Walmart and the meaning of cardboard

As some of you may know, I work as a merchandiser for a company out of Montreal. In Alberta this month, there are 5 new Walmart stores opening, 3 in the area I live in. Yesterday we worked at the store here in Strathmore. It was a long day, even with 5 of us we are not completely done our work there, as there are products not yet in store that we are responsible for. Today was an even longer day in Drumheller, and again a return visit will be needed to finish our portion of work. Tomorrow 5 of us will be in Airdrie, and that will be another long day as well, with I'm sure, return trips needed there too. What does this have to do with cardboard? Well, I'll tell you. I'm sure with what we unpacked for store fixtures and products today, we would have filled at least 3 dumpsters. It is crazy how much cardboard is used in packaging up our stuff alone, let alone all the cardboard needed to fill a store like Walmart! Total linear feet for our products is a minimum of 36 feet with a minimum height of 68 inches. And its not just that what we unpack is the outer box, but most of our fixtures come individually boxed as well. Piles and piles of cardboard. But I do have to say, the best part of my job is actually seeing the completed work. Going from nothing to a beautiful wall that has all these brand new, shiny packages is part of what I like best. Knowing that I have done this work, that I have created something from the giant jigsaw puzzle that is presented to me in a jumble of boxes. I have found that this too is creating. Not necessarily being creative, but creating in a totally different way that is logical and makes sense. The last two days have also been a great time to get to know my boss. I had not met her yet, even though I've been working for the company since September. This has been a great opportunity as she has been able to get to know me, and I her. And now, its time for bed, a long day is ahead of me again tomorrow.