Saturday, March 08, 2014

Shoveling and chipping

My mind is fried and my body is beat. I did quite a few rentals and reservations at work this week. I don't think it would normally be as physically taxing, but with all the snow and ice we have... ugh. When I take a reservation for a storage unit - if it's a conventional unit - I usually go out and clear away the snow and ice from in front of the door. Partly as a customer service, and partly because they otherwise won't be able to get the door open. Most outside units have anywhere up to a foot of snow in front of the doors, and then several inches of hard-packed ice underneath of it. I have a metal shovel, a pick-ax, and a hammer and chisel that I use to try to break up the ice. I also try to do several other units every day just to be a little proactive in getting rid of the stuff. Plus there are always a few people who come in and complain that they can't get their door open, so I do those too. It's nasty stuff. I will be glad when it all melts away.

Yesterday I shoveled out 3 rows of doors. I only chipped the ice out from in front of maybe a third of them though. I had one guy call in and rent a unit and thought he was going to start crying on the phone when I asked him his address. He said that was why he needed a storage unit - his girlfriend just kicked him out. He named every single thing he needed to store. I felt bad for him, so I cleaned his door out completely. Then, when he came in, he also bought 12 boxes. I haven't sold 12 boxes total since I've been working there.

I also had another couple come in yesterday that were brother and sister. Their dad had just died and they put their mom in a home, so they were storing all of their parents stuff. They were very nice and I felt good helping them out in this small way.

Otherwise... today I kind of feel like a vegetable. My arms and shoulders are sore, and my mind is in sleep-mode. And what happened to the sun???

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