Wrong?

Yes, I think I was wrong. But maybe not.

There's a woman at work--we shall call her "Cry Me A River" to protect her privacy. She's preggers. No big deal, except that she took the pregnancy test at work, on her break (Thank God it was on her break) and she makes calls like some sort of nut. (Picks up phone, dials, listens, hangs up. She does this several times in a row, then she cries.) There's always a drama.

She's also been so nice as to leave me (or hand me, on the most recent occasion) her wallet, then say, "I'll be right back." and then off to the ladies room she goes.

Okay, I get that you need to pee. I get that when you are preggers, you need to pee often, and a lot. But, what's with the wallet? I don't carry a purse, and this wallet of hers is bigger than at least two of the purses I do own (don't ask.) And why in the name of all that is sane, would anyone haul that puppy around with them throughout the store? And what makes her think that anyone (but especially ME) would want to babysit her wallet?

And then there's the picture. She has a picture of her daughter. The picture is a largish snapshot, coming in at close to 5x7, at a guess. She haul it around with her also, propping it up on the keyboard when she's actually on a register.

Now, I will not make a judgement on whether or not the child is cute (I fear for her sanity, considering what I've seen of her mother.) But if we're specifically told during orientation, and during subsequent training, and at least once a year, there's a sweep of the store during which we are required to initial an email that tells us that we are NOT to have personal "affects" of any nature at our stations, and we are not to personalize our registers with photos, decorations, notices, etc, and if, during these purges we are commanded to not post any kind of information related to our jobs ON the register, what makes her think that she can prop this pic up on her keyboard and that's kosher?

I'd also like to know how her leaving that picture at a register makes it everyone else's responsibility to keep track of it. She left it outside once, and after she came pawing through everything for upwards of 10 minutes still didn't find it--and asked if I'd seen it like it was my JOB to keep track of it for her. I politely explained the policy--we're not have it. It fits in your pocket, and basically stays there, or you don't have it. I know I pointedly told her that if she leaves it at a register, it WILL get thrown out--if the Big Wigs come in, if it gets stepped on, if it's in the way. Out it goes--in the garbage, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Today, our Big Wig was in--with HIS Big Wigs. Yeppers. Not just the district guy, but the regional guys too. One of 'em might even have a title that sports "VP" in it. And, behold! There's the picture.

I chucked it. And I'm sure someone's gonna tell her it was me. And at some point, she'll cry over it, and management will come and tell me how horrid I am.

But correct me if I'm wrong--or tell me I'm a hard ass if you want--the Big Wig(s) find that thing where I am, and they're not gonna ask me (or anybody else) who it belongs to. They're gonna assume it's mine, and it's gonna be my ass in a sling. On top of the fact that I can't even post stuff on my garden register like "Cover the credit card machine EVERY NIGHT" (you know, stuff that I can prove saves the company money because the damn electronic signature capture machine isn't supposed to be exposed to below zero temps and water, and until I starting being all anal retentive about it, one or more of them broke down at least monthly due to being filled with water--and not just from the weather. It's a garden center, where plants are, and where plants are, wait for it, WATERED. It's not rocket science) never mind the other stuff that helps keep the inventory numbers where they should be. Has anyone noticed that since I had to take down all my little reminders, the numbers got worse? Why do you think that is? Could it possibly be that nobody listens to me, and nobody reads the communications book? Oh, yeah, it probably IS that.

But that's a different rant. I chucked her kid's pic in the bin. Is that wrong?

(And just to justify myself--my contraband cardboard and plastic improvised door for the toothpicks and saran wrap hut are okay--because they keep the frostbite away, and no one is responsible for them. I don't drag 'em around with me, and I don't expect anyone else to keep track of 'em for me.)