Late for work? Better have an excuse
Since daylight-saving time officially began last night, we here at the Standard have learned to expect one thing. Come Monday morning, there will be a few employees who stroll into work an hour late claiming they completely forgot about setting their clocks ahead one hour.
I can hear the excuses now: “Oh that was this weekend? I didn’t think that happened until May.”
Yeah, whatever. But since I’m on the topic of lame late-for-work excuses, worldwide staffing company Accountemps recently polled over 1,000 managers from large, U.S. companies to find out the absolutely worst late-for-work excuses they had heard.
If they would have asked me, I could have told them I’ve heard a few good ones myself. Just last week I had a reporter tell me he was late because he was mowing his lawn. I don’t doubt that’s what happened, but most people mow their lawn when they’re not supposed to be at work.
As for Accountemps’ survey, some of the excuses involved man’s best friend, who gets blamed for just about everything. Here are three examples:
• The dog was asleep behind the car, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up.
• My dog swallowed my car keys.
• My dog didn’t come back after I let him out and I had to drive around the neighborhood.
And, as hard as it is to believe, Accountemps is reporting that office managers commonly hear these excuses:
• I forgot what day it was. I thought it was the weekend.
• I couldn’t remember what time zone I was in.
• The line at the McDonald’s drive-thru was extremely long.
• I couldn’t get my garage door to open.
And for wacky, one-of-a-kind excuses, office managers reported hearing these memorable lines from employees:
• My roommate locked me in the bathroom.
• I’m not late. I decided to change my hours.
• The wind was blowing against me.
• My favorite actress got married. I needed time alone.
• My husband’s pet spider died and I had to console him.
• The bartender just kept talking and talking.
That’s just a brief sampling. For anyone with access to a computer who might want to check out the list in its entirety, it’s available at the Accountemps Web site: www.accountemps.com.
As for this week’s Business Pulse, I have no more excuses. It’s time to get started.
Lowry ready to groom your dog
Mealonie Lowry says people are surprised when they find out she grooms dogs for a living. Now they can be even more surprised to learn she’s the owner of a dog grooming shop called K-9 Clips.
Mealonie received her official business license a few weeks ago and now she wants to put her six years of dog grooming experience to work for you. She’s ready to cut, trim, bathe, scrub and otherwise do just about anything to get your four-legged friend looking great.
“You’d be surprised at all the people who want their dogs to look good,” said Mealonie, who is an animal lover and the proud owner of four dogs of her own. “I’m kind of like the mechanic who keeps everybody’s car running but his own. I keep everybody’s dog looking good but sometimes don’t have time for my own.”
Mealonie was busy pampering a Bedlington Terrier named Winston at her shop Friday morning. She says the Bedlington Terrier is an especially rare breed around these parts and that Winston could be the only one in Warren County. She knows him pretty well by now after grooming him for the last six years.
“I’ve got quite a few customers already but I’d like to get it going better,” said Mealonie, whose shop is located out in the country on Morrison/ Viola Road. “You’ve got to be an animal lover to do this kind of work because they know when you like them and when you don’t.”
If Mealonie’s shop isn’t in your neck of the woods, she is flexible. She says she’ll pick up and drop off dogs from your home. She also said if you have a farm dog, or a breed that isn’t particularly fond of traveling, she will come to your house and groom your dog there.
If you love the feeling of a new haircut, just think what a trim from Mealonie will do for your dog. Give her a call at 635-2841 and be sure to leave a message if she’s not there.
Check into Cash shows its patriotism
Proudly showing its red, white and blue pride, Check into Cash wants members of the armed forces to phone home — for free. So the company, with 715 stores in 20 states, has started a program called Operation In Touch. The way it works is simple.
For every 60-minute calling card that’s purchased from Check into Cash and donated to the troops, the company will also donate a 60-minute calling card to a member of the military deployed overseas.
“Everybody wants to do something for the soldiers,” said local Check into Cash representative Glenda Wilcher. “We wanted to do something so they could keep in touch with their families because a lot of them are having to pay a lot of money just to call home.”
Check into Cash owner Allan Jones, an East Tennessee entrepreneur, will match every 60-minute card donated up to 25,000 cards. His goal is to send 50,000 cards overseas.
“It’s not a lot maybe to someone sitting home with a telephone,” said Jones. “But for someone thousands of miles away from a spouse and kids or mom and dad, it’s a really big deal.”
In McMinnville, Check into Cash is located on 557 Chancery Street. Operation In Touch will last through April. For more information, call 473-0805.
Old Prater’s building buzzing with activity
What I’m calling the old Prater’s BBQ building on South Chancery Street now has several new tenants. I’m calling it the old Prater’s building even though Prater’s hasn’t been there for probably close to two years, but it was the last steady business to occupy that location.
Now, there are about to be four businesses in that spot in what appears to be a pretty nifty bit of maneuvering. One of the anchors is Mommy & Me, a clothing store with a long history downtown.
If you recall, it wasn’t too long ago I told you about Meleah Jaco buying The Vogue Shop, a store which had been a Main Street mainstay for some 30 years. Meleah always planned to rename the store Mommy & Me, but she didn’t think changing locations would be in the cards.
“It was a situation where we thought it would be better to own than rent,” said Meleah. “With this place we are leasing with the option to buy.”
Actually, Meleah says it was her mom, Melinda Breedlove, who was the backbone of the deal. Melinda currently owns Relax Tax which is located in the old Western Auto building on Main Street. She’s been in bookkeeping and the tax business for the last 17 years.
After tax season settles down at the end of April, Melinda will be moving Relax Tax to the old Prater’s building. She will keep her same phone number, 507-8424.
To add another business to that location, Melinda’s daughter and Meleah’s sister, Misty King, is moving her message therapy business called Touch of Wellness into the building. Misty just graduated about a year ago and is eager to get her business up and running. To schedule an appointment, call 474-7766.
The fourth business is His and Her Barbershop, which used to be called The Barbershop. It had formerly been located on Sparta Street right next to the underpass.
His and Her Barbershop just moved into its new location Tuesday. The number to call for an appointment is 473-0668.
Local residents pass state accounting exam
The Tennessee State Board of Accountancy recently announced that 168 candidates successfully completed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam.
Among these successful candidates are McMinnville resident Lesley C. King, Smartt resident Angela D. Brown, and Spencer resident Jessica N. Hitchcock.
The Uniform CPA Examination is one of the nation’s most comprehensive and difficult examinations. Subjects covered include: accounting and reporting; auditing; financial accounting and reporting; and business law and professional responsibilities.
Upon passing the exam, the successful candidates were inducted as members of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants and its Upper Cumberland Chapter.
That’s all folks
Give me a call with all your business news at 473-2191, but don’t call me too early Monday morning because there’s a good chance I could be late. I might not remember to set my clocks ahead one hour.