Jeffreys Trackside Diner, January 2018 at Tehachapi Loop - Model Railroader Magazine

Good evening all.

Chloe - I will take a nice mug of peppermint hot cocoa please. Thanks.

Ken - Sorry, but the mountain lions themselves don't scare me.

See, it's like this: They brought them in to hunt down some of the coyotes that have over-run the area.

The coyotes were brought in to help cull some of the deer that had over-run the area.

So, me thinking about what kind of animal they are going to bring in once the mountain lions over-run the area?!? That is what scares me!!!!!

Weather - Cold and snowy. And, cloudy. (Important for a point below.)

Erie PA snowfall record watch - 143.3" and counting. The record for a entire winter season? 150.9.... I see a record falling real soon! (Pun intended.)

Blue moon night - Blue moon (second full moon of the month) tonight, while being a super moon. It's also a blood moon, meaning there will be a partial eclipse for most people. (Full eclipse will occur for our friends in Hawaii...) Can we get any more rarer then that?

And here I am with cloud cover.....

W*^k - Slow customer day.... Annoying everything else day... Not a good combo.

We got some new communication about floor plans, and not at all is this going to be fun. Just about everything is being rearranged.

One communication I have already said I will flat out not follow right now. That one they want us to pull every item out of one display, effective immediately. One of those items, is a built-in double wall oven. 

We have zero places to put it once it is removed from the displayer. So, it is either staying there until we sell it off, or it will get extremely beat up, and become un-sellable. (Would we rather write off a $3800 item as scrap for no reason other than we no longer want it displayed there, where it is protected from damage?)

Once the wall oven is out of the displayer, we are to then modify the displayer, as it will no longer be holding a double wall oven.... But a refrigerator. 

Only problem with that? I built the displayer, and I know that modifications of that nature will not be easy, or advisable. The displayer is made of particle board, with a few 2X4's to hold up the wall oven, hidden behind a facia panel. 

What is behind that facia panel? Bare particle board, now filled with screw holes from the facia, and the 2X4's. 

Oh yeah, the left side of what would be the fridge? Will be scratched to smithereens  by screws, that are currently holding a over the range microhood to the front wall. The built in wall oven is not as wide as a fridge, and therefore, there is no protective facia panel behind the front wall the microhood is mounted on. 

And the displayer that can fit a fridge on that side? 

Well, it has some extra panels added for stability on that side, that this displayer with the wall oven doesn't have.

So, not only will this displayer look horrible, it will be less safe, and possibly damage any products displayed on that one side, except for wall ovens. 

The other new communication was about price matching "issues", mainly stemming from the fact that over 70% of price matches are to match a single competitors pricing, implying that store employees are creating problems, and that if it continues we will be losing our commissions. I politely pointed out that we are told, two very important things. 

First, being told that we do indeed price match for identical items. (Same brand, model number, etc...) That is the rule. We have all been told this.

Second, we are told, that we are to, as much as possible, "say yes" to our customers. (Very few exceptions, but there are a couple. This is not one of them most times.)

I also politely pointed out a couple of facts.

First, that we do not initiate the price matching, but the customer does. (We do not volunteer to anyone to give them a "better price" by matching it to company X. That is the customers responsibility to do, not a gift because I feel like it.)

Second, that our customers are educated enough to have already price-compared, with more than just us.

Third, that we do not take our customers online to a competitors website, but check our own site (and most customers don't know what it even is.) for expanded in inventory options, color options, and for additional specs. (It was implied that we are not going to our own webpage, but elsewhere.)

Fourth, I have not had a single customer know what our correct website addres even is.

I then said that, if, you are telling me I have to match this price, and that I have to say yes to the customers on this point, that it should not come out of my pocket, as I am doing my job the way I am told. 

I will take the stance that I will refuse to say yes if it costs me money every time I do. (My boss is aware of this fact.) 

I will stop ranting now.

Hope all are well, and all have a good night!