Back to Work, Again

I went back to work again last week after our temporary layoff from March. It was a lot easier than when I went back from mat leave. I wasn’t exhausted when I got home like I was before. But it’s a whole different experience than working in the past now that we are dealing with a pandemic.

Everyone in the store is asked to wear a mask. While the masks aren’t necessarily uncomfortable, they make your face so hot. I start overheating and have to take it off for a minute every now and then. I’ve also found that my face feels a bit numb when I take it off. I don’t know if its because I have to breathe through my mouth while wearing it or what.

Speaking of masks. I ordered a bunch online about a week or two before heading back to work, which said they would arrive the week I went back, and now I’m still waiting. Its extremely frustrating. I only have a handful of disposable masks left so if they don’t come soon, I’m going to run out this week. I really don’t want to buy more when I’ve already spent money on these ones which said they were on their way.

The other change in the retail store is sanitizing. We have to wipe everything down between customers if they are touching anything, like the credit machine. We are constantly washing or sanitizing our hands and paying closer attention to what we are touching. We have been keeping the door locked and making sure we stay as far away from other people as we can. Having the door locked has made it easier to keep the number of people in the store lower and also make sure they are wearing masks.

But there is another big change which I hinted at in my last post. Before we were closed due to the virus, we were given notices saying that the store would be closing permanently at the end of May. The pandemic has changed our closing date to the end of August but we have now started letting our customers know we will be gone.

I’ve been working for this company for over 11 years now so on one hand it’s sad to be done. But on the other hand, I’m excited to find a new job. I am hoping to move out of retail and into a job with more regular hours and higher pay. But I’m also nervous because I’m sure so many people are also looking for jobs and I’m not sure if I’m qualified for the jobs I want to apply for. I also haven’t done an interview in over a decade so I’m also nervous about how I will do (I tend to be shy around strangers).

If I have trouble finding a job, I was also considering going back to school to get an accounting degree. But we are also looking to buy a house so I’m nervous that I won’t have enough money if I decide to go to school.