Mistakes and Consequences (and Money)
So I got a little irked today.
Don’t really wanna say too much about it, but it turns out my helping somebody has got me into a bit of trouble. The more I think about it, the more I realise that this really wasn’t my fault. I was just following orders. Then again, how far do you take the following orders excuse? How many Nazis were just following orders? How many people in Apartheid were just doing as they were told?
Oh my gosh.
I’m really being a little too melodramatic here. *Gnome tries to snap out of it* I mean, it’s not like I killed anyone or even that my actions led to any sort of grievous bodily harm whatsoever. Actually it probably just cost the company a little bit of money.
What little chance I had of ever winning the employee of the month award has just gone out of window I see. And with it the R 1 000 Pick n Pay voucher.
Damn.
I seem to have a bit of a track record when it comes to costing companies money. When I worked in England I would frequently* give people discounts (without their knowledge), or leave an item off “by mistake”. I just sometimes couldn’t stomach charging people SO much money for so little food. The prices there were horrendous – even for their standards. I sort of felt like a bit of a Robin Hood. I’m sorry, company in England, but you still made gazillions of pounds in profit at the end of the year (I read the year-end report), so I’m not wasting any guilt emotions on you.
But this time really wasn’t on purpose.
Although, if I could give people a discount I would (too bad I’m not authorised for those kinds of overrides). I find something so innately wrong with rich people making even more money to feed their opulent indulgences.
Speaking of opulent indulgences, I was utterly disgusted by a piece of news yesterday: a Saudi Prince (13th richest man in the world) has bought himself the world’s biggest plane (that seats over 500 people) for an unimaginable sum of money. Ironically enough, in the same news bulletin the headline was about the bread price, and how some people can’t even afford to buy this most basic of foods…
Kind of puts things into perspective a little bit...
*OK, it didn’t happen THAT often…
8 comments:
This post is a little unclear...I mean, I get your eventual point..but still...what did you do Dude?
Um. Well I was actually trying to avoid really explaining the situation, merely wanted to reflect my state of mind. I did something because I was told to do it. Turns out it was the wrong thing to do. I guess logically I know that it was wrong, but didn't really question it because someone told me to do it. It's really not such a biggie. Blowing it out of proportion a tad bit I think...
hmm...okay.
Am i still being a bit unclear?
Very unclear! I don't know what's going on either. Did someone tell you to give a discount and you thought it was wrong but did it anyway? Or did someone tell you to mark up the price and you did it but thought it was wrong?
*Gnome relents under the peer pressure*. OK guys. I do the ordering for the Direct Sales Consultant. I do it as a favour - it's not even remotely part of my job description. In the beginning of the year, she told me to please put everything on air freight cause they want their books to come quickly. The other day we even had an issue that I by mistake put something on sea freight - it was a bit hooha because it's taking ages to get here. So since then I have always made sure everything goes on AIR freight. Yesterday, the direct sales consultant phones me and says a lady at HO is livid that everything is always put on air freight - since the local publications should all be put on sea freight. It costs the company money etc etc. She even said "Gnome has been working with us for a while now, she should KNOW this". I was putting everything air freight because I was told to do it, even though logically I know sea freight for local orders is cheaper...
It's not your fault.
Screw that idea...this is totally not your fault. I wouldn't even compare it to the store thing you did (mentioned in the post)...that's a little different..I'd object (a tad) to that. But this? NAH...don't even worry about it.
Yeah I know. So over it already. Admittedly I was wrong to give people discounts when I shouldn't have. But seriously. They were ripping these people off SO BADLY. It was sometimes worse for me to charge the full price than it was to give the discount...
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