Blogging

I enjoy reading my extended family blogs and seeing what's going on in their lives. There has been much going on in my life, but none that is bloggable. Larry is holding down the fort, he has taken up projects I don't like to do....cleaning ceiling fans, pledging furniture, cleaned & sealed grout throughout the house, makes great bread and so on. I work a lot of nights, and the sweetie misses me.

As I mentioned last time, I now work at Target. I'm basically a cashier, but I also help at the service desk, and learning the photo processing center.

I thought I might relate some of the things I see from this position, especially during the holidays.

Having worked in the welfare department for 17 years, I worked with people determining if they would receive welfare benefits. After 4 years as a clerk in a inner city emergency room, I saw the abuse of our medicaid benefits....ambulances for minor health issues, because they would have to pay bus fare or parking otherwise. Pregnancy tests that cost $100's of dollars in the er that could be done at home for $1 and so on.

Well now being a cashier...our Target has a full grocery. I get to see where our Food Stamp $$$ go. I often get a feeling the order I'm processing is a food stamp order, more produce and high quality meats than I can afford and then DVD's, games, clothes & so on. Then the Stamp card comes out, pays for the food, then the cash or debit card to pay for the luxuries. Or the junk food, candy, sodas and so on, again paid for by FS. I guess comparing the 2, the good meat & produce is better. I hate seeing a candy bar & bottle of soda being paid by FS.

Don't get me wrong, I have had people help pay for a strangers bill when they have been short. And almost everyone has been really nice, even when they could be otherwise. (If anything can go wrong, I have done it) The number of grumpy, angry or rude "guests" I could count on 1 hand in 2 months. Hopefully the next 6 weeks will be the same.

I'm one of the lucky people that will be seeing the midnight rush on Black Friday. I'm sure there will be fun stories to relate, I will try to show the good along with the bad.