Quitting My Job

[Charles_22]

Well, I know at least with the store I work for, the range they hire in is 18-25. I was hired at 25. We did have another employee who was 30 but she ended up quitting but she had a lot health problems for awhile that she had to deal with. She had another job lined up, thankfully. My mangers are younger than I am.

It’s image and marketing. 18-25 is the ideal age of beginnings, new horizons, and being on your own. That age range is young, still idealistic, doesn’t have too many responsibilities (it image not reality), and can afford to shop and have fun.

Sunday may be the shortest day the store is open but it’s also the busiest day and the one to net the biggest profit. The store I work at, especially since it’s in a mall, looks to make around $50000 on the weekend, most of that on Sunday. It’s also the second largest store in our district (the region we are in as outlined on the company map). A typical sales plan (what they expect to make) for a Sunday is $28,000 and the store is only open from 11-6pm.

But this store is part of a chain. A very profitable chain that hasn’t closed or proposed closing any of it’s stores during this economic crisis. Yet, even it has been hit but the managers I work for don’t seem to understand that hiring new people when there is no money to hire, train, and work them is a bad idea.

Such a sad statement about our country, when people ae so obsessed with material possesions that they have to make people like you work on sunday. And I thought on sundays stores were at least pulling in less than they did on saturdays, I mean that’s really pathetic and to think there’s less hours for them to sell as well.

Pretty funny story, at least for me. Back in the 70’s when we would see our neighbors across the street leave on sunday, we would say they were going to church. Their church of course was a Gibson’s, which back in that day Texas had blue laws and Gibson’s was about the only retail place open. I don’t think those neighbors ever set foot in a real church.

 

[Pacbox]

Pacbox: My goodness, you had younger people tell you that you are immature. Why, you must be a first-born like me Although I wouldn’t think first-borns in sales wouldn’t be all that common. Why you must had given your female boss a suggestion without her asking for your opinion at some time:manvspc:. Shame on you.

Well, I am the oldest of four girls. I just wish I had more of a backbone to stick up for myself. I learned, or should say beat into me, to keep my mouth shut, not to stand up for myself.

 

[Charles_22]

Well, I am the oldest of four girls. I just wish I had more of a backbone to stick up for myself. I learned, or should say beat into me, to keep my mouth shut, not to stand up for myself.

Having said that I would assume you have an older brother (yes, you’re sort of oldest therefore). Yup we oldest often are the silent type for a number of years. We know the youngest will spring the ol’ “too serious” missile any time they please so we’re cautious.

I was thinking for some reason that you were male, but of course the forum ID is neutral. I guess I assumed anybody that would have anything that reminded me of pacman would have to be a guy. You probably should had put MsPacbox . I guess females which are semi-first-born in a family, encountering a female boss, don’t get the treatment the first-born male gets do they? You know, the “don’t make suggestions unless I ask for them” bit?

 

[Pacbox]

Having said that I would assume you have an older brother (yes, you’re sort of oldest therefore). Yup we oldest often are the silent type for a number of years. We know the youngest will spring the ol’ “too serious” missile any time they please so we’re cautious.

I was thinking for some reason that you were male, but of course the forum ID is neutral. I guess I assumed anybody that would have anything that reminded me of pacman would have to be a guy. You probably should had put MsPacbox . I guess females which are semi-first-born in a family, encountering a female boss, don’t get the treatment the first-born male gets do they? You know, the “don’t make suggestions unless I ask for them” bit?

No brothers. I am the oldest of all us kids. There’s 17 months between me and my sister S. Over three years between me and my sister K. And seven years and seven months between me and my youngest sister G. Four girls. That was no fun. I’m not sure brothers would have done any good.

In my family, being the oldest and therefore responsible for everything under the sun (don’t understand that one but that was my mother’s thinking) I was the one punished for everything my sisters did wrong no matter if I wasn’t even in the vicinity of them. I got punished for a lot of things that had no bearing on me (several incidents involved TV programming which I had no control of but still got blamed and punished for).

As for Pacbox, it stands for PACific BOXer, the first university I attended and graduated from with my first degree and its mascot.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[Charles_22]

No brothers. I am the oldest of all us kids. There’s 17 months between me and my sister S.

So you are full blown first-born afterall. Yes, you know about that “too serious” missile real well then and with 3 sisters, I bet it came up a lot more than if they were brothers, but from what I have seen of brothers that are youngest, not that mine was, they can be just as deadly. Must had been pretty fascinating with that many sisters and no bros, but it sounds like you didn’t like it. The situation of that fake family, the Cleavers, has always interested me somewhat, because the family we have in the immediate Dallas area (sister being in Washington) has the Cleaver hue. What is the Cleaver hue? It’s one mother, a father and two boys. It’s a sort of unique situation where one female is surrounded by three males. After my sister moved to Washington, I must had been actually living with my parents maybe another five years and since my deaf mother didn’t have much of any friends to speak of she was always conversing with males. I guess a father with nothing but a wife and daughters would be equally fascinating, which, if your family stayed together and nobody died, would describe your situation. That would make you Cleaver-reverse. I’m guessing. however, your father wasn’t around.

In my family, being the oldest and therefore responsible for everything under the sun (don’t understand that one but that was my mother’s thinking) I was the one punished for everything my sisters did wrong no matter if I wasn’t even in the vicinity of them.

Yes I never really understood that way of doing things as I’m not sure I was ever blamed for anything they did.

I got punished for a lot of things that had no bearing on me (several incidents involved TV programming which I had no control of but still got blamed and punished for).

As for Pacbox, it stands for PACific BOXer, the first university I attended and graduated from with my first degree and its mascot.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j34/pacbox/Boxer.jpg

What is that, some sort of funky Japanese dog? Tragically, I was too smart for college, so I only graduated from high school.

 

[Pacbox]

I’m guessing. however, your father wasn’t around.

My dad was around but worked a long day, usually 6am to 4:30pm. Eventually the scope of his job expanded and he would be out of town during the week and only saw him for a few hours in the evening and on weekends. He made the most of the time we had with us. My mother “stayed” at home (from what I gathered over the years, she was working in a particular field for money not because she liked it but after I was born had a hard time going back to work and not because of me).

Yes I never really understood that way of doing things as I’m not sure I was ever blamed for anything they did. What is that, some sort of funky Japanese dog? Tragically, I was too smart for college, so I only graduated from high school.

It’s actually a Chinese dragon dog, a mythical creature made up of the parts of several difference animals. Boxer, as it’s affectionately known, became the school mascot around the turn of the late 19th/early 20th century (the university is actually a decade older than the state of Oregon where it’s located).

Too smart for college. snort

 

[Charles_22]

My dad was around but worked a long day, usually 6am to 4:30pm. Eventually the scope of his job expanded and he would be out of town during the week and only saw him for a few hours in the evening and on weekends. He made the most of the time we had with us. My mother “stayed” at home (from what I gathered over the years, she was working in a particular field for money not because she liked it but after I was born had a hard time going back to work and not because of me).

It’s actually a Chinese dragon dog, a mythical creature made up of the parts of several difference animals. Boxer, as it’s affectionately known, became the school mascot around the turn of the late 19th/early 20th century (the university is actually a decade older than the state of Oregon where it’s located).

Too smart for college. snort

Well that explains it all then, at least y’all were Cleaver-reverse for a little while.

Yes, I noticed the tail was unlike any dog I had ever seen, more like a horse.

My too smart for college snipe was my attempt to duplicate this quote from a comedy show: “I’d like to get into program planning, but unfortunately I’ve got a degree”.

 

[Pacbox]

Well that explains it all then, at least y’all were Cleaver-reverse for a little while.

Yes, I noticed the tail was unlike any dog I had ever seen, more like a horse.

My too smart for college snipe was my attempt to duplicate this quote from a comedy show: “I’d like to get into program planning, but unfortunately I’ve got a degree”.

I loved the “too smart for college” line. I just forgot the smilie.

And so without further adieu: The proper smilie for that post.

 

[Pacbox]

So I gave my two weeks notice to my store manager last night after the store meeting. She took it fine. As a person, she’s fine. She just shouldn’t be in management just like most of the managers just shouldn’t be in management. They just focus too much on money and little to nothing on the employees.

Apparently, I also found out that I didn’t get written up even though I was told I would be written up. And no one even noticed I had been not working for the last six weeks. There are a lot of new girls and they kept a lot of new girls from holiday that were never supposed to be kept beyond the end of December. When I’m gone, nobody is going to notice. I really don’t care about that but it does demonstrate how short of an attention span some people have or how focused they get on something that they ignore everything else.

I needed to quit, not just because the job had turned into not a job, but I was not going to be really looking for anything else unless I did something drastic. I was “comfortable” with what I had. Why go looking, even with growing bills, to find a new job? I “had” a job so no need to rock the boat. Plus, I was afraid that I would never be able to find a job or be hired for one. I was surprised when I got this job. There’s history behind that that I won’t get into here.

 

[Charles_22]

So I gave my two weeks notice to my store manager last night after the store meeting. She took it fine. As a person, she’s fine. She just shouldn’t be in management just like most of the managers just shouldn’t be in management. They just focus too much on money and little to nothing on the employees.

Apparently, I also found out that I didn’t get written up even though I was told I would be written up. And no one even noticed I had been not working for the last six weeks. There are a lot of new girls and they kept a lot of new girls from holiday that were never supposed to be kept beyond the end of December. When I’m gone, nobody is going to notice. I really don’t care about that but it does demonstrate how short of an attention span some people have or how focused they get on something that they ignore everything else.

I needed to quit, not just because the job had turned into not a job, but I was not going to be really looking for anything else unless I did something drastic. I was “comfortable” with what I had. Why go looking, even with growing bills, to find a new job? I “had” a job so no need to rock the boat. Plus, I was afraid that I would never be able to find a job or be hired for one. I was surprised when I got this job. There’s history behind that that I won’t get into here.

I know where you’re coming from and with the job situation and my sort of job that I did for 22 years destined for outsourcing to India, is it any wonder I don’t know what I want to do or that I don’t see people wanting to hire? I have been unemployed for almost a year now. Fortunately I was paid severance pay exceeding the pay I had when I worked but that stopped three months ago. I still have about $300 income a month and I really do wish I was retired, as I tire of working for corporations who think just because they hired you they can then do what they want with you. It’s not like they usually do, it’s just the principle of the thing that gets me. I guess I will end up working some low payiing job without health insurance most likely, We will have to see if what few contacts I have with the IT world will pan out, and whether I want to do that line of work anymore.

To hear of your job though, if I didn’t know better, it sounds like it was a brothel. I mean really, it looks like their idea of driving up sales is to put new female flesh in there as much as possible. I know that’s not what it is, but it does not sound good at all. Do they sell nothing but women’s wear or something?

Not being missed for that long? Sickening. It almost sounds as though they hire nothing but part-time girls. I would never do a part-time job, unless I had a full-time one already, but that’s just me. I guess it can get you in the door more easily sometimes though and from the sound of things it seems you’re probably still schooling, or leaving that option open anyway.

 

[Pacbox]

I know where you’re coming from and with the job situation and my sort of job that I did for 22 years destined for outsourcing to India, is it any wonder I don’t know what I want to do or that I don’t see people wanting to hire? I have been unemployed for almost a year now. Fortunately I was paid severance pay exceeding the pay I had when I worked but that stopped three months ago. I still have about $300 income a month and I really do wish I was retired, as I tire of working for corporations who think just because they hired you they can then do what they want with you. It’s not like they usually do, it’s just the principle of the thing that gets me. I guess I will end up working some low payiing job without health insurance most likely, We will have to see if what few contacts I have with the IT world will pan out, and whether I want to do that line of work anymore.

To hear of your job though, if I didn’t know better, it sounds like it was a brothel. I mean really, it looks like their idea of driving up sales is to put new female flesh in there as much as possible. I know that’s not what it is, but it does not sound good at all. Do they sell nothing but women’s wear or something?

Not being missed for that long? Sickening. It almost sounds as though they hire nothing but part-time girls. I would never do a part-time job, unless I had a full-time one already, but that’s just me. I guess it can get you in the door more easily sometimes though and from the sound of things it seems you’re probably still schooling, or leaving that option open anyway.

When I started out, I was still in school so it worked that the job was part-time (the only full time is management and typically don’t pull from those already working for the store). Retail, in general, had a high turn over rate, but yeah, it hurt not to be missed and there were people there I knew but they didn’t say a word to me. The thing is, this time of year we don’t normally hire. It’s our slow period so there’s no budget. But when I went to the meeting, about 3/4 of the girls there were new.

As for the brothel, the store is entirely geared towards women. It’s marketing uses sex to sell but then almost all marketing these days uses sex to sell.

Now, I’m looking for full time. I’m done with school for now and don’t want to go back for any for a while.

 

[Charles_22]

When I started out, I was still in school so it worked that the job was part-time (the only full time is management and typically don’t pull from those already working for the store). Retail, in general, had a high turn over rate, but yeah, it hurt not to be missed and there were people there I knew but they didn’t say a word to me. The thing is, this time of year we don’t normally hire. It’s our slow period so there’s no budget. But when I went to the meeting, about 3/4 of the girls there were new.

As for the brothel, the store is entirely geared towards women. It’s marketing uses sex to sell but then almost all marketing these days uses sex to sell.

Now, I’m looking for full time. I’m done with school for now and don’t want to go back for any for a while.

So I guess you’re saying that my worst fears were true, that they don’t really have a sound reason to hire only girls, such as would be the case for women’s wear. Ugh.

 

[Pacbox]

So I guess you’re saying that my worst fears were true, that they don’t really have a sound reason to hire only girls, such as would be the case for women’s wear. Ugh.

What I think happened, is that instead of having times of not hiring, the hiring manager just continues to hire anybody who applies. That’s not good business practice. They do a cursory background check and reference check and then train them. That’s actually dangerous because you don’t know what you are getting in an associate. They could be a thief that hasn’t been caught yet (which we’ve had problems in the past with associates stealing). They could be drug addicts. I call it “sob story syndrome” where the applicant gives a sob story and the hiring manager hears it and says we’ll give you a job. Emotional manipulation.

Going back to the high turnover rate, the job of a sales associate, at least with this store, is not a stand there and look pretty job. You have to know a lot of information, be able to interact with customers, and deal with customers who have major complaints. Many of the girls who are hired can’t manage it and many of the ones who stay still don’t manage it and give only half the effort (usually only when a manager is watching). So that other half of the effort I get stuck picking up and it makes my job even bigger without any support or acknowledgment or thanks. Just yelling and blamed for stuff. I end up doing the work of four people and getting paid for the work of one while the floor associates barely work (some actually do work and work hard but those are fewer and far between) get paid the same but get the thanks and praise from management.

And that lack of effort is showing in the customer surveys. We’re supposed to be known for our customer service. A year ago, we were in the 90th percentile. Now, we’re lucky to get above 50%. And I think our current numbers are lower than that. So this mentality that management has on focusing on the money and not so much on customer service (though they tout it like crazy at meetings) is only hurting them. But they don’t see the correlation between hiring practices and the quality of customer service.

Oh, they do hire guys but they either don’t last very long or are gay.

 

[Charles_22]

Well it’s good to see the associates were more than just pretty mannequins. I almost always find customer service annoying myself. It’s quite annoying to be in the same department and be interrupted by three or more different people; such as when I’m looking for a dvd. They never ask to order something for you, but that’s about the only way they could help me, and even then I would probably prefer to order it from amazon or someplace similar.