last week...

the work schedule at Publix, generated by a computer, based on labor needs for any given day/hour throughout the week, allowed me less than ten hours. Included in that was one day when I was supposed to arrive at 5:45 a.m., get finished/clock out at 10:00 a.m, and somewhere in there take a one hour lunch break. Needless to say I did not take the required lunch. So though my paycheck will be unusually skimpy (as in pared down to underwear, and probably a thong at that!), at least I squeezed ten hours out of the schedule that had me working even less. (And accidently backed into a sub. teaching job on one of the days when I was not working that will be a little financial boost.
Although it takes so long to get paid that I will have forgotten about that stressful day in fourth grade,  and find a little surprise on my bank statement when I get paid weeks from now.)

Which is mostly crazy. But as I have alluded to in the past, when grumbling about employ, it's pretty obvious that is the sort of stunt management pulls when they are trying to part with under-performing associates. There is considerable print and media accorded to the fact that even in the most difficult financial times, the company (employee owned, not publically traded on the stock market) has never let an employee go. They don't have to: it's remarkably easy to make a person's life so frustratingly annoying that the individual will quit in a fit of pique, no need for management to 'give notice'.

There is one guy who has, at turtle speed, been working in the produce department for many years, usually coming in early afternoon, to be the produce department 'closer', putting out fresh items as needed. As well as pulling most of the wet items, fresh lettuces, green products in tubs in the walk in cooler at night. Sort of 'putting in all to bed', for the store closing at 10:00 p.m.

I do not know how this all came to a head, but I understand he is leaving. Tired of the 'rat on treadmill' situation. I know he has done the studying, and taken the test to apply for a management position, which in his case, would be assistant produce department head. But not sure he has even qualified/scored well enough to get in the pipeline. So understandably weary of working all that time, with no hope of advancement. His suitability for moving up in the company is debatable at best, for a number of reasons. But the fact that his superiors have let him hope, believe, dream of that possibility for years is distressing.