I have an idea about how retail workers could make more money without raising prices. Cut CEOs salary. Have them make 30 times the average workers salary instead of 365 times the average workers salary. Of course they’ll holler and scream that we can’t do that. They’ll say who will finance billion dollar projects without some insanely rich billionaires to do it. Somehow the U.S. financed big projects years ago when the gap between rich and poor wasn’t so huge. Adapt the way they did it to today’s business environment. Nice dream isn’t it.
When I was hired by a grocery chain to work in their attached fuel station, I was required to take their two week cashier training and customer service orientation, as well. Their logic: you have cash registers in the gas station, and you sell soda, chips, and gas, so therefore, you're a cashier!
Okay, fine. In my employment contract, which I carefully negotiated with HR, I was hired as a multi-box checking employee. Senior, over 65 (check); veteran (check); disabled (check! the VA rated me at 40% disabled). My contract stated that I was limited to a maximum of 32 hours a week, and no shift over six hours.
That lasted about four days. Over the next few years, I had many times where I worked long days.
I had one day where my relief called out sick, and I had a doctor's appointment. I told the manager I had to leave at 2pm in order to go to my doctor's appointment (my shift had started at 4am). At 1:30, I paged the manager and told him I was shutting down the kiosk at the gas station in 30 minutes.
Meltdown. "You can't DO that! You have to keep the gas station open!"
"No. YOU have to keep the gas station open. I've already put in ten hours today, WITHOUT a lunch break, because there was no relief. So, I'm closing down at 2pm."
Five minutes later, the lead cashier showed up. "How quickly can you show me how to work this register?"
I was prepared. During my OTHER unexpectedly long shifts, I had written down instructions on basic gas station cash register operation. I had typed up a 4x6 card that I had laminated. I handed it to her, and sat with her until 2pm, when I HAD to leave. The world did not end, and the gas station did not close. Thank god, there were no emergencies, and nobody from state inspection offices showed up.
I did unofficially get named the trainer for all gas station cashiers in the store, and was asked to train ALL of the cashiers on proper care and feeding of the gas station cash register.
We didn't expect the cashiers to be able to handle gas station emergencies, and we only expected them to work until we could get a fully trained gas station clerk in to work.
And, as a result, I also ended up working at least one day a week in bloody customer service, just like Tabby.
Even better, I had a second occurence of something of this nature happen just before I retired for good. By then, while I was NOT the Fuel Center Manager or Supervisor, I was the Senior Fuel Clerk.
I had another doctor's appointment, and, once again, the teenager who was supposed to relieve me called out sick. I told the manager when she called me that I was leaving at 1pm (my shift had started at 4am), and if nobody showed up, I'd close down the Fuel Center.
She told me if I did that, I'd be fired.
I suggested to her that if she did that, I would take copies of all of my time cards down to the state Labor Practices Board, and get their opinion about potential employee abuse.
Amazingly enough, the SUPERVISOR showed up, on HER day off, to relieve me. She said it was no biggie for her, she'd just cut her hours at the end of the week so she wouldn't end up with more than 48 hours. Bless her heart, she worked as many hours as I did...but then, she was being PAID to be full-time.
And then she asked me not to make the GM soil her pants ever again like I had done talking about labor practices. She WAS a good supervisor. She was almost as trapped by the system as I was, because she wasn't allowed to pick and choose her employees...she got what was handed off to her. And a lot of the time, if any of the Fuel Clerks showed promise, they'd be snatched out of there and put to work in the store. I was the exception. They kept on trying to pull me into the store, but my only compromise was that I'd work ONE day a week at Customer Service. And then Arizona adopted the new, improved, overtime law, similar to California's.
If you worked more than eight hours in a single shift, it was overtime. Period. If I worked a 12 hour day, then four hours of it was overtime (at double time on weekdays, double time and a half if after 6pm or on Sunday). Since I was the only part timer who was usually willing to work on Sundays, I got a LOT of overtime on Sundays.
I worked for a company that shall remain nameless (let’s just call them Gannett Newspapers) who would get away with working you forty-five hours one week and then thirty-five hours the next. That way there would be no overtime for the two week pay period. I know it’s shocking, but I don’t work for them anymore.
I hear that. And back in the day, I worked for a major electronics retail chain (I won’t say which one, but they used a big yellow tag to identify themselves). They were adamant about “NO OVERTIME.”
They’d get so annoyed with me, because I’d drop whatever I was doing in the middle of the task, walk up, clock out and leave when closing at the end of my shoft.
“You left the vacuum cleaner right in the middle of the floor!” or “You left the stocking cart right in the middle of the aisle!”
“Yeah, well. It was do that, or draw overtime.”
And that would make them grind their teeth, but shut up.
I’ve been out of retail management since August 2012, but I still have nightmares about being in retail management!! Love your strip, and the memories it stirs up haunts me 😫😂🤷🏼♂️
I was called by my old employer this morning to ask if I wanted to work the summer. I've moved to a different city, so I declined, but I will have to be looking for a job soon. Back to the odd hour grind.😂
Hope you feel better soon! I loved this. Please forgive me, but I rewrote my favorite line as a haiku:
I’m for empathy …
But the pie? It has to hit
somebody’s face (ow)
This is wonderful! The internet would be mor delightful if we had haiku comments.
Thank you! I’m honored 😊😊
I have an idea about how retail workers could make more money without raising prices. Cut CEOs salary. Have them make 30 times the average workers salary instead of 365 times the average workers salary. Of course they’ll holler and scream that we can’t do that. They’ll say who will finance billion dollar projects without some insanely rich billionaires to do it. Somehow the U.S. financed big projects years ago when the gap between rich and poor wasn’t so huge. Adapt the way they did it to today’s business environment. Nice dream isn’t it.
That’s a no-brainer, which is why it isn’t done. No brains.
"I’m all for empathy, but the pie has to hit somebody’s face."
The most brilliant line I've seen this year.
I volunteer to be the face for pie if necessary.
Self-deprecating humor is good, when it happens to someone else.
Assuming that this question refers to the customer, not the staff
Yes, indeed.
Haha! Yeah I had to reread it too. I think a lot of his readers work in retail. Funny, that 😉
When I was hired by a grocery chain to work in their attached fuel station, I was required to take their two week cashier training and customer service orientation, as well. Their logic: you have cash registers in the gas station, and you sell soda, chips, and gas, so therefore, you're a cashier!
Okay, fine. In my employment contract, which I carefully negotiated with HR, I was hired as a multi-box checking employee. Senior, over 65 (check); veteran (check); disabled (check! the VA rated me at 40% disabled). My contract stated that I was limited to a maximum of 32 hours a week, and no shift over six hours.
That lasted about four days. Over the next few years, I had many times where I worked long days.
I had one day where my relief called out sick, and I had a doctor's appointment. I told the manager I had to leave at 2pm in order to go to my doctor's appointment (my shift had started at 4am). At 1:30, I paged the manager and told him I was shutting down the kiosk at the gas station in 30 minutes.
Meltdown. "You can't DO that! You have to keep the gas station open!"
"No. YOU have to keep the gas station open. I've already put in ten hours today, WITHOUT a lunch break, because there was no relief. So, I'm closing down at 2pm."
Five minutes later, the lead cashier showed up. "How quickly can you show me how to work this register?"
I was prepared. During my OTHER unexpectedly long shifts, I had written down instructions on basic gas station cash register operation. I had typed up a 4x6 card that I had laminated. I handed it to her, and sat with her until 2pm, when I HAD to leave. The world did not end, and the gas station did not close. Thank god, there were no emergencies, and nobody from state inspection offices showed up.
I did unofficially get named the trainer for all gas station cashiers in the store, and was asked to train ALL of the cashiers on proper care and feeding of the gas station cash register.
We didn't expect the cashiers to be able to handle gas station emergencies, and we only expected them to work until we could get a fully trained gas station clerk in to work.
And, as a result, I also ended up working at least one day a week in bloody customer service, just like Tabby.
I don't think I ever worked a 32 hour week.
The world did not end. That’s an important note, because you’re really lead to believe that the world will end.
Even better, I had a second occurence of something of this nature happen just before I retired for good. By then, while I was NOT the Fuel Center Manager or Supervisor, I was the Senior Fuel Clerk.
I had another doctor's appointment, and, once again, the teenager who was supposed to relieve me called out sick. I told the manager when she called me that I was leaving at 1pm (my shift had started at 4am), and if nobody showed up, I'd close down the Fuel Center.
She told me if I did that, I'd be fired.
I suggested to her that if she did that, I would take copies of all of my time cards down to the state Labor Practices Board, and get their opinion about potential employee abuse.
Amazingly enough, the SUPERVISOR showed up, on HER day off, to relieve me. She said it was no biggie for her, she'd just cut her hours at the end of the week so she wouldn't end up with more than 48 hours. Bless her heart, she worked as many hours as I did...but then, she was being PAID to be full-time.
And then she asked me not to make the GM soil her pants ever again like I had done talking about labor practices. She WAS a good supervisor. She was almost as trapped by the system as I was, because she wasn't allowed to pick and choose her employees...she got what was handed off to her. And a lot of the time, if any of the Fuel Clerks showed promise, they'd be snatched out of there and put to work in the store. I was the exception. They kept on trying to pull me into the store, but my only compromise was that I'd work ONE day a week at Customer Service. And then Arizona adopted the new, improved, overtime law, similar to California's.
If you worked more than eight hours in a single shift, it was overtime. Period. If I worked a 12 hour day, then four hours of it was overtime (at double time on weekdays, double time and a half if after 6pm or on Sunday). Since I was the only part timer who was usually willing to work on Sundays, I got a LOT of overtime on Sundays.
I worked for a company that shall remain nameless (let’s just call them Gannett Newspapers) who would get away with working you forty-five hours one week and then thirty-five hours the next. That way there would be no overtime for the two week pay period. I know it’s shocking, but I don’t work for them anymore.
I hear that. And back in the day, I worked for a major electronics retail chain (I won’t say which one, but they used a big yellow tag to identify themselves). They were adamant about “NO OVERTIME.”
They’d get so annoyed with me, because I’d drop whatever I was doing in the middle of the task, walk up, clock out and leave when closing at the end of my shoft.
“You left the vacuum cleaner right in the middle of the floor!” or “You left the stocking cart right in the middle of the aisle!”
“Yeah, well. It was do that, or draw overtime.”
And that would make them grind their teeth, but shut up.
I’ve been out of retail management since August 2012, but I still have nightmares about being in retail management!! Love your strip, and the memories it stirs up haunts me 😫😂🤷🏼♂️
Wonderful
Sitting around talking about work is easily the most cherished faux work ever devised.
Feel better!
If they release the dogs, I will stay to pet the dogs
I was called by my old employer this morning to ask if I wanted to work the summer. I've moved to a different city, so I declined, but I will have to be looking for a job soon. Back to the odd hour grind.😂
Great strips as always. Hope your already over whatever illness, but or malady you had.
It’s just a terrible cold that has turned me into the top producer of mucus in my county. I’m attempting to take some pride in that.
It's good to take pride in wherever our talents lie 😉
Hope you’re feeling a bit better. Brilliant strips. Thank you.