tales from McBooks
I wrote the previous post this morning just before going to bed. Before drifting off, Almodovar's eerie ability to induce sympathy for the unlikeliest of characters must have stayed with me because Ted was the first person I thought of when I woke.
I remember the fall of 1995 well because that was the year I helped open the first two superstores in this market. In order to complete this daunting task, we hired close to 200 employees. A few worked only for a couple of weeks before deciding that working in retail wasn't for them. A few worked only for a couple of weeks before we decided working in retail wasn't for them. Most stayed on for a year or so and remarkably, ten years later, a few still work there.
Ted was amongst the first hired and quickly learned the mystical ways of bookselling. He was a shoe-in for a sales position since he completed his tasks well, played well with others, and was a diverse reader. Ted was offered a supervisory position and was placed in charge of the Philosophy and Religion sections given his former profession as a man of the cloth.
The first year was operationally rough and we failed to meet home office sales expectations. We were planned to do eleven million but, we finished the year at six which translated to our manager leaving (we were told it was mutual,) our district manager leaving (we were told it was mutual,) and enough surplus merchandise to support the five million dollar shortfall (this was not mutual.) It was challenging but, we had a great time pulling the store together, improving our service standards, and maintaining employee morale.
Ted gelled nicely with the rest of the staff. He developed a close knit circle of work friends who socialized outside of the store and even occasionally went away on one day trips. He was the go to guy in the store for work and personal issues. Years of practice made him a great listener and dispenser of sound advice. I remember calling him angelic and he responded without hesitation, "I am no angel."
One spring afternoon, I was working on a senseless task when I was asked to come into the office to weigh in an issue that was brought to our attention. Sarah just returned from having lunch at her nearby home and was visibly shaken. While eating, she was channel surfing and stopped on a documentary on HBO. It detailed how Ted was accused of molesting over 30 boys while working in several parishes across southern California. The statue of limitations had passed, his cases were dismissed but, civil proceedings were being prepared.
The question on the table was, What to do? The best we could come up with was - do nothing as his performance was exemplary, he was not in a position where he could harm children, and this was none of our business. We clued two people in. Our district manager was told and she agreed that we had no basis to discipline him in any manner. And we told Ted. He thanked us for our honesty and went back to work.
A few months later, we received a call from our district manager regarding a customer complaint against Ted. I thought "Oh shit, we fucked up." While on vacation, one of Ted’s victims, now an adult, saw him in our store, panicked, and ran out of the store. He was horrified that we would hire a pedophile to work in our store where children shopped. What to do? We assured our district manager that he was never left alone with children and that he was exceeding expectations for his position. We told Ted. He thanked us for our honesty and promised discretion and went back to work.
The weather turned cold and we were all quite busy getting ready for the holidays. There were twenty or so sales associates to hire and train, hundreds of merchandising initiatives, and thousands of customers to service. In the middle of this rush, Ted informed us he was moving back to California but would work through Christmas Eve. We assumed his past caught up with him and that the threatened civil proceedings were finally becoming a reality.
A few days after Christmas, an associate told me that Ted gave him a dining room set that he didn't want to cart back to California. Another told me how Ted gave him all of his electronic equipment. "How much did he ask for?" "Nothing, it was free." One of the new girls was excited because Ted gave her some jewelry. As I was leaving that day, I saw Ted and asked him how he was doing. He replied that he was almost done preparing for his trip home. I gave him a big hug goodbye and wished him well. I went back in, called in my peers, and told them they needed to prepare for some drama.
On the 30th, I came in and found a note with my name attached to the largest duffel bag ever. In it were king sized sheets and a bust of a male torso. Ted left it for me the previous evening.
That morning, after his roommate left for work, Ted dressed himself in black, drank some sleeping pills, slipped a plastic bag over his head, secured it with a rubber band, placed headphones on his head, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of easy listening music.
We sat with each employee over the next few days and explained why Ted took his life. Their reactions were varied from denial to disgust. Some people got rid of his gifts, some cherished them. I threw away the sheets (didn't need them) and the bust (garish) but kept the duffel bag (perfect for storing the Christmas tree.) Although his death was reported in the paper, we didn't get any inquiries in the store. A few weeks after his passing, the store settled back into its regular routine.
It's been years since I've thought of Ted. After learning about his past, I worked beside Ted many times and never felt differently about him. It's easy to condemn someone you don't know but, when you develop a relationship with someone, things aren't so black and white. His crimes were heinous but I couldn't bring myself to hate this man. He was a kind, gentle soul to me and my work family but, to countless others, he was a monster who destroyed their lives. Makes me think of serial killers' families and what they go through. How do you resolve the love you have for someone against the disdain you have for them for committing horrendous crimes against humanity?
I remember the fall of 1995 well because that was the year I helped open the first two superstores in this market. In order to complete this daunting task, we hired close to 200 employees. A few worked only for a couple of weeks before deciding that working in retail wasn't for them. A few worked only for a couple of weeks before we decided working in retail wasn't for them. Most stayed on for a year or so and remarkably, ten years later, a few still work there.
Ted was amongst the first hired and quickly learned the mystical ways of bookselling. He was a shoe-in for a sales position since he completed his tasks well, played well with others, and was a diverse reader. Ted was offered a supervisory position and was placed in charge of the Philosophy and Religion sections given his former profession as a man of the cloth.
The first year was operationally rough and we failed to meet home office sales expectations. We were planned to do eleven million but, we finished the year at six which translated to our manager leaving (we were told it was mutual,) our district manager leaving (we were told it was mutual,) and enough surplus merchandise to support the five million dollar shortfall (this was not mutual.) It was challenging but, we had a great time pulling the store together, improving our service standards, and maintaining employee morale.
Ted gelled nicely with the rest of the staff. He developed a close knit circle of work friends who socialized outside of the store and even occasionally went away on one day trips. He was the go to guy in the store for work and personal issues. Years of practice made him a great listener and dispenser of sound advice. I remember calling him angelic and he responded without hesitation, "I am no angel."
One spring afternoon, I was working on a senseless task when I was asked to come into the office to weigh in an issue that was brought to our attention. Sarah just returned from having lunch at her nearby home and was visibly shaken. While eating, she was channel surfing and stopped on a documentary on HBO. It detailed how Ted was accused of molesting over 30 boys while working in several parishes across southern California. The statue of limitations had passed, his cases were dismissed but, civil proceedings were being prepared.
The question on the table was, What to do? The best we could come up with was - do nothing as his performance was exemplary, he was not in a position where he could harm children, and this was none of our business. We clued two people in. Our district manager was told and she agreed that we had no basis to discipline him in any manner. And we told Ted. He thanked us for our honesty and went back to work.
A few months later, we received a call from our district manager regarding a customer complaint against Ted. I thought "Oh shit, we fucked up." While on vacation, one of Ted’s victims, now an adult, saw him in our store, panicked, and ran out of the store. He was horrified that we would hire a pedophile to work in our store where children shopped. What to do? We assured our district manager that he was never left alone with children and that he was exceeding expectations for his position. We told Ted. He thanked us for our honesty and promised discretion and went back to work.
The weather turned cold and we were all quite busy getting ready for the holidays. There were twenty or so sales associates to hire and train, hundreds of merchandising initiatives, and thousands of customers to service. In the middle of this rush, Ted informed us he was moving back to California but would work through Christmas Eve. We assumed his past caught up with him and that the threatened civil proceedings were finally becoming a reality.
A few days after Christmas, an associate told me that Ted gave him a dining room set that he didn't want to cart back to California. Another told me how Ted gave him all of his electronic equipment. "How much did he ask for?" "Nothing, it was free." One of the new girls was excited because Ted gave her some jewelry. As I was leaving that day, I saw Ted and asked him how he was doing. He replied that he was almost done preparing for his trip home. I gave him a big hug goodbye and wished him well. I went back in, called in my peers, and told them they needed to prepare for some drama.
On the 30th, I came in and found a note with my name attached to the largest duffel bag ever. In it were king sized sheets and a bust of a male torso. Ted left it for me the previous evening.
That morning, after his roommate left for work, Ted dressed himself in black, drank some sleeping pills, slipped a plastic bag over his head, secured it with a rubber band, placed headphones on his head, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of easy listening music.
We sat with each employee over the next few days and explained why Ted took his life. Their reactions were varied from denial to disgust. Some people got rid of his gifts, some cherished them. I threw away the sheets (didn't need them) and the bust (garish) but kept the duffel bag (perfect for storing the Christmas tree.) Although his death was reported in the paper, we didn't get any inquiries in the store. A few weeks after his passing, the store settled back into its regular routine.
It's been years since I've thought of Ted. After learning about his past, I worked beside Ted many times and never felt differently about him. It's easy to condemn someone you don't know but, when you develop a relationship with someone, things aren't so black and white. His crimes were heinous but I couldn't bring myself to hate this man. He was a kind, gentle soul to me and my work family but, to countless others, he was a monster who destroyed their lives. Makes me think of serial killers' families and what they go through. How do you resolve the love you have for someone against the disdain you have for them for committing horrendous crimes against humanity?
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