Monday, November 14, 2022

Upheaval

Right before bed last night, I looked at my phone which had been in my purse all afternoon. I had a mysterious text from the last manager of Gregg's pet store (who moved to Charleston a few months ago) saying to please call her, it was an emergency. I couldn't imagine what in the world she needed, and I told Gregg to check his phone to see if she had tried to contact him. Lo and behold, he had two missed calls from her as well as three missed calls from the current manager. This was all highly unusual, and so of course he immediately called the current manager back to see what was going on.

That's when we had a terrible shock. The owner of the pet stores, John, had simply dropped dead over the weekend. We were absolutely stunned. 

John was the third owner of the stores that Gregg has seen in his 20+ years as the "fish guy" at the Florence store. He was mid 50s, divorced, no kids. He apparently had a girlfriend who lives an hour or two away, and a brother in Louisiana. As far as we know, that's all the family he had. 

This morning we got a little extra information but not much. John felt bad and called himself an ambulance and died as soon as he got to the hospital. There's some speculation that it may have been an aneurism that killed him, but we don't know for sure.

Now we have no idea what's going to happen. Gregg is meeting with the manager this morning (and Jessie, the old manager who's driving up from Charleston to help) to try to figure out what to do about the live animals for the moment. Of course, the stores won't (can't) open under the circumstances. We have no idea how this is going to be handled, but what a mess. Hopefully John had some sort of will and an executor named in case of an event like this, but Gregg thinks it's unlikely given the sort of guy John was. What a mess!

And of course, we're worried that Gregg's job there (which is half his income) is now a thing of the past. He got in touch this morning with one of their vendors (based in Atlanta) who said she knows someone who might be interested in buying the stores, but who knows when or if that will ever happen. So many things are simply up in the air at this point.

If this is truly the end of the stores (and that's more likely than not) Gregg will have some tough decisions to make. He just turned 64 last week--old enough to draw Social Security, but not old enough to collect his full benefit from it. Thank goodness that he'll still be able to earn money from his aquarium maintenance jobs (up to a point) while drawing SS if that's what he chooses to do, and that well may be his best option. There are, of course, other local pet stores that would probably be thrilled to have him as an employee, but I'm not sure he wants to start over somewhere else at his age. Also, it's hard to look for a new job when you have a small business on the side that needs to be accommodated, time-wise. At the very least, I suppose he can draw unemployment while he decides what to do. 

I know he's really sad that all the years he's invested in this job is probably going to end this way, and sad about what happened to John, too. What an awful situation.

40 comments:

  1. That 'is' a mess! Maybe the new manager will come up with some ideas today. You would think someone would have to to look after the tanks while the estate is being settled so maybe Gregg's job is still safe for the time being. Getting paid for his work seems problematic though. Who would Gregg bill...the estate?

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    1. And it's not just the fish and aquariums. There are birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals like hamsters and gerbils. It's a full pet store with pet food, supplies, etc. as well as animals. The manager is very young and hasn't a clue what to do.

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  2. Oh dear! Poor John and his nearest and dearest, no matter how few there were. Poor Gregg, who has to think good and hard about what to do next, and poor you for this additional worry that you definitely do not need.
    And poor llive animals - I hope they are being looked after.

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    1. The new manager, Jessie, and Gregg went up there today for a couple of hours to make sure all the animals were fed and cared for. They'll continue to do so over the next few days/weeks (even without pay) until things are settled. Gregg's top worry at the moment is the animals. And of course we're so sad for John's family and friends.

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  3. How awful for all involved. And so sorry for the additional stress it adds to your lives.

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    1. Additional stress, yes. I'm trying not to worry (we have money in savings and with a lot of penny-pinching we shouldn't have to delve into it too much, at least at first) but it's difficult to be facing such a life-changing situation.

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  4. That's beyond terrible. Would it be feasible to get some volunteers from your local Humane Society to come in and help take care of the animals? The complexities of death. Sad and scary. Keep us posted on this situation.
    Paranormal John

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    1. Two or three employees (including my husband) will take care of the animals for the immediate future, even without pay.

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  5. So, so upsetting. A whole lot all at once to consider and be sad about.

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    1. It really is upsetting. Gregg told me he keeps having "momentary panic attacks" when some new aspect of the situation occurs to him.

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  6. That is a difficult situation. I'm 63. I qualify for full SS at 66 and 8 months. Even at 66 or 67, I doubt if I'll be able to go ahead and retire. I started a new job almost a year ago. It's going very well, so that's a positive. Gregg isn't too old to start over with another pet store, IF he feels up to it. These decisions are hard to make.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Gregg also has a large, loyal following of aquarium customers who would follow him to a new place, and the saltwater aquarium people spend a lot of money. He really just needs something part time to carry him through another couple of years. I'm afraid that if he chooses to retire, he'll be miserable sitting at home.

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  7. Wow, life (and death) can really turn on a dime sometimes. I hope Gregg manages to come out of this okay financially! Hopefully John's business will be sold -- that would be best for whatever beneficiaries he left behind.

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    1. They may not have any choice but to try to sell the business. There are probably debts to be paid. No one expects their life to be cut short in their 50s and I seriously doubt John was prepared for such a scenario.

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  8. Aneurisms are bad. I've a friend who had one, she survived, many don't. Being 50 ish, he probably didn't have a will. Difficult as it is, try not to begin jumping to conclusions, they only lead to panic and stress.

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    1. Good advice, Dave. We're holding off on discussing options until we have a better idea of what's going to happen.

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  9. Sorry to hear this, Jennifer. Hope things work out for the best for Gregg. A similar thing once happened to my oldest son and all employees were able to move together to another company that did the same work. Many companies are desperate for well-trained, reliable employees so it might work out just fine for Gregg. Wishing him the best!

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    1. Thank you for the kind words, Ellen. I think he could probably find another job if that's what he decides to do. We'll see.

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  10. He should check the difference in SS now and then…I made the mistake of waiting til the year I was turning 66… come to find out the difference was minimal And I missed out on four years of payments. That was quite a bit…good luck…

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    1. Yes, I'm not sure that the difference in waiting would be all that much. More than anything I'm afraid that he'd be unhappy being retired. He's so active and such a young 64 that it seems hard to imagine.

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  11. If you have an accountant or financial planner, ask their advice on a good way forward, financially. Best of luck getting through this shock!

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    1. We don't have either, but I do have a good friend who does tax work and should be able to give me good advice.

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  12. What a shock. The poor man who died at a young age and now Gregg's job is up in limbo, and the dear animals in the store to care for, and the whole situation. Gregg might be in big demand since he has tons of knowledge and experience, perhaps the store will be sold and reopen quickly. I retired at 64 and love being retired, so that is a good back up option.

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    1. Thank you for your thoughts, my friend. If Gregg were more extroverted, he'd probably enjoy retirement, but I'm afraid he would be bored.

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  13. Oh dear. I hope the situation can be resolved without too much pain. Who would any future buyer buy it from?

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    1. I'm not sure, Cro. The beneficiaries of the estate? Or if there are debts, the business might have to be sold to pay them...but I don't know how such things work.

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  14. A sad reminder to be prepared for such happenings. Don't get caught ever in the 'I didn't think this would happen"

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    1. Absolutely. Maybe John's affairs were in order, we just don't know yet, but somehow I doubt it. No one expects to die suddenly like that. It's a good lesson to us all, I suppose.

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  15. I'm so sorry to hear this and I hope everything works out okay. I can't imagine the stress you must be under right now. My thoughts are with you as you move forward.

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    1. I'm sure it will all work out. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment.

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  16. omg Jennifer..that's just horrible..and such a shock. and not having to make those decisions...maybe he could expand his part time business?

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    1. Well, thankfully his part time business expanded a good bit a few months ago...three big clients (nursing homes) that had been gone since the pandemic started came back. Thank goodness for that extra income, because now we really need it!

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  17. Oh no! What an abrupt change of circumstances! Life really knows how to throw some curve balls, doesn't it? Maybe things will become clearer in a few days. And of course my thoughts immediately go to the animals who are caught in the middle of all this. I hope it all works out OK, and I'm sorry you both are experiencing such a stressful situation.

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    1. Thanks for your kind support, Steve. It means a lot.

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  18. Replies
    1. I feel so bad for John...gone at such a young age. It's really tragic.

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  19. Oh my god, Jennifer! What a shock! Would Gregg be eligible for unemployment while things sort themselves out?

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  20. Thanks for sharing this Jennifer. I wish that I could give Gregg some helpful advice but of course I can't. Sorry. Good job he has you by his side.

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