As previously stated in a recent blog entry, (see Changes Are Coming) I will be moving on from my pawn shop career very soon. I actually have a concrete date for that now. May 19th.
When I informed my boss about this specific date several days ago, she took the news with a grim look on her face. She was not happy. She is already losing two employees within the next week, and now I will be leaving the store just two weeks after them. That will make a total lose of five employees within two months, and that's a big deal when you only have a dozen of them. Two days after submitting my final work day, I was going about my ordinary duties when she asked me if we could talk in her office.
My unnecessarily guilty conscious always jumps to drastic conclusions -- "What did I do wrong?" -- "Does she think I stole something?" -- but when she sat me down, there were no accusations or chastisements. Instead, she made a bit of chit chat and then abruptly segweyed into "So, what would it take to keep you here for the summer?"
As stated in the aforementioned blog entry, this was something I had hoped would happen, but as that moment sprung upon me, I didn't want to answer her question.
I'm a nervous laugher, and I tried to suppress it, but I failed miserably. I attempting getting around having to actually say my specific demands by stating that I was only moving on to the ice-cream factory because of the great increase in pay and that they would have to match what they offered, which was a lot. She nodded and then asked what exactly that would be. I told her that I didn't want to tell her because it was so much more that I didn't feel comfortable even saying it, but she pushed onward, telling me just to tell her so she could at least know because she would like to see what she could do.
I felt ridiculous, but I told her. Keeping me there for the summer would require $600 upfront for rent (since I had found a sub-leaser and wouldn't be paying rent because I would be living with my brother) and a $2/hr raise.
My boss simply nodded and then wrote down what I'd said without any indication of suprise, anger, or disappointment. She then told me she would have to talk to the owners to see what they could do.
That was almost two weeks ago. Yesterday, she called me into the office and told me that I would be greatly missed and that she was sorry, but she just couldn't match what the ice-cream factory would offer me. She then said that she understood me leaving "if it was due to the financial stuff." If it was due to the financial stuff? That struck me as very odd. As if it would not be okay if I left because I was just tired of the job or wanted something else? This brings me to the side note that one fellow co-worker had recently quit because she didn't enjoy the job too much. After this person gave their two weeks notice, this same boss hardly spoke a word to her from that point forward. She didn't thank her for over one and half years of service or wish her luck with her new job (which was at a bank) or with her college endeavors.
I feel kind of bad seeing how drastically different this co-worker and I are being treated as our pawn shop careers come to a close, but I suppose I shouldn't be too sad about it. I mean, I'm looking forward to some smooth sailing from here until May 19th.
What a great and dreadful day that will be! Great because of not having to deal with stupid customers, but dreadful because I will no longer have access a constant flow of merchandise at a discounted employee rate. It will also be great because I will no longer have to see many of our regular smelly, financially irresponsible, annoying, rude, loud customers and pretend that I don't regard them with varying degrees of contempt, but it will also be dreadful because those customers were often highly entertaining. But another reason May 19th could be a dreadful day is because of the gamble I am taking on this new job.
A gamble? Yes. A gamble. I would have you know that my employment at the ice-cream factory is not concrete in the slightest. I have sent in an online application, but I have yet to hear back from the company. My brother (who has previously worked for said ice-cream factory) informed me of a "career fair" which they will be hosting--which he says is pretty much a big one day hiring spree--on May 24th. That is why I put in my last day as May 19th. Quitting on the 19th will provide me with adequate time to move in with my brother and then be in town for the "career fair" at which I fully expect--and pray-- that I will be hired. My brother said they hire tons of people because a lot of them will end up quitting within a couple weeks. Here's hoping my decision to leave my current job and move across the state in hopes of obtaining a higher paying one pays off. This may be the best or worst decision I have made in a very, very long time.
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