2007.12.04
We are a 9-5 society
I had last Friday off work, and I’m also off all this week. I’ve been taking advantage of being home during the day and running my errands then instead of in the evenings. The difference is quite shocking.
On Friday, I took my car in for an oil change, picked up the last of my Christmas gifts, and also picked up some Rubbermaid containers to reorganize my linen closet (oh yes, I sure do know how to have fun). I was able to do all of that in about 2 hours. On a Saturday or Sunday, that would have taken at least 4 hours.
Even more noticeable was the errands I ran today. I went to renew my vehicle registration, and there was no line up. None. In and out in about 5 minutes. And, the coup de grace, Safeway on 10% Tuesday.
On the first Tuesday of every month, Safeway gives you 10% off your entire purchase as long as you spend at least $35. The downside of this is that the store is absolutely nuts. I normally avoid shopping on 10% Tuesday since the $7 or $8 I save is more than offset by the fact that it takes forever to get through the checkout lines. Nope, sorry, I have better ways to spend my Tuesday evening than standing in line at the grocery store.
But going before 11:00am was a totally different experience. The store was nice and empty. And, there was no lineup at the checkout. I just walked up and the cashier started ringing me in. Nice. I’m sure I would have hated it around 6:00pm.
Running my errands during the work day has been a good reminder that there is a definite downside to working a 9-5 type job. I do like having evenings and weekends free since those times are when my friends are also off work, but running errands definitely takes longer than it does during the day.
Subscriptions