Friday, May 17, 2024

job interviews/ "Grocery prices in Canada: Toronto vlogger Johnny Strides shares video comparing prices at Loblaws vs. Dollarama"

Apr. 13, 2024: I attended these job interviews in Apr. 2023.


The Dental Office: 

Pros:

1. This was very close by.  I can walk there or take a short bus ride.

2. This is mainly day time.

3. The job is a receptionist.  There is insurance where I send estimates before the appointment.

I take payments and make sure the balance isn't overdue.

I have to make a lot of phone calls to patients and set up appointments to fill up the schedule.

I have to learn Gold Software.  They told me I can go on Youtube to watch how the program works.

Cons:

1. This may be too hard with learning the Gold Software.

My opinion: I would work here.


The Podiatric Office:

Pros:

1. This is 2 buses to get there.

2. The hrs are day time and part- time.

3. The pay is $18/ hr.

4. The job is a receptionist.

There is the Brisko computer program.

I prepare the rooms for the patients.

I answer phones, take payments, and sterilize instruments.

There is a job shadow where I can come by for 1-3 hrs and watch what the job is like.  

Cons:

1. This seems hard because this can get busy.

My opinion: I would work here.


I attended these job interviews in May 2023.

The Sandwich Company: 

Pros:

1. I can take 1 or 2 buses to get there.

2. The hours are Mon- Fri. 9:30am- 7pm.  Sat. and Sun. 11am-6pm.

3. The pay is $15/ hr.  The tips are paid out on the day you work.

There is a free meal when you work like a sandwich.

3. I have to bake bread which is physically hard.

I make sandwiches.  

There is catering and I would have to get there at 6 or 7am.  

Cons: none.

My opinion: I would work here if I got hired.


The Real Estate Management Company: 

Pros:

1. I can take 2 buses to get there.

2. The hours are Mon.- Fri. 8am-4pm.

3. The pay is $36,000/ yr.  There are benefits of dental and vision after 3 months.

This is a temporary full- time job.  I am covering a 1 yr maternity leave.

4. This is mainly residential.  I check phone messages and emails.  I schedule courier pick-ups.

There is attention to detail like to make sure the check is to the correct property.

There is taking payments and printing receipts.

There is the Yardi program.

Cons:

1. This may be too hard because there's a lot of work and attention to detail.

My opinion: I would work here.


The Japanese Fast Food Place:

Pros:

1. There is 2 buses to this downtown location.

2. The hours are 10am- 7pm.

3. The pay is $15/hr.

4. I can work as a cashier.  If I work as a cook, then there is lot of training.

Cons: none.

My opinion: I would work there.


The Digital Marketing Company: This interview was on Whatsapp.

Pros:

1. This is work from home.

2. I can make my own schedule of when I want to work.

Cons:

1. This is 100% commission.  This is all selling.

My opinion: I wouldn't work there because it's 100% commission.


The Construction Company: 

Pros:

1. There are 2 buses to get there.

2. There are 2 or 3 days a week.  9am-5pm.

3. The duties are researching, proposals, corporate profiles for the City of Edmonton.  

Cons:

1. This was hard with the attention to detail and getting all the documents right.

My opinion: I wasn't really that interested in working there.


I attended these interviews in Jul. 2023:

The Dental Office #2:

Pros:

1. There are 2 buses to get there.

2. The hours are day time and the latest is 7pm.

3. The pay is $15- 18/ hr.  No benefits.  There is a free dental check up once a year.

4. I have to know dental terminology.  The computer program is Dentrix.

I answer phones and book appointments.

Cons: 

1. This seems hard because they said this is fast- paced.  I have to learn a lot about dental terminology and Dentrix.

My opinion: I would work here.


The Learning Centre: This was on Zoom.  The job was on Job Bank.

Pros:

1. This is a bus and an LRT to get there.

2. The hours are Tues. and Thurs. 8am-12pm.  This could lead to full- time.

3. The pay is $16-25/ hr.

4. The job is an administrative assistant.  There are emails, phones, social media.

I have to schedule for interpretation for government to law courts.

Register students for classes.

There is processing employee hours and time sheets.

Cons: 

1. This seems kind of hard.

My opinion: I wasn't really interested in working there.


The Dental Office #3: I attended this in Sept. 2023.

Pros:

1. This was in downtown.

2. The hours are day time and part- time.

3. The pay is $16-20/ hr.  There are dental benefits.

4.  The job is a receptionist.  There is dental terminology and procedures.  I call clients and book appointments.

Cons: none.

My opinion: I would work here if I got hired.


These are the other 2 blog posts:


"Workers losing faith in employers as they head back to the office"/ "As employees return to the office, the much-hyped hybrid model faces acid test: Does it work?"




"Return to the office full-time? Survey finds most say 'no thanks'"/ "Posthaste: Most Canadian office workers just want to stay home"





My week:


May 10, 2024 "Grocery prices in Canada: Toronto vlogger Johnny Strides shares video comparing prices at Loblaws vs. Dollarama": Today I found this article by Sadaf Ahsan on Yahoo:


Here’s a few of the price comparisons he makes once he arrives: while Loblaws sells Pepsi for $2 per litre, Dollarama sells the same for $1 per litre; while Loblaws sells salt for $2 per kilogram, Dollarama sells the same for $1 per kilogram; and while Loblaws sells a bag of Lay’s ketchup chips for $2.12 per 100 grams, Dollarama sells it for $1.67 per 100 grams. As Strides notes in the video with a surprising twinge of excitement, “Great savings!”

Finally, the YouTuber concludes that, out of 13 comparisons, only once did Loblaws come out cheaper: Garbage bags are 15 cents per bag at Loblaws, and 21 cents per bag at Dollarama. He notes that although the dollar store doesn’t carry everything the larger grocer does, when it does carry it, it’s almost always cheaper. There are often solid alternatives if it doesn’t have an exact product match, he adds.

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/grocery-prices-in-canada-toronto-vlogger-johnny-strides-shares-video-comparing-prices-at-loblaws-vs-dollarama-203050663.html



My opinion: This reminds me of my Mar. 2021 blog post.  This news article and vlogger is exposing the price differences between 2 stores:


"#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace"



Aug. 17, 2020 Saying: I found this on Facebook:

"You never look good when you are trying to make someone else look bad."- Unknown

Cham: Sometimes people need to be exposed for who they are hahah or maybe I should stop being petty

Tracy Au: There's a difference between trying to make someone look bad, and exposing them for who they are. It's like those #MeToo accusers and victims, they are plainly telling everybody about the perpetrators. They're not trying to make them look bad.




May 13, 2024 "Customer who filed complaint against TD Bank refuses to sign gag order to get compensation": Today I found this article by Erica JohnsonKimberly Ivany on CBC:

Guanghu Cui was poring over his TD Bank statements in March, preparing to pay taxes for his small immigration consulting firm in Oakville, Ont., when he noticed a $1.50 fee for sending an e-transfer.

It was surprising, because when he'd opened his business account three years ago, his financial adviser told him the plan included five free transactions a month and he'd never exceeded that number.

Cui complained and eventually TD said it would reimburse him for the fees and compensate him for his "frustration and inconvenience." 

But when the paperwork arrived for Cui to sign, it included a condition saying he must "keep it confidential." While he could speak about the dispute, he would not be allowed to tell anyone that TD had offered compensation.

"I was really stunned, to be honest, because I didn't do anything wrong," said Cui. "Why do you try to shut me up?"

Cui emailed TD to say he wouldn't take the offer if the bank didn't drop the gag order.

"I was told the offer is final and there's no room for negotiation… take it or leave it," said Cui. "That is just unfair. And that is unethical."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/gopublic/banks-nda-non-disclosure-1.7200881

Those things aren't worth the paper they're written on. The flip side is if you did speak about it, how exactly would they come after you? Are they willing to make themselves look even worse? Are they willing to spend more fees in fighting? Meh. This has become stand practice for legal departments to create contracts and make themselves relevant. Has anyone ever read the contract you click (sign) for your bevvy of online activity? We all break rules constantly. This sounds like a nifty way for an entrepreneur to get his immigration business advertised.


My opinion: You can put the "expose people for who they are onto this article too.



Fri. May 10, 2024 Summer: Today is good because I was able to sit on my lawn chair in the backyard.  It was comfortably warm.


The Wokkery: Today I went there for dinner with my family.  This is to celebrate Mother's Day and mom's birthday.  It tastes good.  It was kind of busy.  By 8pm, the restaurant was empty when we left.  Probably so people can watch hockey.

Beef fried rice
BBQ pork fried rice
BBQ duck (half)
Deep fried shrimp with peaches and mayonnaise



TV: S and I talked about watching The Rookie and Tracker.  She watches on CTV.ca.  I watch on my DVR and Telus on Demand.

I told S and P more about the "upfronts" where the networks tells you about the new TV shows coming out this fall. 

Sat. May 11, 2024 Neighborhood Spring Art Show: I went there and checked out the paintings, drawings, and jewelry.

I then chatted with Denver and Jane who was running the place.

May 17, 2024 Cold: Today is 8 degrees.  I was wearing my early spring/ autumn jacket, but I still find myself cold.  I see some people wearing winter jackets.

Conversation Cafe: The mental health topic was about anxiety, like what are you anxious about and how to cope.  They say financial, family and relationships.  

I said my job search and asked them if they know anyone who's hiring  for restaurants, stores, and call centres.

A good way to cope is like belly breathing where you can watch your stomach rise and fall.

Get enough sleep
Eat healthy
Exercise
Socialize

Here are the attendees.  The 2 new people at the bottom.

Terry
Cindy
Bonnie
Heather
Angelique
Randy
Kyle
Debra
James
Crystal 

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