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MaxDuo posted:I just love how often customers will come up and ask about some product, then when I say we're sold out, they insist I have no idea what they're asking for. I've shown someone that we were out on the computer before and he told me it was wrong because he KNEW we had it. Yay. It's lovely when it's that prolonged, and I'm sorry those folks were assholes. I can think of plenty of times where I did receive the item I was looking for after asking a few different people. Today at Costco there was a TV I wanted to buy, and no matching boxes. I ask one guy who tells me there won't be anymore in the store. Some guy next to me asked someone else and he looks it up. He found that there are 17 left in the store, and in about 10 minutes I have the TV I want. I just have to ask you retail folks this - how are consumers supposed to tell the difference between "actually, I'm too lazy find the product you want" and "really, we don't have the poo poo you want"?
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# ¿ Oct 18, 2010 04:58 |
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# ¿ Apr 17, 2024 20:49 |
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spankmeister posted:It's funny how people think "The Back" is some kind of magical huge warehouse just filled to the brim with everything they need that day. What's even funnier is when they go back there and magically have another 17 tvs in the exact model you were looking for.
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# ¿ Oct 18, 2010 14:39 |
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froglet posted:Plenty of stores have a computerised inventory system. Type in the brand of the item and select it from the list it can tell you stuff like how much it costs the store to buy in, how many are in the store, if there are any back orders, etc. The first guy in my situation didn't bother to check the computer. He simply told me that they were all gone and left me at that. It was a second individual that bothered to check, found 17 televisions, and went back and got one. It's experiences like that that cause people to go nuts and start demanding that the back be checked. I understand being frustrated when some loving nutcase goes apeshit on you when they want some seasonal item six months after the fact, I really do. It's a nasty cycle to be honest. Retail management treats staff like poo poo and sets policies that get in their way. That means customers get poo poo service. Then customers expect poo poo service and treat you guys like poo poo in return. Management wonders why sales suck and gets on the collective rear end of the staff. Rinse and repeat. Did I miss something?
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# ¿ Oct 18, 2010 17:23 |
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Avalanche posted:Oh dear. I thought I was the only unlucky goon to work at one of these shitholes... Report your boss to the local health agency! I work in food safety, and this is some very serious poo poo. You can make it clear to the agency that you're simply not allowed enough hours. When they hear that you have only one person working during your busy times it should be very clear to the inspector that the issue is staffing not employee performance. You can generally report this poo poo anonymously, so you're safe. If you have a customer with a compromised immune system this business is putting their health at risk, so there's a good moral reason to report. You hate your boss and they don't give a gently caress, so gently caress them back. Don't be the guy that says, "oh gosh, this isn't my problem, I don't want to make waves". Someone is going to get very sick, and you can either prevent it or let it happen.
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# ¿ Oct 19, 2010 14:25 |
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Avalanche posted:I dont know what to do at this point other than get the gently caress out. It is cheaper for the company to get written up for health issues, and slap on a quick fix for the next visit than it is to actually staff the place well enough to fix the problem for good. I'm really sorry to hear that, it's complete and total bullshit. I hope you can get out soon. I understand if you just want to just leave the issue alone, but if you're mad and want to do something, there are other options that come to mind. There is always the option of shooting a youtube video of the gross poo poo or taking pictures of all the crazy poo poo and posting it somewhere. You'd end up embarrassing the company and the local health departments. Yeah, even if you have a friend register the youtube account while using a Tor client there's a good chance it would come back to you but the media blow back of being fired for "protecting the public" and "exposing lazy gov't workers" (as much as I hate that trope) might be worth it. It's easy for me to say, "don't get mad, get even", and I don't want to guilt you into sticking your neck out. Hell if you were in the Seattle area I'd take the video myself while you stayed off screen. Just consider it. If nothing else, you'd gently caress them over as much if not more than they hosed you.
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# ¿ Oct 20, 2010 17:20 |
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side_burned posted:At least in England you have health care. Working retail in the states means you get usually mean no benefits its very common for people to work 35 hours a week at a place instead of a full 40 because putting a person on full time would mean the employer would have give an employee benefits. I know many people who work second and third jobs at minimum wage and they still can not afford healthcare. Oh and in the United States you can be fired for "no reason". You see, here we have a thing called "freedom", as in "the freedom of those in positions of power to abuse the gently caress out of you and if you don't like it, there's the door".
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# ¿ Oct 24, 2010 01:39 |
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RottenWomb posted:I'm new at retail and finally got my chance a month ago with Target. I got fired today because I "didn't comply with their friendly work atmosphere." Did I just not meet their smile index quota or something? I could be way, way off here, but unless there was some cause to fire you (ie you were required to wear 26 pieces of flair and only wore 19) you should be able to file for unemployment. Again, I could be way off but if that's the case you should soak the lazy fuckers for not managing you correctly or telling you what you needed to do.
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# ¿ Oct 31, 2010 06:20 |
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GeneralNelson posted:I live and work in Australia (Sydneysider) too, though for about $20 an hour... and I've just been absolutely taken-aback reading this thread by how many people are actually living on like $8 US an hour. I figured Australia was a bit more expensive... but is it really that much more? Even when the Aussie dollar was at its lowest it would still only have been an equivalent of $16AU, and usually more like $12. No, this isn't something to ignore. The labor laws here grossly favor the employer to the point that employees are afraid to even protect themselves for fear of being labeled as "unemployable". Good luck forming a union as well, most of the time folks will rage on and on about how "if you don't like your job you can find another".
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# ¿ Nov 4, 2010 17:55 |
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Pops posted:I don't know what to think about unions. It's certainly good to know that someone has your back, especially when going up against your employer. Even if all the union does is have a lawyer on call to investigate claims of fraud or abuse or what have you, that would be helpful. It's not an issue of "union violence", but an issue of being able to effectively lock them out. To be honest I can't think of any case of mass (or singular) organized union violence in the past several years. We're not France or Greece or England. The implication you should have is that at non-union sites the company can do whatever the gently caress they want to you with no recourse or due process. Say what you will about individual rules or unions, but unless it's totally in bed with the company you're better off in than out. The thing to remember is that unions are composed of their individual members. ANy group of people is going to be less than perfect, and when you look at the scope of groups of people, some groups are going to be hosed up. It's like looking at a government or a corporation. Some are well run, others aren't. But for the same reason one shouldn't go around blaming corporations or governments as a whole for their problems, one shouldn't blame unions either.
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# ¿ Nov 6, 2010 01:07 |
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AlmightyBob posted:I've never once been late for work, and I drive. I'm early to jobs that aren't even mine.
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# ¿ Dec 8, 2010 23:53 |
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red19fire posted:I'm still waiting for a pay stub from the first week of the month to be mailed to me so I can file for unemployment. The store owner can't send a letter properly, and yet firing me will save him from bankruptcy. File a complaint with the labor board in your area. That tends to put a fire under the rear end of folks who are too lazy to follow the laws. EDIT: To everyone reading this thread - don't be afraid of filing complaints with the labor boards in your area. You don't deserve to be treated like poo poo "just because you work in retail" and maybe it would force a few of these shitheads to treat their employees better. If nothing else, you'll piss off those who made your life miserable. What better way to celebrate the holiday season?
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# ¿ Dec 20, 2010 18:26 |
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Meow Cadet posted:My company won't let us leave the building on our 15 minute breaks, because "what if you got run over by a car on company time." Is this standard procedure? Or is my company just paranoid? Here in Washington State they don't have to let you leave the job site, but it has nothing to do with the possibility of suffering life altering injury. But not leaving the building? Like if you want to go to your car or something? Or go to the minimart next door? That's bullshit.
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# ¿ Dec 21, 2010 16:55 |
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Duckman2008 posted:Looks like Christmas is getting to me to the point where i was definitely the unnecessary rear end in a top hat to a customer (I refused to look at her account since she got the phone from a different store, I was def free at the time). Why does the guilt towards getting to be an rear end in a top hat always end up being worse than my irritation when people are dicks to me?!? Who the gently caress is going to be there looking to buy something!?
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# ¿ Dec 23, 2010 03:42 |
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SlaveToTheGrinds posted:This is horrid E/N ranting. I am sorry. In the mean time, stop doing everyone else's work. If something fails, let them take the fall. Concentrate on your own work. You need to make a list of everything that's going on here, and how it's getting in the way of your own work. Sit down with your boss, and tell them that if there aren't any changes you'll need to leave. Then ask for a week off to calm down and maybe take care of some things at home. If they are reasonable they will listen and work with you, and the fact that you received a Christmas bonus says that there might be human beings above you. On your time off, ignore their calls. You aren't a heart surgeon, it's not that important. There is no such thing as an emergency here. They need to staff appropriately rather than burning you out. The last thing you need right now is to believe that you are asking for too much or that you're a "bitch" for wanting a reasonable work environment. You aren't. It's never easy to stand up for yourself in the at will world, but it doesn't mean that you deserve this treatment.
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# ¿ Dec 29, 2010 20:57 |
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2508084 posted:No one cares I reported my old store to the health department twice while I worked there for things like sweating in the food, leaving hamburger out of the fridge for extended periods of time and using expired product and all the health department did (according to their report) was call the manager to verify if that had happened. They didn't even shut us down when we ran without hot water for 2 days. 36-48 hours in a 24 hour fast food joint means absolutely no sanitation! No hand washing! No utensil washing! You know, I bet a site like the Consumerist would be all over a story like that.
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# ¿ Jan 7, 2011 21:55 |
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SisterFister posted:There is a lot of unbelievable poo poo in this thread but this takes the cake. There is no way you aren't exaggerating your rear end off at best. I'm sure you spoke to at least half the customers.
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# ¿ Feb 2, 2011 04:29 |
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Invis posted:Jesus. Working 10+ hours without a break is absurd and illegal where I'm from. If a manager wants me to work longer than my allocated shift, they will ask me politely. I'm allowed to refuse and they are lucky if I stay on longer. If I don't get a break and the issue is not settled (e.g they give me 2x break time on my next shift and I am satisfied) then I will bring it up with HR. If nothing eventuates then I will bring it up with the Work Ombudsman. That poo poo just does not fly. I feel for you guys and gals out there that have these poor conditions. What in the hell is a Work Ombudsman? Are you Union or European/Australian?
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# ¿ Feb 23, 2011 08:05 |
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TShields posted:If it's not on paper, how can they prove it? My boss would just say "no, of course we don't do that, that would be illegal!" and they'd be on their merry little way. I mean, it's not like they force you to not take a break, they just let you know it's an option. Daily. What you need to do is actually report your company to the state. Most likely you can complain anonymously. If nothing else, it's a great way to vent against a lovely employer.
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# ¿ Feb 25, 2011 06:29 |
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froglet posted:Couldn't this be construed as some sort of labour violation? Pretty sure if a business owner wants some work done, he has to pay for it. This. Here in the US this is rather illegal, you aren't allowed to work for free like that.
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# ¿ Feb 28, 2011 04:46 |
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Sonic Dude posted:If you're not an employee, you can do whatever you want and the owner can most certainly accept your work. You're trying to say that essentially being an intern is somehow illegal? Yes, the work interns perform is not allowed to significantly help the business. Google any HR blog or resource and they'll say the same thing.
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# ¿ Feb 28, 2011 05:54 |
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Cicero posted:This is like the dumbest rule though. First, nobody follows it, and everyone knows nobody follows it; why would a business hire an intern if they weren't going to help the business? Second, how can a student learn things that are useful, except by doing things that help the business? Is learning things that aren't useful to the business what students are aiming for? Of course not, they want marketable skills. And you've just come to why the vast majority of unpaid internships are total and completely illegal. If a business wants labor they need to pay for it.
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# ¿ Mar 2, 2011 03:37 |
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red19fire posted:Some nice schadenfreude from my last job: My boss prefers fine art to hang in the office, so I understand your pain. He denied a scientist a $120 textbook for the use of identifying mold - kind of important in food safety! Never had to put the pictures up myself though, shame you didn't "accidentally" drop the machines.
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# ¿ Mar 13, 2011 18:26 |
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elf pr0n posted:No, they're just really expensive. It's like they manufacture the cream out of race horse sperm or something.
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# ¿ Mar 13, 2011 21:45 |
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DorianGravy posted:I think that the world would be a better place if everyone had to work a crummy entry-level job when starting out. I definitely did my time at McDonalds and then at a grocery store, and it teaches you a lot about humility and respect for your fellow man. The amount of barely-concealed disdain some people had for you at McDonalds was incredible, and acted as if waiting in line for a minute or two was an unbearable burden. If everyone had these experiences, I think you'd see a general uptick in people being kinder and people being happier. I just don't understand why so many people treat retail employees like poo poo. Is there some implicit assumption that if the employee worked harder they would be doing something better anyway and thus they must be lazy slackasses or something? All while ignoring the fact that if someone leaves someone else replaces them and so on thus there is always someone working there. Is it the fact that the employees have no power and folks take advantage of that? I constantly see this sort of thing in real life and on the internet, and it really gets to me at times. You are not your job. Furthermore, restaurants need fry cooks, stores need salespeople and offices need janitors. A person isn't better or worse than another simply because they have more education, a higher paycheck or a more prestigious job.
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# ¿ Mar 17, 2011 21:48 |
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Meow Cadet posted:Confirming this to be true. My husband is an engineer too, and he was told specifically to socialize more by his manager, because his manager really wanted to be able to promote him soon. But guys, I thought the Private Sector (tm) was a bastion of meritocracy and fair play!
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# ¿ Mar 21, 2011 20:42 |
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Robzor McFabulous posted:"I DID try other channels! THEY were fine, but what's the point if the one I want has the problem?!" Quiet doesn't always equal "doesn't seem to have good people skills" - it could just as likely mean, "I'm in AA and don't want to be around people doing nothing but drink" or "I'm going to school" or "I have twin newborns and my wife really needs me at home" or simply "I've done my 8-12 hours, I'm going home". This is why good management has regular reviews based on known rubrics. That way the bosses can collect and go over data on the achievement of a particular employee. The face time is there, every one knows where they stand, and as a benefit to management - employees are clear as to what exactly what they need to do to get that bonus or raise. If managers just pick their drinking buddy, they're lazy as gently caress and most likely throwing developing talent out the window.
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# ¿ Mar 22, 2011 00:51 |
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Robzor McFabulous posted:Good management may well do it better, but we're not talking about good management here. Indeed.
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# ¿ Mar 22, 2011 17:44 |
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TShields posted:I think I'm on the verge of losing my mind. I can't even smile today. I'm in such a foul mood today and I can't even tell you why. I work the next 8 days in a row.. I'm starting to butt heads with my fiance, just over financial and more.. personal reasons, but nothing should make me feel this lovely. I think I went from being "kinda down" into full-blown depression. For the sake of your health, you need to find a way to take days off work. Can you call in sick or something?
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# ¿ Mar 27, 2011 03:13 |
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If it makes you folks feel better, we had a visit from the state version of OHSA yesterday, and the inspector has no idea how called them in. They usually have a responsibility to investigate, and if it's pissing you off (it is) and it creates an unsafe working environment (it does) you need to contact them.
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# ¿ Apr 12, 2011 14:24 |
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miscellaneous14 posted:It was a pretty feel-good show that really downplayed the poo poo retail/food-service workers go through, but I really miss Undercover Boss. Why couldn't there be more shows like that to at least give some people a better impression of us? From what I've heard about that coupon show, it might as well be called "How To Harass The Lower-Class Scum!". I feel like that show is part of some vertical monopoly of some sort, because those couponing folks are going to end up on some "hoarders" show in a few years. Either that, or found mummified under fallen shelves of canned goods. I mean seriously, who the gently caress needs 77 bottles of mustard or 40 boxes of laundry detergent, and why are we encouraging this sort of behavior? That, and the gal who complained that "she would lose the lifestyle she was accustomed to when her husband lost her job if she didn't do this". It's one thing if the person is running a daycare or group home of some kind, but this poo poo is just disgusting. That, and the clueless shits wondering why the coupon policies kept changing and becoming more limited. All from one loving episode! I'm not a religious person, but there's a reason why so many consider greed and gluttony to be immoral behavior. And christ did I feel bad for the checkers.
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# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 00:05 |
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miscellaneous14 posted:The funny thing is that by simply donating that excess of food to a good cause, it would justify all the poo poo everyone goes through in the process. Wouldn't you also be able to claim a tax write-off, saving way more money that way, too? Note: I'm not a tax professional of any kind, however the Internal Revenue Service has a whole lot of good information on simpler tax questions. Seriously, a lot of this stuff is pretty approachable. So when claiming charitable contributions on your taxes, there is a guide to determining the Fair Market Value* of donated items, which is what they base the deduction value on. In particular: quote:The cost or selling price is a good indication of the property’s value if: Since the coupons and other deals are open to anyone, that would be considered the "Fair Market Value" of the items. If the hoarder tried to value them at full price later when the coupons/deals had expired, the market would have "changed", and thus such a valuation wouldn't be representative of fair market value. But if we're talking about someone that only has $100 to donate every month and they pull the coupon stuff to do so, then more power to them. *Fun fact! If you donate 1-3 pieces of art legitimately appraised at over $50,000 each, you need to pay the IRS $2,500. I presume this is so they can hire their own expert, fly them to your location and perform an appraisal themselves. Solkanar512 fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Apr 15, 2011 |
# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 01:26 |
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# ¿ Apr 17, 2024 20:49 |
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Sonic Dude posted:That's when you get really excited and say, "so that means I can collect unemployment too? That's fantastic! Thanks, <DM>!" He sounds like an abusive spouse in a way. Also, I'm pretty sure you could collect that unemployment, since there is no cause to fire you. Normal companies would just pay you for those two weeks, but obviously retail exists in a parallel universe where employees aren't human beings.
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# ¿ Apr 21, 2011 18:48 |