8.9.1992

I have been writing "23" all over the store. I put 23 on the walls, toilet seats, door jams, everywhere. No one in the store can miss it. I put up so many of them that other employees have started writing 23 around the store too like it's the new inside joke. Senor 23 was the first person that put them up after I started it, hence his nickname. He was pretty ingenious where he placed them though. He would put them in places where you'd have to look really hard to find them, or you would have to be an employee to see them. For example only the baggers have the keys to the paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms. Senor 23 would write 23 with a big black Sharpie marker on the inside of the towel dispenser lids. He's put them inside the soap dispensers and inside the top tanks of our toilets. 23 is behind clipboards on the wall. It's been going on for so long now that I can't remember exactly when it started. Customers have even noticed all the 23's and have been asking about it. And for most of the employees 23 is becoming a big controversy. Who's behind it? What does it mean? Nobody knows.

Since I'm a store checker now I can't devote as much of my time to fucking shit up at work. As a bagger or GMC clerk the management never really knows where you could be or what you are doing in the store at any given time. Checkers are stuck for the majority of their shift in one spot and one spot only. The only good thing so far about being a checker is I don't have to be constantly looking for something to do. If it gets busy, your shift flies by in the checkstand. I miss all the screwing around though.

I've been doing ok with the checking stuff. Tonight was my worst night yet. I was $4 off balancing my till. Most of the time I'm within fifty cents of where it should be. That's no big deal. My average items per minute is ok but it still needs some work. We are supposed to maintain an average of 26 items per minute while checking. Yesterday I was 28.1 items per minute and today I was 25.7 items per minute. Not too bad, but I still don't really like the idea of being a grocery worker. For the time being I have no choice. Actually I'm pretty lucky to have a job right now. There's still loads of people out of work. As soon as I can I'd like to get out of retail sales. For good. Especially grocery stores.