get.So on we go, the Lewis family has been in the convience business for awhile, they are all getting older,the economy is down, and then with the new tax rates coming into effect have decided to get out of the market and sell the company. I can not say as i blame them,at first no one could figure out what was going on, just that changes were being implemented that did not seem in character for the Lewis familys mode of operation in their stores. Employees,vendors, including myself, had no idea what was up and fears ran of the company going into bankruptcy to being sold, were running rampant, Some, no if or buts about it jumped ship, the rest stayed. through these turbulent times.I love people, and people in return trust me, some thinking i have a closer tie to the office then i do, confide in me hoping it will get to those above.Others talk to me due to the years we have worked together, at any rate I learn a lot.Employees feelings were varied over a number of things, ranging from concern over the Lewis family,to fear over what would happen to them now.Employees who had not been with the company for long,seemed to think it was just another thing,while the ones who had been with the company for a long period of time, or were older were on the edge or just plain out scared. Talking to an employee who had been with the company for years,who had tried to find employment elsewhere, he described the feeling of inadequacy he felt through all the rejections he had been submitted to.Which quite honestly made me think about my situation a lot, but more on that later.Fear, had infected the lifestream of Express Lane,where optimism used to be prevalent.Employees, who 2 months ago were simply trying to get more hours for Christmas,now worried that they would be out in the cold on Christmas day, jobless or working with less hours, where they were worried over having enough money to buy that extra gift,they were now in fear of being able to pay the electric bill to keep the heat on.One thing the Lewis family did that was thoughtful of them was to keep the paychecks on a weekly basis until after the holidays, another thing i heard employees being grateful for was the early Christmas party so they could get their bonuses. Life, the importance of that 100.00 bonus, the difference it makes in so many lives can scarcely be measured,but it is truly treasured, not only for the recognition it bestows,but in trying to catch up on a bill,helping out a family member, or buying that extra gift for the unexpected child or grandchild this year.When another company buys one out,especially a family run business, it is the ones who cared that worry, What will happen now, willl my loyalty to the previous owners be an asset or liability, who will be willing to hire me ,what ,what what, overcomes their thoughts, people who have performed their jobs for years with no problem, find themselves making errors out of sheer nervousness. transition, for some is an easy thing especially those new to the job,however for those who have been accustomed to doing it the Express Lane way, now fear runs dormant that their ability to adapt will be insufficient.I could go on,but to sum it up briefly, what happens is that the people, whose loyalty and belief in Express Lane, could very well find these things will now cost them their job, with the new company.
ITS JUST BUSINESS, i personally detest that statement,it is such a blanket for some, where it covers the harsh reality of truth. Express Lane, very seldom used that expression,at least with me, and in discussions with them about various things always seemed to found their idealism on a nobler plane, which i would describe as simply, giving a damn..Ok,now that was the potatoes,time for the meat.
Sorry,the wife and were arguing over our lack of Christmas,which is kinda pisssing me off with the grand kids here.I will say this though,i am mad at myself,not Express Lane for i should have done some better planning financially and that quite simply is my bad,besides i do have a little time left,hehe. Positive thinking!!!
Express Lane has always,and i mean always shown they care for those who work for them. Personally, i hope they get filthy rich off this deal, they have worked hard, been good to those that worked with them, and have to my knowledge always acted as regulars, even though well off financially.Now this all is dependent on how good a deal they made for themselves, because things are not always what they seem and they may not be as well off as we would think, however. If Express Lane did well, it would not be amiss for them to share in this with employees who have been with them for a period of time, a minimum of 5 years at any rate.Oh and by the way these are my thoughts alone, simply put. I will be the first to state i have no idea how much,what to be base anything on,etc. I have a few basic reasons for wishing this, one, it does teach others there is a reward for loyalty, two,we are all interdependent on one another, Express Lanes success is partially based its employees, not taking anything away from the owners,and lastly,to help quell the nervousness and fears of its former loyal employees. When i was out stripping the stores, one of the reasons i personally felt bad was seeing, and hearing some of the hopelessness in people, how they would try to be upbeat and then admit their fear of having to depend on a company to whom they were nothing more then a number or position. I can relate because in todays world, it dosent matter with a corporation how good your work is, it is now ,simply,knowledge of someone in corporate,cost,or what can you do for me. it appears as if corporations have becoming mechanical machines interested in only projecting better results for the upcoming quarter.Hell, i have seen shoddy work,which a corporation would rather pay for then to take the time out to find better work at a lesser price because it is just easier to do so.That is sad. So that is the meat to my conversation with Reed,now for the dessert,he does not pull any punches that one,and he had me good,hehehehe.
And you,he asked. Not fair,hehehe. Ok, truth,of course i wish that i would be included,hell I dream, fantasize, have always done my best for Express Lane. Recognition of this sort would rock my world, make it all seem like there are some who believe in rewarding those who have given their best.Honestly,though,oh i so hate having to be honest here,they,Express Lane have already given me a lot. One, i am a vendor,not an employee, however they have always and i mean always treated me as a person. Two, they have always paid me for my services. Three,they took me in and me feel as if my contribution was important. Four, even though not a blood relative they have always been kind enough to listen to my problems,shown a sincere care for me and damn it made me feel good,a member of the Express Lane family.So, yes , it would be nice, but actually i was more concerned about the people who have become dependent on the Express Lane we all know and love. When all this began occurring 3 or 4 months ago,i wont admit i was upset,unkowingly to Express Lane owners,I had been asked to just do the Express Lane stores,i thought about it, was tired of rejection by other companies and proceeded to just do their stores, i do have a couple of stores i do, i also lost a couple when they found out i was doing some Express Lanes at no charge.My big mouth,i will never learn. Oh well, if they had been as good to me as Express Lane maybe i would have done the same for them, at any rate,the reason i stopped doing the stores or additional stores at no cost was quite simply,no gas money. Sorry,had to take a break,me and the two little ones made up some brownies,full of walnuts and andes mints,eat your heart out,but what a mess,hehehe,brownie mix everywhere,hehehe.Ok,where was I,ok,caught my train of thought.My bills come to about 1800 a montyh doing 19 stores plus the Dodges,meant i was going in the hole .Now i have no credit cards,bank accounts,or loans, so i truly live week to week. iI know,it is all my bad ,ok,anyways trying to be quick so i can play with the little ones, I did get a couple of side jobs, borrowed some money and finally confronted Mark about the extra work ,he had promised me previously.He gave me a scrub to do,authorized the strips,and due to that i have almost caught up on all my bills.Some people, including exemployees state i made a mistake in handling the Express Lane account ,treating them as family.They dont know how Reed brought me my check because i could not make it to the office,how Jim Lewis invited me over to shoot pool, or play the guitar,how someone always listened to me, how concerned the office workers were when i came in freezing from no heat in my van after finishing work to drop off my invoices, so the answer to the question is , yes, but irregardless either way, i have already recieved more then most vendors ever will. A home away from home.Thatsssssssssssssss all folks brownies are done,cooling now and grandkids are making me smile,enjoy your day,love,me.
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