Pass the Swedish Meatballs!

Last week I started my new part-time job at IKEA as a Greeter!  Basically, I'm at the front of the store and help customers with directions and finding products within the store.  I'm just working weekends which is awesome because it still allows me to have my days free in order to teach.  And the best part is, they are so great about scheduling and are really flexible with it...so if I need a day off for a concert I can have it, and they can increase my hours in the summer when I am on vacation from school!

Monday night was my "Before the Floor" training where I learned all about IKEA as a company, how day-to-day operations work, and where things are located.  Wednesday night was my health and safety training - I can now safely evacuate the building if required!

IKEA Fun Fact:  IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad.  He grew up on a farm in Sweden called Elmtaryd, in the town of Agunnaryd.  Hence the name IKEA!

This past weekend, on Saturday and Sunday I had my first two shifts.  OH MY GOODNESS.  IKEA on a Saturday is crazy.  I lost count of how many people I talked to - hundreds, probably.  And the weird part was, there was no real training for the actual "doing of the job," so it was like being thrown to the wolves right from the start!  I think I came out alright, but I was sure tired by the end of the day!  Sunday wasn't quite as busy, but there were still so many customers!

My biggest pet peeve after two days: Please put your shopping carts back where you found them and stop leaving them in the middle of the floor!!!!  I'm tired of putting them away for you!

It looks like the job will be quite fun though, and I like the interaction with the public.  It's my first time working in retail and for a foreign company.  So far everyone has been really nice and I'm looking forward to next weekend!  If you stop by, I'll be sure to greet you with an extra special "Welcome to IKEA!"