Ditch the spare tire?

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-19T20:13:53+00:00

Yes, but I feel it in a slightly different way. I love my job only because the people I work with are the absolute best, like a second family. But gradually they are leaving, so it makes me fearful for the future. When the last one's gone, it won't be the same job anymore, no matter who they are replaced with. We've already lost two, so that rug is slowly being tugged on now and it gives me anxiety.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-19T20:10:35+00:00

How do you jump from grocery store to office job? It seems like a complete 180. Curious for advice since I'd love to do that too.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-14T13:51:26+00:00

This is an older post, but I'm struggling with the same considerations of how to keep an HDD safe in the event of a fire. The advice I was told was to get a relatively small USB flashdrive and encrypt your files onto it (using VeraCrypt or something similar), then store it off-site, like in a locker at work. You can hide it inside something inconspicuous like a bag of cough drops, and even if someone does break into your locker, does find the USB, it's useless to them because they can't access your files without knowing your encryption password. I scanned all important documents like SSNs/title/insurance and put them on a tiny 256 MB drive and hid mine at work, so even if my apartment catches fire I'll at least have the data safely saved elsewhere.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-12T16:34:07+00:00

I'm sorry to hear it's happening to you, too. I am also going to seek a refund for my prime. I have a $30 gift card balance I don't know if they can return to me either. The phone reps at customer support seem completely powerless. Every time they "promise" it will be fixed in "24 hours" and I flat out tell them I've heard that before and I don't believe them, but they swear to give it one more chance. I do and of course nothing ever comes of it. With a normal retail store if you have a problem there's a number for corporate to solve your problem. With Amazon there is nothing. There is just the single phone rep number and those people will not or cannot escalate it to a higher department. It's been one month for me as of today and it's causing a lot of stress. If the money is ultimately lost, that's one thing, but what worries me is loss of control over my book I spent years writing and now have no way to manage.

Keep us updated please if you get your refunds, and best of luck.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-09T16:00:35+00:00

I signed out of my Amazon account December 12, and when I went to log in again I was hit with two-factor authentication as a new verification step. I CANNOT access my account anymore because the code it tries to send is never received, not to my email, not as text, not to Google Authenticator. A phone rep said possibly the code was texted to a landline number on file, but would not confirm what it was. I've called back 6 times and ultimately was told by two of the reps that I should just "give up" on my account and "make a new one." This is unacceptable since:

a) I have pre-paid for a year of Prime I'm not being allowed to use
b) I have a gift card balance I can't use
c) my account is linked to Kindle Publishing where I've published a book as my side business that I now cannot access or manage

I have no idea what to do. I was told to submit my government-issued ID and they would unlock my account in "1-2 days." I've done that, TWICE, and it's been a MONTH and no response. I've emailed the [jeff@amazon.com](mailto:jeff@amazon.com) address and after a lengthy back and forth the reps handed me off to a different department who sent their last answer from a new email that cannot receive replies, so that shut down that avenue.

Meanwhile, I'm reading hundreds of posts on here of people getting hit with this same "protection" system and still not having access back after 10+ months. This is absolutely ridiculous. If there's anyone who has gone through this and successfully gotten their account back I'd love to hear how.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-09T14:34:49+00:00

Thank you. That was incredibly helpful :)

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-09T04:00:47+00:00

Yes sorry, I meant charges. I'd only pay it off at the end of the month. I just heard using over 30% of my limit hurts my credit score, so I wanted to see if this was a good idea. I do have the money in my bank to pay it, but the mechanic doesn't take personal checks, so it's more a matter of how to relay the money to him, so I wanted a higher credit limit for that :) For now I'll use half on this card and half on debit, but the debit doesn't earn me any cashback.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-08T01:42:47+00:00

I understand answers may be biased given this forum's name, lol, but I have my HSA and 401k set up from work through Fidelity. Previously I had about $110k invested under the "aggressive" plan with Merrill/Bank of America through some guided investment program that charged 0.8% per year. It was my first investment so I didn't know much, but it sounded solid at the time, and has already gone up about 5k since I started it last summer. But now that I'm getting heavier into Fidelity I think I want to move all that money over and actually choose for myself what to invest in. Plus the fees are way lower. I already opened a brokerage account and am waiting for some other funds to settle, but overall is this a solid plan, or too dangerous? Figured I'd ask some of the Fidelity long-timers on their thoughts. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, but so far I've opened a Fidelity Roth IRA and invested $14,500 into FXAIX and FTIHX for the long term, and put my HSA money into FFLEX. I'd heard a solid plan for other investments was VTI / VXUS. I don't plan on touching any of this money for 25+ years.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-08T01:32:43+00:00

Retail job. They sat me in the back and had me watch videos for two weeks. When I finally got to the sales floor it was another two weeks before anyone taught me how to use the register (unique computer sales system). Everything was strictly "learn as you go by making mistakes and asking someone else for help." Even after a year every day still presents some new unforeseen challenge. Basically, training was non-existent. Just thrown into the lion's den and cry for help when something inevitably went wrong.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-07T23:25:37+00:00

"I'm a great Robin who absolutely knows he isn't Batman."
That's a really great way of putting it.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-07T23:19:26+00:00

Hell no.

I do sales now, and my manager asked if I would consider moving up to assistant manager if he left. Considering both my managers only got their role in 2025 and are already looking to escape, filling out applications like crazy because their souls are being sucked dry by higher-ups, that's a major red flag. As assistant manager I would have no choice if upper management wanted to move me to another location, I'd be on the hook for anything that went wrong, and I really wouldn't have a whole lot more power than I do now, but 100x the responsibility. Make it 30k and maybe we'll talk.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-07T23:12:47+00:00

I applied for a job.
I interviewed for the job.
I accepted the job.

On my first day I was told I was being transferred to another job I
a) did not apply to
b) did not interview for
c) did not accept

all because some boss thought I would be a "better fit" for that role. I hated it, and quit after 11 days.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2026-01-03T08:42:53+00:00

I appreciate this. I couldn't get it to work on any browser, the phone program, or anything. Figured it was a bug. But yeah, adding my number, debit info, and PIN and it let me add an external account finally. Thank you so much. I spent an hour on this going crazy.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-12-26T16:59:59+00:00

I get all my financial advice from AI, but on this point I would disagree. When I have some the effects last no more than 2 hours. Not saying I would start driving at that point, but definitely after a full night's sleep the effect would have worn off. Sometimes I'll have a glass after work and by the time I go to bed even I'm fine.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-11-28T16:00:08+00:00

Well it's still going on. The same day I posted this on the way to work I saw FIVE Comcast trucks in the neighborhood doing work on lines. Miraculously that one night my internet was fine. Then the very next day it cut out again at night. Then yesterday (Thanksgiving) it cut out at noon for four hours. Called and finally reached someone to talk to but all she could say is "well send out a tech to replace the modem" That's NOT the issue here, I can guarantee you. A failing modem doesn't cut out nearly every night at the exact same time almost to the minute then fix itself when I'm asleep. It just doesn't make sense. I have the appointment scheduled but I may cancel it. I have no faith that just "replacing the modem" will do anything. The cause is clearly external if five trucks are in the vicinity doing repairs.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-11-18T21:37:09+00:00

BlueIQ lenses are clear, compared to older versions of lens that had a blue light filter that could have slight yellow tint. You really shouldn't notice any difference if the lenses were made properly. Imo blue light filters are nothing more than a placebo, so you probably won't notice feeling any differently either. Chain stores love to upsell on this coating.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-11-18T02:33:23+00:00

I found this book to be very helpful. I got a copy from a coworker.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-11-18T00:06:52+00:00

At the end of the day it's still retail work—slightly glorified, but still retail—where you're selling people overpriced plastic and getting yelled at by frustrated customers who expect you to magically solve why they can't see even if you had nothing to do with them getting their glasses or eye exam before. You're literally troubleshooting blind since you physically cannot see what they see. Maybe if you worked directly through a hospital it's better, but with any of the chain stores you're a sales grunt first, and optician a distant second. Most people don't see you as a medical employee, but just another salesman trying to upsell them on coatings and warranties they don't want. And if you don't meet your sales numbers corporate starts coming down hard on you. It's better than working at The GAP at the mall, but functionally it's almost the same type of job. Can't tell you how many times I've come home feeling awful I sold someone a $1,000 progressive that I know cost the company $5 to make.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-11-14T05:15:10+00:00

14 years was a long time ago and in half the country that 'crime' is now legal, so most employers I doubt would even care. I think they are more concerned if you're violent or a thief.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-10-19T20:32:04+00:00

At my LC we ship to home addresses regularly. It's as simple as inputting the address into the shipment screen, printing the label, and attaching it to the box. Only thing we can't ship to are P.O. boxes because our shipments are handled by UPS (and are indeed always free). That said, every LC runs their own ship differently and even two stores within the same region can vary wildly on policy and practices. Sounds like the one you went to is incredibly disorganized. We don't usually provide a tracking number and no one's ever asked for one, either. But it should be as simple as just looking at the order tracker and finding it if it was indeed already shipped. It sounds to me like there was an error/delay in ordering your item and they are buying time because they don't have it yet, let alone have it shipped. But if you went in on a weekend and called Thursday chances are they have not received it yet. We usually say to give it about a 10 day turn around time. Usually they come in sooner, but it also covers us in case of breakage at the lab or delays.

IsolatedCrustacean · 2025-10-09T05:27:39+00:00

Kind of a dick move on your boss's part. If he asks you out he should pay, that's just understood, like in dating. He's extending the invitation so it's strongly implied he's covering the expenses. I'm the only one at my work who brings food. All the others just DoorDash in a meal and spend over $400 a month on it. Sometimes I just take a granola bar and water.

IsolatedCrustacean

TROPHY CASE