Mummy in the foothills

Ouch blisters Poor thing.
My Dh has steel toe boots for work, work bought them all new ones last year and they are so nice and comfy he's saving them for UK and wearing the ones he buys every 6 months from WalMart. They now make them with some sort of composite toe, strong like the steel toe but weight a whole lot less, thats what work paid for and WalMart has starting carrying them. Try on loads of them and make sure the fit is good before you buy, or your feet will be killing you.

dunroving

I have a pair of Dunlop steel toe (or maybe reinforced toe) wellies that are so comfortable I can take long hikes in them. Mine are fleece lined (needed in Scotland!), but you can get unlined, too. They are especially handy because you don't have to faff with laces. I've always thought of wellies as being unsuitable for long-term wear but I wear these all the time (gardening, walking, popping to the shop).


Here are the ones I have. They are half-height so easy to slip on and off.

I think if you buy this sort of thing for work, you can get VAT-free, too.

cheers

Scot sheep boy boots! Instead of cowboy boots.

Things may have changed but the down side of wellies is they didn't breath like leather boots did. Keeps the feet dry though.
As always the price is outrageous.
Cheers

WhoFan63

First off i want to thank you all for your responses to my post about my first work day. I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to you all individually, but being the lazy git I am...lol, I was just too shattered after work to spend much time on the computer, so just popped in and was intending to write more, but sleep overtook and I had to crash! I thought I'd take the easy way out and just tell you all what's been happening for the past 4 days... But thank you for all your wonderful words and comments. They've kept me going for the past few days and I've appreciated each and every one. So thank you all! xxx Okay here goes update number whatever.. lol

I've just finished my first shift at work (meaning I've just completed my 4 day rotation), and now I have 4 wonderful days off! How sad is it that after landing a job, I'm glad I have time off.. Only because I'm on my feet all day in boots that are uncomfortable and I'm glad of the chance to be able to give my poor feet a break. I must admit they haven't been too bad today. Probably because I covered every blister with double protection. So now they just ache from the standing.. I need good arch supports in them, and/or probably one of those gel pack things for inside the boots, because the arch is where it hurts the most. I think inserts will probably help with lower back aches too, because I find myself twinging all the time and trying to relieve back ache by shifting the weight on my feet all the time, trying to get comfortable. So one solution for multiple problems..lol

My pay period runs from Sunday to Saturday, so because I started on the Friday, I'll only get paid for two days (Fri and Sat). My first pay day will be next Friday as I get paid weekly which is always nice, and because of the way I work 4 on and 4 off, there are weeks where I'll get paid for 3 days and weeks I'll get paid for 4, at least if I worked that out correctly. Mr G has been VERY helpful in trying to explain it all to me... By my calculations, and I've worked out that I'll 'probably' get the grand total of £266.02 NET for a 4 day pay week, and that is after tax and NI contributions. Another good part is that I get double time and a half if my work day falls on a bank holiday, because we're open 24hrs a day, so don't get the holiday off, unless of course it falls on one of our scheduled days off. So I'm not going to quibble about £15 or so per hour for a 12 hour day.. We have a bank holiday coming up soon, so I'll have to work out whether that's my day to work or not.

I work with a lovely bunch of people! It's so much fun on our breaks to go into the lunch room and have a natter and a laugh over a cuppa. Even the young lads (at least young compared to me..lol) are friendly and helpful. We have quota's that need to be met and they've tried to calm us down by telling us newbies that we don't need to panic if we don't meet those quota's straight away. They give us a few weeks and so long as they can see progress they're happy.

I'm just the type of person who wants to meet quotas and deadlines.lol, but it's like anything - speed or productivity comes with practice. At the moment I can admit that I'm being TOO particular about everything I handle, whether it comes to folding the garments, checking the footwear and then repackaging it. I'm imagining myself as the customer and receiving this package, and I want to make sure they're happy with what they receive. But I think that with more practice I can make sure I'm meeting my quota without sacrificing quality.

But it's definitely been a very busy and exhausting 4 days! A lot of fun though! I need to pamper both my hands and my feet some time over the next 4 days. lol. Working with lots of cardboard and boxes etc etc my hands are all dry and cracked and I've already sliced part of my thumb which looks like it's getting infected. Plus we have to take the price tags off the items and they're so sharp (because they're little hard stickers)that the points of them keep slicing up under my fingernail which hurts like a you know what.. lol

I definitely get exercise because from the minute I walk in the door it's up a flight of stairs to put my bag away, then back down the stairs to go into the warehouse, then up another flight of stairs to get to my area. If i need to go to the toilet then its back down the stairs, through security (which we have to do every time we leave the area), out the door and back up the flight of stairs to the locker room, toilet area and canteen. Then the same in reverse. So you can imagine doing that every break time, every lunch time etc. lol Then the two flights of stairs at home every day...lol Sheesh I'm going to be fit.

I've decided to treat myself in August and head for the Edinburgh Tattoo I'll have to calculate forwards to see what day's I'll be working over that time period. Hopefully it will be during my days off! It sounds absolutely wonderful to realize I can do just that - go anywhere I want to.. lol.

I love how I can chat to the taxi driver's on the way to work, and even when I call up to confirm the booking for the next day they know me by name. Yes I know my mobile number appears on their ID, but it's still nice ! LOL

We actually had hail today, and shock horror someone even mentioned snow! But I haven't heard anything definite about that. I do know it's been bloody FREEZING lately and lots of rain. I know because I was standing in it..lol. It was one of those times when I knew I couldn't walk for a bus after work so I called a taxi. Thinking they'd be there shortly (as they have in the past), I went to wait out the front of the distribution centre. Unfortunately it started to rain and I was standing in it for over 20 minutes. I'm surprised I haven't caught a cold.

I haven't even watched the news for a week so don't know what's been happening in the world? Does anyone have any news on the Jodi Arias trial??? I gather she's been found guilty of first degree murder???

So there we go....first shift done!

NiHao

Great update WhoFan63! So glad you've got a chance to rest up those blisters for a few days! I've done retail work where you are on your feet all day long and although it wasn't as physical as what you are doing I do know that the first couple of weeks my feet and legs would ache so much but then after that your body just adapts and the aches go away and you wonder why the newbies are struggling so it will get better.

So glad you are looking into the Edinburgh trip that will be lovely to look forward to and I can't wait for the photos!

Thanks so much for the update its great to hear how things are going.

Perth

Sounds perfect...well other than the feet and the weather Well it still sounds perfect. It's in England, isn't it?

cheers

There is big distribution centre being opened here. Here are some of the details.

Principle Duties & Responsibilities:

Maintain accuracy of documents
Ensure inventory is maintained according to company’s standard.
Achieve set standards (engineered or productivity) on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
Focus on labels to select from correct location in order to provide the stores with the correct merchandise ordered.
Complete the daily P.I.T. check list to ensure equipment is working properly and report any defects to management and/or maintenance.
Operate P.I.T. equipment in a safe manner.
Ensure labels are placed properly on merchandise in order to be scanned properly.
Ensure damage merchandise is handled through the proper procedures.
Follow set safety procedures and guidelines to maximize personal safety.
Maintain an organized work area and promote a safe working environment.
Other duties as assigned.


Minimum Requirements:

Education: High School Diploma/GED preferred.
Experience: Four to six months Retail Distribution Center or Warehouse Environment experience preferred.
Equipment: Tugger, Walkie Rider, tape, crayon, box knives, telephone, modular phone, RF unit, aprons, computer labels, and voice equipment. Required to use PPE per center requirements.
Communication: Must be able to effectively communicate with co-workers and management team.
Physical Requirements: Able to perform all essential functions of the job. These tasks require the ability to repetitively lift and move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and move up to 60 pounds. Associate will need an adequate fitness level to meet demands of frequent lifting, walking, moderate climbing, stooping, and kneeling.
Working Conditions: The associate will work a non-climate controlled Distribution and Warehouse atmosphere, in which outside weather conditions greatly affect the building’s temperature. The associate may also be exposed to moving mechanical parts or equipment, machine vibrations, fumes, loud noise and airborne particles as regulated by OSHA.

Pay would be around £5.50 per hour?

Cheers

Mummy in the foothills

I hope thats not in a hot state, can you imagine it's 110 outside and you are in a tin building!
Amazon is opening a distribution warehouse about an hour from us (that local here ) I wonder if they keep the place cool/warm.

cheers

The temperature is about 5 degrees cooler than Las Vegas so it was probably 105 yesterday.
I think the building, which is new, and it is concrete.

Cheers

Wow those wages over in Lancashire are amazingly high.

WhoFan63

Hi everyone! Well I had a wonderful first day off. I went into Rochdale and had a wander around the shops. I snapped the attached picture with my phone, so hope it turns out. It's more impressive in person, but when the clock strikes the hour and you hear the bell ringing, it's truly awesome.

Apart from that I had a lazy day. Didn't get out of bed until 10am, and then realised that I'd missed an appointment scheduled for 9.30am. Oops.. So decided to go out and spend some time wandering. I had a Tandoori Chicken Burrito in the town centre and did some people watching..lol. Saw a shop that unlock phones while you wait for £3. Might have to go check it out..lol

Then I came home and spent an hour creating a spreadsheet on Excel that shows me my work schedule, number of hours worked, pay week and which work days come under which pay week. Makes more sense when I can see it written down.

All in all a good day...and still 3 to go.

cheers

Did you ride the bus to Rochdale? How long did it take?
Cheers

Irish Guinness

I have read that Rochdale is not such a nice place.How have you found it,good not so good or just different to all the other lovely places you have been.
Cheers I.G.

WhoFan63

Hi Cheers,

Yes I caught the bus into Rochdale. It's much closer than Oldham and so the trip only takes about 10 minutes if that!

WhoFan63

I quite like Rochdale...prefer it over Oldham. Although according to Mr D he said there are certain parts even HE wouldn't walk around late at night, but I guess that can be said of other towns really can't it? But seeing as I'm not going to go wandering around late at night I'm fine.. I've been a few times and never had any or seen any trouble. But I've not been ALL over Rochdale, so I can't comment on any other part of town. Maybe if you get outside of the town centre it might be different I don't know. But in the town centre there are lots of little side streets that you can walk down and find shops galore - cobbled streets and lovely old buildings like the picture I posted, which I found out this morning is actually the town hall.

WhoFan63

Well it looks like I won't be getting my 4 days off after all.. I received a txt message this morning asking if I was interested in doing some OT so I said yes....(1) looks good to management that you're willing to come in and (2) wasn't going to turn down £10 per hour for OT....

I don't have to work a full 12 hours if I don't want to, so long as i work a minimum of half a shift, and I can go in any time I want to, which works out better for me because I can leave it later in the morning and be able to catch a bus there and back. Save on taxi fares...

So now I'm racing around getting my washing done and hoping my uniform will be dry by the morning..lol. The guys don't use the dryer because it takes up too much electricity so i'll be draping my clothes over the banister.. Good job nobody comes up to the 3rd floor so no-one will see them and that's what the guys do anyway. On wash day it looks like a chinese laundry to see clothes hanging on every available banister.. If I get desperate I can always take them to the laundromat around the corner to dry them off.

Wow, working overtime already... Next pay day should be interesting...lol