x2 on Jack

Jack was my best friend!

You don’t know Jack!

I spent 31 years in the grocery business working many holidays and always shorthanded due to it being a paid holiday. I never looked forward to any of them. I changed careers when I was 47 (O&G manufacturing) and finally got to enjoy time off like normal folks that don`t work retail.

I spent a lot of years in retail. Management, supervisor, district manager, regional manager and the finally as a buyer or marketing or merchandising manager. Days off were very rare from mid-November to January 1. It was especially bad as a buyer because as soon as Christmas ended, I was gathering info on what and how much of it sold well. I had to get that done quickly because so much was imported that you had to get you orders in fairly early in the year. That meant I started looking at Christmas stuff in February, ordering it, making sure there was space in the warehouse to receive it and then store it for several months before shipping to the stores. Plus, I was working on ad plans for November and December.

By the time it arrived each year I was a grinch and hated Christmas, except for the one day I got off for sure, Dec. 25.

I feel your pain buddy. The day following a holiday was spent tearing down displays and building new ones for the next holiday or special event of some kind while being shorthanded. We almost always got our pto before or after the holiday. Sometimes 2 weeks after. Looking back, I probably do it all over again though.

I am the original grinch about the holidays..:) When I was young and single I'd work the holidays in the data center at HP to give the married folks the time off. I didn't mind as I had no family and not much else to do over the holidays. I'd take comp time after the holidays and go skiing, hunting,etc. Mostly spend my holidays by myself as my parents lived in a different state. I'd hook up with some girl occasionally and we'd go skiing for 3 or 4 days at some of Colorado's big resorts...we'd miss the holiday crowd so it was more fun....:)

Over the years the holidays became just another day off that I really didn't do much on. Just avoided the crowds mostly. Nowadays my wife decorates the house, I grumble and hang some xmas lights and sleep late on the days off...:)

I can empathize with you on all that.

Grow a set already.

Being retired everyday is a paid Holiday.