A friend of mine recently labeled my job with the greeting
card company my “grocery” job, since every time I mention it, I say it’s what I
must do to keep groceries in the house. And, of course, Christmas is the
busiest of our busy seasons, so I’ve been trekking out through fields of snow
these last few days. Not going to Grandma’s house, but rather to the big-box
store that demands daily attention leading up to the big day.
One would think the greeting card industry would take a
well-deserved break after Christmas. After all, thousands of cards were placed
in the racks, the shelves were overflowing with wrapping paper and holiday-themed
tissue paper, gift bags by the score were hung with care. A few days rest
after the hustle and bustle would seem to be warranted, no?
Absolutely not! For on December 26, in every store across
this country, it’s Valentine’s Day! There are only 45 days to capture the
attention of someone who is on a quest for the perfect card to express their
feelings towards their loved ones. Never mind that Valentine’s Day is known
industry-wide as the Last Minute Holiday, with most sales being made two days
before the actual event. Never mind that we in the card business need a break
from red. On December 26, I’ll not be saying Happy New Year, but rather, Happy
Valentine’s Day. 
I'm a lady of leisure. (That means my secondary job involves two loud children who still require excessive amounts of adult supervisions.)
ReplyDeleteI suppose that's sorta my grocery job in away. We come out ahead with me being home vs. paying for child care. Tried that before. The financial output was a wee bit depressing.
As a single woman, my grocery job is also the mortgage and everything else job! I write and negotiate contracts during the day. Not as much fun as writing fiction, but I love it. It's very fulfilling and pays for that roof over my head and all the other frills in my life.
ReplyDeleteMonday thoughb Friday, I wake up at "it's too dang dark" o'clock in the morning to go to my job...where I fight sleep the entire day. Data processing is a sure cure for insomnia. But the other part of my job is in a print shop, which can be interesting--especially when the printers break down. Then it's troubleshooting time. Meh, keeps the groceries on the table and the kids' college tuitions paid.
ReplyDeleteI work at Target, who has decided we not only have to be there at 8:45 PM on Thanksgiving, we now have to be there until 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve. I'm so sick of it.
ReplyDeleteWe got swimsuits two weeks ago. The day after Christmas, they will go front and center. Ugh.