3 Days Pounding Concrete...Ouch!
This sounds like someone having to bust up concrete with a sledge hammer, yes? Well it is not THAT! It is Jeff being on his feet in the BJCC auditorium for 3 days managing and selling at the Associated Grocers semi-annual food show.
The BJCC is Alabama's most popular and largest convention sight just off I59/20 in downtown Birmingham. Here is how I found myself there working for 3 straight days.
My company rents a booth at each AG Food Show to meet customers and expose them to the "Zeigler" line of meat products. We, the management, work up 3 booking sheets to sell desired items during key ad dates in the followin months. That is where my 46 years of working for Zeigler comes in.
I retired after 41 years but got bored. Zeigler called me one day and ask if I would like to work part-time and manage one of their larger perishable food warehouses located just out of Birmingham. I have now been doing this for 3 years this month.
We set up the food show on Monday, hanging banners, renting power, and an extra display table for my demo lady to work on. I have already spent about $1,500 in booth fees ie, my 10'x15' booth, rental of a laptop computer and printer, one table, two chairs and carpet. All I have at first is SPACE!
The work begins when you get there Monday about 8:00am and they want everyone out by 1:30pm. They raise the freight doors facing 9th avenue Monday am allowing our trucks, trailers and cars to get in close enough to bring in our supplies. This year AG paid for the air conditioning to stay on during our Monday set up as some vendors and their personel nearly feel out from the 90 plus July heat! Thanks Gerry!
I got my Taurus into the auditorium and loaded my handtruck with skillets, condiments, aprons, table clothes, fire extinguisher, Zeigler banner and signs to go on my table. Then 4 boxes of samples, 2 boxes of Jumbo Franks, and one each on our Smoked Bratwurst and Cheesy Brats. AG places a refrigerated 18 wheeler with a reefer running to place these samples until the show Tuesday and Wednesday.
I get my booth set up by noon and then find they have left me 'no' printer? The IT department are supposed to have these in place before we can leave on Monday as they and we want to make sure they all work. Two or three shows back my booking sheets were wrong and we played havoc getting these corrected in AG's food show data base. But now they set up a WIFI wireless network and they can do this or make changes right from my laptop. I keep my food show data on a 1Gig memory stick so if AG's goes fluey, I can upload the correct data. Nice!
I worked about 8 hours Monday, all on that concrete floor in the BJCC. The show was Tuesday and Wednesday and I was there and on my feet talking to customers for over 10 hours each day. Do that, stand or walk on conrete for about 30 hours and something is going to hurt. By the time I tore the display down Wednesday afternoon, I was having muscle spasms in my back and legs with each trying to decide which hurts the most. Do this, at almost 69, and you pay.
I told Karen after I rolled out of bed Thursday morning and made it to my recliner, Jeff is going to be a slug today, I am staying home and taking extra strength tylenol and in recovery mode. It is now Saturday, 3 days later and I finally feel like sitting still to write this monolog. If you have read this far, thanks!!!
