CHAOS

There's a mess everywhere I look! We're renovating my store--EVERYTHING is changing. New floors, new shelves, new paint, new signs, new counters, holes in the wall patched up, entire departments trading places=CHAOS. Many of our items have been moved to storage; other items are in the store but in unlabeled boxes or thrown together into carts. Aisles have disappeared as shelves are shoved together, leaving perhaps a 2-foot space to get through. Dust and dirt swirl through the air; a layer of grime coats EVERYTHING. When shelves are moved several mice skeletons are discovered.

Despite the MESS.....EVERYWHERE.....we remain open to customers. Only some of the comments we've received:

• "Your store is really dirty!" Yes. We know. "You should clean it up." We will. Once the carpenters/painters/floor layers/etc. finish making it dirty.
• "Where is the ___?" Your guess is as good as mine. Items change locations on a daily basis.
• "I need ___." Sorry, that's in storage. "But I need it NOW!" Sorry, storage. "NOW!" Storage. {No matter how much you bug me or no matter how many people you ask, there is NO WAY we can get what you "need" right now.}
• "How much is this? This? This? You know, you really should put prices on your products. It's very difficult for me to shop when there are no prices." {Silence from me. Every day, all day, it's difficult for me to work. Do you not see the disorder around you?! Merchandise not having prices is the least of my worries.}
• "I can't stand the smell {of the paint/glue/whatever}! Can you get {these 20 items} for me while I wait in the front?" {I can't stand the smell, either. But I don't have a choice. I'm here all day, every day. With an air conditioner that's not working. Sure I'll do your shopping for you. You can see very clearly that there's absolutely nothing else for me to be doing. Right.}

Many days I work 12 hours. When I arrive home, grime coats my hair and skin and the inside of my lungs. I'm exhausted, yet I can't sleep well because I can't BREATHE. Dirty laundry and dishes pile up to create chaos at home, too. Friends? Family? What's that?

There have been rumors that the renovation was coming for 5+ years. It was BADLY needed. Actually, it was badly needed five years ago. Six months ago we were told that it was coming in "a month or two". When it came, we had only a week's notice.

A week left (or so they say). I have trouble believing that they'll have everything put away by then. When it's over, the store will have entered the 21st century (or at least the 20th). The vastly improved layout of the store will lead to monstrously better business. There's even the possibility that we'll be able to drive our main competitor out of business! Wouldn't that be something!