Another day at the office....

in a few hour. I don't want to go to work, because I don't feel well. My sister and boyfriend had a BBQ as a birthday present, and they made food for us. Nice chicken, pork, etc. And it's nice. But it messed up my stomache. My stomache is in agony. I've been to the toilet in the middle of the night: if I didn't, I would have pooped in my bed. And that's a thing that no one wants. Imagine that! Waking up in shit! Bleh.

It's funny tho, I woke up from a deep sleep, and whilest waking up, I walked to the bog, because I knew I had to go. It's like my mind already said to me that I should walk to the loo. But now, a few hours later, my stomache is still rumbling, and I still don't feel well. Damn. Now I know why I don't have my own BBQ: I like the meat, but not the agony after. And now I said to my mum yesterday that a BBQ would be handy for my birthday! No BBQ for me, sorry Hayley. Or do you want one? I'll eat bread whilest you are eating BBQ, don't like my stomache like this.

I want to talk a bit more about the blog I made yesterday. Yes Rob, a petrol station is a huge business on it's own. We have rules when it comes to facings. Not every station is the same, so there are multiple classifications. Several times a year, all the major companies go to Total, and lay down a lot of money, just to make sure that they get the best places on the shelves. And every so often, a representative visits every station, just to make sure that you have everything in order. You can't place products the way you want, or put products in the shelves without them being on the list.

Why do you think the best products always have the best places? Because they pay for it. And they demand that every petrol station uses their plans. If not, they can talk to Total and maybe they get a fine. It's the same with promotions. We have different promotions every two weeks, and we have 2 important shelves, called Promo A and B. Promo A is usually at the entrance, the first thing people see when they enter the shop. So it's an eye-catch location. If a company want their product to be in Promo A, they should be going to Total with a big bag of money, and pay for it. Promo A has the highest amount of products being sold, so as a manufacturer, you want that location. But because it's an eye-catcher, Total decided that it's location can be changed every two weeks.

It's the same with the cigarette rack. You might think it's all just made up by the station manager, but we have rules. We can't place a pack of Marlboro in a shelf that has been "bought" by the manufacturer of Camel. If I can make an example: you have a carpark in front of your house. You have paid for it, so you demand people to notice that. But if your neighbour parks his car there, you don't get angry. You just let him/her know that you "bought" that place, and that you don't like the use of it by him/her. You tell him twice, and then you get annoyed. You can sue him/her. You have paid for that spot, so you demand that your car is there, not someone elses. Simple?

It looks easy, but sometimes it isn't. Because of the recent price war in the tobacco industry, those places changed fast. I can't go into detail, but facings changed a lot. And products were dropped out of the facing, to be replaced by another product, just because a product didn't pay the amount wanted for that facing. But all of a sudden, manufacturers see a loss of money by loosing facings, and they pay more. It's all a big money thing. I can understand.

What will I do today? The Mars representative gave me a new detail of the facings, so I need to change the whole rack. That will take some time, sadly. But hey, at least I get paid! I wouldn't do it for free.

Tami, I'm seriously thinking about writing a script. You said I could use you? Erm.... what would I use you for? Can I use you as a stereotype? As American? I don't know what to write about, but I will let you all know!