Loved the one about Berle making Coke slushies and corporate showing up for a visit! I don't remember ever seeing these strips. Maybe if there were a book collection of them, I could send you money and happily chortle away my days reading hilarious content from the past.
In my day, our office bingo (aka Bu!!$h!+ Bingo) was one of my fave games. I won a crucial game with "paradigm shift" after also having "...put a pin in this topic and move on" and of course the ever popular "we don't have the bandwidth...".
"Soon we’ll be grocery shopping while getting new car tires and shoes after opening a bank account and getting our motor skills test and medicine all in one handy place." ... You're pretty much describing Costco.
Regarding "returning stuff": If I consider "my time" in that great ledger in the sky, I figure it's worth about $20 an hour. That's not much, but it still outweighs printing a packing slip for something that cost $9.99, resealing the shipping box, and taking it downtown to a place that will send it back to Amazon. I only go downtown once a week anyway. I figure the cutoff point is about fifty bucks.
Beals, you are the best. Always brings back memories, some even fondly. I worked in an industry where many customers maintained an approved vendor list. When trying to solve a problem for one of those customers, their buyer got belligerent. He asked to speak to the President, one of the founders of the company. The president told him we were diligently working on his issue. When the customer escalated his belligerence, the president advised him that his company was being removed from our approved customer list.
IIRC when my dad worked there, Toledo Public Library had a "five days in a row, 10 in a month no-call/no show OR tardy by more than ten hours per month" policy, and my dad was one of the rotating managers to enforce it. They also had a strong union and a union lawyer who SPECIALIZED in gettiim those termination overthrown.. as long as terminated person either actually shows up early or on time to their hearing. I think they had betting pools about some employees just barely getting there on time .. and then showing up late or not showing up the day after
Corporate headquarters. In my case, corporate headquarters were in Texas, over a thousand miles away.
When a person was promoted to the position of Store Manager, he or she was flown down to corporate to attend orientation sessions. New managers were put up in fancy hotels, got to order off of the corporate lunch menu (which looked pretty upscale), and even attended a nice party in a ballroom.
I got the job during the pandemic and got nothing.
Thanks for answering, Steve! Interesting. I had a friend who worked for a local newspaper, had worked there for years, without a complaint. Then suddenly, she got fired. I told her to talk to an atty and see if there was a way to get some money out of them. She kept saying, "It's corporate, there's nothing I can do!" I'm a JD, I know there was a way to squeeze "corporate" (and she was clearly over the poverty line), but no, she seemed actually afraid to challenge them in any way! If you see a strip in that BTW, go ahead and use it!
I enjoy your comics. I think they are original, interesting and relateable even when not actually "funny". It feels "familiar", but from the other end. Another character I enjoy is the old hippy with the beard. He reminds me of a dear old friend who recently passed away. I hope your comics will bring you much success and enable you to live it up (just avoid those fancy hotels)!
Thank you so much, Peter! Everyone is afraid to speak to corporate, it seems. I’ve never had that fear, which has gotten me into unnecessary trouble from time to time, but they get away with a lot by scaring people away. The old hippie is based on an actual old hippie, by the way, and I just need to make enough to pay rent.
Loved the one about Berle making Coke slushies and corporate showing up for a visit! I don't remember ever seeing these strips. Maybe if there were a book collection of them, I could send you money and happily chortle away my days reading hilarious content from the past.
That is my current homework.
It'd be even better if you included these already written comments on the strips. Like a Special Edition!
Thank you, I like all suggestions that make my job easier.
Me, too!
The current buzzwords or phrases caught me. Y'know, lean into it, congruent values, get grounded, sit with it, speak to it. A therapists word salad!
In my day, our office bingo (aka Bu!!$h!+ Bingo) was one of my fave games. I won a crucial game with "paradigm shift" after also having "...put a pin in this topic and move on" and of course the ever popular "we don't have the bandwidth...".
There’s never enough pins for the topics.
And don't forget "the ask." Always ask, "what's the ask?"
"Soon we’ll be grocery shopping while getting new car tires and shoes after opening a bank account and getting our motor skills test and medicine all in one handy place." ... You're pretty much describing Costco.
These are great, and oh, they bring back memories. Not the good kind.
You R the Best, without a doubt! I love each and every one. Should be a tv comedy based on this! Oh no, really? But that’s Office — this is Store?!
Ha! Thank you.
Regarding "returning stuff": If I consider "my time" in that great ledger in the sky, I figure it's worth about $20 an hour. That's not much, but it still outweighs printing a packing slip for something that cost $9.99, resealing the shipping box, and taking it downtown to a place that will send it back to Amazon. I only go downtown once a week anyway. I figure the cutoff point is about fifty bucks.
PS: I don't shop much online anymore.
That’s exactly my argument, but not everyone in my family feels this way.
Beals, you are the best. Always brings back memories, some even fondly. I worked in an industry where many customers maintained an approved vendor list. When trying to solve a problem for one of those customers, their buyer got belligerent. He asked to speak to the President, one of the founders of the company. The president told him we were diligently working on his issue. When the customer escalated his belligerence, the president advised him that his company was being removed from our approved customer list.
Haha! Nice.
This is perfect material for politicians but they wouldn’t get the point so never mind.
IIRC when my dad worked there, Toledo Public Library had a "five days in a row, 10 in a month no-call/no show OR tardy by more than ten hours per month" policy, and my dad was one of the rotating managers to enforce it. They also had a strong union and a union lawyer who SPECIALIZED in gettiim those termination overthrown.. as long as terminated person either actually shows up early or on time to their hearing. I think they had betting pools about some employees just barely getting there on time .. and then showing up late or not showing up the day after
Libraries really are the best. I used to laugh at anyone who complained about rough working conditions, because there really weren’t any.
Just incredibly low pay. It was a trade off.
Love your daily strip. I subscribe through gocomics.com
Thank you!
I love the sayings on the Goodbye Carl sign. Are they yours, or did you get them somewhere?
Oh, that’s all me. Poor Carl.
He’s better off than the fictional Carl in my publication who was shot and killed.
Actually, you never actually said WHY your Carl hasn’t shown up for work. ;-)
It’s a bit of ancient staffing wisdom: show or show not, there is no why.
The job I just left, you get only three days in a row of no call no show before you are fired posthumously.
That’s seems to be the norm. The library was a tad generous with that.
LOL!
What is corporate?? I've asked before
Corporate headquarters. In my case, corporate headquarters were in Texas, over a thousand miles away.
When a person was promoted to the position of Store Manager, he or she was flown down to corporate to attend orientation sessions. New managers were put up in fancy hotels, got to order off of the corporate lunch menu (which looked pretty upscale), and even attended a nice party in a ballroom.
I got the job during the pandemic and got nothing.
BS"D
Thanks for answering, Steve! Interesting. I had a friend who worked for a local newspaper, had worked there for years, without a complaint. Then suddenly, she got fired. I told her to talk to an atty and see if there was a way to get some money out of them. She kept saying, "It's corporate, there's nothing I can do!" I'm a JD, I know there was a way to squeeze "corporate" (and she was clearly over the poverty line), but no, she seemed actually afraid to challenge them in any way! If you see a strip in that BTW, go ahead and use it!
I enjoy your comics. I think they are original, interesting and relateable even when not actually "funny". It feels "familiar", but from the other end. Another character I enjoy is the old hippy with the beard. He reminds me of a dear old friend who recently passed away. I hope your comics will bring you much success and enable you to live it up (just avoid those fancy hotels)!
Best, Peter
Thank you so much, Peter! Everyone is afraid to speak to corporate, it seems. I’ve never had that fear, which has gotten me into unnecessary trouble from time to time, but they get away with a lot by scaring people away. The old hippie is based on an actual old hippie, by the way, and I just need to make enough to pay rent.
Manhattan ... very funny 😁
As Confucius said:
Sometimes silence is the best response.
Those were awesome. I needed a good laugh
I love that. Champ-wise in the now timeframe makes as much sense as any of those phrases, but it’s more entertaining.