Umbrella Corporation

I've been working Temp jobs since May while I still figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I have done this in the past, and in fact my last two permanent jobs started out as Temp. The last couple of weeks I've been working at an umbrella company. Now when I mentioned this to a friend the other day she thought I meant "Umbrella Corporation" as in ..."We are a multinational concern that manages financial planning and document processing services companies for the banking industry.."
No, here I'm talking about those things people always leave behind on the subway, that you can find for sale for a few bucks on the street. I won't tell you the exact name of the company, but if you mispronounced it just a little it would sound something like "Shabby Umbrellas"

It's basically a big warehouse in a not so good area in Philadelphia with a one room office and a bathroom that is at about gas station level of cleanlieness. I've never worked in a supply chain / manufacturing type business before and its kind of strange. I'm still doing clerical and accounting work - its very basic stuff - but I'm seeing how one little business works. The first thing I noticed is how many hands these umbrellas have to go through before they get to the consumer. The niche that "Shabby" has carved out is in imprinted umbrellas - yes, like the ones for your favorite PBS / NPR station, highschool or cable channel. So first of all most of the umbrellas are imported from China (on the slow boat, apparently). I would think there are a few freight companies involved here in getting the product into the warehouse. Then if someone wants imprinted umbrellas they might talk to an ad agency or one of the numerous companies that sell imprinted crap to businesses. That company calls "Shabby" to make arrangements for the style, color and logo wanted. Then the umbrellas are shipped over to local printing company to actually do the work and shipped back. After being checked and repackaged they are shipped out again- maybe to the ultimate point of sale, or maybe to another midddle man. So basically "Shabby" exists to hold the umbrellas and move them through the printing process. The bottom line is - I think I'd like to be in the shipping business.

It's also the first time I've worked somewhere where there are no women - no old payroll ladies, no young secretaries, no bosses wife. As far as I'm concerned that makes it a boring place. Despite the fact that I'm learning a ton about umbrellas. You got your folding umbrellas (at least three) different sizes, then your stick umbrellas which come in metal, wood and fiberglass and then you got your vented and your folding vented in all kinds of colors. They know their umbrellas and they know what is in sotck in the warehouse. The guy sitting next to me will get a call about a certain umbrella and just call over to the boss across the room

"Hey Charley, we got two hundred and fifty MA-6T's in Royal Blue and Purple?"

"No problem - and tell 'em we got those WS-100's they were lookin for the other day too..."

So at least I've been keeping busy and learning how another corner of the world works. When you think about it almost every house has at least one umbrella and they are cheap enough that people don't care too much when they lose one and will just go and buy another one when they break. I've even bought a few nice ones when I was working there. I got them wholesale, I think.