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Dress Code
| Posted by Alucard on Tuesday, June 19 @ 19:12:08 EDT (1637 reads)
Anonymous writes "At our store, we have sales on specific items every weekend and corporate just initiated "dress codes" for each Saturday sale. Employees participate by purchasing whatever item is on sale and wearing it- essentially acting as walking advertisements/mannequins. Hardly anyone at our store participates because we all know that the company can't legally fire us for refusing to shop at their store. Its money out of our own pocket, and even with the employee discount, its frustrating to waste hours of minimum wage work on ugly clothes that you didn't even want in the first place. But, being a good sport about it, I decided to participate anyways. I went out and bought the attire for the Saturday sale. I was the only one in Dress Code. Then my manager comes up and says that my outfit is too revealing and I need a sweater to cover up the dress."
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I don't think break means what you think it means
| Posted by Alucard on Thursday, February 02 @ 14:36:39 EST (1491 reads)
KurtWilde writes "I writing this to get something off my chest and to defend all the nameless retail workers out there.
If you work in a retail environment that is segmented into departments, I'm sure you've heard this before, "I don't take breaks. Do you see me take breaks? When do I take a break?" I've seen it happen time and again and just needed to express my weariness with it somehow. Department managers, yes, you do take breaks.
I've work at the clerk level for seven years and was recently promoted to an assistant department manager position, I was transferred to a new location to train, become familiar with and learn the roles of this position. I like my department manager enough, he's a good guy and has the back of everyone working for him.
As a clerk was milling about coming back from break he remarked, "People just love their breaks." To which I respond "I can't blame them."
Now, this manager and I got into a discussion, rather philosophical and amicable, about the nature of breaks, whether breaks are needed in this particular slow location, and how non-management employees go about breaks.
"
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"You don't smile enough!"
| Posted by Alucard on Tuesday, January 17 @ 22:06:53 EST (2047 reads)
Anonymous writes "I used to work in JcPenney's "catalog" department for a while, during seasonal this year. Right from the start, I was coached that I 'didn't smile enough'. I had been to two coachings and was not feeling well. They complained I didn't smile enough and I sighed a lot. The sigh sound was from a respiratory infection, later, the doctor said I had walking pneumonia.
One day, a nice older lady came in to pick up her order. She found the same item in store in a different color at a better price, and had a $10 off coupon. So, I did what my manager told me to do, I gave her a discount on the order and the new set of blankets. It totaled in discounts to $20, but it didn't say she couldn't use it twice, and my manager said it was okay. When she was signing for her package that she picked up, she accused me of trying to get her to buy the item twice. I calmly explained and showed her that all she was doing was signing for the package, and that I had applied the discount to her card so she wouldn't be paying anymore, she'd be getting money back.
After a few misunderstandings and her getting surly, she understood and practically walked out skipping! I was happy that was over. The second I got a chance to start sorting my media when customer flow died down, my manager approached me. She walked with me to the training room and tried to make happy small talk, and I smiled back at her. "
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Lord & Taylor's -- are all retail stores like this?
| Posted by Alucard on Wednesday, December 07 @ 21:33:50 EST (1658 reads)
CocoHazelnut writes "I must say I was in for a shock when I started my holiday job at the Burlington Mall's Lord and Taylor's this season. I lasted four days, and not because of the customers, but because of the management and the break policy-- or, should I say, the lack of a break policy.
I was surprised that L&T doesn't care if its associates know what they're doing. I received minimal training and had to basically learn everything as I attempted to do it or by asking other associates, who, of course, were usually busy. The customers just assume you know what you're doing, but, of course, why wouldn't they? And it's a little bit humiliating when you have no idea how to help them.
I mean, I know retail isn't rocket science, but there are so many little things I wasn't told, like the code to the storeroom, how to unlock expensive merchandise w/o making the alarm go off, how to transfer calls, how to order merchandise not in store, whether getting it from another store or from the Internet. It was all trial and error. The floor manager was completely hands-off so she was never available to help. Once I called her and she took so long to come by, the customer ended up leaving. Considering that so many new employees start during the holiday season, which is such a big moneymaker, you'd think L&T would want to make sure their employees know what they're doing. Who knows how many sales are lost due to the lack of training?
"
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Gloomingdale's
| Posted by Alucard on Saturday, November 05 @ 01:27:14 EDT (1215 reads)
Anonymous writes "I've been working at a Bloomingdale's store for several years now. I've been horrified to consistently find it to be an utterly degrading place to work, where full-time employees do not have paid sick time (but it's "frowned upon" to "call out"), and managers from most every department consistently feel free to berate employees (with or without actual cause) on the sales floor. This regularly takes place in front of both co-workers and customers.
If you don't take your break by a certain time, they forbid you from taking it at all. If there's not enough coverage on the sales floor, you are forbidden from going to the bathroom.
Now, there's a fun new scheduling system which allegedly lets you "have more control over your schedule" and "take ownership" of it. This system offers you absolutely NO guarantees that you will get your preferred days off when you set up your availability for the system. Any days you mark yourself "unavailable" (these are days off WITHOUT pay) are totally subject to a manager's approval. Whereas you used to be able to make your own schedule when scoring high enough on your performance review, that perk exists no longer. Now, the reward is 2 more unavailable days!!! That's right, two more unpaid days off, which you won't necessarily get anyway unless your manager decides to approve them. "
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How to get away with doing less in retail
| Posted by Alucard on Wednesday, July 06 @ 21:25:32 EDT (1532 reads)
allthelovely writes "
Editor's Note from Alucard: While I disagree that one should intentionally sandbag at any job, this makes for a very entertaining read.
If you are just working retail as a temporary gig and don't foresee becoming a manager, here are a few wonder tips that helped me out. Why do more work than you have to?
Don't act as competent as you actually are.
ACT INCOMPETENT, BUT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE TRYING!"
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Returns
| Posted by Ramokk on Sunday, June 12 @ 21:16:49 EDT (856 reads)
TooSmartforRetail writes "I now currently work for Blowe's. I'm not ready to lose my job, so I'll keep it pretty tame. Managers absolutely suck at that place. They don't bend over backwards for customers...they bend over forwards, so customers can absolutely screw our store over. Let's return a brand new boxed grill, give the full refund for it, and then when returns get inspected, ohhh how did we accept a 5 year old weathered, rusty, used grill and we gave the customer a full refund?? We just paid them $500 to get rid of their old grill! Or, let's hire 1 Security person is a total douche that screws around on his girlfriend with worthless cashiers. Gee..why is it so easy to steal from the store? Hey..here are the guys that stole power tools from us...let's secretly follow them around the store...but not do anything else...oooh threatening. Can someone loan our store a can of whoopass? Because it sure as hell needs it!"
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IS change in the air???
| Posted by Alucard on Monday, September 06 @ 22:56:42 EDT (1518 reads)
JaggedEdge writes "A note to all you retail slaves out there whether in fast food,retail, or restaurant. Remember those of us who are in mgmnt have bosses too.
Now I don't condone mistreatment of employees in anyway and sometimes disciplinary action is necessary at times. But when an employee is making it difficult on others by their actions/inactions then I think its time for discipline. "
| | (Read More... | 1337 bytes more | 7 comments | Score: 3) |
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