spread thin and near breakdown

[raine_naoe]

So, one of our photo dept associates is on vacation, so we don't have enough people to keep in the dept, so tonight starting at 5:30 it's up to me and electronics to cover it. And starting at 7 there's only one person in electronics. I had to go to the back for my 90-day evaluation, and when I get back it's a little after 7.

There is a woman coming up to me as soon as I get back to the counter wanting help at photo, and she's already angry, but fortunately, as Z in electronics had been trying to help someone with phones, he switched with me. The customer wanted to get a new Tracfone, and switch over her minutes and number from her old one, and wanted me to do it for her.

I am just starting to call Tracfone to get that taken care of after ringing up the phone when Z comes back over saying K, an assistant manager, told him he had to go zone grocery NOW. no argument. I tell Z that I'm going to be helping this customer for awhile, but there's nothing he can do.

So, not only am I the only one covering connect center, electronics, AND photo now, but I am tied up with a customer, and I am not going to just stop helping her, but also, Z tells me as he's leaving that there are people waiting at the photo counter.

Even better, almost as soon as he's gone, a bunch of people start to gather around the electronics counter, most seem frustrated, but understanding that I'm busy and can't help them, but there is one woman that keeps asking me about a calculator that's locked up, and the angry woman from the photo counter keeps coming over to demand someone help her. I actually had to ask the person from Tracfone I was talking to to repeat a code he was telling me because she came over and started yelling just as he started saying it.

I had asked the Tracfone person to hold on real quick and gone over and paged for our manager to come over twice before she finally showed. She got the calculator woman her calculator first since she was right there when she got over so I got to get yelled at one more time by the photo woman.

*sigh* When I finally got done with the Tracfone customer Z had been called back over and they had the crowd mostly under control at least. K had wanted Z to go straight back to zoning, but our manager told him he needed to stay here (she sounded upset when I told her K pulled him in the first place)




In addition, shortly after that I start a T-mobile contract for a customer, who is actually another wal-mart employee on his lunch break. He decides on a Blackberry Pearl, and I go through the contract with no problem, until after the contract is printed and I open the box to activate it...

It's not a Blackberry Pearl in the box. It's a Blackberry Curve, but the battery in the box is for a Pearl. So I have to call someone back to do an exchange on the phone so that the serial number is right and I can activate it. Ends up taking up almost all of the poor guys lunch break and leaves me with no time to take my own 15 minute break.



Just not a good day...needed to rant.

[Kristev]

Oh, I'm sorry. Let's watch a nice relaxing movie. Like Piranha 3-D.

[emax4]

Oh, I'm sorry. Let's watch a nice relaxing movie. Like Piranha 3-D.

That's the laugh I needed to jumpstart my day!

[MoonCat]

They want you to work miracles, don't they? Customers and management both believe you can be in several places and once, and help several people at the same time.

On the Tracfone, though...couldn't the customer do this herself? I use one, and I set up everything from home, online. I add minutes through the phone itself. Not that you want to refuse to help her, of course...just seems like she could have saved you the trouble. Tracfones are generally pretty simple.

[OfficeSlug]

Corporate and store owners think they're saving money by scheduling LESS employees but what they're doing is pissing off the ones they DO have AND the customers!

Will they ever learn?

[flutes_and_fabric]

Ouch, :gives cookies: I know how you feel. I'm one of those people that when I was scheduled to work, I was the only one scheduled because management knew I could handle two counters, returns, stocking, phones, and still keep up with the fabric pile up and not get overwhelmed. Doesn't mean I never did. If I wasn't working, they had 3 people on the floor. If I was, it was just little old me.

[raine_naoe]

yay cookies ^_^

I've never even actually run the photo counter before, so I wouldn't have know what to do even if I was able to go over there.


And yea, she could've set up the Tracfone thing herself, or her daughter could've. She was an older woman, though, and I understand them not being able to deal with it as easily. Especially since everytime I've actually talked to a person at Tracfone they've had a strong accent, talked very softly, or talked very fast.

[KabeRinnaul]

Corporate and store owners think they're saving money by scheduling LESS employees but what they're doing is pissing off the ones they DO have AND the customers!

Will they ever learn?

Two reasons.

First, short-term goals like quarterly expenditures always have more weight than long-term goals like employee retention, though the latter has a larger impact on long-term productivity. In other words, your bosses get a bonus at the end of the year for cutting payroll costs, but there's no (personal) reward for keeping skilled, experienced, and happy workers employed.

Second, they know people are creatures of habit and fail to consider other options. The employee puts up with bad treatment because they don't want to risk looking for a new job, and the customers put up with bad service because they always shop here.

[XCashier]

Corporate and store owners think they're saving money by scheduling LESS employees but what they're doing is pissing off the ones they DO have AND the customers!

Will they ever learn?

Of course not. That's how they've been doing it for years and will continue to do for years even though it's blatantly obviously not working.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I think most Corporate suits and store owners are ready for a nice long stay at Arkham Asylum.

[Tama]

Pre-Crane joining the ranks of the Asylum as a patient, or post?

[Kristev]

I wouldn't care either way as long as they're not allowed to 'run' businesses or have any money from other people's hard labor anymore.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Oh, I'm sorry. Let's watch a nice relaxing movie. Like Piranha 3-D.

Never heard of that one, but after the week I had this past week I found just the right movie to relax with last night:

Hour of the Assassin.