Is a store manager ultimately responsible for covering shifts?

[MosMom]

I just got home from work and I'm a little peeved. We had an employee call in sick and I couldn't find anyone else to come in. It is the last weekend of Gymbucks and it was BUSY!!! It was insanely busy. We beat our sales plan for the day by 7% and the sales plan was VERY big. I am a full time assistant manager and we are hourly so I could not call the other FTAM to come in because she was at 40 hours and OT is a big no-no. So I call the store manager who is salary (I assume for these reasons) and he says he just can't come in. I worked alone in a high volume store on a Saturday during Gymbucks (for those that don't know it is a big promotion). I had a line to the door a few times and heard "You are here alone on a Saturday" more times than I care to remember.

Just wondering if the SM is responsible for coming in when nobody else can because I'm a little ticked off. I wonder how many sales we lost due to people getting sick of waiting in line and having no help.

 

[Pop Daddy]

quit.

 

[MosMom]

Good idea. Boss would have a hissy fit.

 

[lulugirl]

He should have come in and I believe it was irresponsible of him not to do so.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Eeek, yes, he should have come in! You must be totally exhausted. Go take a nice hot bath and take it easy for the evening. You have earned it! As for the store manager...what a jerk! It is his responsibility to take over when there aren't enough people.

 

[Pam]

I do believe the Manager should have come in or authorized the OT for the other employee.

Wow - that was a display of bad business sense on his part.

Can you call the district or main corporate office and lodge a complaint so it doesn't happen again?

And - if that had been the Manager there all by her/himself - what would have been the reaction?

 

[Tiggeroo]

Yes they are. I have deliberately turned down store mgr positions because of this responsibilty. Around here summer help is notorious for pulling no shows. Mgrs can work so many hours that their salary is meaningless and the help is making more per hour then you.

 

[MosMom]

I do believe the Manager should have come in or authorized the OT for the other employee.

Wow - that was a display of bad business sense on his part.

Can you call the district or main corporate office and lodge a complaint so it doesn't happen again?

And - if that had been the Manager there all by her/himself - what would have been the reaction?

Well, when I called in our numbers to our district manager I casually mentioned that I did it all by myself! To get the point across that I was alone but not sound like I was whining about it. We'll see if she gets ticked about it.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Heck yea the manager is responsible. I work for a home care agency and the office manager begged for volunteers all week to work last weekend. Well not enough people volunteered, so our big nurse boss went out to see patients. Your manager was VERY irresponsible!!!!

 

[Talking Hands]

I can't count the times when my husband was manager or ***'t manager at a big drugstore chain and had to cover for employees. It was his job. Didn't matter if we had something planned. Sorry baby but I have to stay.

 

[Pam]

Well, when I called in our numbers to our district manager I casually mentioned that I did it all by myself! To get the point across that I was alone but not sound like I was whining about it. We'll see if she gets ticked about it.

Good for you - sounds like you handled this in a very professional way.

Hope some good comes out of this and it doesn't happen to you, or anyone else, again.

 

[Beanie]

Geez, Bridge, is that all you do is whine??

I thought you were going to share one of your funny, weirdo magnet stories with us tonight! Now I have to go find a different post to entertain me!

 

[eeyore kelly]

SM is ultimately responsible. He should have come in.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Yes, the store manager is ABSOLUTELY responsible for covering shifts.

I spent 6 years in specialty retail management, and I remember it well. If a part timer called in I had to cover those hours, either with another part timer or work it myself.

I am SHOCKED that Gymboree allows employees to work shifts alone. I can remember opening stores by myself but by noon or 1:00 another person ALWAYS came in and we had two or three people until closing. I worked for Limited, Too. When I worked for a ladies' dress shop we were NEVER allowed to be in the store alone. When the store was burglarized one night and the police called me I had to call another girl to meet me at the store because we HAD to have two employees present at all times.

Your store manager needs to be written up. I would have called the district manager the minute the store manager wouldn't come in, and I would have asked her what you are supposed to do. Call in another employee for OT? Borrow employees from another location? I am sure many customers were furious with the long lines, and I am sure the shoplifters were having a field day! This was a totally unfair position for you to be in, and it falls completely on the store manager.

I am really angry now! That store manager is a jerk!

 

[powellrj]

thats why DH is no longer a store manager. Worked way too many 24 hour days because people would call off at the last minute. Retail managers salaries are a big joke. I know when he was a grocery store manager there were weeks he made about $5.00 an hour because of all the hours he worked.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I can't believe it. No telling how much merchandise walked out of the store. How were you suppose to watch the store and get something out of the back room? Bathroom? Break? At that point I probably wouldn't have cared if someone walked off with the entire store!


You poor thing.

Lori

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Gee, what a manager. OT should have been approved. Guess what? This goes on at hospitals and nursing homes as well. Scary....
How can you respect the manager? I couldn't.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

well who called out, a sales asscoaite or another manager. If a sales associae calle dout then they should have covered there shift. You should be writing them orr at least documenting that on the last sat of gymbuck they called out. I would say that your SM shoudl have come in. It is there store and leaving you alone isnt cool. Were you the only manager on all day, di you do a double? If so I woud be calling teh DM and leaving a voicemail saying you had to do a double onthe last sat if gymbucks
I know asa stoer manager my Dm would have expevted to me go tin , even if just for a 5 hours work 6 to cl let you go home
or if it was a slaes assciate who called out come in and at least cover part of there shift
thats not a good way to run the store
as next time he needs help you will remember this...

 

[Disney Ella]

I'm surprised your manager wasn't already working on a Saturday. Years ago, when DH was a retail manager, he had to work the busiest days of the week. What kind of manager leaves someone alone on a Saturday?

 

[Disney_1derland]

Yes, that is part of the pain of being a store manager especially a SALARIED SM. My dh has worked countless extra shifts because it is his responsibility to cover when someone doesn't show up. He's had to leave home at all times of day and night to do this. It is the one major downside of his job. The upside is, as the manager you can let go people who do this on a regular basis, which is exactly what should be done.

Sorry you got stranded I should also say that there should be a backup plan in place for situations like this, like a part timer (who is never in danger of going over hours) that is on call specifically for situations like this. As a store manager in the past, I always had someone on 'on-call' status for weekends during a busy season. I have also been known to schedule two people when I only need one, one that comes in say at 1pm and one that comes in at 2pm. If 1pm doesn't show, then 2pm more than likely will. If 1pm does show I can call 2pm and tell them nevermind, they get the day off.