Learning Curve

Growing up, I was a straight A student kind of girl. My parents held me to a certain standard, and I have never outgrown my need for perfectionism. I am a quick learner, I enjoy growing relationships, and most people that I have worked for when asked the question, "Would you hire her again?" Without pause would say, "Yes."

Working in California, was such a huge learning experience for me. The job I did was both physically and mentally challenging. Not mentally challenging in the intellectual kind of way, but in the; this is a whole new crowd I have to learn and adapt to kind of way.

The crowd of people I am specifically talking about is 'Inventory Control Clerks.' There are a handful of nice ones, that are patient to a new deliverer's learning curve, but the majorities are ladies and gents that have no relational skills whatsoever, and have therefore been moved to the backroom. This is where they will not be scaring customers away, and causing the rest of the staff to receive a bad secret shop score.

ICCs usually open their doors around 5:00am, but aren't morning people. Although there are set guidelines of how to receive deliveries sent out by the corporate office, each ICC has their own personal set of rules. If you don't remember the particular set of rules that the store you are delivering to has, you are shunned. My personal learning curve was not helped by the fact that our company was new in the NorCal area to direct delivery. And, although our product had been in their stores for 20+ years, some of them didn't recognize it, and were skeptical that I should be bringing it in. Maybe the Budget truck I had to drive for 2 months had something to do with it.

This is what I wanted to scream at the skeptics every time I came across one, "Seriously! How many people try to sneak product INTO Safeway!?! It would be pointless! If the product wasn't in your computer, customers couldn't purchase it anyways, and our company would never get paid!" I never actually said this out loud to them of course. Instead, I answered their questions with a smile, and told them to have a great day when I left. It was only in the confines of my truck cab that I would scream in frustration, and on some days, be in tears from their lack of kindness.

California ICCs, you taught me so much about my character, and how important it is to shrug off negative nellies. You taught me that even though you were nasty to me, I could not dwell on it for the rest of the day. Because in the end, it's not your poor attitude that makes or breaks my character, it's my own. I thank you all for that.

You want me to drive what?

I learned how to drive when I was five years old. On special weekends, I would wake up early, and get to go golfing with my dad. Back then, I didn't actually golf, I drove the golf cart, and drank hot chocolate. Even though I knew the basics of driving, when I was fifteen, I was required to take driver's ed. My instructor told me I did very well and caught on quickly, which then reflected in my driver's license drive test, when I scored 100%. I now have nine years of driving experience under my belt, a few accidents, and a couple speeding tickets. But, nothing quite prepared me for hopping into a fourteen foot Ryder rental truck.

Up to this point, the only vehicle I had driven while down in Cali was our Honda Civic. I rode around in the 26 foot box truck with Aaron & Brian, but that was the extent of it. When we originally left Washington, I was under the impression that I was going to be a sales rep that would drive a Scion, place orders, and have the orders be fulfilled by a driver the following day. A couple weeks into our stay, I was informed that I would be driving a box truck. I have to admit, I was a little nervous, but part of me was excited to break a stereotype. I am a 5'2", bubbly brunette, with designer jeans. I am not the 'type' of girl that most people envision being a delivery driver. But there I was, about to be driving a fourteen foot Ryder rental truck.

The first day I drove the rental truck was definitely the all time worst day to ever start driving one of those things. It happened to be the first day that it rained while we were in California. Usually when it rains in Cali, it is what us Washingtonians consider a mist, but this day was torrential down pour. Not only was it raining, but we were experiencing 25-35 mph winds. I was so scared driving down the freeway, in a vehicle I had never driven before, on a road I wasn't familiar with, basically in a big metal sail, that I literally was yelling inside the cab of the truck. If I was on reality TV, it would have been one of those moments that the network would have kept playing over and over to get you interested in watching that episode. I arrived to the first store with an elevated heart rate, but in one piece. By the end of the day, my pants were soaked up to my knee and my hair was a mess, but I didn't die.

That afternoon I made it back to the warehouse with no bumps or bruises, on myself, or the truck. I backed the truck up to the dock like a professional, and told Aaron I couldn't believe he would actually think I would be okay driving that truck. Aaron assured me that it was in fact the worst day to ever learn to drive that truck, and that at no time after that would I be afraid for my life while driving it. Don't tell him I said this, but he was right :)