is this horrible?

[ShepCarlin]

I recently started a part time retail job. I've been out on the floor for about 2 weeks and am absolutely hating it. It's a customer service position that covers a wide range of responsibilities that weren't advertised in the job description. I'm coming home every day just demoralized and wiped out. I'm no stranger to hard work but trying to cover all these roles without any real training is exhausting. I've wanted to work for this company for years and have been waiting for the chance to get my foot in the door. From the way customers have treated me to the incessant and unending list of responsibilities for an hourly job...I'm just done. Couple that with co-workers that routinely don't show up so that I'm on my own, just winging it. Management is almost non-existent.

I knew there would be a learning curve but just the amount of work is mind boggling...answer the phone, complete and issue complicated work orders, schedule appointments, process returns, process purchases, process online and curbside orders, cancel appointments, hunt down department employees for customer assistance and make sure you greet customers as they walk in the door. It is non stop...I've had two people on hold with four standing in line with one yelling at me from the other corner. And Lord knows, I can multi-task...my homeschooling background has honed those skills! 

It feels like I'm juggling chainsaws on a unicycle while someone throws rocks at me.

I've never quit something this early in but I'm old enough now to know this isn't going to work out. Am I a horrible person for quitting? I first thought I'd stick it out for 6 mos but the idea of that makes me ill.

I'm wondering if maybe it would be better if I transferred to another department that is more specialized. The entire store is short staffed so I'm hoping maybe they'd consider it but then I wonder if the issues I'm dealing with are the same store wide. I am a very responsible and conscientious person so I don't make this decision lightly. All I wanted was a part time job to keep my busy as I'm graduating one boy and homeschooling the last one. So, am I a horrible person for considering leaving?

[YaelAldrich]

Not even a little bit. Just do it. You'll feel better and get a different job.

[Melissa Louise]

You're not horrible for quitting or for seeking a transfer. Retail is incredibly hard work for not much reward, imo. 

[itsheresomewhere]

Not at all.  Life is too short to be stuck going to work and feeling that way.  Try either a different department or somewhere else.  

[MEmama]

No, you are not a horrible person. You said yourself you know it won’t work out. Why put yourself through the misery for a job that provides no reward?

Im not a quitter either and understand how difficult the decision would be. But you are ending your shifts demoralised and you know conditions aren’t going to improve. There is no winning by staying, I’m afraid. 
 

adding: Part of adulting is knowing when to walk away. How would you advise your adult child, or your best friend? 

Edited March 22, 2022 by MEmama

[catz]

No, I don't think you're a horrible person for quitting at all assuming you give reasonable notice.

When I was professionally employed, I was intererviewing for a bunch of roles.  Well I took a job while I still had some interviews that were out.  I was about a week into this job.  Which was tototally a mismatch for my skills and was not well described or advertised AT ALL.  I got a better offer after that first week from an earlier interview (they had to wait until quarter end or something to make offers).  It was a much better offer for my skill set.  I took it.  Whew, employer #1 was not happy with me.  But frankly I was a 23 year old 1 year out of college and I can't even tell you how much I would have hated it had I stayed there for any period of time and it definitely would have been worse for them had I stayed a year or 2 and quit.  Hindsight, I feel like I was not given straight facts about the job.  No one around me had similar expertise or skills.

Anyway, my point is that it happens all the time in all sorts of settings.  It is especially expected in retail and maybe these employers will start getting a clue that the compensation isn't aligned with expectations.

Edited March 22, 2022 by catz

[elegantlion]

Nope, you're not horrible. I worked retail for a few years, not sure I could put up with that again. Right before I started college in 2013, I started cleaning hotel rooms. I lasted two weeks at that job - one I had intended to keep while going to school. It wasn't necessarily the work but the poor managment that would tell me I had the weekend off and then call me on Saturday morning and wonder why I wasn't at work. I had told them when I was interviewing that I needed a specific day off work because I was taking placement tests for college. Yup they called me in that day after I had reminded them at least twice. I quit over the phone right then. No regrets, just stories. 

[Faith-manor]

Quit. Just do it. This kind of level to stress can make a person ill. 

[thewellerman]

Yeah, redefine quitting.  You either have to quit the job or quit yourself.  Which one actually matters? 

[Eos]

Not horrible, merely efficient.

[Katy]

Drop the job, don’t put it on your resume. You can literally work anywhere right now. Millions retired, quit over childcare, retired, or died. Just watch out for taking another job without enough employees for sufficient training. 

[wintermom]

What is it about the company that you liked, that made you want to work there? Is it this company in particular that you were impressed with, or the job? Is there somewhere else in the company you would rather work? If so, then quitting is probably not the wisest choice. 

If it wasn't for your first comments about the company, I'd say quit. Lack of training, lack of management support and having to constantly cover for other employees who don't show up would all be excellent reasons to leave a position. 

[JustEm]

What type of work at the company have you wanted to do?  Is the current position really a foot in the door position with upward mobility or is it likely to just be the same thing from here on out?  Those are the things I'd ask myself before quitting.  If there is upward mobility and a position I wanted that was attainable in the next 6 months to a year I might stick it out.  I might even apply for that higher position while still being relatively new at the job because with the state of things now many places are desperate at every job level. If I were likely to be in that position for over a year then I'd quit.

Dh switched careers recently and had to start at the entry level customer service rep position. It certainly wasn't a job anyone would be breaking down doors to have but a great way to get a foot in the door. He started at the beginning of 2020 and got 2 promotions within his first year on the job.  He's now in the type of management position he is happy with for a year or so before going for another position within the company. But he still had to stick it out for 3 months before his first promotion because he had to show his higher ups what he had to offer.

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, thewellerman said:

Yeah, redefine quitting.  You either have to quit the job or quit yourself.  Which one actually matters? 

This is solid Life Advice. I’m totally writing this down and keeping your words where I can see them frequently. 

[ShepCarlin]

29 minutes ago, wintermom said:

What is it about the company that you liked, that made you want to work there? Is it this company in particular that you were impressed with, or the job? Is there somewhere else in the company you would rather work? If so, then quitting is probably not the wisest choice. 

If it wasn't for your first comments about the company, I'd say quit. Lack of training, lack of management support and having to constantly cover for other employees who don't show up would all be excellent reasons to leave a position. 

Practical reasons I thought it would be ideal:

2 mile commute.

It's an industry I have a background in, it's a home improvement store and I was a commercial interior designer before having kids. I know the literal nuts and bolts decently well.

Corporate has a good reputation.

Causal dress code. Since I've been out of the work force, getting to wear jeans and tennis shoes to work is a plus.

Decent schedule that works with our homeschool lifestyle. 

I *thought* I'd get to help customers more. I like talking with people and helping them figure things out but I have learned that customer service is less about helping them and more about getting them in and out the door. Since we are understaffed, I can't walk them to a certain dept. and show them something, I can only direct them there. 

What I see now:

From what I'm seeing the retail side of this company is hit or miss. Like many businesses, it all depends on the staff and management. Since this store is currently understaffed (I'd certainly not be helping the situation if I quit) everyone is spread thin. I had a hard time finding someone to help me load a giant wine fridge in a customer's car yesterday. 

Thinking my 14 yo needs me home more than I thought. Since I started working, he is struggling with some subjects. He's pretty hands off but I wonder if my being out of the house 27 hours a week is affecting him. 

Retail is as bad as we've read in the news. I've had customers literally throw money in my face to pay a bill and one came in mad as a hornet that she lived in the wrong state and took it out on me. The wrong state person I was able to easily brush off, but the money really pissed me off. I'm constantly spoken down to by customers or contractors get upset with me that I don't know a lick of Spanish.

I'm willing to see if they need help in paint as I think I'd be good assisting people with that. 

The lack of training is so concerning to me. It's really put me in some awkward positions.

[MercyA]

I'm so sorry. I would quit with no guilt. The job is not as described and you can tell them that. You can ask about working in paint, but I'm willing to bet you'd still be assigned to other roles as well.

Hoping you find something you'll like much better!

[Annie G]

I’m shocked at the lack of training a big box store Near us gets away with. Ds was hired to work nights and on the second day with NO training he and another new hire were told to use the forklift to lift one of them to the top shelf (way up high) and move large grills down to the floor. No training. The guy just gave him the task and walked away.  (the shelf was higher than the forklift alone could reach)There are very specific rules about using forklifts to lift people, and generally it’s not allowed. But especially with no training! 
This was in 2019, before the pandemic. It’s been awful for a long time and I’m sure it’s even worse now. 
Don’t feel bad about quitting the job, or at least transferring to another job in the store.  What a disappointment that you looked forward to it but it’s such a stressful job!

[Carrie12345]

Quitting isn’t horrible. 
 

Retail always has been a jam packed, juggling chainsaws kinda gig. I’m sorry they misled you about more specialization.

As a 19/20yo, my day as a photo tech spanned running a photo lab department, ordering dairy stock, cutting keys, unloading trucks, processing money grams, answering phones, and playing back up cashier. In a pharmacy, lol.

Working in a nursery/craft/pet supplies store sometimes got even crazier!

These days, it’s only more insane. 

[JustEm]

30 minutes ago, ShepCarlin said:

Practical reasons I thought it would be ideal:

2 mile commute.

It's an industry I have a background in, it's a home improvement store and I was a commercial interior designer before having kids. I know the literal nuts and bolts decently well.

Corporate has a good reputation.

Causal dress code. Since I've been out of the work force, getting to wear jeans and tennis shoes to work is a plus.

Decent schedule that works with our homeschool lifestyle. 

I *thought* I'd get to help customers more. I like talking with people and helping them figure things out but I have learned that customer service is less about helping them and more about getting them in and out the door. Since we are understaffed, I can't walk them to a certain dept. and show them something, I can only direct them there. 

What I see now:

From what I'm seeing the retail side of this company is hit or miss. Like many businesses, it all depends on the staff and management. Since this store is currently understaffed (I'd certainly not be helping the situation if I quit) everyone is spread thin. I had a hard time finding someone to help me load a giant wine fridge in a customer's car yesterday. 

Thinking my 14 yo needs me home more than I thought. Since I started working, he is struggling with some subjects. He's pretty hands off but I wonder if my being out of the house 27 hours a week is affecting him. 

Retail is as bad as we've read in the news. I've had customers literally throw money in my face to pay a bill and one came in mad as a hornet that she lived in the wrong state and took it out on me. The wrong state person I was able to easily brush off, but the money really pissed me off. I'm constantly spoken down to by customers or contractors get upset with me that I don't know a lick of Spanish.

I'm willing to see if they need help in paint as I think I'd be good assisting people with that. 

The lack of training is so concerning to me. It's really put me in some awkward positions.

With all of this I would quit

[ScoutTN]

Walk away. It’s way more stress than it’s worth.

[Tap]

Ask if you can be moved to a department and try that first. Let the scheduler know your concerns and see what they say. If their answer doesn’t work for you, give your notice. 
 

always remember…..with these type of jobs, they were looking for someone when the hired you, so you are not leaving them in a worse position than when you started. 

If you get in the position with the phone again, turn down/off the ringer and do.not.answer it! Don’t put them on hold and do not try to do ‘something quick’ while there are live people in front of you. Worst case scenario , just let it ring. Apologize to the person in front of you about it being annoying, but tell them, that they are your priority right then. As each person comes up, let them know you will get to them when you can, but it will be a bit of a wait so you can help each person. Be 100% honest if you have an estimated time, tell them. That way if they decide to wait for you, it is on them, not you. 
 

To me, Retail is not about multitasking, it is about taking care of one person at a time and doing it well. Trying to help more than one person at a time, slows a person down, increases errors, and frustrates everyone. Sometimes leaving one customer to allow them to do a task/make a decision and helping someone else in the meantime make sense. But that is not multitasking, that is still helping one at a time. Manage your job like you want to be treated as the customer. If some tries to butt in line to ask a question, let them know you have a line and you can help them when you are done. I promise, you will help the same amount of people by not multitasking, and you will be less stressed in the process.

slow down. Be your naturally sweet self. And change what you hate about the job into what you love. 

[Wheres Toto]

I would quit.  I doubt they'll even be surprised or think twice about it.  I'm sure they are used to a certain percentage quitting fairly quickly.

I quit a retail job after 3 weeks when another job opportunity came through.   I've also quit a high level office manager position after less than 3 months.  The position wasn't what it was supposed to be and I was highly unqualified for what they wanted me to do.   

I've had a few jobs that never show up on my resume.

[ShepCarlin]

44 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I’m shocked at the lack of training a big box store Near us gets away with. Ds was hired to work nights and on the second day with NO training he and another new hire were told to use the forklift to lift one of them to the top shelf (way up high) and move large grills down to the floor. No training. The guy just gave him the task and walked away.  (the shelf was higher than the forklift alone could reach)There are very specific rules about using forklifts to lift people, and generally it’s not allowed. But especially with no training! 
This was in 2019, before the pandemic. It’s been awful for a long time and I’m sure it’s even worse now. 
Don’t feel bad about quitting the job, or at least transferring to another job in the store.  What a disappointment that you looked forward to it but it’s such a stressful job!

oh my word...that is OUTRAGEOUS. 

[ShepCarlin]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

Ask if you can be moved to a department and try that first. Let the scheduler know your concerns and see what they say. If their answer doesn’t work for you, give your notice. 
 

always remember…..with these type of jobs, they were looking for someone when the hired you, so you are not leaving them in a worse position than when you started. 

If you get in the position with the phone again, turn down/off the ringer and do.not.answer it! Don’t put them on hold and do not try to do ‘something quick’ while there are live people in front of you. Worst case scenario , just let it ring. Apologize to the person in front of you about it being annoying, but tell them, that they are your priority right then. As each person comes up, let them know you will get to them when you can, but it will be a bit of a wait so you can help each person. Be 100% honest if you have an estimated time, tell them. That way if they decide to wait for you, it is on them, not you. 
 

To me, Retail is not about multitasking, it is about taking care of one person at a time and doing it well. Trying to help more than one person at a time, slows a person down, increases errors, and frustrates everyone. Sometimes leaving one customer to allow them to do a task/make a decision and helping someone else in the meantime make sense. But that is not multitasking, that is still helping one at a time. Manage your job like you want to be treated as the customer. If some tries to butt in line to ask a question, let them know you have a line and you can help them when you are done. I promise, you will help the same amount of people by not multitasking, and you will be less stressed in the process.

slow down. Be your naturally sweet self. And change what you hate about the job into what you love. 

I tried this at first...dealing with one customer at a time while ignoring a ringing phone and then was told I MUST answer the phone no matter what. What blew me away was the day I was processing a return and I was told to leave that customer and go out to the curbside customer "because they are more important". This was said in front of my customer. I couldn't believe it.

[KungFuPanda]

I might stick it out 4-6 weeks to decide. Anything remotely challenging is gonna feel a bit like drowning for a few weeks until you find your feet. I would not commit to 6 MONTHS if I couldn’t make it work. 
 

If you like the company, it might be worth speaking to someone. “There is no way one person can do all of this. Do you have suggestions for prioritizing?” They should be telling you things like “ignore the phones” or “skip task A and C.” If they are worth working for, they will accommodate you in an attempt to keep an employee.  If their answer is “Just do it all at once because we’re short staffed” then they’re about to be even MORE short staffed. 
 

Both of my kids graduated during the pandemic. I’m on my second job. My first one had a really wide range of responsibilities, but the number of customers I dealt with at one time was never overwhelming. I left on good terms (I still visit them and help with events) for an admin job that pays 50% more. 
 

The pay at the admin job is nothing to write home about when you consider they SHOULD have advertised for an executive assistant. I have often used the phrase “That is not a service I provide.” Recently they wanted me to fill in for someone who will be out on Friday and Saturday. I told my boss that he couldn’t afford my weekend rates. 🤣 I let him know that I make at least $60/hour on Fridays and Saturdays. 
 

It sounds adversarial, but it’s really not. I explain my boundaries and maintain them and my boss doesn’t push back. He knows he can trust me to do everything that’s in the scope of my actual job and he doesn’t want to have to hire someone else if I leave. It’s a workers market and it literally pays to be assertive. 
 

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by KungFuPanda

[Katy]

If you're near one, I hear Pottery Barn is looking for designers, which is also retail.  40% employee discount on all Williams Sonoma companies. You're qualified.  I can't imagine anyone yelling at a Pottery Barn employee to desert the customer in front of them for someone more important outside unless they worked driving a forklift or something.

[Catwoman]

Am I the only one who is secretly hoping Shep will tell us the name of the store? 😉 

[elegantlion]

10 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Am I the only one who is secretly hoping Shep will tell us the name of the store? 😉 

Or at least the color. In my area it would be easily identifable by answering blue, orange, or green. 

[itsheresomewhere]

1 hour ago, elegantlion said:

Or at least the color. In my area it would be easily identifable by answering blue, orange, or green. 

I am betting orange based on what I have seen in person as a customer. Although, I hear it is just as bad at blue with training.  

[Faith-manor]

10 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I am betting orange based on what I have seen in person as a customer. Although, I hear it is just as bad at blue with training.  

I think orange. I think this because Monday we went to the Orange and purchased a hot water heater for the Alabama house. (We are currently here enjoying the view and until the rain hit, the weather.) Dh installed it Monday night and discovered it was a lemon - all the seals are junk, water spewed everywhere. He had to wait until morning to call the orange who said "Call the Rheam people", and that was after being on hold for an hour with the orange and then snarled at for daring to call. After an hour on hold with the Rheam, and sending pictures of the crappy seals, he was told to take it back to the Orange with the email printed out declaring the thing as manufacturer defective. So, an hour at the customer service desk (there were NO other customers in front of him), and they told him they would give him a replacement but they would not retrieve it for him. Mark had to go hunt it down, and before it was over with, ended up in the employee only warehouse part of the store with a person who had no idea what he was looking for, then managed to find a hand cart to get it out. Managers walked past and did not even care that a customer was back there.

So I would bet money on the Orange. Sadly, prior to this incident, we have purchased a lot for the Bama house from this Orange and have had good service. The issue has always been the Orange up home in Michigan, and we have a lot of stories about that one. Now this. It is making me think lowly of Tangerine Managers.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Faith-manor

[Tap]

1 hour ago, ShepCarlin said:

I tried this at first...dealing with one customer at a time while ignoring a ringing phone and then was told I MUST answer the phone no matter what. What blew me away was the day I was processing a return and I was told to leave that customer and go out to the curbside customer "because they are more important". This was said in front of my customer. I couldn't believe it.

Ugh. I would either stick to my guns and help one at a time or quit. It is not worth your sanity to try to do more than you can do at one time. ((( hugs)))

Companies can want it all, from the few people they can hire, but that is why they are short staffed. That is not your fault, nor should be your burden. 

[Brittany1116]

I'd be surprised if it wasn't the orange store based on relatives who worked orange/and or blue not too many years ago.

[iamonlyone]

The lack of training and the company's attitude toward customers are big strikes against them. Our son is a retail manager (not home improvement) and he has required online classes and in-person "training the trainer" type training. He writes training manuals for his staff and brings in other mangers for special team-building and training sessions. The goal is to train up employees to promotions—at his store or another store.

Also, his company is all about customer relationships and making connections. So, perhaps you could find another company culture that would be much better—whether that's now or when your youngest is a bit older.

[ShepCarlin]

It’s Orange 😉

7 hours ago, iamonlyone said:

The lack of training and the company's attitude toward customers are big strikes against them. Our son is a retail manager (not home improvement) and he has required online classes and in-person "training the trainer" type training. He writes training manuals for his staff and brings in other mangers for special team-building and training sessions. The goal is to train up employees to promotions—at his store or another store.

Also, his company is all about customer relationships and making connections. So, perhaps you could find another company culture that would be much better—whether that's now or when your youngest is a bit older.

I received a weeks worth of on line training. The system they want us to use up front is not the system from training. My first day on the floor, fellow co-workers said not to worry, they don’t expect anyone to remember any of the training anyway! 
I try reminding myself it’s not brain surgery and lives are not at stake. But I truly don’t like the fast paced work. Coupled with cranky, pandemic weary customers (and a new 90 day return policy) it’s not a good mix.

[MEmama]

7 hours ago, Tap said:

That is not your fault, nor should be your burden. 

THIS.

More words of wisdom.

[Kalmia]

Don't feel bad about protecting yourself. The oxygen mask analogy is apt even in this situation,  if your job is making you physically and/or emotionally unwell this distress will affect your ability to care for yourself and thus by extension your family. I just quit a job with much less stress than you describe, a job many in the field would absolutely love, but I was not suited for it's requirement to be hyper-focused on tiny details. It made me dread getting up in the morning just knowing I was going to miss something important that a person better adapted to the job would handle with ease, the job kept me seated much of the week (less exercise = weight gain and surprise! high blood pressure that I'd never suffered from before), and the time commitment meant that my family and household suffered as did my parents who are beginning to need help. Everyone at the workplace was shocked when I quit (I gave them one month's notice) and my boss begged me to stay. But there is no making my brain into an accountant/bookkeeper/office management brain (they love me because I have people skills which is only 50% of the job). I have two weeks left, and even though I am still going in to work, my heart and mind are so relieved. I will stay out of the workforce, but if I was to need another job, I now know for sure what tasks I am not suited for and also know from past jobs which tasks I could handle and enjoy. Good luck to you on finding something more suitable.

[ktgrok]

I'd definitely try paint first - they seem to be less rushed there. But I also wonder if part of the issue with how customers treat you is sexism in a home improvement type store. Ugh. 

But do NOT put yourself through misery when you don't have to. There is no point in that, and plenty of other places to work. 

[wintermom]

If paint and interior decor is your true passion, could you look at specialized paint or hardware stores? Seems like it might be a better fit. We have a "hardware" store in our city that has an entire warehouse devoted to upscale products for home renos. It also has a typical small-town hardware store.

I find that the big box stores are often very low on customer service and more about pushing out product. 

[itsheresomewhere]

2 hours ago, ktgrok said:

I'd definitely try paint first - they seem to be less rushed there. But I also wonder if part of the issue with how customers treat you is sexism in a home improvement type store. Ugh. 

But do NOT put yourself through misery when you don't have to. There is no point in that, and plenty of other places to work. 

Probably not anything related to sexism. They are just flat out rude to everyone. I wonder if she is having near her what is going on by me.  We have a group of a certain culture who treat anyone in retail as they are beneath them and are just nasty.  I chewed one of them out recently for basically telling the cashier that she was not worthy to speak to them. 

[Catwoman]

Have you considered applying at a nice furniture store? I would think the environment would be much nicer than a big box store.

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Probably not anything related to sexism. They are just flat out rude to everyone. I wonder if she is having near her what is going on by me.  We have a group of a certain culture who treat anyone in retail as they are beneath them and are just nasty.  I chewed one of them out recently for basically telling the cashier that she was not worthy to speak to them. 

We have that too. Unfortunately, my nephew and his wife are two such jerks. 😠

[katilac]

 

19 hours ago, ShepCarlin said:

Am I a horrible person for quitting? I first thought I'd stick it out for 6 mos but the idea of that makes me ill.

Why would quitting make you a horrible person? Do you think you owe the company something because they hired you? You don't. They didn't hire you to be nice; they hired you because they have work they want you to do. They hired you because they need a person to do that job. If they discovered tomorrow that they didn't need you anymore, they would let you go without a second thought. 

Why would quitting in 6 months be any better than quitting now? You don't have to prove anything. You tried a job and it didn't suit you, for whatever combination of reasons. That's fine! 

[goldberry]

Quit and don't look back.  I think young people need to give a job a fair chance *most* of the time, because as a person new to the workforce, you may or may not have reasonable expectations.  And by "fair chance" I mean at least a month, not six months.  At our point in life... life is too short to stay where you are miserable and there are plenty of jobs out there.  Lack of training appears to be a thing these days.  Throwing people out there and telling them to "figure it out" and then being angry when something goes wrong.  No thank you.

[mmasc]

I was going to say quit and that I’d have no guilt whatsoever over doing it in those conditions. Now that I read it’s orange, I say QUIT!!!, even louder and more forcefully lol. I am very, very angry over how “orange” treated me on a purchase during our last move. It.was.horrible. Truly appalling, horrible customer service. 

Edited March 23, 2022 by mmasc

[Clarita]

5 hours ago, wintermom said:

If paint and interior decor is your true passion, could you look at specialized paint or hardware stores? Seems like it might be a better fit. We have a "hardware" store in our city that has an entire warehouse devoted to upscale products for home renos. It also has a typical small-town hardware store.

Actually, this reminds me a store near me that specializes in stone and tile had color/interior design consultants on hand to help customers choose their stone and tile. So, I definitely would expand my search to more specialty stores like furniture, flooring, stone... At that particular store the lady who helped me choose the right colored tile didn't even have to ring me up or anything. The sales associate rang me up, the stone materials expert talked to me about the different materials in countertops and the design consultant lady just helped me with the colors.

[daijobu]

There's a whole article in the Atlantic today that is relevant:

 

"The experience of buying a new television or a double cheeseburger in a store has gotten worse in your lifetime. It’s gotten worse for the people selling TVs and burgers too. The most immediate culprit is decades of cost-cutting; by increasing surveillance and pressure on workers during shifts, reducing their hours and benefits, and not replacing those who quit, executives can shine up a business’s balance sheet in a hurry. Sometimes, you can see these shifts happening in real time, as with pandemic-era QR-code-ordering in restaurants, which allows them to reduce staff—and which is likely to stick around. Wages and resources dwindle, and more expensive and experienced workers get replaced with fewer and more poorly trained new hires. When customers can’t find anyone to help them or have to wait too long in line, they take it out on whichever overburdened employee they eventually hunt down."

[ShepCarlin]

I really wanted to make this work. So, I spoke with our HR person today and asked to be transferred to paint. Company policy says I have to wait 6 months so I told her I wouldn't/couldn't do that. She has to get permission from the store manager to switch me to paint and will let me know. Getting my letter ready to resign as I doubt he'll let me switch and after the day I just had in the, no way am I staying. We had more people storewide call out this morning...literally no one was there to unload trucks as they came to the loading docks and no one to fill online orders. Tool rental never answers their phone and then angry customers get sent to me-but I can't help them. I'm beginning to think only 10 people or so work in this store. I was supposed to eat lunch at noon (arrived at 8am) didn't get to eat until 3. Had one restroom break. Ridiculous. 

Oh and they have me opening on Friday. Which I've never done. It's laughable at this point. 

What's funny is that paint isn't my passion. I just know I'd be good at it. This industry isn't my passion, the big orange store is just so close to my house and I thought they treated their employees well. The benefits are decent...they do 401(k) matching even for part time employees and you can purchase company stock at a discount after a year of employment. But it is totally not worth dealing with the epic mismanagement.

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, Clarita said:

Actually, this reminds me a store near me that specializes in stone and tile had color/interior design consultants on hand to help customers choose their stone and tile. So, I definitely would expand my search to more specialty stores like furniture, flooring, stone... At that particular store the lady who helped me choose the right colored tile didn't even have to ring me up or anything. The sales associate rang me up, the stone materials expert talked to me about the different materials in countertops and the design consultant lady just helped me with the colors.

Agreed that another store type would be better. 

[ktgrok]

I know you said this isn't your passion, but regarding hardware stores, I find that the buying/shopping experience at Ace is totally different than the bigger stores. Still a chain, so hopefull decent benefits, but the staff seem happy and not overworked at all when I go there. I now HATE when I have to go to one of the bigger box stores instead of Ace. Maybe see if you have one near you?

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, daijobu said:

There's a whole article in the Atlantic today that is relevant:

 

"The experience of buying a new television or a double cheeseburger in a store has gotten worse in your lifetime. It’s gotten worse for the people selling TVs and burgers too. The most immediate culprit is decades of cost-cutting; by increasing surveillance and pressure on workers during shifts, reducing their hours and benefits, and not replacing those who quit, executives can shine up a business’s balance sheet in a hurry. Sometimes, you can see these shifts happening in real time, as with pandemic-era QR-code-ordering in restaurants, which allows them to reduce staff—and which is likely to stick around. Wages and resources dwindle, and more expensive and experienced workers get replaced with fewer and more poorly trained new hires. When customers can’t find anyone to help them or have to wait too long in line, they take it out on whichever overburdened employee they eventually hunt down."

This is spot on.