The View from My Office with Kat Monteiro

The View From My Offi ce

With Kat Monteiro

Hello my faithful readers.

I wasn’t so sure I would be wri ng anything for this issue of the Mopar Masters Guild Magazine. I didn’t feel like I had anything to write about. I had told our publisher Don Cushing that I was in a rut and just not feeling inspired. I didn’t want to sound like a broken record, wri ng about the same things. And what are those things? COVID-19 and s ll being at home and not out in the fi eld visi ng our customers.

But, Don just wrote me back and said, “I’ll take whatever you got”. A subtle way of encouragement that got me to start pu ng something down.

There isn’t a conversa on out there it seems that does not include talking about COVID. It doesn’t start out that way but it always seems to end up that way.

So, yes, I’m in a rut. I miss being out on the road, I miss visi ng with people in the aisles of the grocery store, I miss gathering with family, and I hate the worry of when we are around any family that someone doesn’t get sick.

Then I started thinking about it and reminded myself that I am not the only one. Every one of us are dealing with these same feelings and worries. And for some it goes a lot deeper than just the feeling of being in a rut. So, I decided to pick myself up and write. Wri ng is a good therapy for me.

And I did not want to disappoint my faithful readers!

It’s in mes like these that we need to sit back and fi nd what we are thankful for.

Even though it has been hard, and stressful for the past year, we are thankful to s ll be working and that the parts department has been crazy busy! We are experiencing the same set backs everyone else is at our dealership. Being shorthanded; people out due to Covid. Thankfully, our customers seem to be understanding for the most part. Not having a full crew is hard on everyone, but we all keep plugging along and ge ng her done.

Then there is being thankful for living where we do in California. Just the other night Rick and I were si ng on the couch watching the news and our local weather girl was on with the predic ons for this coming Monday and it was going to be 80 degrees. I groaned and complained about it and Rick asked me, “what’s wrong with 80?” I replied that it is winter and the weather should be chilly. I mean, I s ll want our beau ful, cloudless, blue sky but with a chill in the air. (I know, spoiled!)

Then they started covering the weather in our eastern states. All snow, and frozen, and deadly.

Then there is Texas! With all that snow they are not used to ge ng and freezing weather. Then to top it off they have all the power outages, and massive car accidents out on the frozen highway. My heart felt so heavy thinking of the friends we have there and what they must be going through. Rick said out loud “I’ll take 80” and I responded, “me too”. I really felt humbled.

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Continued from Page 12 How do people survive in that unexpected cold weather with no power? So, I don’t think I’ll complain about our warm winter weather ever again. I am going to sit here and be thankful.

I already men oned that I am thankful that Rick has been able to keep working. I stayed home because we are not doing outside sales or customer visits. But just a couple weeks ago Rick brought me back into the dealership. We have been extremely short handed. And our parts advisors are feeling a lot of stress. Rick was trying to relieve some of the pressure, so he brought me in to sit at our front retail counter. We haven’t had a dedicated person to sit out front in quite a while. There was a li le bu on for customers to push that would ring a bell in the back and then someone would have to leave their sta on and go help the customer. Well, I guess that bell was star ng to drive the guys insane!

Most of the customers that come to the retail counter are not there to order parts, but to pick up parts that they have on will call, or drivers from other dealerships picking up parts. I can take care of all of those customers, give them their parts and cashier them out.

When customers come to the counter to order parts I walk back and get one of the parts advisors to come up and help them. They all seem very thankful to have me there, so that makes me really happy!

I am not sure what kind of role this will turn into, but it does feel good to be out making some money again! And I like si ng up there gree ng people and helping people out. I don’t have an interest in learning how to look up parts, but I’m thinking I wouldn’t mind learning how to sell accessories and Katzkin leather! And maybe I could sell some of those T-Shirts and trinkets we have hanging around. But for now, I’m content to sit up there and be our offi cial greeter.

On a last note, I can’t sign off without saying how much I missed being in New Orleans this year. You all know that is our favorite city to go to. Guess we will wait and see how it goes for next year.

And I have to give a shout out to Chris Messer at 10 Missions Media and to John Haluch at OE Connec on - I am really looking forward to MMG Trivia Night on Feb. 24.

Till next me, stay safe and healthy. Remember we are all in this together so be kind and helpful. Can’t wait to see all of you again someday soon!

Kat Monteiro