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Cross Post from FB:

OK, even though I haven't worked there since October, I thought it would be fun to discuss what my former boss asked me to do or made me do for her (I was always reimbursed for my mileage)

Grocery Shopping
On a few occasions she had me go to Whole Foods and pick up groceries for her dinner party that night.

I also went out and bought her lunch sometimes.

Pick up Stuff
She made me pick up two lamps that she had ordered from a retail outlet about 15 minutes from the office.

She had me go to the mall and pick out and buy a Pandora charm for her good friend. It's not like she had set it aside or anything. No. I was to go there and pick "a nice one" that her friend would like. How the hell should I know what she'd like?

Travel Arrangements
I had to arrange an Alaskan cruise that her husband had won through work. Everything from flights, cars, to activities they wanted to do off the boat.

I had to arrange a personal trip for her, her husband and daughter to Italy. This was not just flights and cars it was four or five different hotels, connecting flights, trains, etc. It was a nightmare.

She asked me to go to the local Rogers store to buy her a new Blackberry. I of course could not buy it for her because she was the one who had the sign the contract but she didn't seem to understand this and had me go back there again and explain that I was buying it for my boss (don't you know who she is?) and she gave me authority to buy it. No can do. She had to go and buy it herself but guess who had to set it up with just the right plan?

I had to not only purchase a Blackberry for her daughter (this was on her existing account and I did over the phone for XMess so there wasn't a problem), I had to again find the right plan for her and then help her set it up.

WTF?

She once asked me if I could pick her daughter up from school, drive her to a doctor's appointment, wait for her and then drive her home. I shit you not. She actually asked me to do this. I had to draw the line. I told her I did not feel comfortable doing that and she said no problem. She'd call her a cab. Hells ya!

I had to make reservations for her family at various restaurants. She once had me call as many local restaurants as I could find and enquire as to whether they had a private room that she could book for her mother's birthday.

I had to drive to a flower shop, drop off some vases to have them filled, and then pick them up again so she could have fresh flowers for her dinner party that night.

I had to ship two boxes to her son in BC for XMess. He was in a very remote town that didn't even have a post office. I had to find a close enough post office (which you think would be an easy task but it really wasn't. It took me about two days) in which he could pick up the boxes that had to be there before XMess. Then I had to take the two big heavy boxes to our post office to have them delivered.

I had to pay her son's parking tickets on line with her credit card.

I had to call the auto shop to book appointments for her tune up, tire changes, etc.

I had to call the dog groomer and book appointments for his hair cut and shampoo, etc.

I had to call her hair dresser and book appointments.

The list goes on and on but these are a few samples. And every single one is true.

With the daughter's Blackberry it was impossible to find the right plan for her. I didn't know how much talk time or text time or how much data she required. I must have spent three days on the phone and travelling to and from the store working on just the right plan. Ugh. And then, if there was an issue with the phone or the plan, I had to call Rogers and deal with it. I had to arrange for a new phone for her because hers wasn't working. It's not like her daughter was deaf, dumb and blind. She was a 16 YO, that was quite capable of taking care of herself.

Oh, and then I had to arrange for her son to be added to the plan as well. They were both students. How much could they save? Is there a student discount? What were the options? Do it yourself lady.

Was this against the rules of the company (or was she the absolute boss of the whole dang place)? I ask because in the USA, it's against most company's rules to use paid company staff for personal work. If your boss had a hand in your losing your job, you would stir the pot a bit by mailing a copy of this to the appropriate persons!

She is the owner.

I'm surprised she didn't make you clean her house and the office, mow her lawn and shovel the snow in the driveway in the winter. I wonder if she was a spoiled princess as a kid and hasn't grown out of that phase. Did she start the business from scratch and build it up herself or was it handed to her from family or a relative? What kind of business is it? It will work in your favor in the long run to get out of that slave shop and get a job where you're treated as an equal.

She started the business 15 years ago in her basement however, she comes from family money. She's a smart business woman. I won't deny her that.

She's three years older than me.

(03-27-2010 07:47 PM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]She's three years older than me.

Ah, yes. We are getting to that age, aren't we! It makes me a little sick when I see wildly successful people who are my age, near my age, or worse, younger than me! Sometimes I catch that "Millionaire Matchmaker" show, and it's all "I'm 28, and made my fortune in real estate" Sheesh! -- at 28 I was just entering grad school!

She sounds almost like that boss in "The Devil Wears Prada". I just read that book and was amazed at the shit the woman wanted people to do - from arranging for vacations to buying her new clothes every season. I would never make it as a personal assistant.

Unless you were a personal assistant there is so much that is wrong there. I'm surprised you got mileage.

(03-27-2010 11:53 PM)ozarkmoon Wrote: [ -> ]She sounds almost like that boss in "The Devil Wears Prada". I just read that book and was amazed at the shit the woman wanted people to do - from arranging for vacations to buying her new clothes every season. I would never make it as a personal assistant.

Actually my boss before this one was even worse in the sense that she was just so mean and a complete bitch. I called her "Prada". A nickname I gave her based on the character from that movie.

If I had been hired as a personal assistant, I'd have nothing to say about it but I wasn't. I was hired as a Marketing Coordinator but somehow, those duties were pushed aside in favour of her personal chores.

I mentioned it to my boss a couple of times but there really wasn't anything she could do about it.

I'd never make it as a personal assistant either.

As an aside, one of her friends who also owns her own company has a male assistant that does EVERYTHING for her including going to her home and packing her suitcase for trips. No way in hell I could ever do anything like that.

I had a job before where the boss was the owner of the company. IMO. this is the worst situation as far as employee/boss relation. Because your paycheck is coming out of the owner's pocket, they want to make sure they get their money's worth out of their employees, which means doing things that you wouldn't do elsewhere, being micro-managed beyond normal, have to be on your toes at all times, and heaven forbid if you talked to someone about something that wasn't work related. You could never have a "down" day at work or relax unless the boss was away on business. The office was always tension filled. I would never want to work for an owner again unless he/she stayed in their ivory tower and let other people run the company.

That's so true Dog. They do want the most for their money and won't give you a break at all.