On with my story. We were getting to work at 7 AM every morning and leaving from 10 to 12 every night. We were getting tired. We had to work around the drunk and high construction workers. We had to work around not having some merchandise we needed and way to much of some merchandise. I was so looking forward to the middle weekend of the setup. That is the weekend they said I could take the week end off and go home. Wednesday of that week, my boss out of the home office, came up to me and said, we can not afford you to have the weekend off. We need you here. I wanted to cry. I said look it has been three weeks since I have seen my wife and boys - I am going home. We talked back and forth and finally agreed that they would pay Debbie expenses to come to Edmond for the weekend and I could go to the motel early Friday and Saturday. Debbie came and spent the weekend. I am sure she did not enjoy herself as I was gone most of the time and she was by herself in a strange town. As the setup continued the construction problems grew. Electrical circuits blew out. People were shocked when they touched different metal things around the store. To make matters worse, Wal-Mart had decided to use this store for a trial run on the second generation computer cash registers. Oh Lord you talk about problems. The Friday before the Grand Opening the inspector for the city code compliance came by to inspect the building and the electrical work. The store manager came and got me and said we got bad problems. I said what are they now. He said the city inspector has failed us and we will not be able to open. We had spent thousands of dollars on advertising and not opening was not an option. I said, can we fix it. He said, we failed almost everything and it will take a couple of weeks to fix the problems the inspector found. The man in charge of the setup from the home office was there that day. I took the paperwork to him and showed it to him. He went into the office shut the door behind him and in a few minutes left the store. A few minutes after that I looked out back and he in the inspector was talking. In an hour or so the setup man called me and the store manager back to the office. He asked us have we told anyone about the failure of the inspection - we said no - he said good - don’t tell anyone about that because we just passed with flying colors. I said -how. He said don’t ask and I didn’t. Grand Opening day finally came. I received one of the best evaluations I ever received. I was told also that they were giving me the Waldron AR store to open and run. The Grand Opening went great. Mr. Sam was happy and if he was happy everyone else was happy. Around 10AM that morning I was heading out of the store to be with my wife and sons after 6 long weeks of being away. As I walked down the front aisle several rows of lights started blinking. I walked faster. As I walked by the front registers - one by one they quit running. I walked a little faster. As I got in my car I heard them say on the loud speakers Mr. Jeffcoat you are need at the front immediately. I started my car quick as I could and got the heck out of Dodge. My memories of the 6 weeks in Edmond, Oklahoma. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:52:49 +0000
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