And I'm already hating my job. Oh, I love working with customers again, and MOST of them are awesome, as are the majority of my coworkers.
BUT ...
Half the registers don't work, and the half that do don't work very well ... the roof leaks during bad rains and of course, one of the leaks is over the register they usually put me on.
Rain coat, anyone?
Then there's the SELL SELL SELL of the whole company credit card ... suggest it to each and every customer. And yes, they can apply at the register. It only ties the line up for about five minutes, and a high majority don't even get accepted for the damned HIGH interest credit card anyway.
And the ONE thing I hate pushing is credit!! I don't have but ONE credit card that I rarely use, and firmly believe that we as a society depend too much on credit. But that's just my belief.
Yes, that's what got me in trouble years ago ... and I don't regret adopting the "if I can't pay cash, I'm not buying it" mentality. Cars and houses, obviously are the exception to that rule, but then, only within the means of the borrower ... I will never hyper-extend my finances ever again.
But, I digress ...
Oh, and the Credit Financial Department actually sends a representative to the stores to talk to each and every cashier about their performance in pushing the credit card!! Each and every application (and approvals) is there, in printed form, to be discussed with the employee.
And if you answer their questions the right way about how you plan on improving your approval rates, they present you with a pen. A plastic pen at that.
And that's only the icing on the cake!!
My hours (as well as all seasonal employees, so it's not just me) have been cut to just 20 hours a week. Okay I do realize that all the cruddy weather we've had isn't conducive to home improvements ... but it's harder than hell to live off of a 20 hour a week paycheck!! I've tried ... oh, the bills get paid, but at the end of the paycheck there's still way too many days left!!
Thank goodness for ramen noodles and groceries at the Dollar Tree!!
Just yesterday I got a text "This is Nina, can you work 1 - 4 for me today?" "Sorry, no can do" was my response. I never gave her my cell number!! So, who broke PRIVACY rules and provided her with it? I haven't been able to find out but I'm a little upset that my number was passed on to a cashier without my prior consent!!
So ... as my time allows I've been job hunting again. I won't quit this one until I have a replacement ... or I'm laid off because the season that I was hired for has ended. I'm hoping to have a NEW and IMPROVED job well before end of season!!
And with working 20 hours a week what has me so busy? Taking care of my Dad whilst Mom was in the hospital. The first trip in was for congestive heart failure. She was home for a few days and had to be taken by ambulance back to the hospital. She had stroke-like symptoms, but they ruled out stroke or heart attack. She showed signs of improvement, so they released her today. Monday she starts to see a battery of specialists to find out what happened, and how to prevent any future episodes.
Dad doesn't have WiFi, and frankly I'm uncomfortable using his computer. He's at the computer for pretty much most of his day, and I'd hate to kick him off for any reason. So, I sit computerless, either watching cable tv or finding something constructive to do.
I've also decided that once I can afford cable tv I will NOT spend the money on it!! LOL. 100 channels and only three that I'd bother to even watch. No thanks, not worth it to me!!
So, that's been my two months ...
I'm still trying to get the house in order. It's been more of a challenge than I thought it would be. Part of that is financial, I just have to have the spare money laying around to get some of the things I need. Mom will provide some of the materials; paint, flooring, and the typical things any landlady would provide. I just need to provide those comfort things ... bedding, new window covering, organizational stuff, etc.
It looks like it's going to definitely be an ongoing project.
Until then, I'm sorting through things for a yard sale. Maybe I'll even earn enough to reinvest into the house ... at least that's my hopes.
Back to job hunting ...
Glad to see you blogging...sorry the bloom is off the work rose. I'm afraid its a fact of life in retail - the market is so competitive and the margins so low that the only way to be profitable is with the add ons - in your case its the credit offer, some places its the extended warranty, others its some sort of "rewards club". But remember there's a couple of things about credit - not everyone has the funds available or family or friends to save them in the event of a home repair emergency...and a lot of people (including myself) use credit wisely - including saving money through those "special" offers.
ReplyDeletePlus, having a HD credit card makes a person more likely to shop there than at the "blue" store.
I don't disagree with you that its better to only spend what you have - but I think its important that we respect other people might feel differently.....and its part of your job to present every customer with the opportunity - and their decision whether or not to take it.
That said, I think it's good you are exploring other job possibilities - you really do need fulltime employment and I've always found it easier to get a job if you already have one.
Sorry about your mom...must be really stressful for your family.....and I hope she continues to recover at home (I'm sure she's happy to be there).
phooey for you-y
ReplyDeleteEm. you've got a point with those "add-ons" being where the profits are for the company ... and they do also push the EPPs (extended protection plans) ... to the point that for every EPP we sell (or approved credit) we earn a "homer buck" that we can use for our own purchases. Seems out of the dozen or so credit apps that I've processed, only one went through (remember, I live in a lower income area ... which I'm sure has a lot to do with my lack of credit approvals. We can't process professional credit apps at the registers, which would produce a much higher approval rate). A lot of people admit to me their credit is too bad for a credit card, while others admit they had a card at one time but closed the account when they found out how high the percentage rate was.
ReplyDeleteI can see credit being a good thing IF used wisely (and I will suggest it if I know the customer is doing extensive work on their home - just not for the guy who comes in for screws or paint from time to time)... but I still feel that we're pushed to preach the credit sermon. I'm not alone with this, there's some cashiers who refuse to "waste" their (or customer) time processing credit apps.
And yup, that whole part time thing has to end, too. This living pay check to pay check is no fun. I'm sorta thinking it's time to get out of retail once and for all. Sure I love the customers, but it's those inconsistent hours that suck.
Mom's doing much better, thanks. We went to Brother Deere's for Father's Day dinner. Great food as usual. We didn't stay long. Not because Mom was tired, but because Brother Deere wanted some alone time (he said too much family bonding this last week and a half). The doctors suspect it was either severe dehydration, or low blood sugar ... but further tests are still needed to confirm what happened. Until then, we're bugging her to no end to drink her six to eight glasses of water a day!!
Oh yeah, LOL, I mentioned that half the equipment doesn't work and what does work doesn't work very well ... there's only one POS that you can actually do a whole credit application on without the POS freezing up on you. The long-time cashiers "call dibs" on that one fully functional register, leaving us part time seasonals to have to deal with scan guns, register drawers, check readers, demagnetizing pads, and other equipment that doesn't work!! Nothing like trying to process an email registration or credit app on a touch pad that doesn't work!! But that's just the icing on that cake ... I still hate suggesting "why don't you apply here? Right now? It'll only take about five minutes".
ReplyDeleteUpdate ready to post yet? Hint hint nudge nudge
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