am I crazy?

Here's my situation: Last week I was on vacation in Florida celebrating my 51st birthday with my family. Had a great time. Went back to work yesterday - and they laid me off!! No kidding, I spent all my money on vacation and now I don't have a job. So here's the thing, I have been doing office work for the last 30+ years, and I am soooo sick of sitting behind a desk, but that is really where I would make more money. I am thinking about applying for a job at Walmart or Lowes or Home Depot ... in the garden department! Yes, I know, it would feed my addiction!! I won't make as much money, but it would be a lot more fun! Plus, I'm thinking it would be so much healthier to have an active job instead of just sitting at a desk for the next 20 years. Am I really crazy?

First of all...What the...? I hate when companies do that! Tell a person BEFORE they go on vacation.

Okay, to your question. No, not crazy. LOL I would do the same thing if I were in your place. If I could afford the lower wages, which I'm assuming you can, I would very much like to do it. Have you thought about a greenhouse in your area? They always need people to help.

Not crazy at all, was almost thinking the same..I travel to work 100 miles each way 5 days a week, luckily in Dec. we'll move to an office that will only take 35 minutes, but the thought is still there, I work just to supplement pensions, like working but I could be at home teaching, focusing on B&B and working part time and enjoying more of life...will continue to work into next year but come fall, think I'll follow the route you are contemplating..

I understand completely. In 2003 our company president came to our plant where I was a QA Specialist and told us how we were the best plant of the two and saying all the right things talking about the future. One month later he came down to tell us we were getting shut down and everything was moving to the other plant and mexico. They have had to sell twice because the other plant couldn't do in 24/7 7 days a week what we could do in 5 days 8 hour shifts. The big dogs couldn't stand the thought of living in Okla. Sorry I still have bad feelings. I would have retired there.

Anyway we got a grant to go to school. A couple of months before school was over I got a job in the garden center of a Walmart. I love it. After I finished school I interviewed with the hospitals in town and they didn't want to pay me anymore than I was making at Walmart. I have worked at a greenhouse so I started at a little higher than normal but not much. I'm still there. If you are a good worker you will get good raises. I make pretty good money now. I am at this moment waiting for a phone call to see if I got the job of Dept manager of my garden center. I have chewed all my fingernails off if the last several weeks. Also Walmart, at least at my store, is good about promoting within if that is what you want to do. The garden center is great for another reason too. CHRISTMAS I love that season too.

Several things to remember if you choose any of those places. You have to deal with every kind of person. I don't know how much contact you had with the public but sometimes at Walmart I long for my yard with no noise. I'm not trying to put you off as I love my job.

Also you will get upset with the restrictions on taking care of the plants. Maybe not at Lowes, I'm not sure there. We aren't allowed to water at all the times we need to because someone somewhere has tripped over a hose or dumped their kid out of a buggy trying to get over a hose and sued Walmart. Also if the plants begin to show some wear they want you to throw it away. I had the hardest time with this because I knew with just a little TLC the plant would make it. I got busted by the store manager because he said that we didn't rehab plants at Walmart and he took my rehab table away. Never mind what happened to us a couple of Christmas's ago when my coworker left a Poinsettia out after Christmas because it still looked good. I got the blame for that, that time it wasn't my fault but it could have been so I just took it and went on. LOL Now every Poinsettia goes right after Christmas. Now however I have been there long enough that I know how to go around them and save a bunch of plants.

This is not to put you off. The decision to stay at Walmart was one of the best I have ever made. I am not stressed to the point of my hair falling out anymore, I don't have daily headaches and I have a lot more fun at work. Oh yea, something to know, I'm not sure how cold it ever gets in your part of the world but be prepared for the weather. I work in a very large store so our garden center is huge. We expand out on the parking lot with "corrals" for the plants and etc. Also all of our freight for the inside is stacked on our patio everyday. It can get very HOT and very COLD.

Another plus.....you always get to see the new plants first and you always know when the plants are going to be marked down. YEA

You are not crazy.

Often thought of Home Depot, I've more tools than most men, love to teach so could be an asset..perhaps even do mini workshops to promote tools..lol...

It's what you make of it I guess.

Garden tools are awesome, as well as chainsaws, lawnmowers and weedeaters. Last year I bought a walking weedeater, I love it. Anyway I have made it a goal to learn how to work on them too. It is in my quest to become the boss. However in my neck of the woods men a lot of times don't believe women quite know about things like that. I live in Oklahoma and a lot of the older men want to deal with men. When they buy soil a bunch of them won't let me load the stuff they bought. I know it was how they were raised. I don't mind, sometimes its refreshing.

Thank you so much - that is very encouraging. I know a lot of people think that we are supposed to make as much money as we can, but now that I am older I think the real point is to be happy as much as we can. I was feeling a little guilty like I am just "copping out" of the corporate world, but in this poor economy I am thinking that if I get another job it will be the same thing again "the last to come is the first to go".

I was laid off my last job in April, went through the whole month of May with no job, and then started my new job the first week of June. That lasted three and a half months. I hear talk every day about businesses laying off, going bankrupt, and closing doors. I never hear of a Walmart or a Lowes going under. Living out here in the country I don't have a whole lot of options like I would in Atlanta, so I'm trying to make a long term decision here.

Amber - it is so good to hear how much you love your job. Sounds like you went to school for nothing - but then again the knowledge of nursing will always be useful in your life. I think the employee discount and the health insurance, along with the savings in gas not having to drive a long way to work, should equal out the lower pay.

Thank you all for your input!!
Cindy

Oh, I didn't go for nursing my heart gets too beat up. I trained for Phlebotomy. Taking care of plants is a lot less stressful than poking needles into people. LOL

Another plus for Walmart. It gets slow in the off seasons in the garden center but there is always something to do in the store. You won't get sent home unless you just want to go. Our store and every store around this area is always shorthanded so there is always some dept. needing help. A recession is a bad thing for our economy but our stock goes up. If you decide to try Walmart be sure to sign up for stock purchases. You can sell it anytime. My husband and I use it as a savings plan to buy big purchases. (He works there too.) We sell when the stock is high. We use our 401k for retirement but the stock for fun.

You "sound" like you feel better, Cindy. ☺

Other things being equal- I would vote Lowe's over Home Depot. I like the chain better, around here at least they look better and staff seems nicer.

Hmstly how is it going? I was just wondering how you were doing.

Cindy, that happened to me when I worked for a video store, except I came back and was fired by my boss for taking the vacation he approved! He was a major alcolholic and I didn't like working for him anyway so it was no loss, therefore I didn't do anything about it, I just figured he was drunk when he oked the vacation and forgot that he oked it lol!

Not sure why, but, whenever I move on to another job, I ask, "why didn't I do this a long time ago?"

You must move on, so find a job pronto, then look for another that has the ability for advancement.

I moved to Florida once and worked at a pizza chain. In 2 months time I was a manager. lol Too much pressure though.

Good luck! Keep moving forward.

I work in the school system and love my job. But I really love gardening and I love flowers. In March I went to our local Family owned Garden Center and when I walk in the owner knew my name...LOL I guess I have spent alot of time there.Well I ask him for a summer job and he hired me on the spot. I had the most wonderful summer ever. Playing in the soil and answering gardening questions... he is starting up a new greenhouse this winter and I'm going to work part time there to and I will go back next summer. Life is to short so DO WHAT YOU LOVE...

I'm still here...looking for a job. There just aren't any jobs out there to apply for! I am submitting my application to WalMart - online - nobody even takes a resume or an application any more, it is all done online. How impersonal. I'm hoping to hear from them soon because unemployment compensation just isn't enough to live on.

On the up side, I have had plenty of time to plant a fall garden, which has just started to sprout. I have been working on my rain barrels...just in case it ever rains again here. It has been so long I can't even remember the last time we had a good rain, at least a month ago.

I cleaned out the barn this week, and sorted out my gardening stuff a little. I have sooo many pots and buckets, my daughter says I have a bucket fetish!

Good luck on that job, with this "credit crunch" or whatever you want to call it, it's very difficult to get a job. There isn't a lot out there.

House cleaning in my area is still in demand, although hard work. People are charging $12-$15/hr.

I can tell you personally, working at a job you don't like for the money is just not worth it. I did it for 25+ years. On Sundays, I'd start with the headache and not wanting Monday to come. My situation had to do with the head of the department. Nice to your face but certainly not behind your back.
Do something you enjoy. Check with the nurseries, garden centers, landscapers if you can do the planting or as a consultant. When they build new homes, the people doing the yard have vey little creativity. They put the same ol' shrubs and trees and no flowers. Knowing what grows there and where the plants are available locally or order wholesale is a plus. You could talk to the owners to determine what type of plants they need. Suggest types of borders to accent the beds and keep the grass out. Of course some will have no idea as to how to care for them and that's where your knowledge comes in as to what would be best for them.
Do you have a growers' license? They don't cost much and you can get info through the county extension office. That would be a possibility too. Our local extension office personnel don't all sit in the office. Having the license opens the door to buying wholesale.
If you have a greenhouse, what about starting your own business? Get as many free plants as possible and grow in your GH.
Good luck.
Lynn

This message was edited Oct 3, 2008 1:11 PM

I was feeling overwhelmed by all my weeds, dealing with the stupid Jap beetles, and wanting to do some dividing an moving. I have full time job, sit on a town board commission, and am the VP of my trade association. ON top of that my husband is helping with all the errands and odd jobs for my 99 year old grandfather and his 73 year old mother. My gardens are my passion but they were (are?) getting away from me.

So I found an ad on craigslist of a lady who would help me weed for $10 an hour. If I wanted any heavy work like mulch, then she wanted $14 per hour. I contacted her right away. She told me she had so many clients she couldn't take any more. She said she had some regular clients that she visited weekly or biweekly, and she had some special event clients (people who wanted to get their gardens gorgeous for a wedding or special party but didn't want ongoing service).

I placed an ad in craigslist trying to find someone and couldn't find anyone. I got one answer and the person admitted that they didn't know a dandelion from a tulip. Most of the craigslist jobs you pay cash on the side.

Here it wouldn't be a solution since we don't have gardens as soon as the snow arrives, but in Georgia maybe you could make it a career?

duck - That's a great idea!! Right now the leaves are starting to fall here, and I can run an ad offering to rake leaves and clean up gardens, etc. I have a leaf blower and rakes and all, so I could bring my own stuff. You are right, that would be cash money, and I could really use it. Thank you so much!!

Cindy

to inspire ou http://madison.craigslist.org/hss/815115513.html

hmstyl,

Well! For one--you live in the state that HD has it's headquarters.....in Atlanta.

I have worked at HD for over 10 years. The first 5, I was in charge of the whole Greenhouse of houseplants and did a bang-up job as I am very good at this kind of work. It was physically brutal at times--but I am a hard worker and looked at all this as adding to my physical fitness.
The last 5 years I have had a sit-down job as a phone Operator. It is not as simple or 1 easy as people may think--but it can be boring in the early hours and the late evening hours.....
I have also been PT for the last 5 years--all due to arthritic knees (have now had themboth replaced) and also becoming old enough to collect SS. At this time--I am 71 and plugging away.....

The people I work with and that have been there a long time--have become a "family" in my life--as I am divorced and live alone. I cherish that.

There are a few things you have to understand about jobs at HD or Lowes......

1--These stores are open from 6AM-10PM every day except Sunday (8AM-7PM). You WILL be scheduled different hours on any given day--as they choose. So--you cannot plan on anything as you could if you have a 9-5 job. Basically--if you work for HD--you have no life.....It is also hard on the system to have to get up at 5AM one day and not have to work until 3PM the next day.

2--If you work Full time--you are expected to be available 7 days a week--including both weekend days. Your days off will not be the same--nor will they always be consecutive.
If you work PT--you can list your availability and are expected to work one of the weekend days.

Days you need off have to be requested way in advance and it is at the mercy of the managers whether they will OK them for you. Schedules are made out and posted almost 3 weeks in advance. Once posted--and you need a day off--all you can hope for is to find someone to switch shifts with you in the same dept....or call out---which will be a negative thing on your records.

3--IF you want to work in garden--there are "dead times" in that dept. that nothing is going on, and they will, most likely, put you in a different dept. They DO try not to lay people off if you are a good employee.
If you are PT--your hrs, will be cut to next to nothing in the slow times. They cannot touch the FT people--they get their 40 hrs. a week. It is the PT'ers that pay.
The dead times, overall, are Jan thru March and end of June-mid-September.
IF you are hoping to get hired for the garden--they will start hiring end of February--NOT now. I went to the store 5 times hoping to get hired--started in October--and I finally was--March 16th.

Another thing.......There are Nurseries that now handle and maintain all the plants in the WHOLE garden Dept. YOU are not expected to do much else except customer service--the MOST important thing! These "people" also take all the losses if the plants get so-so and just throw them down the chute. NO big sales or discounts at the HD! NO broken bags for 50% off any more either. Down the chute they go! For that reason--I am glad I am no longer in garden--as it would make me cry!

4--Things are tight right now-----no one is allowed overtime. If you happen to have some--you have to cut it before the weekend. Punctuality is expected! Call outs are, eventually, penalized.

5--The only Holidays the store is closed, and you will have off, are Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. YES! You will work on Easter Sunday and 4th of July. and--Labor Day and all the other Holidays....After all--you shop there on those days--right?

6--There is NO Employee discount at HD!!!! Never has been! Many people do not know that!
Also--no one works on commission. If you are a designer and sell a $10K kitchen--you get nothing extra for it......I believe at Lowes--there is a discount and commissions.

On the positive side

1--HD holds cook outs for employees on the Summer Holidays and also a Christmas party. Most of ours have been in the Lumber aisle--Ho...Hum.....NO alcohol permitted.....
The last couple of years, we have rented a hall which is MUCH more conductive to a Holiday Spirit.

2--Pay is "presentable"......depending what your qualifications are. As a new employee--you might be paid anywhere from $8/hr (minimum) to $10/hr depending on your experience. If you are a licensed Electrician or plumber--you get big bucks! Raises are not great--but you get something every year.
IF the store is considered High Volume--you will get better raises. My store is VERY low volume--and we do not.....I have gotten .25 cents/hr. only each year.

3--I DO take pride in being a HD employee and I am as helpful as I can be on the phone rather than just, blindly, send all calls to the floor. In time you learn a lot about all the departments....

Other options.........

If you have some kind of Senior Living Condos in your area--where they also own a small plot in the garden--you can make big money doing the piddly gardening that 80 year olds can no longer do.
You can also join one of those "Plant maintenance" Businesses that go to offices and banks and what not and maintains the plants they have there.
I once looked into that--they expect you to use your own car for travel...NOT so great. Pay was lousy too....For one--your insurance would go up!

OK! Have I disillusioned you enough? Maybe a desk job is not all that bad!
I don't know how old you are----that has a lot of impact on the jobs you choose.

Need to hit the sack! I have to work tomorrow--and have to get up at 5AM!

Good luck! Gita

Everyone is getting the ax i think, the Gov. of okla. was on couple days ago saving okla. is fine.. now a big plant gatorade laid off they are about 50 miles from tulsa. they laid off the supervisors, notthe general labor smart move save more.. they have it all figured out i guess. another one is laying lots off to. the grocery stores here have really raised the prices again..

homstyl, hoping you get one soon and a really good one.

Thanks, Hope. I really appreciate all the support I'm getting here. I've applied for every job I can, but there just isn't much out there to apply for! Even when there is an ad for a job, there are several hundred people applying for the same job. I read an article saying that Ebay just laid off 1,600 people!

I did the application online for WalMart, and every other business within a 30 mile radius, so I guess time will tell.

Those of you who have a job - even a lousy job - just be glad you have it!

Praying that things work out for ya.

Tina

Again I will suggest house cleaning, interior painting and wallpaper, dog walking and sitting, baby sitting, personal care, etc. Maybe more than one.

Use your imagination and maybe something will happen. The best!!!

Just in case you were wondering, I thought I would give ya'll a little update. You have been so supportive, and I really appreciate that.

I have not found a job yet, but I did make a big decision. I have decided to go back to school! Best of all, I am going to study Horticulture!! Since I am on unemployment, I think now is the perfect time to qualify for the Hope scholarship, the Pell grant, the WIA and every other avenue to have my education paid for.

I am so excited, I can't wait! There is a great school, North Georgia Tech. college about 20 mins away from me, and they have a fabulous horticulture program, nice greenhouses, and they even have a good deal about Hydroponics! Since I am really tired of sitting behind a desk, I think this will be a perfect new career!

So, for those of you who have encouraged and prayed for me, THANK YOU!!!
Cindy

That sounds great. I hope it all works out. That degree will again give you options as to how to use the degree.
Good Luck !!!
Lynn

Hmstyl are you preparing to go or have you already started school? If so are you enjoying it? I love to take classes, I just haven't had enough time lately.

Good Luck to you! Thanks for the up-date.

Yes the best!

I'm trying to line up the Hope Scholarship, the Pell grant, and whatever else I can find. My classes will start on Jan. 7th. I'm so excited - I really am!

Just found this thread... hooray for more education! I'm glad you are excited and happy hmstyl, and it's also been interesting to hear of everyone's experiences at Walmart and Home Depot, as I may also be doing something similar at some point.

Brenda