As you probably know, I have spent most of my adult life in retail. I have made many friends along the way. After Belk closed officially in 1996 in Columbia, almost everyone went to other places. Some stayed with the Belk organization in other towns and cities. Others took jobs where they could find them.
My friend Ginger from those days went to work at USC. I had a day off from Rich's and thought I would pay her a visit. As I was walking toward her work, I had a sharp pain in my right leg. It made it very difficult to walk. The pain was intense. I made it to her job and told her that I was in a lot of pain. She urged me to go to the doctor. I had noticed some pain while at Rich's, but had just ignored it. I have had lower back pain almost my entire life, so I just thought they were related. But, this seemed worse.
I went to see the doctor that day. They did some tests and suggested I get an ultrasound on my leg. They were worried that I had a clot in my leg that could move to my heart, lungs or brain. They made an appointment for me to go to an ultrasound lab near USC. When I got there, the nurse said that the jelly they were to put on my leg would feel funny. It started out cold and quickly turned hot. They ran the detector over my leg and found I didn't have a clot. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had Deep Vein Thrombosis which was causing the pain. The veins in my right leg were swollen. I was given a prescription for some support hose.
When I got to Hawthorne Pharmacy, I was fitted for the hose. I had worn tights before in plays, but this was way more substantial. The hose was designed to support my leg and allow the blood to flow smoothly through my veins. I could tell an immediate difference. No more pain. The hose went all the way up to my hip. The nurse said I could wear a garter belt to keep them up, or I could use a rubber band. I opted for the rubber band. I asked her how long I would need to wear them. She said for as long as I lived.
I put it on my right leg and went to work. The rubber band was tight, so I took it off and just held it up by tugging from my pants pocket. That seemed to work okay. I wore it pretty much every day at work for several years. Gradually, I started feeling I didn't need them every day, so I started wearing them when I felt the need. I started walking more and getting some exercise, which helped my leg. I now wear them when I know I am going to be standing up for a long period of time, or when I become inactive and need the support. A result of 30 years of retail.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Rock Hill
I was driving up to Charlotte on Sunday morning in the late 90's. I was planning to visit the used record stores. It was in the summer. My car had air conditioning, but I had to use it sparingly, because of the strain on the motor. I was reluctant to open the windows to get the hot air in my car, so I was driving some of the way with no air.
As I was going up I-77, I began to have chest pains. The pains got worse, and I was having a hard time breathing. I started to panic. I was close to Rock Hill, SC and saw a sign for a hospital. By now, it was around 12:30pm. I got off of the interstate and headed for the hospital. When I pulled into the parking lot, I stopped the car and opened my car door. I immediately threw up. I was sweaty. The chest pains had gotten worse, and I thought I was having a heart attack.
A security guard saw me in distress and called for help. They brought out a gurney, and rushed me into the ER. I looked around the waiting room and saw many people waiting for help. I was moved ahead of all of them. I felt sorry for them, but the nurses said that people with chest pains are a priority to be seen. That was good to know. They rushed me into an examining room and started taking vitals. I was in a lot of pain.
After triage, they started working on me more. The tests came back negative for a heart attack. They did more tests and had me drink something. Soon, the pain subsided. I was there three hours, when the other results came back. It turned out I had a bad attack of acid reflux. The doctor gave me a prescription and asked where I lived. I told him that I lived in Columbia. He told me I could drive back home, but I had to take it slow. I had been through a real ordeal. I drove back taking two-lane roads and driving 35mph. It took about three hours to get home.
The next day, I went to my doctor's office for a follow-up. Just to be on the safe side, my doctor said he was going to do another EKG. The nurse came in to put on the sensors. After a few minutes, they all came back to me in a panic. They told me that I had had a massive heart attack. I had no symptoms of one. I knew that from my father's heart condition and what happened to him when he had a heart attack. They called a cardiologist who was sent the strip. He told my doctor that a large portion of my heart was missing and that I needed to be rushed to the hospital. I felt fine. Just before the ambulance came, the cardiologist ordered another EKG. Another nurse came in and replaced the sensors. The results came back that my heart was fine. It turned out that the first nurse had put the sensors in the wrong place on my chest. The doctors called off my trip to the hospital. When I went back a week later for another follow-up, that errant nurse had been fired. They all apologized to me for upsetting me. You think?
As I was going up I-77, I began to have chest pains. The pains got worse, and I was having a hard time breathing. I started to panic. I was close to Rock Hill, SC and saw a sign for a hospital. By now, it was around 12:30pm. I got off of the interstate and headed for the hospital. When I pulled into the parking lot, I stopped the car and opened my car door. I immediately threw up. I was sweaty. The chest pains had gotten worse, and I thought I was having a heart attack.
A security guard saw me in distress and called for help. They brought out a gurney, and rushed me into the ER. I looked around the waiting room and saw many people waiting for help. I was moved ahead of all of them. I felt sorry for them, but the nurses said that people with chest pains are a priority to be seen. That was good to know. They rushed me into an examining room and started taking vitals. I was in a lot of pain.
After triage, they started working on me more. The tests came back negative for a heart attack. They did more tests and had me drink something. Soon, the pain subsided. I was there three hours, when the other results came back. It turned out I had a bad attack of acid reflux. The doctor gave me a prescription and asked where I lived. I told him that I lived in Columbia. He told me I could drive back home, but I had to take it slow. I had been through a real ordeal. I drove back taking two-lane roads and driving 35mph. It took about three hours to get home.
The next day, I went to my doctor's office for a follow-up. Just to be on the safe side, my doctor said he was going to do another EKG. The nurse came in to put on the sensors. After a few minutes, they all came back to me in a panic. They told me that I had had a massive heart attack. I had no symptoms of one. I knew that from my father's heart condition and what happened to him when he had a heart attack. They called a cardiologist who was sent the strip. He told my doctor that a large portion of my heart was missing and that I needed to be rushed to the hospital. I felt fine. Just before the ambulance came, the cardiologist ordered another EKG. Another nurse came in and replaced the sensors. The results came back that my heart was fine. It turned out that the first nurse had put the sensors in the wrong place on my chest. The doctors called off my trip to the hospital. When I went back a week later for another follow-up, that errant nurse had been fired. They all apologized to me for upsetting me. You think?
Thursday, April 4, 2019
TV's
I had worked in Luggage at Rich's for a couple of months when an opening came up in the TV Department. My supervisor put me there. I sold TV's and stereos primarily, and I loved it. I grew up with TV. From Howdy Doody to the present. My co-worker's name was Thom. He told me the first day that I wouldn't want to turn on the TV, when I got home. I thought he was crazy. He wasn't. When I got home from work, the last thing I wanted to do was watch TV. I had done it all day.
Due to my vast video library at home, I brought in some movies to watch during the day. I also made some movie and music clips to play to promote the TV's we sold. Yeah, that was the reason. The real reason was I couldn't stand to watch network TV during the day. Thom liked movies too, although he got in trouble for playing "Basic Instinct" in the department. He had gotten a promo copy and had never seen it before. We also played "Batman" that we had gotten from Blockbuster. Little did we know that someone had tacked on some of "Debbie Does Dallas" at the end of that tape. Our supervisor loved "Top Gun" and demanded we play that. We saw "Top Gun" probably 100 times. It was kind of cool to turn up the sound at the beginning to hear the jets taking off. That would rattle your fillings.
We had a part-timer join our department. He wanted to bring in some videos to play. I told him that there were a few rules. First, the video had to be in color to promote the TV's. I had wanted to bring in The Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers, but they were in black and white. The second rule was no excessive violence. The third rule was no profanity. I learned my lesson, when I brought in a Crosby, Stills & Nash documentary that I had not seen. At one point in the video, David Crosby called Stephen Stills a (paraphrasing) "Effen A-Hole". Just when that happened, a little boy and his mother were passing by the TV. The little boy shouted "Mama, he said the F word". He said that several times for the whole downstairs of the store to hear. I didn't bring that video anymore. And, the last rule was no nudity. So, it was on a Sunday afternoon. I was on one side of the department, writing up an order for a TV. The big-screen TV was on the other side. Suddenly, I heard a lot of laughter. I looked up to see a woman emerging from a bath completely nude. The film was "Death Becomes Her", which had been brought in by our part-timer. I ran to the TV but couldn't get there quick enough to turn it off. Needless to say, we banned him from bringing in any more movies.
Thom and I averaged selling around a million dollars of merchandise, but Rich's made a corporate decision to get out of selling TV's and stereos companywide. There just was no markup on the merchandise. So, we had to sell off the stuff. That was sad. After that was done, we were transferred to other departments. I went to Lamps, and he went to rugs. Our departments were next to one another. We played a lot of trivia games during the boredom. No more fun in TV's. I went back to watching TV, when I got home in the evenings.
Due to my vast video library at home, I brought in some movies to watch during the day. I also made some movie and music clips to play to promote the TV's we sold. Yeah, that was the reason. The real reason was I couldn't stand to watch network TV during the day. Thom liked movies too, although he got in trouble for playing "Basic Instinct" in the department. He had gotten a promo copy and had never seen it before. We also played "Batman" that we had gotten from Blockbuster. Little did we know that someone had tacked on some of "Debbie Does Dallas" at the end of that tape. Our supervisor loved "Top Gun" and demanded we play that. We saw "Top Gun" probably 100 times. It was kind of cool to turn up the sound at the beginning to hear the jets taking off. That would rattle your fillings.
We had a part-timer join our department. He wanted to bring in some videos to play. I told him that there were a few rules. First, the video had to be in color to promote the TV's. I had wanted to bring in The Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers, but they were in black and white. The second rule was no excessive violence. The third rule was no profanity. I learned my lesson, when I brought in a Crosby, Stills & Nash documentary that I had not seen. At one point in the video, David Crosby called Stephen Stills a (paraphrasing) "Effen A-Hole". Just when that happened, a little boy and his mother were passing by the TV. The little boy shouted "Mama, he said the F word". He said that several times for the whole downstairs of the store to hear. I didn't bring that video anymore. And, the last rule was no nudity. So, it was on a Sunday afternoon. I was on one side of the department, writing up an order for a TV. The big-screen TV was on the other side. Suddenly, I heard a lot of laughter. I looked up to see a woman emerging from a bath completely nude. The film was "Death Becomes Her", which had been brought in by our part-timer. I ran to the TV but couldn't get there quick enough to turn it off. Needless to say, we banned him from bringing in any more movies.
Thom and I averaged selling around a million dollars of merchandise, but Rich's made a corporate decision to get out of selling TV's and stereos companywide. There just was no markup on the merchandise. So, we had to sell off the stuff. That was sad. After that was done, we were transferred to other departments. I went to Lamps, and he went to rugs. Our departments were next to one another. We played a lot of trivia games during the boredom. No more fun in TV's. I went back to watching TV, when I got home in the evenings.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Pyramid
During the late 90's, I was trying my best to find money. I was working at Rich's, but it was not nearly enough for my lifestyle after declaring bankruptcy. I found an ad in the back of a magazine about making millions. That appealed to me.
I wrote to the address, and I got instructions on how to make millions. I had gotten books on how to make millions, but there were a lot of hoops you would have to do like by stocks or get grants from the government. This notion was better. I was to buy a mailing list from a company. They assured me that all of the addresses on this list were people who would do the same as me. Gullible people.
I paid $100 for the list. I also bought a roll of stamps and some envelopes. The idea was to send $1 to five people, and then move your name up one on this form letter. Based on a series of steps, it was possible to make a million dollars in $1 increments. Maybe this was true in theory but not in actuality.
I spent around $150 for everything and mailed my letters. The form letter told the addressee to send $1 to the person that sent this to them, and then move their name one spot up on the list of five. Confused yet? I know I was. In the end, I got $1 from a woman in Kansas. That was it. I guess the "gullible" people knew more than me. I also wrote a film company in Kuwait and asked them for money. I never heard back. I never heard back from Oprah either.
I wrote to the address, and I got instructions on how to make millions. I had gotten books on how to make millions, but there were a lot of hoops you would have to do like by stocks or get grants from the government. This notion was better. I was to buy a mailing list from a company. They assured me that all of the addresses on this list were people who would do the same as me. Gullible people.
I paid $100 for the list. I also bought a roll of stamps and some envelopes. The idea was to send $1 to five people, and then move your name up one on this form letter. Based on a series of steps, it was possible to make a million dollars in $1 increments. Maybe this was true in theory but not in actuality.
I spent around $150 for everything and mailed my letters. The form letter told the addressee to send $1 to the person that sent this to them, and then move their name one spot up on the list of five. Confused yet? I know I was. In the end, I got $1 from a woman in Kansas. That was it. I guess the "gullible" people knew more than me. I also wrote a film company in Kuwait and asked them for money. I never heard back. I never heard back from Oprah either.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Encounters
During the 1990's, I had some encounters with some famous and sort of famous people. One was with BB King. He had come to Columbia for a concert. The show was at the Township, and it was great. After the show was over, I went around to the stage door to see him. He was still inside signing autographs for a bunch of people who paid money to meet him. I waited for over an hour before he came out. I was one of a handful of fans back there. His limo pulled up. They had a special place made in the trunk to put Lucille (his guitar). One of his assistants gave each of us a picture of Mr. King and a plastic guitar lapel pin. These were pretty special, because the people inside didn't get them. When he came out, he said hello to us. He was very gracious. I left to go to my car. His limo passed by me, and the driver honked the horn. King waved at me.
Another was Bob Dylan. He also played the Township. It was 1997. I danced in the aisle during his show. Good stuff. After the show, I headed back to my car and saw his tour bus pulling out of the parking lot. I tried to catch up with the bus. It was going toward I-26, as he was heading to Knoxville for his next show. I drove 70mph and running red lights to catch up with his bus. I finally did about 10 miles outside of town. My plan was to ride behind the bus to Knoxville, but I failed to notice I was running out of gas. I pulled alongside the bus and honked my horn. Dylan looked out of the window. I waved, and he waved back. I yelled out "No Gas!". He smiled. I pulled off of the interstate to get gas. His bus continued up the road. I went home.
The Shirelles were playing at the Township along with Gary Lewis. I was sitting on the second row with Chris and Del. I was on the aisle. As they were about to sing "Going to the Chapel", the lead singer pointed at me and wanted me to join her on stage to sing the song with her. Fortunately, the man sitting in front of me stood up and went on stage to make a fool of himself. That was a close call. We met Gary Lewis at the stage door after the show and gave him a tape of our music. He liked it.
And then there was Elizabeth Ann Hilden. She was the Pet of the Year for Penthouse in 1997. She and her husband lived close to me in Forest Acres. I would see her at the Piggly Wiggly next to Ravenwood frequently. She was nice. I knew who she was, but most in the neighborhood didn't. When I had first met her, I told her of my friendship with Ginger. We hit it off, as I treated her as a person, not judging her for what she did. One Saturday, I got off of work and was exhausted. I had to stop by the store to get some food. Elizabeth had been to a magazine signing at a bookstore. When I got out of my car, she was getting into hers. She smiled and greeted me. I was so tired that I could barely speak. She looked perplexed as to why I wasn't more friendly. I told her I had to get some food and walked on by. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband moved away. I hope it wasn't my fault.
Another was Bob Dylan. He also played the Township. It was 1997. I danced in the aisle during his show. Good stuff. After the show, I headed back to my car and saw his tour bus pulling out of the parking lot. I tried to catch up with the bus. It was going toward I-26, as he was heading to Knoxville for his next show. I drove 70mph and running red lights to catch up with his bus. I finally did about 10 miles outside of town. My plan was to ride behind the bus to Knoxville, but I failed to notice I was running out of gas. I pulled alongside the bus and honked my horn. Dylan looked out of the window. I waved, and he waved back. I yelled out "No Gas!". He smiled. I pulled off of the interstate to get gas. His bus continued up the road. I went home.
The Shirelles were playing at the Township along with Gary Lewis. I was sitting on the second row with Chris and Del. I was on the aisle. As they were about to sing "Going to the Chapel", the lead singer pointed at me and wanted me to join her on stage to sing the song with her. Fortunately, the man sitting in front of me stood up and went on stage to make a fool of himself. That was a close call. We met Gary Lewis at the stage door after the show and gave him a tape of our music. He liked it.
And then there was Elizabeth Ann Hilden. She was the Pet of the Year for Penthouse in 1997. She and her husband lived close to me in Forest Acres. I would see her at the Piggly Wiggly next to Ravenwood frequently. She was nice. I knew who she was, but most in the neighborhood didn't. When I had first met her, I told her of my friendship with Ginger. We hit it off, as I treated her as a person, not judging her for what she did. One Saturday, I got off of work and was exhausted. I had to stop by the store to get some food. Elizabeth had been to a magazine signing at a bookstore. When I got out of my car, she was getting into hers. She smiled and greeted me. I was so tired that I could barely speak. She looked perplexed as to why I wasn't more friendly. I told her I had to get some food and walked on by. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband moved away. I hope it wasn't my fault.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Revenge
A friend of mine went to a conference in Atlanta. She was in a hotel room, and sharing it with another woman she didn't know. This other woman hit on my friend who told this woman she wasn't into women. The woman went downstairs to the hotel bar and got drunk, leaving my friend in her room alone.
When she got back from her conference, she told me that story. I told her that we needed to get back at this woman, so I had my friend tell me her name and where she worked. I also needed the city. It turned out she worked in Charlotte and worked at a store in a local mall. So, about a week later I headed up to Charlotte. I went to that mall and found her working there. I called her by name. She looked at me blankly. Then, I proceeded to tell her a total lie.
I asked her if she remembered me. She said no. I said, "You don't remember me? We met at a bar in the hotel in Atlanta about a week ago." She still didn't remember me. I then said, "We seemed to hit it off. I bought you a drink, and you said that if I was ever in Charlotte to come look you up at your store, and we would go out and party." At this point, she seemed to be buying my story, only because I had all of the facts right, and she had been drinking heavily, so it could be a true story. I had never seen this woman before. I then went on to ask her what time she got off? She said that she was done at 6pm, so I told her I had some stuff to do in Charlotte, but I would be back at 6 to take her clubbing. Still with that blank stare, she said okay.
So, I left that store and drove back to Columbia. I didn't take her out. I was back in Columbia by 6pm. The next day, I told my friend how the encounter went. We had a good laugh about it. I am sorry that the woman in Charlotte didn't get a date that night with me, but she wasn't really into guys after all. And, she never knew that my friend told me about her. It was perfect revenge.
When she got back from her conference, she told me that story. I told her that we needed to get back at this woman, so I had my friend tell me her name and where she worked. I also needed the city. It turned out she worked in Charlotte and worked at a store in a local mall. So, about a week later I headed up to Charlotte. I went to that mall and found her working there. I called her by name. She looked at me blankly. Then, I proceeded to tell her a total lie.
I asked her if she remembered me. She said no. I said, "You don't remember me? We met at a bar in the hotel in Atlanta about a week ago." She still didn't remember me. I then said, "We seemed to hit it off. I bought you a drink, and you said that if I was ever in Charlotte to come look you up at your store, and we would go out and party." At this point, she seemed to be buying my story, only because I had all of the facts right, and she had been drinking heavily, so it could be a true story. I had never seen this woman before. I then went on to ask her what time she got off? She said that she was done at 6pm, so I told her I had some stuff to do in Charlotte, but I would be back at 6 to take her clubbing. Still with that blank stare, she said okay.
So, I left that store and drove back to Columbia. I didn't take her out. I was back in Columbia by 6pm. The next day, I told my friend how the encounter went. We had a good laugh about it. I am sorry that the woman in Charlotte didn't get a date that night with me, but she wasn't really into guys after all. And, she never knew that my friend told me about her. It was perfect revenge.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Rich's
I was burned out from working in retail and was looking for other work. After all, I had worked at Belk, Sanger Harris and JB White's. It was time for a change. I looked everywhere for a job. I had taken a little time off from my Charlotte experience to unwind, but I was still looking.
I went back to Columbia Mall to put in an application at Rich's Department Store. I really didn't want to work there, but I was getting desperate. I had rent to pay. I went into the Human Resources office, and the lady there asked me if I had worked for Phil Barrett. I said yes. He was our store manager at Belk. She said that she didn't need to check my references, because I was coming to her from a good person in Phil. It pays to know people.
I was hired to work in their Luggage Department. I had experience in that area from other stores, so it was an easy fit. The department was next to the employee breakroom. I had two stockrooms in the department. Across from Luggage was Housewares, and next to Luggage was TV's. I liked spending my time in TV's, as it got kind of boring in Luggage. One day, the supervisor for Housewares came to me and wanted me to do stock work in her department. She was not my supervisor, and I told her that was not my area. It was made clear to me that I had to do what any supervisor assigned me to do. I grumbled but did it.
Word got around town that I was in Luggage, and the business started to pick up. I only worked in that department for three months. I would be transferred to another department, which I will cover next. One thing about Rich's: if they liked you, they would move you around. I thought the goal was to make a statement in your assigned place. Their goal was to move successful sellers to other places. Interesting concept.
I went back to Columbia Mall to put in an application at Rich's Department Store. I really didn't want to work there, but I was getting desperate. I had rent to pay. I went into the Human Resources office, and the lady there asked me if I had worked for Phil Barrett. I said yes. He was our store manager at Belk. She said that she didn't need to check my references, because I was coming to her from a good person in Phil. It pays to know people.
I was hired to work in their Luggage Department. I had experience in that area from other stores, so it was an easy fit. The department was next to the employee breakroom. I had two stockrooms in the department. Across from Luggage was Housewares, and next to Luggage was TV's. I liked spending my time in TV's, as it got kind of boring in Luggage. One day, the supervisor for Housewares came to me and wanted me to do stock work in her department. She was not my supervisor, and I told her that was not my area. It was made clear to me that I had to do what any supervisor assigned me to do. I grumbled but did it.
Word got around town that I was in Luggage, and the business started to pick up. I only worked in that department for three months. I would be transferred to another department, which I will cover next. One thing about Rich's: if they liked you, they would move you around. I thought the goal was to make a statement in your assigned place. Their goal was to move successful sellers to other places. Interesting concept.
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