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Oh My God, Corporate.

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  • Oh My God, Corporate.

    Bad enough that we have to push the "Healthiness+" card like it's going out of style in the first place (asking everyone, even people who are buying stuff that doesn't count anyway, like beer, money orders, gift cards, prescriptions, etc and even asking them twice even if they've said no before, thus risking the ire of the customers); but this just takes the cake.

    Letter handed down from corporate this week. Paraphrasing what it says.

    "We are at <pretty damn low number> out of the <200+> districts. This is embarrassing. So we're gonna do something different. Associates are required to ask for the card. We will be sending people to conduct routine checks. Managers are required to check if associates are asking; if the associate forgets even once you will write them up and you will fax it to us. Oh! And we're going to force a convenient manager to our secret meeting place every Friday. You will attend or there will be dire consequences. Have a nice day!"

    Hm. So, it's basically push the card, resort to secretly signing them up even if they don't want to, and if we don't do any of the above or even if we forget once, it's an automatic write up and potential firing on the spot. (And boring the managers with 5 hour meetings).

    Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
    Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.-Winston Churchill

  • #2
    My vote would be that whomever came up with this policy needs to be the one to enforce it.

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    • #3
      The sad thing is, at least from what I've seen and witness when we do are own charity or whatever pushing thing is, that managers get rewards, area managers get bigger rewards, and districts get huge rewards, like trip to hawaii, if their store, area, or district sales the most.

      Do the clerks get anything? Maybe a thanks.
      Military Spouse Support.
      http://www.customerssuck.com/board/group.php?groupid=45
      Plaidman's Minions: Telecom_Goddess: Dungeon Minion

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      • #4
        When I worked at blockbuster, the frontline grunts got 'prizes,' which invariably sucked so much no one even wanted to win. You would actually try not to make sales, cause if you did, there was a chance you would win. Winning actually hurt employee morale.

        Some of my more memorable winnings:

        A courier bag that wasn't terrible. Except that the first time it got rained on, it just disintegrated, like it was made out of used paper towel.
        Several copies (previously viewed, of course) of movies (for instance; Spanglish) that I hated, and because BB flooded the market with used copies, I couldn't even sell them for a buck.
        A cheap plastic carabiner clip with a built-in watch. I actually liked this one, clipped it to my backpack, then the battery exploded.
        And best of all: a $20 gift card, which the manager 'forgot' to activate, then told me when I tried to use it she couldn't do anything because she has no way of knowing if I stole one and made up a story to get her to activate it. (note: at the time I was employee of the month, and had unfortunately 'won' 8 out of the last 10 promotion drive prizes.
        Aliterate : A person who is capable of reading but unwilling to do so.

        "A man who does not read has no advantage over a man who cannot" - Mark Twain

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        • #5
          The prize system is pretty terrible most of the time. The one time I won a prize worth a damn, it took 6 months for the damn cashier's checks to get signed. 6!

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          • #6
            One contest that was run the first time I worked at a games store, the prizes were as follows:

            Regional Manager - DS Lite System, 2 Games, $500

            Store Manager - DS Lite System, 2 games, $50 gift card

            Other store employees - ONE DS game.
            "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

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            • #7
              Quoth Plaidman View Post
              The sad thing is, at least from what I've seen and witness when we do are own charity or whatever pushing thing is, that managers get rewards, area managers get bigger rewards, and districts get huge rewards, like trip to hawaii, if their store, area, or district sales the most.

              Do the clerks get anything? Maybe a thanks.
              Wait a minute...so the charity gives them money to run these fundraisers in their stores? If that's the case, I wouldn't want to donate to a charity that wastes the money people give to help the cause, so the managers can get bonuses!
              Steven Slater ROCKS! So does James Jones!

              The world is an asshole contest...and EVERYONE'S A WINNER!

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              • #8
                Quoth ralerin View Post

                Hm. So, it's basically push the card, resort to secretly signing them up even if they don't want to, and if we don't do any of the above or even if we forget once, it's an automatic write up and potential firing on the spot. (And boring the managers with 5 hour meetings).
                it is illegal to sign customers up for programs/memberships/upgrades/etc without their knowledge, even if there is no cost for the membership.

                Without consent, there will be hell to pay for corporate. Wait a few months when customers start coming in complaining about junk mail about a program they never signed up for
                "This job would be great if it wasn't for the f***** customers." - Randell 'Clerks'

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                • #9
                  Quoth Rantsylvania 6-5000 View Post
                  Wait a minute...so the charity gives them money to run these fundraisers in their stores? If that's the case, I wouldn't want to donate to a charity that wastes the money people give to help the cause, so the managers can get bonuses!
                  No, the corporate does. They spend their own money, not the charities. If that was the case, no-one would ever help Salavation Army, Children's Aid Socity, Breast Awareness etc, all famous charities run at different places, that the owners of the places press for more fundraising.

                  Likely guess is for publicity, and likely tax write offs. After all, if a owner can offer a Flat Screen TV that costs $500 dollars, and the store that does the most brings in $5,000 dollars, that five dollar cost more then offshots the $4,500 dollar tax write off they get. The charity gets the full 5,000 dollars, the company spends $500 to give to winner, and then gets to write off 4,500 on their taxes for charity....
                  Military Spouse Support.
                  http://www.customerssuck.com/board/group.php?groupid=45
                  Plaidman's Minions: Telecom_Goddess: Dungeon Minion

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I fucking hate rewards cards and think I'm going to start bitching to any company that is threatening their employees that I shop at and refuse to get one. It is a total invasion of privacy for some of them. Also, we got the same pep talk of it being our job to ask. You know what screw it our rewards program used to kick ass they keep cheapening it up and I'm sick of seeing all these fuck sticks who don't buy anytihng getting free coupons to try stuff I buy all the time. OR better yet special offers for people who never come in, as they brag to the loyal people who get pissed off that they get shit on for actually being loyal.
                    I'm sorry reading is not a new concept it has been widely taught in our nation for at least the past 100 years. Please, learn to do it CORRECTLY before you become contagious.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Rantsylvania 6-5000 View Post
                      Wait a minute...so the charity gives them money to run these fundraisers in their stores? If that's the case, I wouldn't want to donate to a charity that wastes the money people give to help the cause, so the managers can get bonuses!
                      Also, when charities offer prizes, those prizes have usually been donated by someone else.
                      "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Plaidman View Post
                        ...The charity gets the full 5,000 dollars, the company spends $500 to give to winner, and then gets to write off 4,500 on their taxes for charity....
                        IANA tax expert, but I would bet that the corp writes it off as $5,000 + list price of prize(s).
                        I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
                        Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
                        Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

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                        • #13
                          Do the clerks get anything? Maybe a thanks.
                          and undoubtably that does not offset the joys you receive from customers bitching at you.

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                          • #14
                            Quoth ravevolution View Post
                            it is illegal to sign customers up for programs/memberships/upgrades/etc without their knowledge, even if there is no cost for the membership.

                            Without consent, there will be hell to pay for corporate. Wait a few months when customers start coming in complaining about junk mail about a program they never signed up for
                            Legal or not, this behavior is actually quite common in many businesses and in my particular case, was even endorsed by my manager.

                            She told me: "If you are doing a transaction and the customer qualifies for a free card just do it, don't even ask, just give them one."
                            "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              If the Customers complain about being bothered by the repeative asking about the cards, and complains, can the idiot who though this up get written up? Please.

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