As an outside sales person, I fought for years for a Blackberry. I never did get one. None of our 60+ sales force throughout the United States was ever given the one tool that could have made our lives so much easier. Then again, I was only given a laptop a few years ago.

When I actually went to my boss and asked for the specific reasons I was not allowed to have a Blackberry I was given these answers:

1. They cost $500! We can't have just anyone running around with such an expensive piece of equipment.

2. You'll have to be available and more responsive to your customers, and do you really want to have to do that?

3. When traveling, you can always stop at a coffee shop that has Wi-Fi, get a cup of coffee (not paid for by Bob's Hogs), and check your email on your laptop.

4. (After a meeting with my #1 customer where response time was the #1 reason they said they often went with us and actually suggested that I be given a Blackberry to increase our business with them) "First lets see the business increase, that I'll look into getting you a Blackberry." Huh?

I can't tell you the number of significant sales I've lost over the years because I was traveling and couldn't get to my email, or had to ridiculously ask my high profile customers to call me with a huge proposal instead of just being able to read the stupid thing online.

So, a week after almost our entire sales force was cut, I walked my ass into the local AT&T store to pick up a smart phone. No more crappy-ass Razr for me (man, I hated that thing). I immediately gravitated toward the Blackberry Pearl, but the double button typing immediately put me off. I checked out the Blackberry Curve, which I thought I wanted, until I saw the Blackjack II....

I debated for a few minutes until I saw the difference between the Blackberry and Blackjack browsers, and the ease in use. The Blackjack just feels more intuitive. I was able to take it home and set it up quickly. I was downloading applications, getting new ring tones, and customizing it immediately, something I've seen Blackberry users struggle with.

It holds up to 10 email accounts, I can use both Opera and IE to browse, Frinklin found Octrotalk for me so that I can use GChat in addition to texting...what more could I ask for?

Posted by: Ensie at 04:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 424 words, total size 3 kb.

I'm on vacation.

I spent the day driving my rented black convertable Mustang around San Diego, lying by the pool drinking alcoholic beverages, and getting a wicked sunburn (I'm lobster red currently but should be tan by Wednesday).

Oh, and getting laid off from Bob's Hogs and Weiner Pigs.

It's not as though I wasn't expecting it. Which doesn't make it suck any less; but as I had the conversation with my now ex-boss, Beet about my severence package (pretty good) and access to my company-issued laptop and cell phone (ending within hours), I felt...calm. I don't feel a terrible sense of loss over leaving the company I've worked at for 11 years. I don't have an awful dread about finding a new job in worsening economy.

What definitely helps is the fact that I've had three successful interviews with a great new company, the latest of which took place just a couple of hours after my "your position has been eliminated effective immediately" discussion with Beet. I've been asked to keep next Wednesday free to come in to meet with the the man who would be my boss in person, after speaking with him on the phone today. I have that feeling you get when you just know a job is right for you and the interviews feel like a formality, and can't you just get started already?

I'm really going to eat my words if I don't get this job.

The worst part about today was fielding phone calls from a lot of people didn't anticipate this situation. Beet spent a lot of time telling his team that we were in a good position and we weren't in danger of losing our jobs. He was genuinely shocked at hearing the news that we would be getting the axe. And because he convinced himself and a lot of other people that we were "safe," they have not been listening to the overriding message of the company that the news overall is not positive and everyone could lose their jobs. Some were in tears, having worked at Borders for years, and a good number came on board within the last year, meaning they will receive minimal severence packages.

I lost access to my computer within hours of hearing the news, meaning that a lot of my customers will not know what happened. This is unfortunate, as I have always worked very hard to make my customers happy. I feel responsible for the work I have done for them over the years, and to leave in the middle of processing their orders with no clear answer as to how things will be handled is difficult for me. To walk away with nothing more than an, "Oh well, it's someone else's problem now," is extremely hard.

I still have access to my cell phone for now, somehow. Everyone else lost access today. I like to think it's some sort of kindness that I'm being offered as I'm on vacation and they know I need it. Every time I open it and see the picture of Pharoah, who passed away last November, I wonder how long his picture will be there, and how much longer this one final connection to Bob's Hogs will last.

I visited the first store I ever worked at today. I needed to ship some books out from Book Expo America. Eleven years ago the General Manager used to be an Assistant Manager who noticed my application and called my 20 year-old self in for an interview. I nailed it, and before I coulld even drive home he had called and left a message for me to schedule a second interview. The second went well and I was offered the position of a Children's Bookseller. My first day on the job I worked the entire day without a lunch break because I was so excited to work with books. The way they felt, their smell, the shifting and moving them around on the shelves.

I met so many best friends over the years - Joe, Holly Wood, Mike, Clay, Darryl, Meagan, Larissa, James...and so many characters. My first real apartment came from a roomate agreement through a coworker there. And my next roomate, and the following as well. I turned 21 and had my first drink at TGI Fridays with coworkers after closing. I attended countless parties over the years for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and people coming and going. I dyed my hair blue and pierced my nose and my tongue and they accepted me. I grew my hair out and grew into a professional and they created a position for me in another state.

If I think about it too much I'll cry. I'm holding it in until I get home.

I'm on vacation.

Posted by: Ensie at 10:21 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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