Was wondering when I'd ruin a Thanksgiving

[Android Kaeli]

Thinks there is a story behind this statement.

And just cause I'm feeling all picky and stuff...are you including pizza, meat pies and quiche in this statement? How about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? There are all sorts of pies in the world. Why, yes, I do celebrate International Pi(e) Day every year, how did you know?

Just regular old pies -- if I included pizza and anything remotely resembling Reese's, there wouldn't be anything good left to eat.

I'm just tired of seeing pies, baking pies, and selling pies; I think between last week and today, at least several hundred boxes of pies were baked, packaged, and sold. If not more. But I've been tired of pie since a few years ago, when nearly a thousand -- yes, that's right and, no, not a typo -- pies were donated because of supervisor/manager stupidity of not making sure that the pies they had us bake then had refrozen for later, actually went onto the floor. Before, you know, the fresher ones.

[workerbee222]

I'm just tired of seeing pies, baking pies, and selling pies; I think between last week and today, at least several hundred boxes of pies were baked, packaged, and sold.

A friend of mine used to waitress at a diner, which had a case of "Our own desserts" or something. One of her duties was to take the supermarket wrapping off the diner's desserts before setting them in the display case.

[crazyofficeclerk]

I used to work in a small town grocery store that was only closed one day a year, Christmas day. I was usually the last one out on Christmas Eve because of the way that the books had to be done and heaven forbid that anyone else could do it. We had old equipment so we had to do temp checks three times during Christmas day. I usually volunteered for one of the times, either the first one at 8 am or the second one that around 2 pm. You were expected to go in, check each cooler/case and mark it down on both the temp logs and a special sheet that had to be faxed into the mail office after the final temp check at 8 pm. I took in a flashlight the first year I did the temp checks so I didn't have to turn the lights on. Didn't matter. The phone was ringing before I even got the doors open. Then once someone saw my car in the parking lot, they started banging on the doors. Phones never stopped ringing. Once my mother rode along for whatever reason. I parked farther away from the door this time, but it didn't matter. She was amazed at the number of the people who pulled up to the store to check the door.

[Teefies2]

So I'll post this one again, as I have for the last few years.

My store DOES NOT CLOSE on holidays. We are open 365, though thankfully (see what I did there?) we're not 24/7. We are a drugstore. Let me repeat that .... we are a Drugstore/Pharmacy.

So one Christmas Day (could have just as well been Thanksgiving, same thing applies) a couple of years ago, when I and everyone I work with would have rather been with our families, we were (of course) open. We get the usual last minute shoppers - rather than the sick people we were supposed to be open for - when this occurs.....

Man walks in, asks if we have potatoes. I state, no, no we don't. We are a drugstore. He's panicked, he asks me if I have any at home that I could go get for him.



WAIT !!!!! You want me to leave my workplace, which is only open for people like you to get last minute items, go to my home, get my PERSONAL stash of potatoes, and bring them back to you???????

Oh the hell NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[earl colby pottinger]

Depends

WAIT !!!!! You want me to leave my workplace, which is only open for people like you to get last minute items, go to my home, get my PERSONAL stash of potatoes, and bring them back to you???????

Oh the hell NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well, it depends on how much he is willing to pay for those potatoes. I might whip home if he offered enough money.

[AccountingDrone]

My mother was taught to cook by her mother. Her mother was taught by her mother etc. My mother taught me to always bake the pies the day before so they would have time to cool and if I had screwed up, I would have time to make emergency pies later in the evening/early morning.

my mom and i made bread at least 3 times a week, and made pis, cakes and cookies as needed. She would calmly produce an entire thanksgiving feast with no complaints and no forgotten stuff. Her shopping was don by Monday, pies were made on tuesdays, various relishes and side dishes on wednesday, turkey and dressing, gravy and anything else thursday, all ready in time for a 2 in teh afternoon meal.

I can still manage to get an entire thanksgiving dinner to table in a like manner ... organization workes =)

[Nunavut Pants]

Well, it depends on how much he is willing to pay for those potatoes. I might whip home if he offered enough money.

"Fifty-eight grand. Cash only, up front. You sure you want three potatoes for that much?"

[dalesys]

"Fifty-eight grand....

At that moment the skies opened and 58 pianos came crashing down... "Oops. You weren't finished?"

[Android Kaeli]

"Fifty-eight grand. Cash only, up front. You sure you want three potatoes for that much?"

You know, I might use a variation of this for Christmas this year, especially with the yeasty/dinner rolls the Warehouse bakery sells. Don't think I'll have any takers, but usually most of the customers I deal with have a sense of humor and would laugh at it.

So far I haven't ruined a Christmas this year yet, but there's still 20 days left until then.

[Naaman]

my mom and i made bread at least 3 times a week, and made pis, cakes and cookies as needed. She would calmly produce an entire thanksgiving feast with no complaints and no forgotten stuff. Her shopping was don by Monday, pies were made on tuesdays, various relishes and side dishes on wednesday, turkey and dressing, gravy and anything else thursday, all ready in time for a 2 in teh afternoon meal.

I can still manage to get an entire thanksgiving dinner to table in a like manner ... organization workes =)

I hate shopping (I have agrophobia - I don't handle crowds well) but have come up with a winning system for Christmas.

Write a list early, beginning of December early...
Get as much as you can as far in advance as you can (A tube of crackers or a jar of piccalilli is going to sit in the pantry just fine)
For the stuff that has to be last minute, get in really early. We normally head out at 06:30 and, while there's a lot of people who are out that early, it's still quite sedate (lots of ticking things off lists, everyones polite). It's only after about 10:00 that you get the "ZOMG it's XMAS and I've only just noticed!!1!! Why don't you have turkeys left!!" people

As Alton Brown says "Organisation will set you free"

[Ironclad Alibi]

And then there is this charming scene, no doubt repeated many time over the years, but with negative outcomes. After all, it is fiction.

“What’s to-day, my fine fellow?” said Scrooge.

“To-day!” replied the boy. “Why, Christmas Day.”

“It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow!”

“Hallo!” returned the boy.

“Do you know the Poulterer’s, in the next street but one, at the corner?” Scrooge inquired.

“I should hope I did,” replied the lad.

“An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge. “A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there?—Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?”

“What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy.

“What a delightful boy!” said Scrooge. “It’s a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck!”

“It’s hanging there now,” replied the boy.

“Is it?” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it.”

“Walk-er!” exclaimed the boy.

“No, no,” said Scrooge, “I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell ’em to bring it here, that I may give them the direction where to take it. Come back with the man, and I’ll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes and I’ll give you half-a-crown!”

[ladyjaneinmd]

I hate shopping (I have agrophobia - I don't handle crowds well) but have come up with a winning system for Christmas.

Write a list early, beginning of December early...
Get as much as you can as far in advance as you can (A tube of crackers or a jar of piccalilli is going to sit in the pantry just fine)
For the stuff that has to be last minute, get in really early. We normally head out at 06:30 and, while there's a lot of people who are out that early, it's still quite sedate (lots of ticking things off lists, everyones polite). It's only after about 10:00 that you get the "ZOMG it's XMAS and I've only just noticed!!1!! Why don't you have turkeys left!!" people

As Alton Brown says "Organisation will set you free"

Yes, shopping early in the morning is lovely. The employees haven't had their souls crushed yet, so they're still cheerful and pleasant. And while I'm not agoraphobic, I still hate the crowds, so I get my shopping done as early as humanly possible, then get home to the peace and quiet of my little house.
And planning ahead is always useful.

[Monterey Jack]

Either that, or shop late (as in within an hour of the store closing). My store is pretty dead after 8:00 PM, unless there's a major food holiday looming, and even then it'll be a lot less busy.

[Naaman]

Either that, or shop late (as in within an hour of the store closing). My store is pretty dead after 8:00 PM, unless there's a major food holiday looming, and even then it'll be a lot less busy.

I was mostly addressing Christmas, so mostly trying to avoid that special kind of crazy that shopping entails on that day

As for late nights, I've found it to be a mixed bag... The 24hr superstore is good, if a bit of a trek, while the newly enlarged store in town that we would prefer never seems to be stocked properly after 18:30 (they're open to 22:00) and can be a bit ropey opening as well. The store that's normally pretty good and not that far away has diabolical parking thanks to being an small, old town.