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Warning : Longish.
Years ago I worked for a place where they gave you a little red vest when you become a Customer Service Manager. Not only did they think this vest was a cape, but that it made you have super powers of some sort. When you donned this cape..I mean vest..you were expected to do things that were not possible by 'mere' humans.
I will give you a small rundown of a 'typical' night..this isn't even when crowded (so the CSM doesn't have to run a cash register on top of everything). Now mind you, this is 3rd shift. Anyhow .. typical shift.
As soon as you hit the door, even before you clock in, you pretty much hit the ground running. There WILL be a crisis, and you WILL deal with it, too bad for you if you don't get paid for it. Usually some SC complaining about something, and demanding you fix it NOW. Once that is dealt with you MIGHT get lucky enough to go clock in..even if you arrive 30 min early, expect only to be able to clock in (if lucky) 5-10 minutes late. Even if you don't wear your vest when you come in, because yes Customers WILL recognize you, and know you normally wear said vest.
After clocking in, immediately you will have to get bags and sign in cashiers as there is a shift change. That is actually the slowest, most pleasant time you will have..charish it. Service desk, and every cashier is either going off duty or on duty. Still, it is the BEST time of the night, make the most of it.
Now after this, expect a LOT of walking. Because you have to deal with both electronics overrides (which at this time required a key turn, now they have devices that handle it lol), and front desk overrides...and for some reason you will run back and forth between the two, just as you get one done the other will need you, and vice versa.
Now the fun part. Breaks, and the midnight change over. Not ONLY do you have to change the bags that were just put in an hour ago (11pm was my official start time), BUT you have to make sure that electronics gets their break. While customers yell about the wait because the registers reset and you MUST get new bags for the cashiers.
Ok, that is done. Now you have to make sure service desk gets their break, and start giving the other cashiers their break as soon as possible. When they get back, start sending them god knows where, your manager will tell you though. You will have ONE cashier left..to run both service desk and register.
This includes restocking endcaps too mind you. Which if nobody else can do it, you will do it. Oh yes, and don't forget those breakboxes. You and your cashiers (who I will remind you are everywhere ELSE) will sort the breakboxes. Did we forget to mention you and your cashiers will have to sort returns also? No? Silly us.
If things get backed up, by all means call your cashiers to the front. What do you mean the customers had to wait more then 30 seconds because it takes time for the cashiers to get from where they are to the registers?! That is unacceptable!!
Ok time for your first break. Just don't get comfortable. It is almost guaranteed you will hear your name as SOON as you sit down. Hey you have to clock out for break and lunch, and your code doesn't work while clocked out, but that is NOT our problem. No, you absolutely MUST clock out for break and lunch, no exceptions. No you CAN not clock back in till you are done. Yes you will remain clocked out for x number of minutes. Yes you WILL help customers out anyhow. How? Not our problem.
So you had a 2 minute break (15 minutes off the clock) and a 10 min lunch (30 min off the clock). Your tough luck. Time to give the cashiers their lunches. Yes that leaves ONE person to do the front, but hey their won't be any customers right? Oh yeah and your cashiers can't do anything while off the clock, so good luck with that. Now you have gotten everybody their lunch (and last break). Things have settled down for 30 seconds? Great, you have time to start getting ready for first shift cashiers to come in. Hope it is "S" (my favorite first shift cashier of ALL time) who will you know actually clock in on time, and actually start work without much fuss.
One CSM for front and Electronics. ONE. Who also does endcaps, breakboxes, stocks..all because of management. But that wasn't really what got me. I mean hey I am superman
. I can do it.
No the straw that broke the camels back needs a little more background.
Besides the CSM there was often not a manager in the place, and when there was they were JUST as busy (if not more so). Stocking, etc. So for the most part, despite not getting the wages, or having the authority, I was basically the manager.
So one morning I was called into the office. First thought was "Oh no what did I or one of my cashiers do?!" no no. That would actually make sense. I was yelled at because a STOCKER was rude to a customer. No not one of my cashiers who was helping stock, one of the people they had hired just to do stock. Despite them being NOWHERE near where I was at the time, nobody even telling me (not even the customer) what had happened, and me not officially having any authority over stockers AT ALL. Yet I was written up for it anyhow. Bwah? I wasn't there much longer after that.
Years ago I worked for a place where they gave you a little red vest when you become a Customer Service Manager. Not only did they think this vest was a cape, but that it made you have super powers of some sort. When you donned this cape..I mean vest..you were expected to do things that were not possible by 'mere' humans.
I will give you a small rundown of a 'typical' night..this isn't even when crowded (so the CSM doesn't have to run a cash register on top of everything). Now mind you, this is 3rd shift. Anyhow .. typical shift.
As soon as you hit the door, even before you clock in, you pretty much hit the ground running. There WILL be a crisis, and you WILL deal with it, too bad for you if you don't get paid for it. Usually some SC complaining about something, and demanding you fix it NOW. Once that is dealt with you MIGHT get lucky enough to go clock in..even if you arrive 30 min early, expect only to be able to clock in (if lucky) 5-10 minutes late. Even if you don't wear your vest when you come in, because yes Customers WILL recognize you, and know you normally wear said vest.
After clocking in, immediately you will have to get bags and sign in cashiers as there is a shift change. That is actually the slowest, most pleasant time you will have..charish it. Service desk, and every cashier is either going off duty or on duty. Still, it is the BEST time of the night, make the most of it.
Now after this, expect a LOT of walking. Because you have to deal with both electronics overrides (which at this time required a key turn, now they have devices that handle it lol), and front desk overrides...and for some reason you will run back and forth between the two, just as you get one done the other will need you, and vice versa.
Now the fun part. Breaks, and the midnight change over. Not ONLY do you have to change the bags that were just put in an hour ago (11pm was my official start time), BUT you have to make sure that electronics gets their break. While customers yell about the wait because the registers reset and you MUST get new bags for the cashiers.
Ok, that is done. Now you have to make sure service desk gets their break, and start giving the other cashiers their break as soon as possible. When they get back, start sending them god knows where, your manager will tell you though. You will have ONE cashier left..to run both service desk and register.
This includes restocking endcaps too mind you. Which if nobody else can do it, you will do it. Oh yes, and don't forget those breakboxes. You and your cashiers (who I will remind you are everywhere ELSE) will sort the breakboxes. Did we forget to mention you and your cashiers will have to sort returns also? No? Silly us.
If things get backed up, by all means call your cashiers to the front. What do you mean the customers had to wait more then 30 seconds because it takes time for the cashiers to get from where they are to the registers?! That is unacceptable!!
Ok time for your first break. Just don't get comfortable. It is almost guaranteed you will hear your name as SOON as you sit down. Hey you have to clock out for break and lunch, and your code doesn't work while clocked out, but that is NOT our problem. No, you absolutely MUST clock out for break and lunch, no exceptions. No you CAN not clock back in till you are done. Yes you will remain clocked out for x number of minutes. Yes you WILL help customers out anyhow. How? Not our problem.
So you had a 2 minute break (15 minutes off the clock) and a 10 min lunch (30 min off the clock). Your tough luck. Time to give the cashiers their lunches. Yes that leaves ONE person to do the front, but hey their won't be any customers right? Oh yeah and your cashiers can't do anything while off the clock, so good luck with that. Now you have gotten everybody their lunch (and last break). Things have settled down for 30 seconds? Great, you have time to start getting ready for first shift cashiers to come in. Hope it is "S" (my favorite first shift cashier of ALL time) who will you know actually clock in on time, and actually start work without much fuss.
One CSM for front and Electronics. ONE. Who also does endcaps, breakboxes, stocks..all because of management. But that wasn't really what got me. I mean hey I am superman
. I can do it.No the straw that broke the camels back needs a little more background.
Besides the CSM there was often not a manager in the place, and when there was they were JUST as busy (if not more so). Stocking, etc. So for the most part, despite not getting the wages, or having the authority, I was basically the manager.
So one morning I was called into the office. First thought was "Oh no what did I or one of my cashiers do?!" no no. That would actually make sense. I was yelled at because a STOCKER was rude to a customer. No not one of my cashiers who was helping stock, one of the people they had hired just to do stock. Despite them being NOWHERE near where I was at the time, nobody even telling me (not even the customer) what had happened, and me not officially having any authority over stockers AT ALL. Yet I was written up for it anyhow. Bwah? I wasn't there much longer after that.
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