Kmart going to pot

[Horsetuna]

I didnt know Sears was doing so badly. They always announce great sales (although sometimes we are down) in our store.

And while the wages ARE crap, I did manage to wrestle a raise recently from my boss (who didnt have immediate control over my age, but did push for it), and I am definitely getting enough hours. Although now when I Ask for extra hours she doesnt seem happy.

I know when I was sick a lot the last two weeks, she said "I can't be giving you extra hours to make up for days you are sick!" which really upset me.

There are still toys and the Wish Book up here, though my sears, being small, doesnt have the best selection. I get LOTS fo compliments and some of the other Leads say I should go for Children's Wear lead. But I dont want the pressure.

To be honest, I love my Sears. Even if it ws sometimes chilly or too warm (They're just finishing Renos, so the wiring had to be all disconnected and reconnected) and the customers sucked. I do like it. I just wish it paid enough to live on.

[Brighid45]

Okay, I'll give away my ancient age and confess that I worked for Kmart back in 1978, during my sophomore year of college. The training for cashiers was fairly rigorous then, at least at our store--a week's worth of filmstrips (yeah, filmstrips) about the history of the company, how to greet customers, how to pack orders, etc. We worked our asses off to keep that store clean, neat and stocked and actually had a good time doing it. And we NEVER closed--not even during some of the worst storms I've ever endured. And since I lived in Michigan at that time, we're talkin' whiteout conditions.

The Kmart down the street from me here in PA has a fairly high volume of customers. There are no Wal-marts or Targets nearby (closest for either chain is about a half hour away), so most people in town still go to the big K. But the signs of decay are pretty obvious: dwindling selection of goods, deteriorating store fixtures, and utter lack of available employees. The people working there now are pretty good at their jobs, friendly, helpful and totally overworked and overwhelmed. I feel so bad for them. There's a big sign up in the window pleading for people to apply for employment. Just the thought of working there during the holidays, short-staffed and for a crappy wage, makes me shudder. I feel for anyone having to work retail this time of year--none of you should have to go through purgatory when you die, you've already done your time!

[matty]

The decaying business...

The smart businessperson, whether corporate CEO or small business owner, should realise that large cost-cutting programs are *not* a real solution to declining profits. It's about return-on-investment: it may cost you money to take on more employees, improve store fixtures and so on, but if the pay-off is more customers, more sales and more profits, then why exactly would you not spend that money today?

Why is it that I, a "simple commoner", can figure this out and the bigwigs cannot?

[Geek King]

The decaying business...

The smart businessperson, whether corporate CEO or small business owner, should realise that large cost-cutting programs are *not* a real solution to declining profits. It's about return-on-investment: it may cost you money to take on more employees, improve store fixtures and so on, but if the pay-off is more customers, more sales and more profits, then why exactly would you not spend that money today?

Why is it that I, a "simple commoner", can figure this out and the bigwigs cannot?

So where's this money coming from? I can't imagine a bank seriouly loaning Kmart the cash they would need to make the improvements.

And, despite what surveys say (people often lie on surveys, even when you have no reason to. People tend to answer what they think they SHOULD do, rather than what they really do.), people will follow price, no matter how much they hate to shop there. Not everyone, but enough to make a difference. That is the reason why WalMart is doing so well. Customer flow dictates policy.

In order to survive, Kmart has to find a niche that makes money for them. I forsee most of them moving to smaller locations with a greater concentration on clothing in the near future, if they want to survive.

[DerangedHermit]

You can see K-Mart's going downhill when the Midtown Manhattan location looks like a Caldor from the mid-1980's.

Target's the best of those stores to shop in around here. It doesn't reek of depression and trashiness like Wal-Mart, and let's just say I've been in dollar stores that are better than most of the K-Mart's around here.

[RammsteinGirl]

I think instead of the corporate bigwigs cutting the store associates' hours when times get tough, they should take cuts out of their OWN hefty paychecks. You just know that Aylwin Lewis and Don Germano and the rest of the corporate boys bring in multi-million dollar salaries every year. And yeah, I know they went to college and have master's degrees in whatever, unlike most of their peon store associates, but I'm sorry, they do NOT need $10 million a year. That money should be going back into the stores for payroll, fixing up dilapidated stores, etc.

DerangedHermit, I'd think Sears Holdings would at least have the smarts to make sure their big-city Kmart locations are decent looking. I thought it would just be the more rural, small city stores that looked like crap. Seems like all Kmart stores look like something out of the 1970's-1980's.

Brighid45.. it would be absolutely wonderful if all new Kmart associates still received such thorough training. But it just doesn't happen. New hires are just thrown onto the floor or the cash registers and it's sink or swim. I guess they're just in too much of a hurry to get "bodies" out there. Well, bodies are no good if they don't know how to do their job properly. I learned mostly by experience and the occasional screw-up.

They don't show new hires any videos about the history of the company, other than maybe a short blurb. The longest training video by far is the (shock!) Sears Credit Card video. No videos on customer service (except one about customers with disabilities), no videos about how to properly run a register, no videos on how to properly pack an order. Yeah, Sears Holdings Corporation, you've got your priorities totally in line there! We all know that all you need to be a successful retail store associate is how to process a credit card application!

Brighid, next time you go into that Kmart, if you have the time, you should tell them what a great job you think they're doing, regardless of the problems with the company. It seems like such a thankless job sometimes. I constantly go what I think is above and beyond for customers but rarely get complimented. I did have one lady a few days ago tell me that I was the nicest retail employee she's ever encountered, which shocked me, but it made me feel good too. Of course, great service SHOULD be expected, but people should be praised when they do a good job.

What's even more terrible, is that last year and probably this year too, all Kmart stores are open until 10 PM or later on Christmas Eve to cater to all the drunks and procrastinators. So they're pretty much the last store open in town. I think even all Walmarts close at 6 PM. Do you think the corporate office employees and CEOs are working at 10 PM on Christmas Eve? No way, they're all home with their families, of course. Just one more way to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of the blood, sweat and tears of their poor employees.

We're eternally hiring at our Kmart as well. I see people applying on the kiosk all the time. I don't understand why people would want to work there as the problems with Kmart are quite obvious to anyone who spends more than a few minutes in the store. But this is Michigan, a state with a crappy economy, so I'm guessing people are just desperate for jobs.

I'm just going to tough it out for now until after the holidays, do the best job I can, but try not to get myself too stressed out about things. Maybe I can try pushing the Sears cards on people and make some extra money for myself, I could sure use it with the shit-for-hours that I get. No, I won't do like my HR manager and harass people ("Are you going to put this purchase on your Sears card today? Do you HAVE a Sears card? Well do you WANT a Sears card?!") but maybe try a little harder. The commission on them is SO measly.. I think you have to process 5 applications (every 6 months? every month? I can't remember) before you start getting your $1.00 per application. It's very, very hard to get people to sign up for Sears cards because the interest on them is horrid. I think it's up to over 26% now. Most people laugh in your face when you ask them if they'd like to apply. However, maybe people will be more interested since the holiday shopping season is approaching.

[CancelMyService]

To think, I thought the no A/C thing was just something that happened at my K-Mart. It's pretty much impossible to shop there in the summer, I don't know how people keep from dropping in the stifiling stuffiness.

Our K-Mart is pretty much only still around because it's in the same complex as one of the large malls in the area. There's actually a third of the building that used to be a separate grocery store a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time ago, and has been empty for at least 20 years. They still have bright new "For Leasing Info, Call...." signs up, so god bless 'em for trying.

I used to love going to K-Mart when I was a kid, they used to have toys that the other stores (like Sears, ironically) didn't. Now it's just so depressing to go there. The store looks exactly the same as it did back then, and it looks like it hasn't been maintained since the mid 80s either. Someone else upthread nailed it, they look like dollar stores that have a slightly bigger budget.

[HYHYBT]

They do things all backwards. When they were bankrupt, they closed their new stores to keep the old run-down ones, because they were cheaper buildings to stay in. Which when you're bankrupt you do what you have to but if there's no money to upgrade the older stores it won't work long-term. Now, I don't go to Kmart anything like regularly because there's not one where I live, but the one I used to go to all the time had maybe 15 registers. They took out all but six and put in self-scans... then removed those because of shoplifters. Replacing them not with more regular lanes, but with magazine racks, so now no matter how busy it gets, even on the Saturday night before Christmas they can only have six lines open. Don't bother going in because you'll never get out.

Next time I'm in Athens I'll have to stop by and check up on the place. I'd hate to see it go... but it's almost inevitable.

[Brighid45]

RammSteinGirl--don't worry, I've made sure that corporate knows what a great store they have in our town And I compliment the employees too, god knows they deserve all the props they can get, especially the clerks at the Customer Service desk who are total angels. I don't know how they keep that attitude, given the entitlement whores and soccer moms they have to deal with around here.

One of the nice things this store does is sponsor local fund-raisers. There's usually a bake sale or food donation drive going on, and the employees make sure to donate their time to help out when they can.

It sucks that the stores are open so late on Christmas Eve. That makes them a guaranteed magnet for every procrastinating, cheapskate SC in the area. It would be poetic justice to make the suits in corporate come down from their offices to work the front lines on Christmas Eve.

I did notice the conspicuous lack of a/c this summer. Granted, we didn't get the usual Delaware Valley heatwave marathon this year, but there were a few fairly hot days--and no a/c at Kmart. Nasty.

[hotelnpa]

I never cared for K-Mart even before Wal-Mart started to move into my area. The stores even seemed outdated 10-15 years ago. I recently went to my local K-Mart (haven't been in years) and I felt like I was in a time machine once again, but this time the store was dirtier and the selection of merchandise wasn't that great. I'm sticking to Wal-Mart and Target.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I've read most of these, and have only one thing to add.

Back when I was liberally applying to any store that had an application, I walked into a K-Mart to apply. The application kiosk was literally right next to the door...you walked in and glanced to your left and there it was, two desks, two chairs, two keyboards, er...um...no computers. I could see screwholes where a computer once was apparently held into place, but no computer. No monitor. Nothing but a keyboard with the cord still secured to the desk.

(Keep in mind, there were security cameras and a freaking door greeter standing there.)

I tapped the guy on the shoulder and asked him where I could put in an application. He pointed towards the kiosk. I asked him if I was missing something, since there were no computers or applications or anything there. He glanced over...classic double-take...and lunged for the phone and called somebody to report their computers were missing.

...apparently, someone had walked in from the parking lot, under the "watchful" eye of the security cameras and the door greeter, taken the time to unplug and pry free two secured computers and two secured monitors IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, and carry them out, and NO ONE NOTICED.

I ran like no tomorrow.

[RammsteinGirl]

It would be poetic justice to make the suits in corporate come down from their offices to work the front lines on Christmas Eve.

Well, sometimes corporate does send lackeys from their offices during the Christmas season to help out for a day in a Kmart store. But it's just peon desk jockeys I think, no big suits. I don't know if they're doing that this year. One of my managers said that one Christmas they had to send one of those guys home because he got too exhausted. She said he had to go and lay down in the break room because he couldn't take it anymore. Of course, when you get used to sitting at a desk all day doing whatever the hell they do up there in the ivory towers, I'm sure working on your feet all day IS exhausting.

...apparently, someone had walked in from the parking lot, under the "watchful" eye of the security cameras and the door greeter, taken the time to unplug and pry free two secured computers and two secured monitors IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, and carry them out, and NO ONE NOTICED.

Jesus. I have a hard time believing NO ONE noticed. Our kiosk is right next to the door but is in full view of the checkouts, so a cashier would definitely notice someone freaking unscrewing the computer out of the desk. Of course, with how lax Kmart is about shoplifters, they'd have probably just let them walk out the door with it anyway.

They got rid of paper applications and now all applications are done through the kiosk. And the damn computer doesn't work half the time. I've seen people come in to apply and they can't because the computer is down. I want to say, "It's an omen! RUN!"

[Becks]

Mysty, I would've ran, too. That's bad--even for a KMart.

[RammsteinGirl]

Hah, I'll tell you a shoplifter story I have. Was working checkouts one morning at about 9 AM, only cashier. Store was desolate of customers. A lady accompanied by 2 men comes through my line. I'm scanning her stuff, and I reach for a bra she laid down.. and I realize it is an old, nasty, ratty bra (eww!! I touched it ). I told her, "Ma'am... I think this is an old, used bra SOMEBODY put on a hanger.." She goes, "Oh! I didn't notice that! Let me go back and get another one!" Bullshit!

I instantly knew exactly what she had done. She had went into the fitting rooms with the new bra, put the new one on, took her old bra off and put it on the new bra's hanger so she could get away with stealing the new bra. WTH, why didn't see just take the old bra and hang it back up? Why put it on my register? Obviously lacking a few brain cells there!

You'll probably ask if I called LP or management. Nope. I just let her grab another bra and sent her on her merry way. Why? Well, first off, I knew they wouldn't be able to prove anything. All the security cameras would show is her going in the fitting room with a bra and coming out with one. Management or LP couldn't make her strip or pull up her shirt, definitely not. Plus, I'm not trying to sound racist at all, but she was an African-American lady, and I'm white.. and I just know that she would try to say "It's just because I'm BLACK!" which totally wasn't it.. I just hate seeing people steal things and get away with it.

So I did nothing. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do. But for a $7 bra.. not worth the headache and the scene it would cause. If Kmart actually had fitting room attendants, they wouldn't have problems like that.