scared about job

[Rine]

I work for a major department store.

I'm scared that I might lose my job and my company is going to fold.

Every single "retailers in trouble" list/report/article lists my company as distressed and most likely to close in the next twelve months. The lists have been right twice before--Circuit City and Linens n Things.

The scary thing is, I already see these things happening. Massive cut backs on hours, low inventory in every department, district realignments, corporate layoffs, corporate is selling their jets, lots of top managers are losing their jobs on the store level, positions eliminated, private brands rumored to be sold in competitor's stores, forced furloughs at DC sites, etc.

We can't even get ahold of the supplies we need, like pricing tickets and printer paper.

I have about ten hours next week, when usually I have thirty. I'm coded as a part time employee, so they can schedule me 0 hours if they wanted to.

I'm looking all the time for a new job, but any time I call back, the job's been filled or I'm not qualified...or I go into the interview, but there is always someone better...

I'm scared and depressed all the time...morale is so low at my store--even cracking jokes about it now just doesn't help.

Anyone else going through this too at their job? I would just like to know that I'm not alone.

[Summerfly413]

Nothing near as bad as that, but I did read an article somewhere that my store is predicted be one of the big retailers that wouldn't make it through the year, so that makes me really nervous.
Not to mention the fact that we have a lot of cheap clearance clothes(I assume they're making room for new things), and I contantly have people asking me if the store is closing. My response? "Not that I know of..."
Communitcation isn't the best in my store.

[KellyHabersham]

Kind of going through that with the library job....not that I'm facing losing my job, but I do worry about being forced to take a reduction in hours, because paychecks from this job make up the bulk of my income, and I do not have the option of picking up extra hours from the church office job.

[bainsidhe]

I understand your concern. I work p/t doing retail, but my main job (the one that pays the bills) is in the manufacturing industry. Our community in particular has been hard hit and we're a small company struggling to wade through the current economy. Times are tough, especially with the amount of outsourcing and imports. Although we're doing all right, it's still a week to week basis and a couple poor weeks could likely lead to layoffs and further restructuring. I'm fortunate that we're a small company and that the owners want to take care of employees, but it's tough. And it's also why I'm still working at my p/t job, even though I don't have to. I'm one of those "savers" the news has been talking about, because I'm worried about spending money in uncertain times.

I know none of this helps. Not sure what your skills are, but I'd certainly start branching out beyond retail if you haven't done so already. It's right after the holidays and retail isn't normally hiring now anyway. More so with the economy and tighter budgets. Contact your local temp agencies and get put on their lists. Look through online resources for your city/state as well as Craigslist, etc. Start hitting up family and friends if they know anyone who's hiring. You may not find something that's exactly what you're looking for, but pride doesn't pay the bills. And you're right to start looking now. If/when your company officially starts closing, you'll be competing against your coworkers for other jobs.

Anyway, good luck. Let us know how things turn out.

[Rine]

Thanks guys. My sister lined up an interview for me at her place of work and I'm trying to get into working with the schools, but I don't know how that's going to work out.

Today I got a phonecall from my boss and she had bad news...basically they are eliminating my position, disbanding my team, but I still have a job because they fit me into another department.

No word yet if my pay is going to stay the same. The other department has lower pay...I made more because my job was more high risk-y stuff. It's only like fifty or sixty cents difference, but that's a lot for me.

I'm so depressed...this is a complete change for me and I created my whole school schedule around my former position's hours. (basically I would work from 6-2 during the week, get every Saturday off, but work every Sunday 6-2.) Now I am expected to come in on Saturdays, working evening and afternoons shifts which I canNOT do because of school, and so forth...also I have monthly DnD games on Saturdays that my group scheduled because it's the only day that I know I will always have off.

They are talking about me working all day for Sundays (12-6) but I can't because I teach Sunday school from 4-6. I have been teaching it for eight years and even when I started at my work I told them that it was the only time I needed off and they promised me that it would be no problem!

I just want my job to stay the same...I structured my whole life around these hours for years and now it's been blown to bits.