dsmith2904
ONE love, blood, life
Times are still tough, particularly in publishing, my industry, which hasn't quite bounced back from the ad slumps thanks to the dotcom bust and lagging economy. I've been working here for four years, the first year for Christmas we got an actual cash bonus, then the shine was off and our bonuses became more "interesting." The second year everyone in the company got a watch, not different watches, not cute watches, not funky watches, just the same clunky gold and silver watch that was about two sizes too big for my (and most everyone else's here) wrist. Last year through some type of barter arrangement we got $200 gift certificates to RadioShack, which I guess is okay but I'm not really a gadget person and RS stores don't have as wide an electronics selection as like a Best Buy or something so it's not really that great to try and buy a stereo from them because they usually have just the one. I was able to trade it to my hairdresser for $200 worth of services so at least I got some use out of it (and she got a new phone and remote-control car for her son).
Okay, so we were bracing ourselves for this year, wondering what type of barter had been arranged, and then briefly thinking that things were slightly improving, no one has been laid off in ages (tap wood) so maybe, just maybe, we would get cash. Boy were we wasting our time with that hope. On Tuesday my editor came around (mind you, she doesn't pick out this gift, it's something selected by the higher ups for everyone in the company) to give us our bonuses, something in a very large envelope. We all opened it, pulled out the little brochure (huh) and learned that this year our company gave us all $200 worth of beef!!! Yes, I got meat for Christmas!!
I don't really eat meat. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm not a big fan of steak, ribs and all that, so basically this gift is useless to me. The even better part is that we have several vegetarians on staff and one girl who's Hindu and can't eat beef ever.
So yeah, meat, wow. The workers at the SAS shoe factory got $1,000 for every year they've been with the company. I think I may be in the wrong business. I am going to try to donate this "gift" (which we can't even start using until January 15, a very sucky point for some people who thought they could use this for their Christmas meals) to a soup kitchen or something, create some good energy out of this very empty gesture.
What have the rest of you gotten for Christmas bonuses? Is it something you can actually use or enjoy? Are any companies actually handing out cash? Whatever you get, hopefully it's not worse than what I got.
Okay, so we were bracing ourselves for this year, wondering what type of barter had been arranged, and then briefly thinking that things were slightly improving, no one has been laid off in ages (tap wood) so maybe, just maybe, we would get cash. Boy were we wasting our time with that hope. On Tuesday my editor came around (mind you, she doesn't pick out this gift, it's something selected by the higher ups for everyone in the company) to give us our bonuses, something in a very large envelope. We all opened it, pulled out the little brochure (huh) and learned that this year our company gave us all $200 worth of beef!!! Yes, I got meat for Christmas!!
I don't really eat meat. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm not a big fan of steak, ribs and all that, so basically this gift is useless to me. The even better part is that we have several vegetarians on staff and one girl who's Hindu and can't eat beef ever.
So yeah, meat, wow. The workers at the SAS shoe factory got $1,000 for every year they've been with the company. I think I may be in the wrong business. I am going to try to donate this "gift" (which we can't even start using until January 15, a very sucky point for some people who thought they could use this for their Christmas meals) to a soup kitchen or something, create some good energy out of this very empty gesture.
What have the rest of you gotten for Christmas bonuses? Is it something you can actually use or enjoy? Are any companies actually handing out cash? Whatever you get, hopefully it's not worse than what I got.
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The $50 will come in handy when I go on vacation next month 
my job.
Me, too! 
