February 24, 2009
Blaring into your ears.
So here’s another work story for you.
I was finish up work on Friday morning. Everything was going great! We were actually getting out on time for once! Things were looking up. Everyone walks out, and all that’s left is me. I walk up to the alarm panel, getting ready to set it.
It’s then I notice that the broken door is inched open.
Let me explain: One of the doors to the store is currently broken. It will lock, but if you don’t close it just right, it will pop open just enough to set off the alarm, but not enough to actually open. It’s awesome. We’ve been avoiding using that door as much as possible.
I’m not sure if one of the managers forgot to set the door up for me before they left, or if one of my team accidentally went out the door, but it’s a real problem. A check of the alarm panel said that, yes, it’s open, and has to be closed for me to set the alarm.
I go and try to close the door. I pull it closed as hard as I can. I’ve never fought the door before, so when it clicks in place, I figure I must have it. It stays there for awhile.
I go back to the alarm panel, and it lets me set up the alarms. Great! I walk out the door, avoiding the broken door, of course.
Halfway into the parking lot, the door pops open, and the alarm goes off.
This alarm is loud. It was painful out in the middle of the parking lot.
Now, I have all the alarm codes, but I don’t actually have keys. I can’t go back in to turn off the alarm. So I call the alarm company on my cell, tell them it isn’t a problem, and say I don’t need anyone to come to the scene, and could they turn off the alarm? No, they say, you have to actually be inside to do that. So I need to wake up someone with a key. One of the managers gave me their phone number, so…
Well, shit, I hadn’t put their number in my phone.
So now I’m calling my parents, waking them up early in the morning to look up this phone number without trying to panic them. It’s not really all that great, and then I finally get the number to wake up the manager so she can come and turn off the alarm.
After this, cops come by. Everyone can hear this damn alarm, and they’re seeing what’s up. I explain the situation and apologize. They go “No worries, that’s what we’re here for” and drive off.
So I stand out in the cold a little while longer, the manager finally shows up, and we turn off the alarm. It’s been a little less than an hour at that point since I walked out of the store and the alarm went off. At least I got paid for that time, I suppose.
Moral of the Story: If you get a door fixed, but it turns out it still isn’t fixed? Get someone to fix it again instead of just working around it for weeks! Maybe.
I don’t know. I knew it was only a matter of time there was some problem with the alarm and I had to deal with all that kind of thing. I’m just kind of glad it wasn’t actually my fault, I suppose. Heh.