Tweet
The following is a very long rant 
(Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent)
This will be my eighth Christmas spent in retail...8th! And except for Christmas Eves past and the one night after Thanksgiving when I was working 3rd shift (Black Friday, 2:00-7:00AM, 2004), I have never seen such a crowd at my store as I saw yesterday (Sat 12/02).
I arrived at the store at approximately 2:23PM. The parking lot was so full that I had to drive around several times just to find a place to park. This was in the employees parking section.
When I walked into the store I encountered a huge line of people waiting for help at the service desk. The line was so long it actually turned a corner and ran all the way to the registers and beyond. Instead of lining up the other direction towards Health & Beauty, there they were, right in front of the entrance doors blocking the way of anyone foolish enough to enter. These people were more-than-likely returning the crappy items they'd bought at greatly reduced prices on Black Friday. That's what you get for buying junk.
And I think to myself...this is gonna be a great day!
The first thing I do every day is stop and pick up the returns for our area. They are placed in laundry baskets on the front wall behind the service desk...just the other side of where all these people are standing in line waiting for help. We have two baskets. One for Women's/Kids and another for Shoes/Men's. They were both overflowing and there were even more things stacked on the floor. Boots, coats, underwear, diapers...you name it, it was there.
I grabbed a shopping cart to load all my goodies into and because there was so much, I had to make several trips back and forth through this long line of people. I'd say, "Excuse me," and they would seperate to let me through, then close up again after I'd passed.
When I came back with my arms full of goodies you'd think they would realize I wasn't just standing there with these treasures just for the fun of it and would kindly step aside so I could get by...but no. They'd stand there and look at me like I was from outer space. So, once again I'd say, "Excuse me." This took about 6 passes before I had gotten all our returns.
Customers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Upon arriving in my dept I came upon two more overflowing shopping carts of returns. My wonderful co-worker Candy says, "Oh, I see you picked up more returns. They (service desk) called about them two hours ago but I just haven't gotten up there to get them. I'm going to lunch." And with that, she hands me two of our three phones and goes on her merry way. She wasn't there alone, Judy had just left when I arrived at 2:30. So I don't know what Candy's excuse was for not picking up the returns.
Co-workers... ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
The third phone, the jewelry phone, was being manned by Darlene (a very sweet, hard-worker) who was stuck at the jewelry counter because she was swamped with customers. Super Saturday...60% off jewelry. Oh joy!!!
The next two hours I spent my time answering both phones non-stop. One of the calls was from my Assistant Manager. He had a project for me in shoes. What's this? A project??? I have 3 shopping carts full of returns. Fitting rooms full of clothes people have left behind because they don't fit. Clothes, boots, shoes and the paper that comes with the shoes all over the floor. I'm swamped with calls from cashiers for price checks, calls from people who want me to look for a specific pair/size/color of shoes or a snowsuit for their cousin's 18 month old. Calls from women wanting to get into the fitting rooms (we keep them locked). Calls from outside the store from people who want to speak to someone in Stationery, or Media. (Why call the women's clothing dept if you want Stationery or Media? HUH?)
I'm alone on one of the busiest days I've seen in months and this guy has a PROJECT??? Riiiiiight!
So, I kindly tell him I'm not in the position to take on a project as I will be constantly called away from said project by these nasty interruptions also known as customers and these non-stop phone calls.
His reply, "Oh, yeah, I see your point. I guess this isn't the best time for a project is it?"
Ah, NO!
So, 4:30 finally arrives and along with it, another co-worker. "Oh thank goodness," I rejoice. "Help has arrived!"
Not so fast!!!
The assistant manager promptly approaches her and gives her this all important shoe project. It's time for Darlene to leave which means we now have to cover jewelry. The whole dept is trashed from top to bottom, there's customers everywhere, the phones are still ringing non-stop and he insists she tackle this shoe project?
Assistant Managers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Sometime around 5:30 or so things get a bit quieter. People must be home eating dinner. Another co-worker has arrived and one more will be here at 6:00. Time for a break.
Yay!
After my break, the store once again gets busy and the next 5 hours are spent picking up after the biggest slobs this earth has ever seen. Re-hang, re-fold, re-place...re-peat! It's endless and infuriating at the same time.
At one point I'm folding Plus Size tops, completely zoned out (ya have to zone out to remain sane) when all of a sudden I notice a man's face (and not a nice face) about 5 inches from mine.
I'm like...what the.....!!!
He says, "I was just wondering if you're having fun?"
Me: "Do I look like I'm having fun?"
Him: "You look like your cleaning up after a bunch of slobs."
Me: "That's what I do...Anything I can help you with?"
Him: (with a nasty, evil grin) "I don't think you'd be willing to help me with what I want."
Me: (I think I've just been propositioned at age 51) "You're probably right. What else CAN I help you with?"
Him: (Laughing as if something was funny)..."Where are the wallets?"
Icky old men...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
As this wonderful day begins to draw to a close, one of my co-workers heads home for the night, another goes on lunch leaving me the jewelry phone and the other co-worker also decides she needs her break. So, here I am all alone once again, this time with all three phones. Still ringing, but not quite non-stop...that is until I get a call to the jewelry counter.
A very nice lady wants to buy a necklace and a watch. No problem, so I begin to ring up her purchases when...r-r-r-r-ring. The fashions phone on my back-right pocket starts ringing. R-r-r-r-ring. The shoes phone on my back-left pocket starts ringing. At this very same instant my co-worker comes up to the register with snacks for her break..."Are you almost done? I don't want to wait in one of the long lines to check-out."
Calgon...take me away!
I get the lady's jewelry rung up and take care of the two phone calls. Somewhere along the way my co-worker decided to wait in one of those lines afterall. It's now time to take my foreign objects (things found in our dept that don't belong in our dept) up to the returns area behind the service desk. I put these items in their respective baskets and turn around to see the Assistant Store Director giving me the dirtiest of looks.
Her: "Who's covering Fashions? Who's got the phone?" she bellows.
Me: (completely flabberghasted) "I am...I do."
Her: "Why didn't you answer? I've been calling and calling."
Me: "I always anwer the phone when it rings. Perhaps the battery is dead."
Her: "I even paged Fashions. Didn't you hear me...I screamed it!!!"
Me: "I'm sorry, I've been a little overwhelmed the last few minutes and I didn't hear the page, either."
Her: "Where's Nadine? Where's Natalie? Where's Susan??? Why didn't one of them answer the page?"
Me: "Susan has gone home. Nadine is on break and Natalie is at lunch."
Her: (A bit sympathetic by this time...but not much) "Oh...well, the display of pajamas and slippers in the drive aisle hasn't been touched. Someone has to get over there and pick it up."
Me: "I didn't even know we had a display over there. I'll do that right now."
Assistant Store Directors...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Finally, it's 10:55 and my time to leave is nearly here but before we can leave we have to call the closing Manager to get permission. So, I dial the number and the phone rings and rings and rings. No answer. Next step, page him. I continue to tidy up what I can and by the time he finallly gets back to me it's after 11:00.
Now, if I punch out late and get overtime I get written up with a 'black mark' that goes on my permanant record. Three write-ups and you're gone! But overtime doesn't kick in until you're 7 minutes or more past your scheduled clock-out time. I made it by the skin of my teeth...which also means I was working without pay. (Wal*Mart isn't the only one!!!)
Management cuts our hours yet can't understand why the work isn't getting done. We are out-numbered 100:1 and none of us are capable of miracles. (Except maybe Darlene 'cause she's so sweet!)
The customers are complete slobs, rude and demanding. They treat us like we're no better than the dirt under their feet. They expect us to magically make things appear out of thin air. They lie, cheat and rob us blind. They poop in underwear and leave it wadded up in the fitting rooms. They leave bloodied panties hidden inside 'our' clothes in the fitting rooms. They steal everything from jewelry to $70.00 bottles of Scotch and hide the alarm tags and packages in the fitting rooms. They leave shopping carts full of groceries behind because the check-out lines are too long and they don't want to wait. Guess who has to put all those groceries back?
When nothing I say will satisfy an angry customer I send them to a manager and have been known to tell them that if they throw a big enough fit they'll get whatever they want, plus a gift card to boot! The customer is always right afterall.
So, at this most wonderful time of the year I ask, have you hugged a retail worker today?
Believe me, they need it.
(Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent)
This will be my eighth Christmas spent in retail...8th! And except for Christmas Eves past and the one night after Thanksgiving when I was working 3rd shift (Black Friday, 2:00-7:00AM, 2004), I have never seen such a crowd at my store as I saw yesterday (Sat 12/02).
I arrived at the store at approximately 2:23PM. The parking lot was so full that I had to drive around several times just to find a place to park. This was in the employees parking section.
When I walked into the store I encountered a huge line of people waiting for help at the service desk. The line was so long it actually turned a corner and ran all the way to the registers and beyond. Instead of lining up the other direction towards Health & Beauty, there they were, right in front of the entrance doors blocking the way of anyone foolish enough to enter. These people were more-than-likely returning the crappy items they'd bought at greatly reduced prices on Black Friday. That's what you get for buying junk.
And I think to myself...this is gonna be a great day!
The first thing I do every day is stop and pick up the returns for our area. They are placed in laundry baskets on the front wall behind the service desk...just the other side of where all these people are standing in line waiting for help. We have two baskets. One for Women's/Kids and another for Shoes/Men's. They were both overflowing and there were even more things stacked on the floor. Boots, coats, underwear, diapers...you name it, it was there.
I grabbed a shopping cart to load all my goodies into and because there was so much, I had to make several trips back and forth through this long line of people. I'd say, "Excuse me," and they would seperate to let me through, then close up again after I'd passed.
When I came back with my arms full of goodies you'd think they would realize I wasn't just standing there with these treasures just for the fun of it and would kindly step aside so I could get by...but no. They'd stand there and look at me like I was from outer space. So, once again I'd say, "Excuse me." This took about 6 passes before I had gotten all our returns.
Customers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Upon arriving in my dept I came upon two more overflowing shopping carts of returns. My wonderful co-worker Candy says, "Oh, I see you picked up more returns. They (service desk) called about them two hours ago but I just haven't gotten up there to get them. I'm going to lunch." And with that, she hands me two of our three phones and goes on her merry way. She wasn't there alone, Judy had just left when I arrived at 2:30. So I don't know what Candy's excuse was for not picking up the returns.
Co-workers... ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
The third phone, the jewelry phone, was being manned by Darlene (a very sweet, hard-worker) who was stuck at the jewelry counter because she was swamped with customers. Super Saturday...60% off jewelry. Oh joy!!!
The next two hours I spent my time answering both phones non-stop. One of the calls was from my Assistant Manager. He had a project for me in shoes. What's this? A project??? I have 3 shopping carts full of returns. Fitting rooms full of clothes people have left behind because they don't fit. Clothes, boots, shoes and the paper that comes with the shoes all over the floor. I'm swamped with calls from cashiers for price checks, calls from people who want me to look for a specific pair/size/color of shoes or a snowsuit for their cousin's 18 month old. Calls from women wanting to get into the fitting rooms (we keep them locked). Calls from outside the store from people who want to speak to someone in Stationery, or Media. (Why call the women's clothing dept if you want Stationery or Media? HUH?)
I'm alone on one of the busiest days I've seen in months and this guy has a PROJECT??? Riiiiiight!
So, I kindly tell him I'm not in the position to take on a project as I will be constantly called away from said project by these nasty interruptions also known as customers and these non-stop phone calls.
His reply, "Oh, yeah, I see your point. I guess this isn't the best time for a project is it?"
Ah, NO!
So, 4:30 finally arrives and along with it, another co-worker. "Oh thank goodness," I rejoice. "Help has arrived!"
Not so fast!!!
The assistant manager promptly approaches her and gives her this all important shoe project. It's time for Darlene to leave which means we now have to cover jewelry. The whole dept is trashed from top to bottom, there's customers everywhere, the phones are still ringing non-stop and he insists she tackle this shoe project?
Assistant Managers...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Sometime around 5:30 or so things get a bit quieter. People must be home eating dinner. Another co-worker has arrived and one more will be here at 6:00. Time for a break.
Yay!
After my break, the store once again gets busy and the next 5 hours are spent picking up after the biggest slobs this earth has ever seen. Re-hang, re-fold, re-place...re-peat! It's endless and infuriating at the same time.
At one point I'm folding Plus Size tops, completely zoned out (ya have to zone out to remain sane) when all of a sudden I notice a man's face (and not a nice face) about 5 inches from mine.
I'm like...what the.....!!!
He says, "I was just wondering if you're having fun?"
Me: "Do I look like I'm having fun?"
Him: "You look like your cleaning up after a bunch of slobs."
Me: "That's what I do...Anything I can help you with?"
Him: (with a nasty, evil grin) "I don't think you'd be willing to help me with what I want."
Me: (I think I've just been propositioned at age 51) "You're probably right. What else CAN I help you with?"
Him: (Laughing as if something was funny)..."Where are the wallets?"
Icky old men...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
As this wonderful day begins to draw to a close, one of my co-workers heads home for the night, another goes on lunch leaving me the jewelry phone and the other co-worker also decides she needs her break. So, here I am all alone once again, this time with all three phones. Still ringing, but not quite non-stop...that is until I get a call to the jewelry counter.
A very nice lady wants to buy a necklace and a watch. No problem, so I begin to ring up her purchases when...r-r-r-r-ring. The fashions phone on my back-right pocket starts ringing. R-r-r-r-ring. The shoes phone on my back-left pocket starts ringing. At this very same instant my co-worker comes up to the register with snacks for her break..."Are you almost done? I don't want to wait in one of the long lines to check-out."
Calgon...take me away!
I get the lady's jewelry rung up and take care of the two phone calls. Somewhere along the way my co-worker decided to wait in one of those lines afterall. It's now time to take my foreign objects (things found in our dept that don't belong in our dept) up to the returns area behind the service desk. I put these items in their respective baskets and turn around to see the Assistant Store Director giving me the dirtiest of looks.
Her: "Who's covering Fashions? Who's got the phone?" she bellows.
Me: (completely flabberghasted) "I am...I do."
Her: "Why didn't you answer? I've been calling and calling."
Me: "I always anwer the phone when it rings. Perhaps the battery is dead."
Her: "I even paged Fashions. Didn't you hear me...I screamed it!!!"
Me: "I'm sorry, I've been a little overwhelmed the last few minutes and I didn't hear the page, either."
Her: "Where's Nadine? Where's Natalie? Where's Susan??? Why didn't one of them answer the page?"
Me: "Susan has gone home. Nadine is on break and Natalie is at lunch."
Her: (A bit sympathetic by this time...but not much) "Oh...well, the display of pajamas and slippers in the drive aisle hasn't been touched. Someone has to get over there and pick it up."
Me: "I didn't even know we had a display over there. I'll do that right now."
Assistant Store Directors...ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't shoot 'em.
Finally, it's 10:55 and my time to leave is nearly here but before we can leave we have to call the closing Manager to get permission. So, I dial the number and the phone rings and rings and rings. No answer. Next step, page him. I continue to tidy up what I can and by the time he finallly gets back to me it's after 11:00.
Now, if I punch out late and get overtime I get written up with a 'black mark' that goes on my permanant record. Three write-ups and you're gone! But overtime doesn't kick in until you're 7 minutes or more past your scheduled clock-out time. I made it by the skin of my teeth...which also means I was working without pay. (Wal*Mart isn't the only one!!!)
Management cuts our hours yet can't understand why the work isn't getting done. We are out-numbered 100:1 and none of us are capable of miracles. (Except maybe Darlene 'cause she's so sweet!)
The customers are complete slobs, rude and demanding. They treat us like we're no better than the dirt under their feet. They expect us to magically make things appear out of thin air. They lie, cheat and rob us blind. They poop in underwear and leave it wadded up in the fitting rooms. They leave bloodied panties hidden inside 'our' clothes in the fitting rooms. They steal everything from jewelry to $70.00 bottles of Scotch and hide the alarm tags and packages in the fitting rooms. They leave shopping carts full of groceries behind because the check-out lines are too long and they don't want to wait. Guess who has to put all those groceries back?
When nothing I say will satisfy an angry customer I send them to a manager and have been known to tell them that if they throw a big enough fit they'll get whatever they want, plus a gift card to boot! The customer is always right afterall.
So, at this most wonderful time of the year I ask, have you hugged a retail worker today?
Believe me, they need it.
Here's to the retail slaves!!!! Merry f***ing Christmas!!!!! 
Comment