I have to tell you about the garden center, because that is where a lot of the fun happens.
The Garden Center is the haven for mischief and fun. It is excluded, unintentionally, from the rest of Smallmart. Because it is so far from the rest of the store, and is separated by a wall, it feels like it is its own “territory”. Due to this the employees in the Garden Center tend to work with less “stress” and don’t have “eyes” on them at all times. This can be a blessing and a curse all at once. A blessing because they are free to work at their own Derrick without the worries of managers always getting in the way, but it’s a curse, because most of the time the employees tend to slack off. Oh they get their work done; they just don’t do it at the Derrick management would want them too. But that is the vibe of the GC as they call it. There are many characters in the GC.
The Garden Center is the haven for mischief and fun. It is excluded, unintentionally, from the rest of Smallmart. Because it is so far from the rest of the store, and is separated by a wall, it feels like it is its own “territory”. Due to this the employees in the Garden Center tend to work with less “stress” and don’t have “eyes” on them at all times. This can be a blessing and a curse all at once. A blessing because they are free to work at their own Derrick without the worries of managers always getting in the way, but it’s a curse, because most of the time the employees tend to slack off. Oh they get their work done; they just don’t do it at the Derrick management would want them too. But that is the vibe of the GC as they call it. There are many characters in the GC.
We’ve got Tré, tall, dark and a head full of dreads, he‘s the DJ of the group. Then there is Chaz, with a whole lotta love to go around, he’s the teddy bear. There’s Lex, the baby of the group, his iPhone always attached to his hand. He does work; sometimes…for the most part he’s the one that Louise picks on all the time, she can’t help the fact that he’s got a huge nose. There’s Louise, the white girl with the imagination and the flirty personality that everyone loves. They all agree that if she wasn’t there the Derrick would be boring as hell. And last but not least is Delia and Derrick, the on-again, off-again couple…they are currently on-again. Don’t try to understand it, Louise sure has given up. To her their relationship is toxic, but hey they are young and will someday figure it all out….though Louise has no faith in that, she’s 29 and still hasn’t figured out the basics of love. There are a few others who work in the GC, but they don’t play as big of a part in the following stories, because they actually do their job the way it’s supposed to be done, and well let’s just say all the cool shit happens to six people I just mentioned.
The Garden Center is pretty much outside, just with a covering. It’s like a giant tin can that during the summer heats up like an oven, and during the winter is as cold as Alaska…ok, maybe not as Alaska, but hey I’m from California, and that’s how it feels to me. There are two patios; the large one is where they keep all the dirt, stones, and other miscellaneous large things. The smaller patio is where most of the plants are kept during the spring, summer and early fall, then the live trees go there for Christmas. There are four registers at the front near the main entrances from the parking lot, and that is where most of the antics are played out. If you ask anyone, they will say that they would rather be in the Garden Center because it is so much more laid back. I don’t know if that is a good thing, because I’ll tell you this, those who currently work there don’t want anyone else to work there, because then it’ll get too crowded.
Management will come out there on occasion, but not very often. During the summer time you’re lucky to see them come out there more than once. Can’t blame them, who wants to be in Hell…which is what it’s like during the summer. So what else can I tell you about the Garden Center, not a whole lot just that everyone enjoys being out there, and well it's a great hiding place.
