SJ_SwanJun
Forum Goddess
I am a Red Squadron.
9 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 26-04-2007
Posts: 2867
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The Joys of Working in Retail
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No, that isn't a sarcastic title ....
Today, I learned just how beneficial working the corporate office of a clothing retailer is ...
I love jeans so much, especially Levis. Levis are my brand of choice! I love them!
So I wore my favourite low-cut long length blue Jeans that I've had for maybe 12 months or so, but have been worn, quite literally, to death. I head out on break today with my friend, Sarah, and she falls a few steps behind me and cautions me to "sit really carefully in those pants". I frown in confusion and ask why? They aren't a tight pant, they are a comfy fit...
Then she points out there is a hole at the back pocket.
Wha?!
I twist the body and there it is - a hole that shows my butt-cheek. (oh blush) I groan and think about my shirt, whether or not it is an effective "pull down" fabric ... Nope. It is a short baby-doll style shirt, black, with "BOMB SQUAD TECHNICIAN - If you see me running ... try to keep the hell up!" blazened across the front.
Not designed for pulling down over the butt.
Shit ...
three hours until lunch, where I can maybe head into Levis to buy another pair.
Then I remember. Spring buying has begun, and we're purchasing some great Jeans for one of our men's stores. A quick call to the buyer and she plonked a brand-new pair of mens jeans on my desk. Her only comment "I only have a 32" inseam ... I hope they'll be long enough."
Hey, they could be waders, right now as long as they cover my ass, I'm happy.
So now I am wearing a spunky, funky pair of dark denim jeans that LOOK HOT on my tushie, and am actually more comfy - because Men's jeans are much, much more comfy than women's.
Lucky me, eh?
:grin:
SJ
__________________
Sighhh
Why do men snore when lying on their backs?
Because their balls fall over their butt holes and they vapour lock.
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by SJ_SwanJun on 21-09-2007 at 14:49.
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21-09-2007 14:47
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Metaliant
Gatchamaniac
I am an Eagle.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 06-06-2005
Posts: 3595
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Homebase. the American version is called Homedepot. The only perks we get is 20% off everything, except electrical stuff like telly and such at work and 10% off everything at Argos shops (I don't know about the Argos catalogues though), but the Argos staff and get 20 % off everything from both places.
I also used to work at Index, which was owned by Littlewoods and did their own catalogues and stores but was closed recently (big surprise) and they were ABSOUTLY SHIT at the distribution centre I worked at.
I got the job of filing clerk at Index and was told that someone from another distribution centre would come and show me how to do their filing.
So, first day there and I found out that they didn't even had a filing system in place at all and the person who was supposed to show the the imagined filing system just told me to do something completely unrelated and left and never saw her again.
2 weeks of this and I decided to tell someone, so I did and since then for about 4 months I was given all these different filing systems about once a week at my guess to deal with and even 3 changes in one week. I was fired on Friday, 5 days before Christmas, with the part time receptioist who was doing overtime to buy her hair spray with the filing systems.
In the first 2 weeks, I was getting a full time salary, even though I was part time because they didn't hire a person to do the wages, so had to get someone else to do it with. I wish I never mentioned it at all now.
AND because I worked at the distributation centre, the managers decided that everyone who was below the supervisors had to wear a uniform, even those, like me who worked at the other end of the building, where on visitors would see us. They couldn't even distribute the uniforms probably.
In short, Index was the worst place to have worked, the managers couldn't even work out how to open a door to a brewary, never mind organsing a piss up in it and they probably work for Homebase at HQ.
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Eagle in Residence
Tempory Frisker
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22-09-2007 12:09
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SJ_SwanJun
Forum Goddess
I am a Red Squadron.
9 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 26-04-2007
Posts: 2867
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Ahhh Kimi - you are obviously a fellow Canadian!!
Anywhere near Toronto, dear? I can hook you up in one of our stores (or even this office) ... Gotto get you away from morons like that!
Or we could trade our discounts - I get 40% off our stuff, even if there is already a discount on it ... Works greaaaaaaat at T****land ...
I gotto be honest with you, girl. Even if there was a sign on the damn thing, noone would read it. That is something that completely amazes me in this city.
I can put a giant fucking sign on something that is out of order, and still get some moron wandering up to me scratching their head and asking me to show them what they're doing wrong ...
"Yeah, asshole. I can tell you exactly what you're doing wrong. You're not reading the fucking gigantic sign that says OUT OF ORDER!"
I'm somewhat mysified that noone could actually smell the sulfur, though. I mean that's a pretty distinctive smell.
I'm glad you're okay, though. I mean, shit, that stuff works its horror pretty quickly ...
WSIB are pretty kewl, though. They'll get you hooked up soon enough!
And look at the really bright side ... You get to hang out with us!!
SJ
__________________
Sighhh
Why do men snore when lying on their backs?
Because their balls fall over their butt holes and they vapour lock.
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24-09-2007 18:17
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kimiko
Forum God
I am a Condor.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 23-09-2007
Posts: 1059
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Yes Swannie I'm from Hamilton, work in Burlington, just down the road from ya. Ahh discount trading sounds great! I get 15% most things in the store, and 10% off grocery items and large appliances & electronics *removing dog-slobbery KONG that her furchild has just placed in her lap*
The problem at work is the lack of communication between management. No teamwork amongst this bunch, everyone seems to be out for their own career. What they don't seem to realize is that if they work together it makes everything improve and everyone gets kudos and promotions. After all we're a retail store and sales and service are supposed to be priority- if you don't make money or make your customers happy- nobody has a job!
Then again, having rotting corpses lying around might just take priority over anything else! But then again we would make a great sales presentation in the seasonal dept.     There just seems to be a very selfish outlook towards everything.
When I visited during the day to turn in my paperwork for WSIB (I work overnights) everyone I knew was clamouring all over me! I got a barrage of comments from "Thank God you're alright!", to "What happened?", to rather cryptic "You realize you'll never live this down...".
Seems that the office politics were fully in swing! Most of the average Joes had absolutely no clue to what happened (ie didn't realize that they were expose to hazardous stuff), upper management was busy white-washing, and those with issues with upper management were drooling and having a fieldday! The person who said that I'd never live this down, practically kissed me. I've known her since I started working here and she's incharge of our Health & Safety. Seems she was having a heck of a time getting the store manager to ok funds for repairs, and since he was on record for noticing the odour and did nothing but pass the buck to my supervisor who again did nothing about the problem, placing the blame squarely on their shoulders and not on hers. What can I say? She is more than delighted that those of us that went to the hospital are ok, got time off, fully compensated, and is having her concerns dealt with without having herself dragged through it.
I know my supervisor is not well respected, I didn't realise that the store manager was that reviled. All I really care about is that there was no permanent health concerns for myself or anyone else. Having my supervisor held accountable for his lack of concern and lack of action...PRICELESS!
This is a guy who feels that he doesn't have to follow protocol because as he puts it..."I don't have to do that because I'm like this with the store manager. *crossing fingers*" and that's verbatim!!! So maybe now he'll learn something...then again maybe not...
The new rumour is that there is a new store opening up in the area and the store manager had his eye on taking over that store. Imay get rid of this problem...then again whose to say there won't be another idiot even worse to replace him? We'll seee what happens...
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Putting the "Con" in Condor....Ooooo... shiny red button!
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25-09-2007 17:00
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SJ_SwanJun
Forum Goddess
I am a Red Squadron.
9 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 26-04-2007
Posts: 2867
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Wanders into the room resembling something like a wounded animal as she pours herself the strongest coffee available grumping that there is no Tim Horton's within walking distance to the office
Gawd food poisoning is a BITCH! Anyone in the Toronto area DO NOT EVER go to JJ Muggs at Woodbine .... The place is a hole, the food sucks and is full of nasty bacteria, and the washrooms are filthy!
And their server is too intent on chatting with people to actually do her work.
Off that though ... Digression queen strikes again ...
I remember back in the day when I did work at store level and the amazing shit customers did.
There once was a fantastic forum called "Customers Suck" a little while back that I'm not sure still exists. It was for all us retail jockeys to vent and tell some stories ... quite a fun place to play, although there was wayyy too much spitefulness to really enjoy things ...
Especially against us smokers ... gah ... got into many heated debates with the anti-smokers on there.
Oh, and their intense dislike of Corporate Office sometimes offended me. I work at Corp, and we aint too bad. Oh sure, you have the piths of the Earth in some departments. Ours is the Planning and Logistics Director ... aka Bitch from the Ninth Circle of Hell. For a woman with an Engineering Masters Degree of whatever it is (Cricket help me out here) she's really quite awful. Since she started she had made lives at Corp and Store level HELL!!! Not to forget hired on "friends" who are as lazy and as useless as she is.
She asked me to proof read (and Don't Y'all laugh at me being the correspondence beta-reader here. I may not be able to put together a decent sentence in a fic, but I can sure as heck write a legal/professional letter) Thanks to Cricket's training way back, I actually do have a decent grasp of grammar. Anyhoo, after three months of her sending out store emails that had to be resent several times EACH TIME because of errors. They were Price Adjustment Letters that have errors in style numbers and pricing that I couldn't double-check - I am the only one with access to send to store level - I complained endlessly that we are beginning to look like useless morons. (the final straw was a store sending me a fax with "How about you *DO* your job and get it right!". So she finally brought me an actual memo to proof.
God.
This thing was awful.
In the end it had more red marks on it than actual black text. I politely asked her who wrote the memo, was told that was none of my business, so I tossed it at her and told her that whoever wrote it needs to take English 101. This letter HAS to be rewritten in its entirety if the author doesn't want to look like a 5th grader. I can only make grammar/spelling/typo changes ... I didn't understand it to even suggest changes.
Understandably, now I am on her hit list. She didn't like me to begin with, she hates me now.
Hell. I warned her when she handed it to me that I am anal retentive over store communications.
 Well, I am only the Phone jockey, right? What do I know?
OH OH OH OH!! I have a new title now (wish I had the money to go with it). I am now Executive Assistant/Receptionist
Nice for the resume, but that's about it. I figure I hold onto it for 12 months, and then go find myself a better job. EA's get paid between $45 - $60K ... I'm still in the $30K range ...
HAHAHA!! Stick it to em.
Well lookie here, I found it ... Customers Suck
Look and enjoy!
Kimi. I'm glad you're okay. Tell your JHSC rep that I feel her pain. I am on our committee, and damn if noone listens. Ice is our biggie here in Winter. We had one of our girls slip on the ice, slide under her car and dislocate her shoulder.
And get this ... Our HR woman is a bitch ... Because walking in the carpark is not classed as working, she wasn't covered. She didn't get WSIB.
I was like, WHAT?!
Nuts ....
Anyhoo ... should go. The Logistics Bitch just called because an email from yesterday (I was off) wasn't sent out and she wants me to tell her why....
Glad you're okay, though, Kimi!! Stick it to them, girl! I wish one of our stores would ...
SJ
__________________
Sighhh
Why do men snore when lying on their backs?
Because their balls fall over their butt holes and they vapour lock.
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26-09-2007 12:28
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CricketBeautiful
Forum God
I am a Zark.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 04-04-2004
Posts: 1211
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Yep, "Do you work here?" is a conversation starter. We usually use, "Look! It's someone in a red shirt! Hubby, I bet that person can help us!" (At which point they usually consider running.)
There is no official branch of engineering for Planning and Logistics, although many engineers end up learning it. Especially in small companies, the Production Engineer is in charge of getting things produced, and that usually includes getting things moved around on time.
She might be a Systems Engineer, no one quite knows what they do; they had model trains in one classroom. I suspect, though, that she's a computer person.
If you want to make waves, look at her business card. Legally, she needs to be a licensed P.Eng. to have the word Engineer on it (Engineering Manager or her degree is OK).
We're taught a degree of arrogance; it's a tough program to get into, let alone through. They know it's impossible to teach you everything you'll need out there, so they teach attitude: I'm an Engineer, therefore I can do it! In theory, they also teach us how to learn what they can't teach us. (A financial advisor once told a bunch of engineers at Nortel (Dad's old job) that the math used to calculate how much they need to retire on was difficult. So they immediately cracked the spreadsheet and improved it.)
I've seen a Foundry Engineer do waste water reviews (the accountants were less qualified). One classmate (a sucker) did payroll (Hey, he's on salary! It's cheaper to not pay him overtime than to get a bookkeeper who already knows how to do it) and carpentry (since the rest of the company had actual job descriptions which didn't include it). Yep, this guy missed the two minutes on the difference between being a team player vs being a sucker.
Dad had one coworker, absolutely awesome design engineer, something to do with telecommunications, who couldn't spell at all; but she had the brains to ask Dad to proofread.
Congrats on the new title SJ! (And, yep, you deserve the salary to go with it.)
If someone slips under a car in my driveway, she gets paid from my home owners' insurance. There should be something similar at the company, especially in case a customer slipped. Does she have any coverage from another insurance, like an employee benefit package? Better still, her husband's? She should go directly to them, and they might be able to get something from the plant insurance. Most lawyers give 15-30 minutes free, long enough to see if it's worth suing them.
__________________
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
- Viktor E. Frankl
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26-09-2007 13:54
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