Absolutely, positively...

Hmm. Have I actually written a REAL post in the past couple of months? I don't think so; it's either been I Heart Faces or photos with a little explanation thrown in. It's been busy around here; end of school, followed immediately by a week of Cub Scout day camp (which was, pretty much, an 8-5 day every day, but also the most fun I have all year). A couple of days off (wash, clean, dentist's appointment, blah blah blah..) and then on the road to Destin. It was SO nice down there; a cool, persistent breeze washed the shoreline daily and made it perfectly pleasant to plunge and palaver. Then back home (I'm really not sure why, but the drive back seemed to take FOR.EV.ER.). Wash, clean, REpack, and off we went to Nashville to visit my mom and meet my new great-nephew. We got back in Saturday night, got up Sunday, and pampered Handsome Hubby a bit (we created a photo book of Bug Hunter and him, doing guy things and having fun. It was a hit! And I made grilled chicken and cheddar omelets for brunch, after which we headed out for a special preview of "Ice Age 3", which was simply hilarious and wonderful. And THEN he and Bug Hunter went swimming for a while, so all in all I think he had a good day). Now, I'm trying to pull things together for Webelos Encampment, which is four days and three nights of pure fun. I'm sure it is, and if anyone knows any different, please leave me to my delusions; I'll find out soon enough. So hey, how are y'all doing? For anyone who's actually hung around while I've been off living life and ignoring my blog, thanks so much for not forsaking me! And if you did forsake me, you aren't reading this anyway, so it doesn't matter.

Ah. Was there a point to this post? Oh, right; I just looked at the title and remembered; it's time for True Story Tuesday today. I cannot come up with anything from all of our recent adventures that qualifies as both true AND fascinating, and since making up stuff can get you in big trouble (see "April Rose" on MckMama's blog for more on that), I'm gonna dig deep. Before the Bug Hunter was a fuzzy blur on an ultrasound or even a line on a pregnancy test. Back in the days when I actually received a paycheck for my work. It's all coming back to me.....

I worked for a package delivery company for 13 years before trading in my uniform for boxes of diapers and a nursing bra. I was a courier and an operations manager for part of that time, but mostly I was a customer service agent, working directly with customers as they dropped off packages and working complaints and traces as well. The last five years that I worked, I was at a smaller station location in North Georgia; we covered a very large and rural geographic area. I could probably do True Story Tuesday posts for the rest of this year and not run out of crazy things; it's pretty amazing what people will ship, and what they'll do and say when things go wrong. But this memory wasn't about a misplaced package, a crushed treasure, or wacky contents. It's all about me, baby... all about me. By the end of this, if you own a business, I'm quite sure you'll be banging down my door trying to get me to work customer service for you. Or, not.

At our location, the front customer area was small, with a counter, a scale, and a glass front. We closed at 8:00 sharp, and we really didn't have time to dilly dally once we closed. We had to get the packages we'd accepted over the counter out to the warehouse so they could be loaded along with what the couriers brought in; we had to put away any hold and problem packages that needed to be picked up; we had to go through our traces and complaints one final time to make sure that nothing was missed. We checked courier time cards, ran reports for missed scans, and a whole laundry list of things I can no longer remember, as well. So when we closed, it was lights out, doors locked, done with the public til the next morning. BUT...we were also the last hope for people in our area; if they missed getting their package out at our location, they would have to drive 40 miles in to Atlanta to the airport to get it out that night. So, inevitably, we would have someone banging on the door, giving big sad puppy-dog eyes or angry "I am the customer and the customer is always right!" eyes, begging/demanding that we take their package. The management finally wised up and put floor to ceiling blinds on the door and windows, so when we closed, we could shut the blinds and no longer see those sad eyes. Better yet, those eyes could no longer see US. But before the blinds, we'd usually cut the lights and take our packages out to the warehouse, leaving the front closed, locked and deserted. One night, once the lights were off, we made the mistake of staying behind the counter to check a hot trace. "We", by the way, was myself and my co-worker, Annie. Annie was about 20 years older than me, with some of the best customer service skills I've ever seen. She had worked in the call center for years before coming to the station, and while folks can get ugly in person, it multiplies ten-fold when all you are is a voice on the phone. Annie was the master; the package-whisperer, the customer comforter. While I could find packages and figure out tangled scans better than most, Annie could make the customer smile even when nothing more could be done. And so, when we heard someone banging on the front door, HER response was to reach for her keys to let them in. Mine? Stop, drop, and hide, friends; Firedaddy would have been proud of my reflexes. "HIT THE DECK", I half-hissed, half-yelled to Annie, and without thinking, she dropped down on the floor beside me. "Why don't we just let them in?" "No way.... let 'em in once, and they'll be back here every week after closing time!" "Pam, I feel stupid, and my knees hurt!" "Annie, get up and I will KILL you!" See? Don't you want me in your front office, representing your business? I do have to say that this was about 12 years into my stint at big delivery company, and I might have been just a weensy bit burned out. But Annie and I stayed there, crouched down behind the counter, until I peeked over and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as I was saying, "I think he finally gave up", the window BEHIND us to the warehouse opened up. And a courier said "Hey, I got a customer here who came in through the bay door; he needs to ship a... umm.. why are y'all on the ground?" And yes, Mr. Late was standing behind them, peering smugly in at us in all our glory. Annie STILL reminds me, whenever we get in touch, of how I made her hit the deck. And when I reflect on that story and the fact that it was a few weeks later that I discovered I was expecting, God's plan comes into focus just a little bit clearer. Absolutely, positively....!
If you enjoyed my ramblings even a little bit, please jump on over to Rachel's house for an eye-opening post by Mr. Daddy, and links to other true and fascinatingly funny stories. And hey, if you ever need any tips on customer service, give me a call. Or not.