I don't like it when I'm cornered into accepting challenges.
I know myself really well, so I know when I think something can be done....and when it can't.
My manager wanted the impossible from me.
And he wouldn't take an 'I'll try" for an answer.
He wanted it to be an "I will" and so hounded me until I gave him that answer.
Even though, again, his expectations were unrealistic.
What did he want from me?
He wanted me to sell one a customer a coupon book. -Ones that help new dog owners save a bit of money as they're shopping for their puppies.
Which, if I ever spent time around the dogs in the store, would be a lot easier to accomplish.
But usually I'm stuck over by the fish wall catching fish and bagging crickets.
Which is an out of the way corner where dogs don't always wander.
I focus more on the other animals. The Hamsters, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Crickets.
And tend to leave the Dog and Cat questions to other departments.
Granted, if there's no one else I'll hop in and answer the questions.
But I'm never really in the mindset to say "Oh hey, you could use this coupon book!"
I find it difficult to try and 'upsell' people. If I think they need it, I'll bring it up.
But I don't like just bringing it up to 'make a sale' or 'get our quota' or whatever.
But that's what my manager wanted me to do.
He wanted me to sell one of these coupon books before the end of the week.
The problem?
I only had one more day in my 'week' as I have the rest of the week off for a vacation.
And I felt the expectation was unrealistic.
Because that day is also one of the busiest days in my dept. Where we have more tasks than usual, which usually keeps me pretty focused in the dept. To the point where I don't venture out.
But again, he wouldn't take "I'll try"
for an answer.
It had to be "I will."
Did I accomplish it?
No.
Because I know myself, I knew what was expected of that day, and figured there wouldn't be a ton of customers in the store.
Doesn't mean I didn't try.
But you know how many dogs I saw in that 8 hour shift?
Like 5.
And how many of those were puppies?
Two.
And how many of those had already had the coupon book spiel given to them and accepted a coupon book from a different associate.
Two.
So yah. My chances were rather limited.
Because I don't leave my dept.
My manager tried to assure me that he'd help me out in getting the sale.
By covering my dept for a bit so I could go talk to a customer about the book when the opportunity arose.
Only it never arose, he never covered (I hadn't expected him to.) As he ended up having to be out of the store most of the day.
But all the while the tension was slowly building.
As I don't like agreeing to things unless I know I can accomplish it.
And I wasn't accomplishing the goal! Which stresses me out.
As I knew it wasn't going to happen! And he was going to be disappointed in me.
And I knew at any moment he was going to ask me.
If I'd gotten my sale yet.
Which I hadn't.
Thankfully.
He was distracted enough that when I did see him -as I was clocking out-
He didn't think to bring it up.
So I didn't have to worry about telling him that I had failed.
>.< I hate failing.
That doesn't mean that the tension in my shoulders went away.
No. It stayed.
Stressing me out.
...and giving me a headache.
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