When I got out of college, my first job, at 22 was working for Sears Roebuck and because I had been to college, they put me through the store management training. One of the things I had to learn was to schedule people and I loved that exercise. You see, the people are all sorts with all sorts of schedules of their own: there are full-timers, students, young mothers who want to get home before their kids get home from school and then there are the problems; people needing a time or period off or who can't drive or work at night, and illness, etc.

We'd be given problems, "You have 10 employees and are open 11-9 Monday to Friday, 9-9 on Saturday, and 11-6 on Sunday. Three of your employees are college students; one can work Tuesdays and Thursdays only, one can work after Noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and on weekends, and one can work weekends only. Two of your employees are full-time but one can only work 30 hours a week and the other, not more than 50 hours. One is a high school student and can only work up to three nights during the week, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and either Saturday or Sunday but not both. . ." and like that; a huge algebra word problem :-)

They'd give you scheduling sheets, kind of like you use to make out for your class periods at school? and you'd spend a couple hours trying to try different people in different slots. Didn't help when you'd get it all set up and someone would come to you with an additional problem/need for next week (which would impact this week as they'd need you, Ruby, to work more some other time and thus less this time, etc.). It's wild. You should ask your boss how s/he does it? But I definitely wouldn't take it personally, that they like you more/less. You are just a valuable "employee" piece to move around the scheduling board. Being "flexible" with a good attitude is a great trait to have.