Tuesday, December 18, 2007

WHY AM I SO BUSY?!?!?!???!?!?!??!?

I understand that the Christmas rush hits sales hard. However, I work for a company that manufactures high-pressure, breathing-air equipment primarily used by fire departments. Since about Thanksgiving, we have been BALLS TO THE WALL. This year has been a relatively slow year for the business, and there have been times that I have been creating special projects to streamline my position in the company, because we have not had enough business to stay busy. But, like I said, in the last few weeks, we have been busy, busy, busy.

I have worked in retail before, and for a while, I worked at a car dealership. During the Christmas season at both of those jobs, we got busy. Retail is busy in the shopping season, and that makes sense. At the dealership, service slows down, but car sales seemed to accelerate during Christmas shopping. Go figure, I wouldn't mind getting a car for Christmas! I don't know what it is about Black Friday that triggers the masses to get out there and spend all their money, but they do! Just like clockwork, everybody has the sudden urge to empty their bank accounts and wallets, and max out the credit cards. I think that's exactly why the retailers started up with the Black Friday sales.

Now my question is, why, oh why, does a manufacturer of high-pressure, breathing-air equipment, used by fire departments get busy for the holidays? Does the city council say, "Let's buy a compressor for the fire chief for Christmas?" I just don't see that happening. But evidently, it has to be something along those lines. Maybe it's a red-tape, use-it-or-lose-it, year-end, government-accounting deal. I suppose it's possible that townships have to close out their budgets before the calendar year in order to maintain their budget for the subsequent year at the same level, and the fire department is the target for some last-minute spending? I don't know.

What I do know is that I am really, really, really busy at work right now. I would really like to get caught up tomorrow, but I don't see that happening. Maybe we'll get another nasty ice storm and I won't have to worry about it until January. No, on second thought, that would suck even more. Well, lunch is just about over, and I need to get back at it if I'm going to work for less than 11-hours today! Got to run! Thanks for enduring my rants!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Well who wouldn't want a shiny new 6000 psi compressor for Christmas? It's the new must have item. Bigger than Tickle Me Elmo! And besides, when you catch your house on fire because you lit up your cedar like Vegas, it will be very convenient for the firefighters to fill up their air tanks right there in the middle of the blaze. I'm sure the fire will have already taken care of any wrapping before they arrive.