At the K

[NateTheChops]

Almost two full weeks now I have been at the Mart that begins with a K. This particular location has been in my town for years and so almost all of the customers know me from somewhere. Not always a bad thing. Today I start in electronics, so wish me luck.

That being said the suckiness is coming in minor doses.

I'm asking everyone

For every credit card we convince a person to apply for we get 2 dollars. For ever replacement plan we sell we get 50 cents.

That being said, can you please not give me a hard time when I go into the spiel as it is my job to do so. I'm not just asking you but you are making it seem as though I have waited my whole day just to antagonize you.

I come in here all the time...

This has become a classic in the SC boards. For checks I have to see a driver's lisence. Bottom line.

But I had an elderly woman last night who "comes into the store all the time" and doesn't understand why I suddenly have to see it.

I can't afford to have any complaints to my name this early in the game so I just calmly insist that its company policy. She mumbles something about how she should have just used cash.

Give me a break, it's only my first day.

Okay, so I had actually been there a few days but it was my first time manning the register by myself. And as anyone who has worked for a number of retail establisments, you know that everyone's register has different bells and whistles.

A number of times during that day a few situations came up that I wasn't quite sure on and I need the help of the supervisor, who was usually busy at the service desk. And of course the barrage of,

"Oh my god."
"What's taking so long?"
"Can't you just -insert magical customer solution here-"

Guys, try to give me a break please. I'm doing the best I can and you constantly chewing at my ear really isn't as helpful as you might believe.

[ralerin]

Ah, I hate it when supervisors forget that you've not used their registers before.

How do things compares between Mart of K and Aid of Rite so far?

[NateTheChops]

Well, to be entirely fair, there are fewer crazy people here. But that's mostly because I'm from the area and I'm used to this general level of craziness. There aren't nearly as many drunk people. I can actually count them on my hand in the week or so since I started.

And best yet, no panhandlers!

My register was close to the service counter so I didn't have to wait too long, but it did get busy. I have it down by now, mostly.

[Hobbs]

Hmm, at least you're getting an incentive for hassling people. Most companies I think just make it mandatory...

Aside from that, I've met every single one of those SC's, so you have my sympathies.

[rant]Just say K-mart/Wal-Mart/BEst Buy/RAdio Shack/Rite Aid/etc![/rant]

Sorry

[chainedbarista]

She mumbles something about how she should have just used cash.

yes, i'm guessing that would be a most EXCELLENT solution to the problem of showing an ID; use a method that doesn't require one.

[Summerfly413]

Electronics isn't so bad. Slower pace(at night anyway) than the front registers.

I was told we only start getting any kind of comisson on the credit cards AFTER 5. I get one a month MAYBE.

I've noticed I don't get too many SC's in my store, but it's the only job I've had so I have nothing to compare it too.

[Broomjockey]

[rant]Just say K-mart/Wal-Mart/BEst Buy/RAdio Shack/Rite Aid/etc![/rant]

If you're talking about the "Aid of Rite" and "Mart with a K," you're going to have to suck it up. After all, the moderators are constantly telling people to obfuscate where they work. Odds are slim, but if a boss stumbles on to the site, and does a search, every little bit helps keep them from figuring out where someone's working and passing it along to HR.

[NateTheChops]

Electronics isn't so bad. Slower pace(at night anyway) than the front registers.

I was told we only start getting any kind of comisson on the credit cards AFTER 5. I get one a month MAYBE.

I've noticed I don't get too many SC's in my store, but it's the only job I've had so I have nothing to compare it too.

I sold one a day for my first few shifts and now it's petered out.

I sold five smart plans though. So far the sucky ones are very minor.

Had a guy mumbling about the price of the X-box 360 but I had to tune him out because he was chewing on something and his face looked like someone had taken a hot metal rod to it about forty or fifty times.

I wanted to point out how someone has to pay the programmers, the factory workers and other people who are involved in the initial spawn of the game which is why it's so expensive at first but that would have been like teaching Gravekeeper's Nunavit customers how to water ski.

[Andara Bledin]

[rant]Just say K-mart/Wal-Mart/BEst Buy/RAdio Shack/Rite Aid/etc![/rant]

A lot of people who are ranting about their workplaces are a bit leery of giving away their locations in such a way that a simple Google search could turn them up.

Something about being worried about keeping their jobs or something silly like that.

Heck, I've never revealed anything identifiable about my workplace, and my boss knows I post here, and has actually given me permission to post about a couple of notable SCs while on the company's dime.

^-.-^

[Rine]

Hey Nate from Mart of K. By chance, do you guys have that electronic check thing yet? We just started that here on the...other side of SHC. That's a PITA, too.

[Shalom]

If you're talking about the "Aid of Rite", you're going to have to suck it up. After all, the moderators are constantly telling people to obfuscate where they work.

This is why I generally put down that I worked at the Chain of Very-large Stores...

Yeah, I worked at the store that rhymes with Tight Fade once as well. I was always careful to make it unGoogleable when I posted about it, though. You're not even allowed to talk to newspapers, I can't imagine what fuses they'd blow if they found an employee posting about them on Usenet. (There weren't any blogs yet at that point in time...)

[NateTheChops]

Hey Nate from Mart of K. By chance, do you guys have that electronic check thing yet? We just started that here on the...other side of SHC. That's a PITA, too.

I think so. Most of this stuff I'm familiar with from the last few jobs I've had but I guess it's all new technology to them.

[Iris Kojiro]

This is why I generally put down that I worked at the Chain of Very-large Stores...

Yeah, I worked at the store that rhymes with Tight Fade once as well. I was always careful to make it unGoogleable when I posted about it, though. You're not even allowed to talk to newspapers, I can't imagine what fuses they'd blow if they found an employee posting about them on Usenet. (There weren't any blogs yet at that point in time...)

I'm always under the assumption that someone from the Medicine Hat and/or The Night Place is going to try to Google me to see if I'm badmouthing either one of those places. So I try to stay as vague as possible.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Hey Nate from Mart of K. By chance, do you guys have that electronic check thing yet? We just started that here on the...other side of SHC. That's a PITA, too.

We started that last week and it's been a PITA at the ol' Litter Box.

First day we started using it, I was helping out up front for a few and a coworker was showing me how to run it through. That part was easy enough.

Until the check printer didn't flip the check over and ate the check instead. The check went in for printing but did NOT come out.

Coworker couldn't get find it inside the printer after pulling up the lid for the POS and had to call Cheetah (our only MOD available) to help us find the check.

Luckily he was able to find it after tearing the machine apart . . . it was scrunched down in the very bottom, hidden from view. I guess the check was shy and didn't want to come out and face the world.

It's taking some getting used to, needless to say . . .

[MadMike]

I come in here all the time...

I hated that one, especially when I was still new. First of all, I just started here, and while you may in fact "come here all the time", I don't remember ever seeing you before. Second, I'm horrible with names and faces, so once again, I don't ever remember seeing you before.

The whole face-blindness thing can be a bitch. I'm always getting approached by people who have seen me at the bar doing karaoke, and I can never remember them. Hell, sometimes I'll draw a blank on someone I actually know. My best friend's sister came in one time, and I knew I had seen her before, but just couldn't place her. Then she came over and gave me a hug, and I still didn't know who she was. For some reason, when she took off her coat, it all clicked. I would have felt pretty stupid telling her I didn't know who she was.

A lot of people who are ranting about their workplaces are a bit leery of giving away their locations in such a way that a simple Google search could turn them up.

I'm still a bit paranoid about that myself, even though I left the retail world roughly 20 years ago. The supermarket chain I worked for is still in business, but that particular location closed ages ago. The home improvement chain went completely under over a decade ago. But for some reason, I'm still hesitant to post their names.