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So.....this is probably one of the worst examples of an SC wasting an employee's time and effort that I've ever personally encountered......
On Saturday, I was running a couple errands in the vicinity of my old store prior to my shift at 3PM. I had some extra time after finishing the errands, so I decided to stop in at Old Store to say hi to some of my former colleagues who were still there (and unfortunately ran into Professor X, but at least he didn't insist on having a long conversation).
After that, I was just putting my car into gear to back out of my parking space and leave when my phone rang. I set the parking brake and answered it. It was The Don.
The Don: Hi, it's The Don....where are you??
He sounded very flustered, which is rather uncharacteristic of him. My first thought was that he was calling to say I was late and that I needed to get there ASAP, so I looked at the clock....it was 2:37. And I KNEW I wasn't due in until 3, so if that's the case, he's either mistaken, or Captain Jellico changed the schedule without telling anyone.
Me: I'm just about to leave to come in. Why?
The Don: Can you go to [sister store in city 12 miles in the wrong direction] to pick up a printer for me?
Me: Wait, what? Why do you need me to do that?!
The Don (still flustered): Well I've got an irate customer here and I need this printer here ASAP.
Me (
): Well, I'm actually AT [old store] right now, so if they have it here I can just walk in, fill out the paperwork, and grab it.
The Don: Um....ok....ah....let me call you right back. Just sit tight there for now, ok? bye.
Me: OK.
*click*
So I just sat there listening to music for a bit as the time ticked by, rapidly approaching the point where I'd end up being late for my shift.
Finally he calls me back.
The Don: It's me again.....yeah, [old store] says they don't have it, but [sister store] does, and I've already got Dan (my old sales manager, now GM of [sister store]) holding it for you, and we've already sent over the paperwork, so it's all set. Can you go get it?
Me: Yeah, that's not a problem, but I've got to tell you that the traffic up here is brutal. It'll probably take at least an hour to get there, then get back to [current store].
The Don: That's OK; they aren't going to be staying to wait for it, but it's critical that we get it today, because they'll be in later tonight to pick it up.
Me: Ok
Now, all I knew at this point was that I was picking up "a printer." I figured it was probably one of the mid to high-end all-in-ones that always go on sale, and that we were out (being the last day of a sale, it wouldn't be surprising) and that someone wouldn't take no for an answer (I found out later that someone had dropped the ball and prevented the printer from arriving by the promised time, or something).
So I went up there. Dan saw me coming in and had the printer and the transfer paperwork ready to sign.
Dan: Sign....and sign *hands me the transfer in and transfer out forms.*
Then I saw that the printer was a $50 compact photo printer, an HP A526.
You've got to me kidding me.....I've been sent on a 33 mile (total mileage from when I left my old store to when I got to my current store) trip for THIS?! A $50 POS photo printer? The mileage reimbursement alone is probably more than the gross margin on this thing!!
Me: THIS is what all the fuss was about?!
Dan: I guess.
Me: You've gotta be kidding me....*signs transfer sheets*
Well, whatever my personal feelings are about it, if The Don wants to waste company money on a fool's errand, that's his call to make; I get paid either way. And in a way it was nice to be paid to drive around blasting Michael Jackson and 009 Sound System on my stereo.
I ended up arriving at work and punching in at 3:55, but The Don had Captain Jellico adjust my punch back to 2:45. And I'm going to follow up on the mileage reimbursement when I go in tomorrow (unless they've changed the formula, it should net me AT LEAST $10).
But here's the thing.....the customer didn't come back to pick the damn thing up until almost closing time THE NEXT DAY. So for all the alleged urgency, they took their sweet time coming back for it. Obviously it wasn't THAT urgent, and could have waited.
So, to summarize....SC throws a huge shit fit about needing the product ASAP, gets my GM so flustered that he sends me considerably out of my way to pick the fucking thing up, costing the company money to reimburse me, and then they don't bother to come in to pick it up when we finally DO get it until more than a day later.
What a waste.
On Saturday, I was running a couple errands in the vicinity of my old store prior to my shift at 3PM. I had some extra time after finishing the errands, so I decided to stop in at Old Store to say hi to some of my former colleagues who were still there (and unfortunately ran into Professor X, but at least he didn't insist on having a long conversation).
After that, I was just putting my car into gear to back out of my parking space and leave when my phone rang. I set the parking brake and answered it. It was The Don.
The Don: Hi, it's The Don....where are you??
He sounded very flustered, which is rather uncharacteristic of him. My first thought was that he was calling to say I was late and that I needed to get there ASAP, so I looked at the clock....it was 2:37. And I KNEW I wasn't due in until 3, so if that's the case, he's either mistaken, or Captain Jellico changed the schedule without telling anyone.
Me: I'm just about to leave to come in. Why?
The Don: Can you go to [sister store in city 12 miles in the wrong direction] to pick up a printer for me?
Me: Wait, what? Why do you need me to do that?!
The Don (still flustered): Well I've got an irate customer here and I need this printer here ASAP.
Me (
): Well, I'm actually AT [old store] right now, so if they have it here I can just walk in, fill out the paperwork, and grab it.The Don: Um....ok....ah....let me call you right back. Just sit tight there for now, ok? bye.
Me: OK.
*click*
So I just sat there listening to music for a bit as the time ticked by, rapidly approaching the point where I'd end up being late for my shift.
Finally he calls me back.
The Don: It's me again.....yeah, [old store] says they don't have it, but [sister store] does, and I've already got Dan (my old sales manager, now GM of [sister store]) holding it for you, and we've already sent over the paperwork, so it's all set. Can you go get it?
Me: Yeah, that's not a problem, but I've got to tell you that the traffic up here is brutal. It'll probably take at least an hour to get there, then get back to [current store].
The Don: That's OK; they aren't going to be staying to wait for it, but it's critical that we get it today, because they'll be in later tonight to pick it up.
Me: Ok
Now, all I knew at this point was that I was picking up "a printer." I figured it was probably one of the mid to high-end all-in-ones that always go on sale, and that we were out (being the last day of a sale, it wouldn't be surprising) and that someone wouldn't take no for an answer (I found out later that someone had dropped the ball and prevented the printer from arriving by the promised time, or something).
So I went up there. Dan saw me coming in and had the printer and the transfer paperwork ready to sign.
Dan: Sign....and sign *hands me the transfer in and transfer out forms.*
Then I saw that the printer was a $50 compact photo printer, an HP A526.
You've got to me kidding me.....I've been sent on a 33 mile (total mileage from when I left my old store to when I got to my current store) trip for THIS?! A $50 POS photo printer? The mileage reimbursement alone is probably more than the gross margin on this thing!!
Me: THIS is what all the fuss was about?!
Dan: I guess.
Me: You've gotta be kidding me....*signs transfer sheets*
Well, whatever my personal feelings are about it, if The Don wants to waste company money on a fool's errand, that's his call to make; I get paid either way. And in a way it was nice to be paid to drive around blasting Michael Jackson and 009 Sound System on my stereo.
I ended up arriving at work and punching in at 3:55, but The Don had Captain Jellico adjust my punch back to 2:45. And I'm going to follow up on the mileage reimbursement when I go in tomorrow (unless they've changed the formula, it should net me AT LEAST $10).
But here's the thing.....the customer didn't come back to pick the damn thing up until almost closing time THE NEXT DAY. So for all the alleged urgency, they took their sweet time coming back for it. Obviously it wasn't THAT urgent, and could have waited.
So, to summarize....SC throws a huge shit fit about needing the product ASAP, gets my GM so flustered that he sends me considerably out of my way to pick the fucking thing up, costing the company money to reimburse me, and then they don't bother to come in to pick it up when we finally DO get it until more than a day later.
What a waste.
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