Is There Such a Thing as 'Weather Conditioning'?

I've been wondering about this for a while now. As most of my readers know I'm German born and raised. I grew up and lived there for the first 23 years of my life. Needless to say, I've seen my share of weather in Germany and it can easily be summed up in about three words: rainy, gray and depressing, most of the time. If you wanted to sum it up in one word, I think a simple, resounding "bad" would suffice. We get our fair share of rain in Germany, going along with the general gray-ness of the weather and usually, when it rains, the temperature drops. Quite frequently the drop is rather dramatic, and it gets really cold during and after the rain. This probably goes for most of Europe, or most places really. Rain cools down the temperature.

For most of the past ten years, I've called South Florida my home of choice. Florida, as everyone knows, is famous for it's gorgeous weather, great temperatures in the winter and steaming-hot and humid summers...and then there's hurricane season. Mostly that just means a lot of rain and thunderstorms and maybe one or two serious storms between June and November. However, in Florida, when the rain comes, it may get windy, it may drop a few degrees during the rain and then after, it gets hotter than it was before. Quite frequently you can see steam rising off of the asphalt outside. However, in the grand scheme of things, it's still freakin' hot, not a lot of temperature change.

By now you're probably thinking, thanks for the weather history of two random places on our planet, but what's that got to do with anything, especially me?

Well, something really weird happens to me when it rains here in Florida. I watch myself do this every time it rains here and I have no explanation for this phenomenon.  First, I get really cold feet, then I will start getting goosebumps and a minute after it really starts pouring out, you will see me rifle through my dresser drawers, digging up ski socks, leggings, hoodies, you name it. I will put on layer after layer of clothing, meanwhile it is 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside. As hot and humid as ever...

What makes me do this, I wonder? Has years of growing up in Germany, where it always gets cold when it rains, conditioned me to associate rain with cold, so much, that even when I know it is completely unreasonable, I feel cold in July in Florida, as soon as a thunderstorm is creeping in?

I find this both weird and interesting: apparently my experiences involving weather in my "formative" years in Germany seem to prevail, and clearly trump the older (and supposedly wiser) Me, and my more recent experiences. I guess you really don't easily "un-do" learned behaviors or memories like that.

HMMMM...

Please feel free to comment if you have similar experiences, with weather or otherwise, I'd love to hear them...

For comic value, I've attached a picture of me after my latest thunderstorm induced dresser-raid!!  ;-)

  

The Cashier Diaries: Episode 9 - For a Good Cause: Be Kind to Your Cashiers

I found a new job. So, as my last days at the Tar-jay are winding down, I have reflected a lot about the a work experience, that I never thought I would have in my life. Working at Target was humble pie for me, but in the end, taught me a lot. I learned to be a wee bit more patient (not much, that would be totally against my impatient, head-through-the-wall-now German nature), more compassionate for people's struggles with low-paying jobs and the life they can or rather cannot afford you, and most definitely with a new-found appreciation for the sacrifices people in retail have to make.
Working in a retail store, whose main goal, naturally, is to make more profit by offering ever longer hours, more service and more convenience, is not a hard job judging by your job description. A trained monkey can run a register. What makes it hard though, is to sacrifice your life for $8 an hour. Weekends are basically non-existent; if you have a family or even just try to have a life, you can't. You work when everyone else with regular jobs and money to spend, doesn't,-- and is having fun, seemingly at your expense, because they are just taunting you with their sun-lotion, beer and fun-noodle purchases. It really gets messed up, if you're actually doing a good job and subsequently get scheduled core hours, like Friday 1-10 or, all day saturdays and sundays, and especially Holidays. In a way, all that doing good work gets you, is being punished by even more hours, during times when others are having fun.

Hence, I want to bring your attention to a few facts that most Target Shoppers either aren't aware of, or have so far willingly or subconsciously ignored. The way I see it, if I can even convince one of my readers to give a second thought to your shopping behaviors, I've done a good deed for generations of future cashiers.

#1: Hand your "No's" to the cashier:
We've all done it, we get to the register, maybe filled our cart with just a little too much stuff and realize, maybe that dress from the 70% clearance rack is still $10 on top of what you were supposed to spend, or that Archer Farms Chocolate Truffles for $8.49 may be a just little over the top for this week's budget. It happens, we get it. The way you handle it, however, is entirely up to you. You're not going to Target-jail, for not wanting something you picked up, but don't go and chunk it behind the magazines or in the shelf with the kids candy in your checkout lane. Go ahead and hand it to your cashier. Trust me, no cashier will tear your head off, --quite the contrary! We're grateful that we don't have to go on a misguided treasure hunt in our lane when we have downtime, trying to track down the creative hiding spots you have figured out, while waiting on little old Rosemary from Century Village to pick out every last penny to make exact change. (If a cashier gives you attitude anyway, say, you didn't just want to chunk your stuff somewhere, they'll check their attitude right away and remember that you're doing them a favor.)

#2: Don't bite off more than you can chew:
That being said about handing your items back to the cashier, did you know that ANY AND ALL perishables, that includes any frozen food, meat especially, and other stuff, get thrown away if you bring them to the checkout and then decide not to buy them? Yes, this is a food safety issue. We don't know how long you've been browsing, neon-panties and cute sandals, while your ground turkey was turning old and grey in your cart. Please, this hurts my heart every time, please make up your mind beforehand on those items, Target has to throw them away, rather than risk someone getting sick. Guys, it's not just about the money, it's about the food that gets thrown out. Don't be so selfish, please think before you grab.

#3: The Speed Score:
Every cashier at Target gets evaluated by his or her checkout speed. After all, Target's motto for all their employees is fast, fun and friendly. Look at the register when you get there, you will see a percentage score, which is you cashier's "grade" if you will. This is important to understand, so I'll write it in caps CASHIERS GET WORK HOURS ACCORDING TO THEIR SPEED SCORES. The faster we are, the more hours we get. The more hours we get, the more we get paid. You may not realize this, but, your speed as a customer, directly affects the cashier's speed score, which subsequently directly affects a cashier's paycheck. I'm not asking you to greatly inconvenience yourself on account of a cashier, but understand how these things affect someone's life:
 -getting out exact change, in pennies to get rid of them
 -writing checks
 -being on the phone, not paying attention
 -walking away before all the questions on the credit/debit machine are answered
 -taking a long time to decide at the register whether you want something or not
 -trying on shoes at the register
 -price checks
 -running back in the score because you forgot something while you're already checking out

all these, happen almost daily and they will lower your cashier's speed score and hence THEIR PAY ! Please just give it some thought and just go to the register when you're ready to actually check out.

#4: Get a Red Card
Just as you're almost done checking out the cashier will get a prompt to ask you if you want to open a Target Red Card, which saves you 5% (which is just under what tax costs you in the State of Florida) on every purchase, every day at Target. Most customers will not even listen, granted they probably hear this question in every darn store they go to and are frankly quite fed up and tired of it. Again, I'll put this in caps, because it's important THE RED CARD IS NOT A CREDIT CARD, UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE. It comes as a debit card, just like your other one from Bank of America or Whatever bank you use, just that this one saves you 5% at Target every time you shop. No catch. That is just about $5 for every $100 you spend at Target. There is positively NO REASON to not do that. AT ALL. And once again, what helps you, helps your cashier, we don't get commission, but we get recognition and the occasional soda, candy bar, lunch or even a Target T-Shirt to work in when we get a lot of red-cards. At $8 an hour, that pretty much makes your day. Think about that, dear readers, no harm to you, saves you money, big difference for your cashier.

Know your power as a consumer and please do not abuse it. You literally have an impact on a person's life. Figuratively speaking, not in a if-you-don't-do-all-the-above, a person dies kind of way... But just thinking about the person behind the counter once in a while, will make them feel appreciated. Saying their name, asking how they're doing or simply "Thank you for your help today", can really make someone's day and it costs you nothing...

The Cashier Diaries: Episode 8 - Conversations as They Play in Every Cashier's Head

These are the conversations that a cashier never has with a customer outside of his or her own head, but these are the honest-to-goodness-true thoughts of a cashier, when asked certain questions by a customer.

What you hear, is the cashier's standardized, fake-friendly response of either encouraging/agreeable nods, grunts or "I understand"-resembling noises or standardized, "sure thing", "yes ma'am/sir or "absolutely, no problem",- while in the meantime, the answers below are playing in the cashier's mind:

#354: Q: "Can you put the trash bags in a separate bag?"
           A:"Why? Do you think there is some some sort of radioactive waste inside? Bio-hazardous materials? Wait, do you think there's actually trash in the box? They are new trash bags! In a closed, clean, and sealed box, you OCD freak!!!"

#429: Q:"Can I leave my cart here while I go to the bathroom?"
           A:"Nope, absolutely not, there will be no such business as going to the bathroom here, Lady!!!"

#457: Q:"Can I have my bread in it's own bag?"
           A:"Really, you don't want your bread squished by your 5lb weights and the Jillian Michaels DVD you just bought? Now there's a new concept!"

#516: Q:"Can I hang on to my soda?"
           A:"Absolutely not. (Makes a ghoulish voice with British accent) You cannot have your soda ever. Bwahahahahahahha!!)

#597: Q:"Does this stuff work?"
           A:"Yes, I work at a retail store. No, I haven't tried every single item we sell in the store."

#602: Q:"Where can I find [insert most obscure item you can possibly think of here]?"
           A:"The Whaaaaat?"

#689: Q:"There's a sign back there that says [insert item here] is 4.99!"
           A:"There's a sign my ass! You and I both know that there's no way in hell that this thing is that cheap, and your ass needs to actually read the sign properly next time. 9 out of 10 times your sign, is for the item above, below or adjacent to it and your wishful thinking made up that price in Lala-land. But sure, here I go, calling my supervisor, holding up my 3-deep line for your stupid price check. UGH I hate you and your children!!!

#732: Q: [kid hollers to mom] "Mom, can you tell her that I want my toy in its own bag?"
           A:"Dude, I'm standing right here and guess what, I can totally hear you! Yes, I can put your damn toy in its own damn bag."

#758: Q: "Can I pay with my credit card?"
           A: "What do you think this is, Walmart or something? Nope, we solely accept payment in either goats milk, silver coins, chickens or copper pots, like in the olden days."

#798: Q: "Can I get all my cold items together in one bag?"
           A:"And here I thought you'd want me to put your ice cream with your rotisserie chicken! Silly me!!!"

#823: Q: "Can you pack my bags light, please, I have to climb up to the 2nd floor!?"
           A: "What's the 2nd floor got to do with anything? Does your stuff magically get lighter, if you have more bags??? Jeez, would you just at least admit that you want free garbage bags, so we can all move on? You could totally spare me the trouble of packing two items at a time, by just asking me for 5 extra bags at the end! Gosh!

#845: Q: "Is [insert wildly popular item here] going to go on sale soon?"
           A: "Here, wait, let me just get my crystal ball really quick. Hang on. Yes, I see something! Is that? Wait! Oh, I'm sorry it says NEVER EVER!!!"


There are a million more where these came from, I may do a part two one of these days. If there are any cashier-readers among you, please feel free to post more in the comments. =)