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Hey, what's going on?My name is CT.When I'm not busy being Arrow the podcaster, I live in the real world.I mean, everybody has to have a job, right?Mine just happens to be CS, customer service.
You know, solutions, relationships, while keeping my team motivated and pumped up to keep that constant connection with each and every person who has chosen to stop into our location.
Episode number 153, revisiting the library, back to school condom education, and sniffing strawberries? Transition walk.Day number one out of three.Had a movie premiere this morning.I was out of town.
Coming back into town I had about an hour and 25 minutes where I could do something that I haven't done in a very long time. And that is visit the Billy Graham Library.I was here many, many, many times stretching between 2011 and 2016.
And I would come here just to be in a place of peace and be with people that really were all about what I believe in. So it's been since 2016 that I've been here and it's 2024.
So it's going to be quite the journey, quite the walk today in a place that to this day means so much to me before I go into CS.
One of the things that I used to do, I was in terrestrial radio and I needed a place to escape, to break free of the monotony of, you know, making money for other people basically as a production director.
But I would come to the library to write, do nothing but write.In fact, I have a podcast that I used to call the lyrics from Billy's forest.Everything that I wrote while sitting here on these benches inside the forest became a podcast.
They were stories about basically just Being true to yourself.And it's now changed to the lyrics from Rainbow Forest because, like I mentioned before, last time I was here was 2016.
How could I call the show the lyrics from Billy's Forest when I needed to be honoring my own forest, Rainbow Forest?This piece of land still has its spiritual connection.I mean, you can feel it.You can smell the flowers.You can hear the animals.
You can hear the crickets.You can hear everything. You know, getting the time to come over here after eight years, it's a learning experience as I make my way toward where Billy and his wife were laid to rest.
And believe it or not, before that even happened, I was writing in that area every day that I could escape from the radio station.And now their bodies are there.So maybe in a very spiritual way, something happened.
I've now reached the area that I sat in writing in 2015. This is a place where I guess I can openly admit that I ran off to when word got to me that my father died.I didn't know where to go.I mean, I was in the production room of the radio station.
I didn't know where to go.I didn't want to get caught crying my eyes out in front of salespeople and other jocks on radio.I didn't know what to do.So I found my way to this area of the Billy Graham Library inside this forest.
And I did nothing but write.Actually, I've said that before.I did nothing but write.And today, I'm a little saddened that I didn't bring my writing instrument with me.Maybe I needed to.Something's calling me back here today.Something.
It's the Thursday before back to school in this neck of the woods.They've got so many people on our roster to be on this team from tonight all the way until deep into the late hours on Sunday.
And because, man, when your kids are going back to class, you've got to get some snacks for the daytime, lunch, and you've got to get some food when they get home.Or it's, Mom, I'm hungry.There's nothing to eat.
It's not that I'm being an ass here at work.What happens is that you get these young adults who like to congregate at someone's register.You have three and four of them together, and they totally ignore what's going on in their own line.
And so you tell them once or twice, you say, don't congregate, man.We'll find you something to do.We'll get you to block.We'll keep you busy.But don't stand there, talk, joke around, flick each other's hair and things.
And it's like, first of all, I think it makes us look very unprofessional. And so I've been getting the dirty look.CT's being a jerk.Oh yeah, Basie won't let us talk.
That's what happens when you put in money that's as old as the era.
Um, yeah.And then they get stuck in the checkout machine and they get pissed off at us, you know?Fucking dollar bills from 1960s.And then they'll put money over here that's wet, and then we'll get stuck in the robot.
And they're like, oh, what's wrong with your machine?I'm like, well, you put fucking wet money in there.I'm just glad to say he lost 40 bucks.Yeah, exactly.Exactly.You know, I can't even take a dollar anymore.It's not that serious.
Every time somebody comes in with bad meat, they open up the bag, they say, smell it, smell it.And you're going, I really don't want to smell it.No, I really need you to smell it.So you smell it and you feel like you're going to pass out.
Oh my God, why do they do that?It's like, smell my finger, man.Smell it, smell it. You know the woman that we were talking about?
She was in such a rush that she forgot her bacon.She forgot her eggs.She forgot everything.Look at this.It's old Carmen.Carmen.
Do you know what I'm saying?
I mean, if she's not going to talk to you and smile with you and share stories with you.Carmen.Carmen.Yeah.
So she's going to get home and she's not going to have her two things of bacon.She'll call. Moments where you feel like somebody is totally setting you up, totally setting you up.Gentleman, maybe in his mid-20s, he's buying some Trojans, condoms.
And he literally looks over at us and he goes, I've never used these things before, man.How do I even know it's the right size?And right away, you just go, are you kidding me?And he goes, how do you even put it on?Dude, I ain't your daddy.
And so you're trying to figure out if there's cameras somewhere, if somebody is filming it on their smartphone so they can put it up on TikTok.But you're going, what?Are you really saying this?I ain't your daddy.
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Transition walk, day number two out of four.Tough day in the studio today.For some reason, the hard drives weren't recognizing the computer and the computer wasn't paying attention to anything else going on.It had a mind of its own.
And when you've got interviews all lined up and you've got to get stuff posted, there's got to be some communication here.There's got to be something that's going to settle down the massive amount of something gone wrong.Oh, wait a second.
That sounds like CS too.A lack of communication. breaks down, breaks down things, things that we call teamwork.I'll have to think about this one for a little bit.Was the computer issues today a reminder of something that needs to be fixed today?
One of the first feelings is when someone comes up to you and they know that you usually know where everything is in the store, because I'm the put-back king.
And they go, hey man, your chips, the store brand chips, the tortilla chips, where are they at?Well, I know exactly where they are.
You know, you got that pride, you got your ego going on, because you know everything in the store, because you're the put-back king.You get over to where they normally are, they're gone.
It's like, suddenly, what you thought was a great moment has turned around.You've got to figure out where they put the store brand tortilla chips.The Friday before school starts.Oh, we are slammed.
This is a grand slam combined with a complete shutout in the NFL.And my god, that ice is hot.Put on more players.We are slammed.And it's just going to get worse.Or is it great when you're making money? R.F.K.Jr.
has just walked out of the presidential elections.And, of course, coworkers and people that are visiting our store want to talk about it.What is your reaction?How do you feel?What do you think is going to happen now?I can't talk politics.
I'm just not there, man.I just can't do it.It's a very tough thing to do because I don't want to end a friendship because of something as complicated as politics.So no DJ performance this weekend?
Oh, I got canceled and I've done for years.I've done Frankenstein for years.Yeah. Here's the picture.I have so much stuff to set up.Yeah, yeah, yeah.And I had to go to David Ford to set up the disc.Right.Then, you know, do the little show.
It's just background noise.Yeah.Yeah.I said, come on down.I started this like eight years ago.Inflation's 20%.Yep.Making a hundred.Yep.And I started doing that, and now I think that's too much for me.Oh my God.Oh my God.
I was like, didn't you get out of my way?I was like, Oh, yeah.
Cause she walked by here and she was cussing away.
And I'm thinking she had a phone.So I'm not, I was like, I randomly went to go get some more, some veggies.Oh, I'm not going crazy.Like I, what I've heard there, I was like, Oh, it's hard.It's not us.It's hard.So just hear me out.
Like, you know, just maybe not outward. Back there, you know, angry as custom.
Get that snapshot, put it on the wall.Really?She was angry.I'm sorry that she didn't get you deals like she wanted.She's 16 before Tuesday.There you go.
Transition walk day number three out of four.Yeah Saturday had to do my podcasting had to be in that studio today It's all about discipline.
It's all about making sure that you show up and you do what you're supposed to do now one of the things if you're not a podcaster is that it requires a lot of work and a lot of focus and the things that we love to do as a human being is
is we like to just set things aside and we never get back to it.In fact, if you've always thought about doing a podcast and you're not there yet, I just described you.You set it aside and you don't get back to it.CS is no different.
People just show up to do a job and they don't do what they're supposed to be doing.Servicing the community. For the love of God, five no-shows today.
We've only got two people on the cash register, very busy Saturday, and the lines are all the way around to the next side.Five no-shows.What the hell?
because of how large the crowd is in the store, this being the weekend before everybody goes back to school.
They're getting me on the register, then they're taking me off the register because they're so afraid that I'm gonna get injured again with my torn rotator cuff.And I keep telling them, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay.
And I guess they're seeing something in the way that I'm using my arm.They say, you know, get the hell off that floor.
An older gentleman is in self-checkout, and he keeps calling me over to his robot, as they call it, and he says, I don't know, I don't know how to do this.So I tell him, 4011, 4011 is for bananas, blah, blah, blah.
So then we go to the next route, and then we go to the next route, the next route.And all of a sudden, you know, he wants me to do all of his stuff.And I looked at him, I said, you do realize this is self-checkout?Don't you talk to me like that.
You don't talk to me like that.Don't you ever do that. Okay, pet peeve of the week.People who go to self-checkout and take me away from the game so that the theft can rise.
I'm presently positioned in produce by the bananas and the potatoes and onions. And I'm looking over at the strawberry section.This woman's been in here for about 15 minutes, opening up every single box of strawberries.
And then she smells them, every single one of them.Now, I get bothered when people go by the grapes and they grab them, they eat them.But is this wrong?What would you do in a situation like this?
Because right now, right now in front of me, she's opening up another box of strawberries.And there, there it is. She's smelling them.Is it for freshness?Is it some sort of fix?What is it?
Transition walk day number four out of four the body is on fire We said in the very beginning that this was gonna be a very tough weekend because of back to school So as I get ready to go into the fourth day, it's like holy crap All right.
I know that list of players on our team is there but will they show up because we had five new shows yesterday How many people will not show up today because they fear they fear the crowd That's waiting to see them.They fear it.
You can see it in their eyes before we even get there.Come on.Five no-shows?All right.I don't want to curse the day.On my way to see us.Oh, hell yes.I walked into a wall of nothing but people.Gigantic baskets full of food.
It's like they must have starved themselves for the entire summer.And all of a sudden, now that summer's coming to an end and there's school tomorrow, you gotta feed the kids. Because how can you buy that much food?
Honestly, and maybe it's just me and I'm not just one of those people that goes in and spends four or five hundred dollars on food.But how do you do it?Why don't you like do some grazing when it comes to to buying groceries by a little bit at a time?
Here's the challenge, Bill.Bill, this has been here now for two hours.OK, so which one of the three is going to open it up and drink?
Nobody's drinking that shit.Why?You'd throw it away.I thought that was a challenge.No!What?No!Are you crazy?Don't drink it too much.That's not a challenge.
That is like death right there.It's a thermostat, so it should be still cold or hot.
Should we just look inside it?
It's like the fling.The other way.That's like the plague.
I think it's coffee.I think it's coffee. Look at it.Oh, it's got like a mold on it.Oh, that's water.Oh, it's ice water.Oh, man.So that's how much mold is on it, because it looked like coffee.
There should be a rule when it comes to Instacart.Do not do two and three orders at a time.And the reason being is because you're taking your time to go around the store.How many times?And then when the orders are being canceled, guess what?
Your $500 worth of food now has to be put back.Is Instacart going to put that shit back?No.We do, and it's already freaking busy. The one thing we don't need is an M.O.D.to come up to us out on the floor saying, I need everybody on the floor.
This is the back to school crowd.Get on the floor.Everybody on the floor.And you look at him and you go, everybody that's here is on the floor.I don't know where your mind is, but go back to the bakery.
OK, go back there and help them, because obviously their team couldn't show up today.OK, we're fine up here.Go away. Do you see that guy that was just here?Yeah.
What happened yesterday?How did you hear about it?Management already said something.What do you mean?I'm just kidding.Oh, Jesus, dude, because I because I was I was tied up in self-checkout.Yeah.And he wanted me to check him out in self-checkout.
And I looked at him and I go, I go, they call it self-checkout for a reason.And he goes, don't you?
Yeah, he came to me in his accent and everything.Do I look to be like that?What did you say?
And I, you know, I, you know me, I pipe down immediately at situations like that.And then he comes back to take this, to bring himself back.So there we were face to face again.Did he acknowledge it today?No.I took it like it never happened.
Like it never happens. Another exciting addition of what would you do?Well, on this crowded day, I just found a dollar on the floor.Yeah, a big old paper dollar.What would you do?
What I'm going to do is I'm going to turn it into the front desk and say I found a dollar on the floor.It ain't going in my pocket because you never know if there could be a camera that's always watching you.You got to turn this stuff in, man.
If it's a dollar or if it's $300, you got to turn it in.What would you do?
So what are you doing away from the registers?Come on, this is the back to school weekend.
Listen, I've already got a assistant manager up there.You don't need me.And this helps me walk away and recompose myself, right?Yeah, I think I'm the only manager that does projects, but I like doing them.Yeah, yeah.
Well, you know, I hope she learned why we think that was sort of a Daniel.
I said, go learn the store. We put that stuff back.And I said, did you learn anything?He says, I didn't know where the potatoes were.I do now.Right.So, you know, that's how you learn the score.I mean, they give you shit about it.
Like, oh, what are you doing back here?I'm like returning to the idiot.
The Instacart drama continues.So they leave because they were canceled.So we take and we put everything back, about $450, $500 worth of groceries, because it was three of them.
And then the guy that was supposed to put them back said, yeah, I put them back.You put them back that fast?Yeah, I know the store.I put them back that fast. And so I'm leaving.God, you're a superstar, dude.Way to go.
And me being me, because I walk around the store a lot, because I'm looking for things on the floor, I'm looking for things that basically are out of place, I spot the cart.It's got stuff in it. What do you do?You just he's just I don't know.
I don't know.I don't know.Maybe it was one that looked like the one that was filled with the instacart stuff.Okay, let's do the benefit of the doubt here that he did put this stuff away.This just is one that has a lot of the same stuff in it.
What does your father say?And they were like, no, no.Okay, so next time. So they grabbed him by the head, smashed him?If I didn't work in the shopping center, I would have.
Did they do a little bit of discipline in? Just a little bit.Did you give them the look?They did get a mama look.
They got a mama look.But I was just like, what are we doing?
Want to have a good time or a bad time?Well, see, we need more of that, because when the kids are going crazy and stuff like that, you just need somebody to look at and just like, you know, you're doing bad.
Girl, chill.Mind my business.
No, but I was like, y'all triggered my attention.I can't do this today.
Well, that's it, another exciting edition of CTCS Drama, Drama, Drama.Can we all just get along?Hey, do me a favor, create your own podcast at your place of business.That's how we communicate as a community.
We get to see what's going on behind your curtain.Identify your wizard.I'll see you next week.
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