part-time notes

Chapter 21 Two Days and One Night Night Shift Supermarket Inventory Work
In the early spring of 2021, in a certain city in the south.

I hurried back to my residence and planned to eat something before going.The experience of being in a cold environment for a long time makes me feel extra tired, and this kind of fatigue is more from psychological.

I walked into the house and looked at the clock, it was already a quarter past eight.There wasn't much real food to fill my stomach with, especially not at this point in time when I was moving out of here.

I ate some snacks at random to pad my stomach.In fact, the most important thing for me during this short break is not to eat, but to let go of my thoughts and give myself a time to adjust and relax.This moment of silence is sometimes more healing than a full meal, and it is precious time.

Rested for over an hour.At about [-]:[-] in the evening, I simply packed up and went out. The night shift means that I will not sleep tonight.

The weather at night was very cool, so I put on a padded coat and rode my bicycle to the place I wanted to reach. It was the supermarket where I gathered for the night shift part-time job at the factory when I first came to this city and took the shuttle bus.It's a coincidence that every time I work part-time at night, I always have something to do with this supermarket.This season, the closing time of the supermarket is [-]:[-] in the evening, and our working time is [-]:[-] in the evening. The free time in between should be the cleaning time reserved by the supermarket for the cleaning staff.

I also bumped into a friend on the way to the supermarket, one of the few friends I have in the city.He had just finished his work and was about to go home. He asked me if I would go back to my hometown city after my job transfer. I replied no, but another truly international metropolis.He and I are both foreigners working outside, and only foreigners can understand the suffering of foreigners.He wished me good luck, and I also arrived at the destination at this time. It is our blessing to each other that we are safe.

I checked the time, it was nine fifty in the evening.There are no customers in the supermarket at this time, but the lights are still on.I turned around and forwarded it, and there are many people hovering near the supermarket.Some people go to the shops along the street outside the supermarket, and some people should come to do part-time jobs like me.

"Fei" has established a work group before, and there are nearly 40 members in the group.In the group chat, besides "Fei", there is also a part-time team leader whose WeChat name is "Brother Rabbit".

It didn't take long for "Fei" to send out a message of assembly in the group.The meeting place is near where I park my bike.When I got there, there were already a lot of people gathered there, most of them were very young boys and girls.Young people nowadays know the importance of money, so they will try their best to use their spare time to do part-time jobs to earn some pocket money.

Assemble and line up, this is the first time I see "Fei" himself, he is younger and more fashionable than I imagined.I had expected him to be a strong, bearded man in his mid-thirties.But I am a very white and thin promising young man in his mid-30s.He was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a denim jacket. He was about 25 meters tall and had a refined appearance.

"Brother Rabbit" is also a young man of the same age as "Fei".He is slightly taller than Fly and wears a baseball cap.Judging by their looks and the way they get along, you can tell that they are the kind of good friends who have known each other for a long time.

The two of them were holding a list in their hands and counting their names, while the other was looking after the team.After the names were called, it was found that two people were still missing.They called the mobile phone number in the column behind the name on the list to urge them, and within 5 minutes, the two of them arrived.All the personnel arrived, and the two of them began to lead us into the supermarket.

Although the supermarket is closed, the door is still open, and the lights inside are still on as they were when it was open.The security personnel who were guarding the gate immediately understood the purpose of their visit when they saw the two team leaders leading a large group of people in.He pointed us in a direction, and the two leaders took us in that direction.The place that the security personnel gave us is actually the employee passageway, near the safety exit.

We went up the stairs inside to the third floor.The staff from the supermarket came to meet them just after reaching the third floor. This should be contacted by the team leader in advance when he first entered the supermarket.Because there are a lot of people in the team, the staff passage is not very wide.I was at the end of the line, so I couldn't see the actions of the two team leaders, so I could only obediently follow the line.

The stairs in the staff passage can directly lead to the third floor, which is the main area for staff activities.The lighting here is much darker than that of the store, and the decoration is relatively ordinary.There is a mirror in the place where you just came up from the first floor, and a few words on the mirror read "Please pay attention to your appearance".

The staff and team leader of the supermarket are matching the number of people and some work content.Not long after, the staff took over our management from the team leader and took us to the staff lounge.The employee lounge is neither big nor small, and it is basically filled with dining tables and chairs like fast food restaurants.There is also a row of cabinets and two microwave ovens on the side near the wall. The overall layout is similar to that of the employee lounge in the express sorting factory.The staff asked the people with backpacks and handbags to find a free place to put them, and said that this is the staff's lounge, there are no outsiders, and it is all monitored, so they cannot be lost.

After everyone put away their idle items, the staff led us to the store area.The store and the staff rest area are very close, and it only takes three to five minutes to walk there.Entering the store, the staff began to group us.A team consists of three to five people, and the specific work content and rules will be informed by the staff after the group.I was assigned with a young man and two young girls, and the staff who led us was a middle-aged woman in her 5s.

She took us to our work area.All I can say is that we were not very lucky this time.Because the area we were assigned to count is the tableware area, all the products are household plates and tableware.

The work content tonight is very simple, there will be a price tag for this product under each product on the shelf.There will be a number written in the quantity column above the price tag, which represents the quantity of the product on the shelf.We only need to check whether the quantity of the product matches the quantity written on the price tag. If it matches after the inventory, we can use a ballpoint pen to tick the price tag.If it does not match after the inventory, then write the quantity after the inventory on the price tag and put a cross on the original wrong quantity to erase it, even if the change is completed.This job is very simple, but it requires constant attention, and the more times you check the quantity, the less error-prone you will be.The reason why we say that our luck is not very good is that the arrangement of goods in the tableware area is rather messy, with different shapes and sizes, which is not conducive to our inventory.The more important point is that these commodities are fragile. If you are not careful during the inventory process, they will hit the ground, and the result of falling on the ground will be broken.Leaving aside the issue of compensation, let's just talk about the difficulty of picking up broken things.

I looked at the people who were assigned to the biscuit and snack area to take stock, all eyes were full of envy.

The staff gave each of us a ballpoint pen and divided each person into their own work area, and then began to lead us to work.The ballpoint pen is the kind that is very cheap to wholesale. After all, there is no requirement for writing quality in this job. The reason why I use it is because the fluency and capacity of the ballpoint pen are usually better than other pens.

The guy in our group had done this part-time job many times before, so he got into it very quickly.The two young girls also entered the working state together.I carefully sorted out the dishes that were about to be counted and rearranged them to facilitate my next counting work.These products have undergone a rough check in quantity at the beginning of putting them on the shelves, but there may be errors in quantity, so it is necessary to take advantage of the evening time to take stock of all the items.Large supermarkets have a large-scale product update every few months, so this part-time job also happens every few months, which is why the guy in our group has done it many times.

The central air-conditioning in the supermarket was fully turned on, and the whole store was warm, which made me feel unbearably hot in the cotton-padded clothes.The attentive staff noticed my inconvenience and told me that I could take off my coat and put it on a temporarily vacant shelf next to it.I thanked him and quickly took off my coat and put it away.After I took off my coat, I felt comfortable all of a sudden, and it was even easier to work vigorously.

I took stock with my heart, it wasn't too late at this time, and I didn't feel obvious sleepiness yet.It's just that I didn't have dinner, and I didn't eat much at noon, so I was very hungry.

I was taking stock of a large light blue bowl with lace, and looked at the product described on the price tag as "Blooming Blossoms".This bowl has a strong oriental charm in both pattern and style. It is a very beautiful Chinese style ceramic bowl.After I took inventory, I found that the quantity did not match what was shown on the price tag, and the quantity was still quite different.After repeated confirmation, I crossed out the original quantity, and wrote down the quantity I checked just now.After everything was done, when I continued to check another product next to it, I was surprised to find that this product only had a price tag but no product.I took a closer look at the product on the shelf and the product name on the price tag, and found that there was indeed no such product.Just as I was about to report to the staff, I inadvertently glanced at the product label I just took stock.I just found out that these two products are the same style!One is medium and one is large.I carefully compared the beautiful bowl I just took stock, as expected!It turned out that there were really two models.It's just that the medium size and the large size are almost the same size, and the diameter of the mouth of the bowl is not much different. If you don't look carefully, you can't tell the difference at all.My negligence caused me to count two different products as one product.I had no choice but to put all these beautiful light blue bowls on the ground and carefully compare the sizes before re-counting.

I don't know, this comparison is really shocking.The size difference between the two bowls of different sizes is only about one circle.After taking stock, I found out embarrassingly that the quantity marked on the previous price tag was correct.It's no wonder that there are so many differences in quantity after I just finished the inventory.I can only cross out the quantity that I just wrote and revised once again, and write the same number as the previous price tag. The entire price tag is very messy after I revised it twice.This incident also caused me to be extra careful in the following inventory.It is precisely because of this kind of caution that I am much slower than those who enter the working state together.

After working for more than an hour, the guy in the same group completed the inventory work in his area and turned to support me.He has disheveled hair, is slightly fat, and looks like he is in his twenties.While helping me to take stock of the products, he told me that it is not necessary to count each product one by one, just check a few products for stocktaking, and if you ask about the rest, just say that you have already counted them.After a long time of counting and counting, my mind is indeed a little confused at this time, and the method he said is exactly what I want.I regretted that I was being too real. If I searched like I just did, I might not be able to finish the search all night.Sure enough, the brain couldn't keep up with the hunger.The young man told me that it was almost time for dinner, and we both took a break after counting the remaining products on the shelf, and waited for the meal to start.

I actually guessed that this night shift would serve a dinner.Because under normal circumstances, night shift work has always been like this, but the quality of dinner may not be guaranteed, after all, it is free.

The work in each assigned area is basically completed.At this time, the staff began to arrange for us to have dinner in batches.The staff in charge of counting the snack area first went to the lounge to have dinner, and at this time we could rest for a while before continuing to count for a while. It was already past twelve o'clock at night.

The young man in the same group and the two little girls sat on the ground and chatted with some waste packing paper shells.They are all 24 or [-] years old, and they have just left school for a few years.The two girls are locals.The boy is a foreigner and lives in the new area of ​​the city. Fortunately, the city is not too big, and it doesn't take long to go anywhere.None of the three of them have fixed jobs at present, and they all come out to do part-time jobs every day.The two girls have been doing a part-time job as a telephone customer service for more than a month. They treat it as a long-term permanent job for the time being.The young man's part-time job is not so fixed, he has done almost all the part-time jobs.

While we were chatting, a boy in his early 20s, wearing light-colored clothes and cropped, came to the four of us and said, "So you are here."

He is about 1.7 meters tall, and his clothes are all covered with oil stains.The black sweatpants were already frayed, and there were two holes visible to the naked eye. Through these two holes, the color of the long johns he was wearing inside could be clearly seen.He chatted with the two little girls. He said that he was also a part-time team leader and often took people to participate in various part-time activities.The part-time job we are doing now has always been contracted by him before, and it is his turn to take over when he doesn't like to continue working.

He wanted to add the two girls as WeChat friends, but one of the girls was embarrassed to refuse and added, and the other girl told him that it was enough to add one, and the two of them would share with each other if there was any suitable job.He thought about it and had to give up.He found another topic and asked if we had dinner, and he told us that the dinner served here today was instant noodles, which was not delicious at all.He also said that when he was contracting this job before, he asked them to give the employees a luxurious lunch box with four dishes and one soup, otherwise they would not send people here.Knowing his recruitment strength, the supermarket could only obey obediently, not daring to disobey orders at all.He also claimed that a new part-time project is looking for him to cooperate recently, and he is still investigating.

I was most afraid of the sudden quietness of the air, the four of us didn't speak for a while, and the scene was a little awkward.Fortunately, the group of people who had just rested for dinner came back, and it was our turn to eat.The four of us got up and walked to the staff lounge.

On the way to the lounge, the guy in the same group asked the two girls if they had seen the guy before.The two girls said they hadn't seen it before, and they also complained that the man just now seemed a little out of order, and secretly nicknamed him "Brother Niu" by the way.Because he was very good at socializing just now, and people like to brag, but he is just a "mad cow".

For dinner, each person is provided with a bowl of instant noodles, a small packet of sandwich biscuits, a bottle of iced black tea and two small oranges.Although the quality is not very high, it can be regarded as eating and drinking.It was a good meal for me who was already hungry.

The brand of instant noodles is a big manufacturer, and the taste is acceptable to everyone.I ate all the meals in threes and fives.

After dinner, I felt warm and comfortable in my stomach, and at this time I began to feel sleepy.Although I didn't do any physical work this day, my whole body was constantly functioning throughout the day, so it was inevitable that I would feel tired.We sat and rested in the lounge for a while before I thought it was night.

After resting for about [-] minutes, we went back to the store and continued to count the goods.With previous experience, I have grasped the "essence" of inventory at this time.I didn't check each product as carefully as before, but selected a few products in each row for spot check.

After working for more than an hour, the task has basically been completed.In the WeChat work group, there is a message sent by "Fei". The message said that he will arrive in the staff lounge of the supermarket at around 04:30 to sign in for everyone. If he finishes work early, he will go to the lounge or Find a place to rest in the supermarket.

The current time is [-]:[-] in the morning, which means we have to wait here for another two hours.The four of us came to an area selling folding chairs not far from us, found samples of folding chairs, sat down to chat and rest.The young man said that the amount of tasks this time was very small. Once he did the same job until seven o'clock the next morning.Although overtime was paid and a breakfast was provided, it was very tiring.

We just chatted for a while, "Brother Niu" came to us with his mobile phone and started his "performance".

He first said that he owns a textile factory, and the profit in the factory is about 50 million yuan a year, and there are several beautiful XJ girls who are all pursuing him.Those girls cling to him every day, scrambling to have children for him, but he doesn't look down on any of them.

As soon as he said this, the four of us were immediately speechless, and for a while, the air became quiet again.In order to resolve the awkward atmosphere, one of the girls asked him if he had any good part-time jobs.But "Brother Niu" bragged about how much money he earned as a part-time team leader.He also suddenly mentioned that after the old house in his family was demolished, he was divided into two new houses with three bedrooms and one living room in the city center. In addition to the house with three bedrooms and two living rooms he lives in now and the wedding room prepared by his family, his family There are four big houses in the city center!
His words were extremely exaggerated, so exaggerated that I didn't even dare to exaggerate so much when I wrote "Pistachio World".

I looked at the shabby clothes and dirty shoes he was wearing.The shoe is a domestic brand sneaker with no design style. This style is comfortable to wear and the price is low, but it doesn’t look good. The price is about [-] yuan.This pair of shoes has been worn by him and is about to rot, and his appearance and temperament can't tell that he is such a rich, young and promising big boss.What's more, how could the big boss stay up in the middle of the night and run out to do a part-time job with a salary of less than one hundred yuan?Could it be for the so-called experience of life?The reality is not a fairy tale, there is no big boss with such a hobby.Even if there was, he wouldn't brag about it like he did.They are all people who come out to do part-time jobs without great skills, and there is absolutely no need to distinguish between you and me.Really giving the only time for cooperation is better than anything else.

"Fei" came to the staff lounge at about four o'clock. The reason why it was so early was that some part-timers couldn't stand it anymore and called him to come earlier, so he was helpless Woke up from sleep and came here early.

Part-timers can leave work after finding their names on a piece of paper with a list of all personnel and signing on the back.

After leaving the supermarket, I once again found my favorite means of transportation to participate in part-time activities—shared bicycles, and returned to my residence.The shop selling breakfast has just opened for business at this time, we bought two sesame cakes and a steaming tofu nao to heal ourselves.A new day has only just begun, and this one has another part-time day job waiting for me.

(End of this chapter)