In the thick of things

It's been a little while since I posted so I thought it would be a good idea to update how things are going lately.  2011 is still kicking my ass so far but I am determined not to let this year get the best of me.  We are still having major car issues but this is mostly attributed to the nasty weather we are having right now.  (Average temperature lately has been hovering around -40C with the wind chill.)  My hair has literally been turning white from frost in the mornings while I wait for the bus to take me to work!  As for work, we are getting into the seriously crazy season and I am surprised I haven't pulled all of my hair out yet or turned into an alcoholic.

I love my job for the most part, but I feel a little bit in a transition period right now.  I work at a place were we have 3 separate and yet connected Bridal stores.  If that is confusing let me explain.  All 3 stores are owned by the same person and function independently from each other but we share the same staff.  We all take turns working at all 3 stores so we know the stock between them and can better assist customers.  2 of the 3 store have full time managers with the 3rd being run by both managers together.  (The 3rd store is an outlet boutique selling discounted dresses from the first 2 stores)  The manager from the main store had a baby just before Christmas and the other manager is pregnant.  I am the Head of Alterations and Supervisor at the main boutique and have recently taken over as manager since "Tammy" went on maternity leave.  Managing a Bridal store is a crazy amount of work.  It involves constantly trouble-shooting and fixing issues for customers.  I probably spend 7 hours of my 8 hour shift on the phone or on the computer.  There is 1 girl I work with who I feel would be excellent for the position but she is a little unsure of herself and worried she is unable to handle it.  I hope she gets a little more confidence in herself and steps up because I know we would work well together.

The biggest issue with stepping in to the management role is that I have to deal with a lot of shit-heads.  The part that is frustrating me the most is co-workers though.  Some of  the girls I work with have been there for a very long time and are still screwing up things they should know and are making part of my job description "babysitter".  I constantly have to go behind and make sure things are right.  I can't wait for our staff meeting tomorrow so we can deal with some of these issues.

Here's hoping things are starting to get better soon!