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I could seriously get fired over what just happenned over this. If not from what I did, then maybe the dent I put in the wall in the break area.
Let me explain, there's suckiness everywhere here, myelf included.
For backstory, I'm dealing with A LOT of personal issues right now. I have one friend who's in the final stages of cancer and just had a marrow transplant, I had a cancer scare involving my mother, my wallet was stolen and I've been dealing with ID theft, trying to get my car fixed, speaking with a bankruptcy attorney, etc, etc. There's alot more than that going on emotionally (Nervous breakdowns suck) but those are some of the reasons I haven't been around as much. That's all for a different thread, though.
Well, we're supposed to keep our work lives seperate from our personal lives. I understand that, we all do. But, there are times when it's just not possible to let your personal life effect what you do at work, and you make poor decisions and aren't on the ball.
I had recieved a written warning earlier this week because my car was in the shop and I needed my roommate to give me a ride to work. I opened a few minutes late for three days until my car was fixed. I informed my employer about this but ultimately it was my responsibility to get to work on time, or public transit, etc. Personally, they're lucky I was able to show up AT ALL. I can sum this up in a few words:
I'm on thin ice.
I tried to get back into school this fall but was denied financial aid. I made the mistake of tending my resignation stating I would be leaving the company at the end of August before I got the final word on if I was approved or not. I guess I wanted to be a loyal employee and give them notice so I was able to get another manager up there and trained (which takes longer than two weeks) but it ended up backfiring on me.
The company offered to keep me on but they had already hired for the showroom I was vacating, so the only other position was a showroom that I need to commute to 50 miles each way, along wih a salary pay cut of 40%. This sucks, no question, but I should be making alot more commission as the volume is much more than I see at my showroom. It's going to take a while for the extra commission to kick in, so I've been trying to find a part time job to compensate for it, if my employer would just give me set days off. Plus, both myself and the other people in the company are looking forward to me not being a manager anymore where I can focus strictly on sales and not have to correct other people's mistakes.
All that might be out the window because of this thief.
It's my first day after transferring, and I'm already in a bad mood because of my car. I get to showroom, late, and there are already people there. There's a big $400 chair sitting by the front door with a SOLD sign on it, it was a product we don't carry anymore so we're selling it off as a floor sample. There's a note on the desk that I skim, from the manager there that someone would be in to pick up the chair.
Two hours go by and I am slammed with business. I'm working by myself and juggling seven different groups, all in all about 20 people in my store. I'm writing up business left and right, and then two women walk in. I ask them how I can help them, and they state that they are there to pick up the chair.
Usually, when we get swamped, and we want to get someone out quickly with the floor sample they bought, we just have them put a signature on a form that we then fill out ourselves with the name, invoice info, etc. I told them I was a little busy, but just go ahead and load it up into their car and come back before they left so they could sign.
Keep in mind that the chair had a giant "SOLD" tag on it.
They go to the chair and pick it up and load it - all the while I'm helping other customers. I get a break, go out with a clipboard and have them sign the relevant form. Wish them a good day and they're on their way.
I think you all see where this is heading.
So I leave that form out Tuesday night for the manager to see, as we always tend to leave paperwork out so we have a good idea of what's going on. Go home that night, spend my day off job hunting for a part time or graveyard job, and after that went home to get some much needed sleep.
Came in this morning and it hit the fan big time. There's a note on my desk from the manager:
"Dude, you did SELL her the chair, right? I can't find an invoice for her."
Stapled to this was the original note I had skimmed, where upon reading it again, it said "Customer will be in to pay for/pick up the chair."
I get confused and then start to realize a few things, in this order.
The chair had a sold sign on it.
The chair had a sold sign on it because the manager was holding it until it could be picked up.
No invoice means no payment was recieved.
It wasn't paid for, so the manager put the sign on there to make it unavailable to other customers and didn't inform me thats why it was on there.
The customer picked up the chair.
The chair cost $400 dollars.
The customer picked up the chair.
The chair wasn't paid for.
The customer picked up the chair.
So, I'm sitting here, holding these two notes, and then I have what I like to call the ohnosecond. It's that split instant when you not only realize that you messed up, but just how bad you messed up.
The customer walked out with a $400 chair without paying for it.
The customer stole the chair.
I let the customer walk out with a $400 chair.
I let someone steal a $400 chair.
Holy shit, I let someone steal a $400 chair.
I went ballistic. When it finally dawned on me that a $400 chair had been stolen right out from under my nose, I'm glad there was nobody in the store. I shouted profanity at the top of my lungs and punched the wall hard enough dent the drywall and leave some nice bloody knuckle prints (Thank god I didn't hit a stud or I would have broken my hand.)
A few thoughts going through my mind right now, as I sit here with my hand bandaged (first aid kit under the sink needs more guaze, will have to get that later)
I'm furious at this "customer" because they KNEW what they were doing, and saw I was busy and pulled a fast one on me, taking advantage of the fact I was so busy. Not once did she say "I'm here to pay for it and pick it up," or "Oh, I need to pay for it still" or "I haven't paid for it yet," when I had them sign the form and tell them they were good to go...
I'm pissed off at the manager because you don't put a SOLD sign on a piece of furniture that HASN'T been sold in the first place, we don't hold pieces that aren't paid for, the sign says SOLD, not HOLD.
And ultimately? I'm mad at myself, more than anyone else. I let this happen. I've been a manager here for three goddamned years and I let someone walk out with a $400 chair. I should have checked. I shouldn't have had faith in humanity. I should have dug around for the invoice instead of assuming there was one (There SHOULD have been because of the fucking SOLD sign on the piece!)
I can try to rationalize it, but ultimately it is my fault that it happened. Because I was in the store, I got the signature, and I didn't verify that the chair had been paid for.
I've tried calling this customer back frantically all morning and afternoon - and of course, no answer.
When the district manager finds out about this, offering to pay for the chair won't do any good - when he finds ut about this, I'll either get a pay cut that makes it so I can't work there anymore or, well, I won't have to worry about the time constraints of finding a new one to work around my current one.
I'm thinking of closing for an hour and going to get a really really strong drink. I had a story I wanted to share about a different SC that happened last week, but didn't have the time.
Now, I think I'm going to be sick, or have a heart attack. My heart rate hasn't slowed down at all and I feel like I'm about to collapse.
Let me explain, there's suckiness everywhere here, myelf included.
For backstory, I'm dealing with A LOT of personal issues right now. I have one friend who's in the final stages of cancer and just had a marrow transplant, I had a cancer scare involving my mother, my wallet was stolen and I've been dealing with ID theft, trying to get my car fixed, speaking with a bankruptcy attorney, etc, etc. There's alot more than that going on emotionally (Nervous breakdowns suck) but those are some of the reasons I haven't been around as much. That's all for a different thread, though.
Well, we're supposed to keep our work lives seperate from our personal lives. I understand that, we all do. But, there are times when it's just not possible to let your personal life effect what you do at work, and you make poor decisions and aren't on the ball.
I had recieved a written warning earlier this week because my car was in the shop and I needed my roommate to give me a ride to work. I opened a few minutes late for three days until my car was fixed. I informed my employer about this but ultimately it was my responsibility to get to work on time, or public transit, etc. Personally, they're lucky I was able to show up AT ALL. I can sum this up in a few words:
I'm on thin ice.
I tried to get back into school this fall but was denied financial aid. I made the mistake of tending my resignation stating I would be leaving the company at the end of August before I got the final word on if I was approved or not. I guess I wanted to be a loyal employee and give them notice so I was able to get another manager up there and trained (which takes longer than two weeks) but it ended up backfiring on me.
The company offered to keep me on but they had already hired for the showroom I was vacating, so the only other position was a showroom that I need to commute to 50 miles each way, along wih a salary pay cut of 40%. This sucks, no question, but I should be making alot more commission as the volume is much more than I see at my showroom. It's going to take a while for the extra commission to kick in, so I've been trying to find a part time job to compensate for it, if my employer would just give me set days off. Plus, both myself and the other people in the company are looking forward to me not being a manager anymore where I can focus strictly on sales and not have to correct other people's mistakes.
All that might be out the window because of this thief.
It's my first day after transferring, and I'm already in a bad mood because of my car. I get to showroom, late, and there are already people there. There's a big $400 chair sitting by the front door with a SOLD sign on it, it was a product we don't carry anymore so we're selling it off as a floor sample. There's a note on the desk that I skim, from the manager there that someone would be in to pick up the chair.
Two hours go by and I am slammed with business. I'm working by myself and juggling seven different groups, all in all about 20 people in my store. I'm writing up business left and right, and then two women walk in. I ask them how I can help them, and they state that they are there to pick up the chair.
Usually, when we get swamped, and we want to get someone out quickly with the floor sample they bought, we just have them put a signature on a form that we then fill out ourselves with the name, invoice info, etc. I told them I was a little busy, but just go ahead and load it up into their car and come back before they left so they could sign.
Keep in mind that the chair had a giant "SOLD" tag on it.
They go to the chair and pick it up and load it - all the while I'm helping other customers. I get a break, go out with a clipboard and have them sign the relevant form. Wish them a good day and they're on their way.
I think you all see where this is heading.
So I leave that form out Tuesday night for the manager to see, as we always tend to leave paperwork out so we have a good idea of what's going on. Go home that night, spend my day off job hunting for a part time or graveyard job, and after that went home to get some much needed sleep.
Came in this morning and it hit the fan big time. There's a note on my desk from the manager:
"Dude, you did SELL her the chair, right? I can't find an invoice for her."
Stapled to this was the original note I had skimmed, where upon reading it again, it said "Customer will be in to pay for/pick up the chair."
I get confused and then start to realize a few things, in this order.
The chair had a sold sign on it.
The chair had a sold sign on it because the manager was holding it until it could be picked up.
No invoice means no payment was recieved.
It wasn't paid for, so the manager put the sign on there to make it unavailable to other customers and didn't inform me thats why it was on there.
The customer picked up the chair.
The chair cost $400 dollars.
The customer picked up the chair.
The chair wasn't paid for.
The customer picked up the chair.
So, I'm sitting here, holding these two notes, and then I have what I like to call the ohnosecond. It's that split instant when you not only realize that you messed up, but just how bad you messed up.
The customer walked out with a $400 chair without paying for it.
The customer stole the chair.
I let the customer walk out with a $400 chair.
I let someone steal a $400 chair.
Holy shit, I let someone steal a $400 chair.
I went ballistic. When it finally dawned on me that a $400 chair had been stolen right out from under my nose, I'm glad there was nobody in the store. I shouted profanity at the top of my lungs and punched the wall hard enough dent the drywall and leave some nice bloody knuckle prints (Thank god I didn't hit a stud or I would have broken my hand.)
A few thoughts going through my mind right now, as I sit here with my hand bandaged (first aid kit under the sink needs more guaze, will have to get that later)
I'm furious at this "customer" because they KNEW what they were doing, and saw I was busy and pulled a fast one on me, taking advantage of the fact I was so busy. Not once did she say "I'm here to pay for it and pick it up," or "Oh, I need to pay for it still" or "I haven't paid for it yet," when I had them sign the form and tell them they were good to go...
I'm pissed off at the manager because you don't put a SOLD sign on a piece of furniture that HASN'T been sold in the first place, we don't hold pieces that aren't paid for, the sign says SOLD, not HOLD.
And ultimately? I'm mad at myself, more than anyone else. I let this happen. I've been a manager here for three goddamned years and I let someone walk out with a $400 chair. I should have checked. I shouldn't have had faith in humanity. I should have dug around for the invoice instead of assuming there was one (There SHOULD have been because of the fucking SOLD sign on the piece!)
I can try to rationalize it, but ultimately it is my fault that it happened. Because I was in the store, I got the signature, and I didn't verify that the chair had been paid for.
I've tried calling this customer back frantically all morning and afternoon - and of course, no answer.
When the district manager finds out about this, offering to pay for the chair won't do any good - when he finds ut about this, I'll either get a pay cut that makes it so I can't work there anymore or, well, I won't have to worry about the time constraints of finding a new one to work around my current one.
I'm thinking of closing for an hour and going to get a really really strong drink. I had a story I wanted to share about a different SC that happened last week, but didn't have the time.
Now, I think I'm going to be sick, or have a heart attack. My heart rate hasn't slowed down at all and I feel like I'm about to collapse.
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