Today's word of the day:BULLS***!(language, duh)

[nomorecarts]

so I was on the secondary group of registers at my store and they didn't send anyone to cover the girl that was over there with me for lunch(we had 12[TWELVE!] cashiers call out, on top of the store already being about 100 people short of what corporate admits we need. but you have a manager get on the phone and call people for OT when that happens, and it can be anyone, period, you have register trained people on the floor they could replace) so my line got LONG. the involved SCs did calm down eventually, they knew it wasn't my fault, I just happened to get caught in the cross fire, so I do have to give props for that. although they could have realized that being a jackass was making me go slower, as I honestly don't give a fuck about anything besides getting to my birthday with no write ups

I left out the random "THIS IS BULLSHIT!"s, there were really alot more

parentheses are my thoughts looking back on it
AM=assistant manager
CW=co worker

SC1:you need to call another checker
other SCS:YEA!()
me:I did
SC2:are you going to call someone?
meur computers have codes we punch in that send messages to our supervisors
SC2:that's bullshit!
SC1:yea this is bullshit, you need more checkers so people don't have to wait 25 minutes in line(it was about 15, asshole) this is bullshit
megetting )would you like me to call a manager?
SC1:yes, if you will
me:*finishes transaction and goes to page a CSM**is ignored*
AM:*comes up, opens a register, tells CSMs to send people, fixes problem, then comes over to me*are you ok
me:yea(that voice you heard over the PA was me pissed, to a large degree, at that point the customers had calmed down, which helped alot)
CW:so AM was up here?
me:yea
CW:I heard AM yelling at the CSMs over the radio

but the biggest part the pissed me off: A CSM walked past my 5 deep line, and did NOTHING I'll be talking to my assistant manager sometime, and tell her about it, and how it will not happen again. as the manager anything that happens again after she's notified means she can't handle it and I need to go higher up the ladder.

most of our CSMs are great, and this is the first issue i've had with any current CSMs(the one I had an issue with got demoted) they just need to get people to help them while we're getting our asses kicked. have the support/assistant managers help the CSMs while the store/co managers cover the floor if you have to, but you can't have registers disabled for 10 minutes waiting for a CSM when you have lines 5-6 deep. what makes them think they can schedule CSMs to run the scheduled 10-12 registers run mostly by experienced cashiers(it's a simple job, 3 weeks is experienced) and then still have them run smoothly with 20 registers open and 8-10 inexperienced cashiers on them?

[BookstoreEscapee]

I hated it when people would tell me I should call someone else to ring. I know when I need to call someone. If I haven't called someone, it's because I know there isn't anyone (though usually I would call anyway just so the customers would at least think I was trying to do something, even though I knew it wouldn't do any good); or else the line really isn't that long. I'm pretty good at judging how long a line will take me to get through, depending on number of people and how many items they are carrying. Company standard is 5 people in line per cashier (they use the one line/multiple cashiers system) but under normal circumstances a line of 5 people really was nothing for me. Of course, the average bookstore customer doesn't buy a ton of stuff at once, unlike a grocery store or Target-esque place where people buy cartloads at a time.

Though, often enough, the people would bitch about me needing to call someone when I had just paged for backup. They were just grumbling too much to hear it.

[nomorecarts]

I'm in a Target-esque place, so there had to be SOMEONE, but we were hella short on people today, it was horrible, it's probably INSANE in there right now

[mattm04]

We also take into consideration how log it will take for additional cashiers to arrive and how long it will take to get thru the lines we have. We won't call for help unless we know they will arive and be able to work instead of just being turned back because we go to all the customers.

[Jay 2K Winger]

We have that problem sometimes on weekends, especially since we've become chronically understaffed. If someone complains to me about it, I usually reply with, "We have everybody we can spare manning the registers already," which 9 times out of 10 is true.

I got shafted once on a Friday, however. This was last year. Our cart guy at the time COULD NOT work on a Friday, for whatever reason. We were busy, and so we pulled John S off of cashier duty to go do carts. We only had three cashiers that day, and now we're down to just two, me and a guy named Jason. And Jason's shift was up at 8pm, and he left.

Leaving just ME on register, BY MYSELF, for TWO HOURS. Our FLS, KLR, wasn't exactly Mr. Speedy when it came to helping out.

J2K: "KLR, where's John S?"
KLR: "He's doing carts."
J2K: *points to HUGE line* "Then could you hop on register and help me out? I'm dyin' here."

He didn't. And I'm getting pretty damn harried from having to ring up every customer in the store, because, oh, did I forget to mention? Our express register was closed because we didn't have any other cashiers! So people who wanted cigarettes were shit outta luck, because the Cigarette Tax Board of Northern Virginia has told us -- in no uncertain terms -- we cannot sell cigarettes at any register but the express register.

So I'm getting yelled at by people who think I should go get them cigarettes, by people who are pissed off at having to wait in a really long line, and people who are pissed off about something else, and choose to vent on me.

Fortunately, a lot of people realized I was doing my job as fast as I could, so most of them cut me a little slack.

[goldaries13]

I feel your pain. On my last day at my most recent job, I was working the main register, and because of a lady with two cartfuls of stuff, I soon had a line 10 deep, which turned into 15 deep soon enough. I called the code for help(there were two girls on the floor, in cosmetics and photo, and also the SM and AM), and no one came to help. I called TWICE. Where were they?

Photo: Also ten deep, so she's forgiven.

Cosmetics: Who knows? This was the NCNS one I talked about in my previous thread, so I'm not surprised she disappeared.

And the SM and AM? Ten feet away, bird's eye view of it, and ignored it. After I was done with the line, I yelled over to them (because it was my last day and I didn't care anymore), "Thanks so much, guys!" and went on lunch without getting someone to cover.

[jerkface11]

I don't understand how the management can allow the customers to wait forever to be served and not do anything. My boss would kick my ass for that.

[MadMike]

I don't understand how the management can allow the customers to wait forever to be served and not do anything.

Me either. The manager at the supermarket job could be a dick sometimes, but even he wasn't above jumping on a register if things got crazy and no one else was available.

[AdminAssistant]

Me either. The manager at the supermarket job could be a dick sometimes, but even he wasn't above jumping on a register if things got crazy and no one else was available.

My manager at TJ Maxx covered lunch breaks for people all the time. He was a really nice guy. For example, our store was 'Store of the Region' or whatever for 3 years in a row. Our store got $300 to spend on a party - which was awesome. Then Manager went in with the AM's and bought us a TV for the break room - which evil, mean DM took away from us, because he said it was encouraging people to overstay breaks and lunches. Asshole.

/threadjack

[Gurndigarn]

I don't understand how the management can allow the customers to wait forever to be served and not do anything. My boss would kick my ass for that.

There's a mentality among some people that "I don't do jobs that aren't normally mine". (Granted, among some it's "I don't work if I'm not forced to", but anyway....)

One of my company's partners couldn't keep DMs around. They went through something like eight or so in a five-year period, plus one who lasted under two weeks before he was bounced for a sexual harassment issue (a bunch of them, actually, in under two weeks.) Anyway, one of them the long, the first thing he said to all the store managers is "I don't help out during rushes." Sorta set the tone for the rest of his stay.

[Bright_Star]

I used to get pissed off customers demanding that I call a mananger to open up more registers when it was quite obvious every single regiser that could be opened WAS open! So if they knew a way to build one in 2 seconds flat then I'd love to hear it!

[jerkface11]

I guess I've never had to work with a bad boss before. Plus I've basically been in charge of my entire shift for the last 2 years so EVERYONE works or they go home.

[daleduke17]

Me either. The manager at the supermarket job could be a dick sometimes, but even he wasn't above jumping on a register if things got crazy and no one else was available.

One of my old co-workers told me about something that happened on one of my days off. She was short handed (as usual), the DM came in and wanted to talk to the store manager. My co-worker said "It might be a while...she's on a checklane". The DM walked back to the SM's office and came back a couple minutes later with his coat off, sleeves rolled up and started bagging. I think that night they had the SM, DM and a Grocery manager ALL either bagging or checking.

So, like your manager, there are good ones around still.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My manager at the petrol station always jumps on a till whenever it's necessary; her second always tells people that if the line gets too long, to buzz her and she'll come pitch in til it's low again. It really helps to know that even if the manager or second are in the office doing paperwork, that all I have to do is press the buzzer and they'll come and help, rather than leave me up shit creek with a million customers.

[nomorecarts]

I've never seen my store manager on register....but he's more than willing to push carts

running register is SO MUCH easier than pushing carts