Belly Laughs Renovations…..

    Fresh year, fresh look, right?   We decided that it was high time for a little store makeover, no big changes, just a little “freshening up”. It seemed  like a great idea, we’ll move some shelves around, buy a few more, and give the front window a little overhaul in the process . Easy Peasy right? Uhhh, how wrong could I be? So very wrong. So wrong, that I felt a little like what my “better half” must feel on a daily basis (hehehehe).

    It started out simply enough, with tearing down a few displays and transferring some shelving to the front of the store. Well, it was simple enough for the one of us in the back working on the computer. I, on the other hand, hauled a bunch of stuff out to the dumpster to make room for the new units. When said “other person” decided to join me, (just kidding L.J. you worked just as hard as I did **cough cough choke choke**) we merchandised the shelves with the bath products, and did a thoroughly beautiful job, if I might say so myself (patting myself on the back). We felt accomplished, we were beaming with pride, we were ready for the next task…. one million shelves from Ikea.

     Now I’m sure you are all familiar with the “demon” products from a store I can only describe as wretched. At the risk of offending feminists everywhere, let me just say, that there is a good reason I have a man. Besides being easy to look at, he does this stuff, you know, putting things together, taking out the garbage, changing light bulbs. It’s not that I can’t do these things, let’s just be honest, I don’t want to. Besides, it makes him feel needed. Anyways, there were shelves to be put together, and clearly I was the one to do it, as the attempt that L.J. made was weak, to say the least. If shelves were supposed to be at a 45 degree angle, then she would be the one you wanted to assemble said shelves!!!! Seven units, and a couple of tables later, we were good to go, although we were now well into day two of our “adventure”.

     As the day progressed, we noticed that the shelves at the front of the store,were having their backs put on their fronts. No , big deal, we just removed all of the bath products that we so carefully placed the day before, and turned the units around. We then attentively replaced all the product, and moved on to the next task.

    Enter day three. Now at this point I would like to add that we started this project with great enthusiasm, and a little naivete. I don’t think anyone thought that this undertaking would last three long days, nor that L.J. and I would both still be alive and speaking to each other come the end. But alas, a light at the end of the tunnel… only the toy section left to merchandise. Until someone noticed that the front units were in fact, upside down, and needed to be flipped over, YET AGAIN!!! Off came the bath products, with a little less gusto than the first two times, and over went the shelves. By now, the sight of these products incited severe anxiety in me. They were not my friends, and I don’t think we will ever share the fond memories we once did. Finally replaced, we spent the remainder of the day fiddling around in the toy section, and although this may sound enjoyable, it, in fact, was not.

      So, the end result is a fresh looking store, which I think we are all proud of. As self  involved as this entry is, the task could not have been accomplished without the help of many of the staff, so thanks all around. And I guess it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be, now that it is all done anyways…..

Tagged as: Belly Laughs, job, pride, shelving