The Shop Around the Corner

This week, Borders announced that they will be selling the store to a liquidator and would be closing after 40 years. In all fairness, it's not something that us employees were shocked by. Borders declared backruptcy last year and closed 200 some of the 600 some stores, leaving about 400 open. eReaders have done considerable damage in the world of books, just as Netflix and Redbox have done their part to force Hollywood Video into liquidation and Blockbuster video into bankruptcy.



All I can think about, though, is Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, so sad about her "little shop" closing because the "big" chain around the corner put her out of business. It's weird, because we're the big store.

Although I've only been back in Borders a short time after a stint a couple years ago, I've always fully enjoyed working there. I always say I have two jobs, but I only enjoy one...and Borders is it. It's such a relaxed place to work, and also intellectually stimulating, and we've made strong friendships within each other. I don't think there is any retail job that can possibly be more relaxing.

But, now we have signs like these plastered all over the store. Giant signs hanging off the cielings in several places, at least one %off sign every 4 feet, all sales final, no checks, etc.



This is a sad time for all of us, employees and customers alike. This time is, however, made harder with some customers who fail to put things in perspective so, in the interest of all 11,000 Borders employees who are about to lose their jobs, I ask you to please remember a few things as you come through the final sales and get your good deals:

We understand that you may have paid to upgrade your card with us and are now upset that you are out $20. We have no control over this, and please remember that your $20 is a small inconvenience--we would gladly trade your $20 for our jobs.

Although we appreciate that you are sorry we are closing and you may be generally interested in what we, individually, are now planning to do with our umemployed lives, we can only hear such things so many times in the day before we get frustrated. It's kind of like when you make comments like "Wow, you're only 6 months?!" and "Wow, you're huge!" to a pregnant woman--it's good natured, but when you look back on it you realize it's really not a compliment. Plus, it's depressing.

We don't know what day, specifically, we will be closing. We don't know when the sales will be changing. We no longer have the ability to use coupons or give discounts of any kind. Everything is now under control of the company that bought us, and we have zero say in what we do or don't do. It's kind of like being held captive.

Generally, please just remember that although our closing is getting you amazing deals, it's also taking the livelihoods of thousands of people. And don't be a dick.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

Lately, I've been thinking about the benefits versus the issues that come with having a facebook. I recently read an article by someone who spent a year without using facebook--to my surprise, she lived. I don't, for the life of me, remember what I did before Facebook. But, the superficial friendships and the lack of any commonly accepted rules on the site get to me every once in awhile.

I mean, do I really have 387 friends? No, no I don't. And I've deleted some 100+ friends in the past month. And do I have to add my boss if they ask to be my friend? Do I have to add my grandmother? My husband's aunt? My 10 year old nephew? If I add all those people, then I have to watch what I say because what I'd like to say may not be condusive to what my grandmother and my 10 year old nephew should be reading, or my boss to be knowning. And doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of having a profile when nothing you say or do is actually what you'd like to say or do?



But, if you don't use facebook, it's like your missing out on everything. You can't see when other people get married, have children, move, or (the worst) die. And how am I supposed to know if my child is cute without 300 people hitting "like" on their pictures?

I try really hard to keep my profile private. Everything on it is set to "friends only" and my profile is unsearchable. But, that doesn't seem to really matter--I can't stop myself from showing up in other people's "people you may know" section, I can't stop friends of my friends from seeing things I put on their walls or pictures they put up of me. Everytime my friends and I go out we have "posting rules" with photos--we can't risk the whole world seeing everything we do.

Keeping connected is great, but I often wonder if it's truly worth the stress and the fakeness that tends to come along with it.

Thoughts?

Good Ole San Antone

A few weeks ago, I went to visit the hubs who is down in San Antonio for the summer. Yes, I know you are confused. We, also, have no idea how to answer the question "where do you live?" at the moment.

But we had a great time in San Antonio! We went to the riverwalk and used our Heroes Salute pass to go to Sea World (thanks!) and really enjoyed ourselves. Seaworld, by the way, also has a waterpark...which was AMAZING since it was 107 all day! Mostly, though, we love that there are actually things to do in San Antonio, unlike in Alabama where he was most recently. That place was boring. And it smelled. True fact.

The Alamo. Which really surprised us. We figured it would be in the middle of nowhere but it's not--it's right in the middle of the city. In fact, we walked to the riverwalk from there and it was a super short walk in itself.



We ate at this place on the riverwalk called Dick's, where the waiters are rude to you on purpose. We all ended up wearing paper hats with dirty phrases on them, which was funny. It was no Ed Debevics, but it was still pretty good. But, good ole texas, it was 9pm and it was still 103 outside so it was a rather warm outdoor meal.





And then, of course, there was the highlight: SeaWorld. Which was huge, hot, and busy. But definitely awesome!





Plus, we got to see each other for the first time in 4 months, which was also awesome ;)

Fee-hee-hee-heeeny!

This post is brought to you by Writer's Workshop at Mama Kat's Losin' It!

..well, and it's also brought to you by me, since I'm writing it. ;)

Prompt:
A list of 10 old TV shows you’d like to make a comeback.


1. Boy Meets World (REUNION please?!)

"What are you, new?!"

2. Friends!

"Crap Bag. No middle name. First name Crap, last name Bag."

3. Gilmore Girls

"I'm going to make out in the coat closet. Don't eat my chicken."
"That's going on your tombstone."

4. Will & Grace

"Knock knock, anybody homo?"

5. Reba

"I've got one word for you: letitgo!"

6. ER
I'll ignore the cast photo here, since there were like 8 billion people on this show. Oldschool ER though, not the last few years.

7. Dawson's Creek


8. According to Jim


9. What I Like About You


10. Still Standing