What does Employee of the Month look like?

Well, usually Employee of the Month pictures at my Costco look like a regular head shot photo of the person smiling. Month after month, my coworkers got Employee of the month and some of my friends pictures were put up. For the past year (or so....) I have day dreamt about what I would do, should I be chosen to receive Employee of the Month.

Well, June came and went, and the first week of July I was informed that I had received Employee of the Month for June, 2011! I was ecstatic! I was so enthralled with what I would do for my picture that I didn't even bother to ask how or why they picked me. (Later I guessed it might be because they ran out of people to give it to! I'm always running in at 5:15 am trying to make that 3 minute window, I ask at least a handful of coworkers what they did on their days off before starting work, I'm always chewing gum, and I stock clothing pretty high to most every one's standards but don't really notice because I, myself, am in fact pretty giant in stature!)

Anyway, I was SOOOO excited, and this is what Employee of the Month should look like when you're as excited as me:

Side note: a supervisor later congratulated me and said he was amused by my picture, only, he also pointed out that I really didn't jump that high...only lifted my legs as high as I could! Who cares?! I've never gotten Employee of the Month!

Second side note: No, no parking space, no gift card, not even a free hot dog :( But again, who cares?! I've never gotten Employee of the Month and now my picture will be up for an entire year!

Boy! Am I glad I didn't pay a dollar for that!

I have a brother-in-law who checks consumer reports for just about anything from clothing, to restaurants, from cars, to toys (for big kids and little kids). Sometimes, we give him a hard time about it and tease him for constantly tuning into consumer reports.

I can only remember a handful of times where I was mad about paying for something that wasn't worth the price tag. #1, Jeff and I spent $30 for dinner at Johnny Rockets at the Cherry Creek Mall and I was a little more than disappointed and a little less than ticked off. Case in point, no food that unappetizing should be more than $4 for the entire family.

Anyway, I'm not the type to check out consumer reports, I usually just shop the best deal or greatest discount, that way if it's a bust, I'm never that mad. I recently visited Target to get soda and Peanut Butter M&M's and I don't know how, but on my way to or from those aisles, I passed the 75% off summer sale rows. I got a few pool toys for Lauren and a fridge water dispenser for me. Let me break it down:

1) Fridge water dispenser thing, normally $6.99 (I paid $1.75)

2) Bubble 3 pk, normally $1.99 (I paid $.50)

3) Cool fish bomb pool toys 3 pk, normally $3.99 (I paid $1.00)

4) Water guns 3 pk, normally $1.00 (I paid .25 cents.)

Today we experimented with the water guns. (Disclaimer, I know I have a little girl, but every time we go to the pool she's always trying to steal the boys' water guns!) Two of the three are great. Excellent accuracy, high range shooting, tasteful really in a kid's squirt gun. The third, however, leaks out the bottom. Needless to say, I sure am glad I didn't pay an entire dollar for the water guns! Really tho, it's a way of me saying that I really do enjoy getting a good deal--and, I suppose I have an underlying understanding that the item might not reach my expectations and I get what I pay for.

There are some things you don't skimp on, and that is up to the consumer to decide. In my brother-in-law's mind, he could put that quarter toward a $20 powerful super-soaker, deemed to bruise a kid's gut. I, on the other hand, am okay with spending a fraction of the cost on a super cheap toy or two that my kids will inevitably break anyway!