Wednesday, July 29, 2009

And The Question Is...

Will she still have a job?

That appears to be the most frequently asked question after I shared the Weight Watchers story from last Saturday. The Boss wondered. My older brother was shocked when I related the comments of the counselor who enthusiastically celebrated my lack of success at losing weight last week.

“That’s egregious!” he exclaimed. And he would know. My brother knows egregious when he sees it.

I love the synonyms for “egregious,” including “preposterous” (a word that has to be spoken with a British accent or it simply doesn’t work), “rank,” “scandalous,” and “rabid.”

“She’s rabid, I tell you, and something must be done!”

I suppose that it wouldn’t be uncommon for someone to lose their job after I raised my voice in complaint. It’s not that I try to get people fired, but I seem to have a knack for exposing an employee’s less desirable qualities. For instance, I can get an auto sales general manager screaming at me in less than five minutes without even trying hard. It’s happened so many times I’ve lost count. The most pleasant conversations fall apart at an alarming speed after I calmly and politely utter one simple word, “No.” No, I won’t give you a post-dated check. No, I won’t pay a $95 paperwork processing fee. No, (in response to a spittle-enhanced exclamation of, “Are you kidding me?!”) I really did not bring my checkbook with me when I came to test drive the van. I’m convinced that car sales general managers are guys who score 110% on a type A personalities test, earning bonus points for being one rage away from a major heart attack. I bring a plastic lobster bib and face shield when I buy a car. Screaming sales managers frequently gleek.

After a loan officer attempted to insert $7,000 worth of hidden “extras” into a contract to buy a $7,000 ’91 Corolla, I cancelled the sale. I wasn’t paying $14,000 for a $7,000 car. That triggered a near riot in the dealership that resulted in the loan officer being fired.

Just a few months ago, I registered a complaint with a local grocery chain after I overheard two employees at the service desk discussing their bathroom needs. After Employee A explained to Employee B that he had had some trouble with a “turtlehead,” (click that link at your own risk) I decided that enough was enough. I wasn’t paying their prices to listen to that while shopping. I don’t need to explain that to the kids. “Dad, what’s a turtlehead?” Employee A is no longer employed at that store.

So the question remains, will my meeting leader still be leading meetings after the regional manager speaks with her this week? What I did not explain in Monday’s blog is that after the regional manager recovered from her shock, she apologized, and explained that she would be in contact with my meeting leader this week. She could not have been more surprised at the story or more concerned about bringing an end to the situation. She was polite. She was friendly. Then we discussed using my weight loss success story in advertizing for weight watchers. It was quite the conversation.

So, I’m still at 214 pounds this week. I’m very happy with that. I have introduced exercise into my week. I’ve put a few hours in on my bike. It is a lot easier peddling my own fat butt up and down Apathy’s hills than it is pulling the Captain behind me in the trailer, but I’ve done both. I’ll ride again tonight. Still looking to determine my butt number, though. That seat sure is hard.

I’ll fill in the rest of story after I see how it ends this Saturday.

9 comments:

CrossView said...
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Big Doofus (Roger) said...

I said this earlier and I'll say it again, "get your money back from Weight Watchers." At least, you should be refunded your entire amount from the time that you started until the time you lodged the complaint. You probably have cause to sue them and cause all kinds of damage, but that's what ruins life for the rest of us. Just get your money back. I'm quite certain the regional manager will gladly do that and STILL be interested in using you for their advertisements.

Keep us posted.

Big Doofus (Roger) said...

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that my 15-year-old son can gleek very well. He can shoot me from a good distance away. It would be gross if he wasn't my son. I guess I don't mind him spitting on me.

Unknown said...

Big D, you're a better dad than I am. I tolerate my children's spit, but just barely.

Kathleen said...

It's been a long time since I've heard the word "gleek". We used to have contests, you know.

I'm not going to click on the other link because I can pretty well guess what it is only because I've had the misfortune of seeing "Rat Race", a movie in which the term "prairie dogging it" is used. I'm pretty sure they mean about the same thing.

I'm sure a few Wal-Mart employees have met their demise, haven't they, when you get on the PA system yourself to request help? ;)

Unknown said...

I don't think anyone was fired over that incident, as there wasn't anyone around to be fired for not helping me. That was the problem. I do know that the manager was reeeeeaally annoyed! :)

Kathleen, you have a great memory. I had forgotten about that story.

CrossView said...
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Unknown said...

Tune in tomorrow for the great gleek/gleet debate of 2009. I love a good controversy. You'll love this one!

CrossView said...
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