unbelievable statement from my mgr. last night

[Kteacher]

I work p/t at Penney's. I've been there for years, and have always enjoyed working for the company. Last night the night crew were all scheduled to work until 10:30, 1/2 an hour past closing. 10:30 comes, and the mgr. informs us that the new policy is that the entire store has to be cleaned before the night crew leaves for the night. If anyone chooses to leave at the sceduled end of their shift they're required to come in the following morning to finish cleaning the store At first I thought he was kidding, but then I realized he wasn't . I told him I was leaving at 10:30, and that I would see if I could schedule a field trip for my kindergarteners to come back in the morning so I could finish folding pants
I'm tempted to quit, but I make pretty decent money there since I've worked there so long Sorry for the long vent- it justmakes me so mad when companies try to intimidate employees like this.

 

[Tiziminchac]

Sometimes they act like they own you, don't they?

 

[mirthmaiden]

I'd be so out of there. They want to squeeze every last drop from you and then wonder why they can't keep good employees.

 

[wdwmom2]

. Last night the night crew were all scheduled to work until 10:30, 1/2 an hour past closing. 10:30 comes, and the mgr. informs us that the new policy is that the entire store has to be cleaned before the night crew leaves for the night.

I would let him know that and advance notice of a change in policies would be nice. What a jerk. What if you had plans, or a childcare provider that was expecting you home? Some employers must not think that employees have a life outside of their job .

 

[Kteacher]

Mgt. also told this poor young girl that she had to take a shorter break because there was too much cleaning to do. She was afraid to say no, so she didn't take her whole break. It's things like this that really steam me- when they know someone is too timid to stand up for themselves. I told this girl that if that happened again to take her whole break and tell the mgr. to come talk to me. It reminds me of the way Walmart treats their employees. There is a great documentary, I think it's called Walmart:The High Cost of Doing Business, and the exact same intimidation tactics were used on their associates. The company seems to rotate out their store mgrs. every 2-3 years, and I've been there long enough to have worked with 6 different store mgrs. We've had great mgrs. and horrible ones, and I'm hoping I survive this one.

 

[java]

Sounds like a jerk. But who does clean up the store if you guys don't? And would you be paid for staying longer? Do they have an overnight crew to clean it up?
As a shopper I have to say if I go into a store first thing in the morning and it is a pit- with unfolded stuff all over the place I walk out. So they do need some system in place to get the store cleaned. But telling your employees that you are staying until this is cleaned on the night they want you to stay isn't the way to do it!
Good luck and maybe this manager will disappear soon too!

 

[Kath2003]

I have worked in retail part time for 7 years including over Christmas and I have NEVER had to stay more than half an hour beyond closing to clean the shop. If the shop is in that much of a state that it takes the Night Crew more than half an hour to clean it, he needs to be getting more people on throughout the night to ensure that you all can leave on time and that the shop doesn't get into that much of a mess in the first place

 

[Kteacher]

Unfortunately for us, this mgr. did no extra hiring for Christmas We were told that every piece of merchandise was supposed to look like it just came out of the package when we leave for the night. That's fine, but hire enough people to do the job the way you want it done, and don't expect employees to stay past scheduled hours to do this because of your poor planning.

 

[goofyernmost]

I can explain what is happening here, I think. It is the job of the crew, on duty to continuously clean up during their shift. If I were offered the chance to bet on this one, the night crew has been slacking off and leaving the store a mess for the day shift to clean up. That, in turn, has caused considerable justified upset from the day shift and the directive has come down that the night crew cannot leave until the place is looking satisfactory.

They don't really want to pay people extra to stay after when they have already paid them to do the job while they are there. I'm sure that they felt that faced with the idea that they cannot leave until it is done may inspire some to do the job as they go along and not attempt to leave it for others.

There is always another side to every story and as much as we would like to think it, management is not always the bad guy. It has become a trend lately that employees will do as little as possible and determine themselves what is important and what isn't.

If the pay is too low, then get an education and a job that pays more. If, however, one has agreed to work for the money offered then do a good job and perhaps good things will come your way. Hey...it could happen!

 

[Fitswimmer]

That's why I quit Target-same kind of stuff. The store closed at 10, but we didn't get out until 11:30 or later because we all had to clean the store. People were telling me that around this time of year, they were there until well after midnight!!! I heard through the mall grapevine that they were there until nearly 1:30 am after Black Friday. The managers lock all the doors after the last customer leaves so if anyone tries to leave the alarms go off. Since retail is a second job for me-I just couldn't be working that late and then get up to be here by 7 am. I don't know if all Targets work this way-but our local one did back in the summer and it seems to still be going on.

Now at PetSmart-we do stay after closing, but the longest I've ever stayed is 45 minutes, and that's when I was the only one straightening both the dog and the cat areas!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I can explain what is happening here, I think. It is the job of the crew, on duty to continuously clean up during their shift.

They don't really want to pay people extra to stay after when they have already paid them to do the job while they are there.

Speaking as a shopper in Penney's this weekend, there was such a line at the check out that I would have been peeved to see an employee at the racks of clothes straightening up. The place looked like a bomb went off in it and the dressing rooms were a mess, but I don't see how the employees who were there could have done anymore than they were doing. That were working hard and continuously at the registers. I think management needs to hire more people.

 

[PatsGirl]

Assuming you are being paid by the hour, the only cause for concern or complaint I think is lack of notice. The hours should be lengthened on the schedule posted to accommodate the higher crowds and need to stay after close to straighten things up. I've been on both sides -- probably more management than not -- and I agree that work ethic in general is/has been declining but I'd be real upset to be told on my shift that I had to stay later, especially if I was a good worker.

That being said, if you are all working to your best capacity and this company is treating you like this, can you say U-N-I-O-N??? I'm not always an advocate for union involvement but it is a necessity where I work because like another PP said, they were squeezing the uneducated and unskilled workers to the point that even they were quitting a decent-paying job! And, sure, it 's easy to say go get an education or too bad for you, but come on, there are some people out there really busting their butts only to be told to work harder, longer, and skip your breaks to get your work done. That's just not right!

 

[bgirl29]

I have worked at Kohl's before and at Christmas time. That has always been their policy, that the people that work until close are supposed to remain until the store is picked up. During the Christmas season you may be there a couple of hours extra and the manager decides when everyone may leave. Sometimes even after a couple hours things were still messy. I did not enjoy this policy-not knowing when you would be finished for the night. That was bad enough knowing ahead of time that this would happen, I cannot imagine what this Penny's manager was thinking to just announce it on the day he wanted you to stay later. My sister still works at Kohl's and I think a couple years ago someone from upper managment went to work for Penny's.

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

Sorry, I used to work at Old Navy, and part of our job was folding and re-folding as the night went on, BUT, around Christmas time, this was nearly impossible! As soon as I would get done folding a sweater, some person would come along and mess it all up. There is no possible way that you can keep the store neat if customers are going to come along and throw things around! That is one thing that used to burn me up, some customers don't care, seriously, you can pick up the piles of shirts and neatly look through to see the size you need, you don't need to unfold them!

Evening hours in the stores around Christmas are soooo much more crowded then the mornings. The morning people at the store would usually come in an hour earlier than opening and part of their job was to finish straightening the store up. If you think about it, yes, you are supposed to clean up and fold as you go, but the morning shift doesn't have to make sure their store is clean and neat before they leave for the afternoon because the evening people will take over. I think it only fair that whatever the evening people couldn't get done the morning people should finish up.

With that being said, if the evening people are slacking and not doing thier fair share, then I can understand why the morning people could get upset about it. If like you said the store didn't hire enough people to help over the holidays, then it is thier fault, not yours, and I wouldn't be breaking my back either. I would do as much as I can until my shift was over, but not staying especially if I have to get up and go to my other job the next day. The management should have planned ahead, or they should have come in to help since they are understaffed and that is what the managers should do.

Also, there is no point in the post about getting an education and getting another job. A lot of college kids work in department stores for the holiday breaks and summers, I think it was rude to assume that only uneducated people work there. My sister in law her Masters degree, and she worked the holidays at a Macy's near her until she had my nephew. All kinds of people make the world go round, and without the "little uneducated people" you talk about, there wouldn't be anyone working in the stores to help you. For that matter there wouldn't be anyone to pick up your trash, clean out your gutters, snake your drains, or even manufacture your clothes, pack and ship items to the stores, or even deliver your mail. It is so easy to stand on the side lines and judge, but unless you worked in retail, you have no idea what a hard and thankless job it is.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Stores are trying to maximize profits from what may be a slim shopping season by cutting back on holiday hiring. That results in overworked employees, long lines and messy merchandise-there just aren't enough people to do it all or enough hours in the day to do it.

The long lines alone are enough to keep me shopping online...

 

[nut4disney]

The managers lock all the doors after the last customer leaves so if anyone tries to leave the alarms go off.
!

Step One: take video documentation of that with my cell phone for a few months.

Step Two: hand over video documentation to my lawyer.

Step Three: The next time the management locked me in and refused to let me out I would call the police and tell them I was being held at the office by management and wanted to exit the building peacefully. The police don't like it when people are being held against their will.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Assuming you are being paid by the hour, the only cause for concern or complaint I think is lack of notice. The hours should be lengthened on the schedule posted to accommodate the higher crowds and need to stay after close to straighten things up. I've been on both sides -- probably more management than not -- and I agree that work ethic in general is/has been declining but I'd be real upset to be told on my shift that I had to stay later, especially if I was a good worker.

That being said, if you are all working to your best capacity and this company is treating you like this, can you say U-N-I-O-N??? I'm not always an advocate for union involvement but it is a necessity where I work because like another PP said, they were squeezing the uneducated and unskilled workers to the point that even they were quitting a decent-paying job! And, sure, it 's easy to say go get an education or too bad for you, but come on, there are some people out there really busting their butts only to be told to work harder, longer, and skip your breaks to get your work done. That's just not right!

I don't know of any dept stores that will allow a union on their premises-I know Target doesn't, PetSmart doesn't, Walmart doesn't, Macy's doesn't...those are the stores I've worked in and people I know work in.

And I agree-enough with this "get educated and get a better job" line. Why should ANYONE working anywhere be treated unfairly? Just because they aren't college material they deserve to be treated with less dignity than all those educated "white collar workers"??

Step One: take video documentation of that with my cell phone for a few months.

Step Two: hand over video documentation to my lawyer.

Step Three: The next time the management locked me in and refused to let me out I would call the police and tell them I was being held at the office by management and wanted to exit the building peacefully. The police don't like it when people are being held against their will.

It was easier to quit and go to a different job, frankly. I wasn't interested in getting into a prolonged legal battle with them. Since they had recently been fined for not giving workers mandatory breaks, I was fairly sure they had checked out the whole door locking thing with NJ Wage and Hour.

 

[golfgal]

I worked at Macy's for a few years a while back and they tried to pull this on us one Christmas. I gently suggested that if they were going to make the closers stay until the store was pristine that the store should be in that same condition when we arrived at work, thus making the day shift people stay until the store was pristine. They rescinded that and assigned non-commissioned people to various parts of the store to help straighten up. They also made it a policy during Christmas that the last hour of your shift was to be spent cleaning your department but they didn't enforce that very well.

They also 'hired' volunteers to come in and help fold. Various non-profit/sports teams, etc. could come in and fold things and the store would make a donation to their group. That was a GREAT way to get extra help.

 

[Heidict]

If the pay is too low, then get an education and a job that pays more. If, however, one has agreed to work for the money offered then do a good job and perhaps good things will come your way. Hey...it could happen!

Oh, please. Just because someone didn't have the opportunity to get a college education doesn't give anyone the right to treat them unfairly. On the other hand, just because someone has a college education it doesn't make them better either.

It's so sad the way some people in society actually look down on others because they didn't go to college. People who work in retail are not peions there to wait on you! If people had a bit of commen decency and some manners then maybe they wouldn't have to look down on others to make themselves feel better. But, what do I know..........I don't have a college degree!!!!

I worked retail for many years and found that they will try to get away with whatever they can. If it were up to them you wouldn't get any breaks at all, just work work work. The employees have to know their state laws and not be afraid to stand up for themselves. Unfortunatly, when you feel like your job may be in jeopardy if you speak up, it creates an enviroment where the management can easily abuse the staff.

 

[Camicar]

If, however, one has agreed to work for the money offered then do a good job and perhaps good things will come your way. Hey...it could happen!

You've been sniffing too much pixie dust. Most jobs that demand more and more do not reward hard work except by deciding that you are a wimp they can exploit even MORE.

If the pay is too low, then get an education and a job that pays more.

And just bec someone is not college material, could not afford college, or has had their well-paying lay them off and force them into a lower-paying job, does not mean they should not be treated fairly and decently. That's an interesting ethical code -- that bec someone is not in a well-paying job, it means you can piss on them.