So, I started to write this blog yesterday, a few hours after the events that happened at work, and it was pretty much full of hate and spitfire. Well, I think the best analogy I can think of is imagine someone being slowly poisoned for years. They keep getting sicker and sicker and they can't really figure out what's causing it, but they know when certain things happen it becomes worse, and that slow realization never really dawns on them because they think nothing around them could be causing them to feel bad. Eventually that poison sends them to the doctor who starts treating them for the symptoms but nothing is being done about the source. Then, one day, the person who has been doing the poisoning finally comes out in the open and then there's this moment when all of that bile and nastiness comes out and it takes a long time to get healed, but once the poison isn't being ingested on a regular basis, the person does get better and they will get away from that person doing the poisoning once and for all.
That is what has been happening to me for the past five or six years, but I didn't realize it. The worst part of all of that is the fact that I sort of knew it was happening, but since I wasn't in the direct line of the worst of the poison that my manager was spewing most of the time, I didn't get the brunt of it. Say, the cake was poisoned for someone else but I was still eating the crumbs off the plate...slowly but surely.
I've been in retail for more than 20 years and every place I worked had some kind of poisonous person. Just the other day I read about how fake smiling every day can lead people to drink, and it's that fake enthusiasm that hides all of the emotions people need to get out into the open once in awhile or it slowly poisons them. I've always been a cheery sort but the people I worked with were already to the point of being dangerously poisonous from all of this fakery. What's sad is that I doubt they even know they're doing it. My first boss had a tough time promoting me to assistant manager, and made me share the duty with someone else until they left the job and suddenly she had no one else. A few months later she started blaming me for how terrible her life was. It's most likely these people were all masochistic because she never believed her terrible life had anything to do with the fact that she had a child with a husband who quit his job and decided to take up life as a tattoo artist...nah, couldn't be the fact that she was basically carrying their entire family with this dead-end job as a manager at a small art gallery in the local shopping mall. She probably made less than $15/hr.
I got out of that job after she basically forced me to quit, and that day I got out and cried a lot, drove around a lot, and sang a lot, and then I took a long hard look at my life and realized that I was better off without being around her. Actually, it was a blessing in disguise because not too long after that she was gone and the store closed, and the company itself that ran it folded a few years later.
Skip ahead to the job I held for nearly 16 years after that, October of that year, I had managed to get on with my life and find a new job doing something different, but still retail. I was part time mainly and eventually started to work my way up but they kept doing re-alignments; basically cutting how many full time employees there were at the store. On the other hand, they also started opening up new stores and after one set back I was promoted and moved to another store.
All went well until they got rid of the manager who opened the store (well, moved her closer to her home to a bigger location which, good for her) but the one that took over hated me for some reason. Again, another poisonous soul out for revenge on someone she didn't like and probably had no real reason to dislike me, but there it was.
Thankfully I had started dating by that time and was able to transfer out of state away from that woman before she did me too much harm. I was so happy during those months, not just because I found someone I knew I'd marry someday, but also because I was out of that poison. I got promoted a few months later, transferring to my fourth location, where I had some of the best managers a person could ask for. They were hardworking, kind, and very supportive. Unfortunately, I would only have those managers for a year or so before we went through a round of terrible ones once again. Thankfully I had a position far away from management (literally, I was in the furthest corner in a frame shop so out of sight, out of mind, most of the time) and I did my job, made money, did what they asked me to do, kept myself out of trouble, and things went well.
Then the woman who was third rung at the store (and honestly I really don't remember talking to her at all, or she was such a small blip on my radar that I didn't really care) was all that was left, and she became the manager. But, there were other managers, operations, merchandise, receiving, etc, so everyone had their own thing to do. I was still head of the frame shop at the time, but a keyholder and in training to move up the ladder as needed. Again, this woman was so low on my radar that I didn't have an opinion of her and I was usually talking to other people in the store most of the time that I kept out of her hair. She promoted me to merchandise manager and things were okay.
I had no idea that when she started giving me reviews she was already thinking I was a bug that needed to be squashed. I'm not sure if it was my own assertiveness or whether it was her own weakness that made her think I was out for her. But time and time again I would tell her I wasn't after her job, that I was just happy where I was... She took that as weakness and when a new realignment happened after some 10 years from when I started with the company, she demoted me to keyholder and picked the third in command. A gal who had been with the company maybe two years by the time she got promoted to assistant manager.
I had that sudden realization that she hated me and I really had no idea why. Is it because I didn't have children? Is it because I was good at my job? I haven't the foggiest. She told me that I couldn't be friends with any of my 'underlings' and I was ousted back to the frame shop after well over a year as a manager. Still a keyholder. But I was put out of sight again in my corner.
I was furious but my co-workers were more so, and by that time I had started to make friends with them. I treated them as equals. I explained to them how things worked around the store, I let them in on things that were happening when my manager wouldn't tell a soul. I read up on all of the handbooks and guides so I knew the rules and I was always kind when I had to tell people things. It made me liked. And I think she caught wind of it because she certainly didn't like me, so why should anyone else?
But I was hidden away in my shop and eventually the assistant had started to get all managery and the district manager decided to move her to another store to be promoted. Only, it backfired because he got fired himself a year or so later and the assistant just plain quit because she never got promoted and she couldn't handle the store she was at. Suddenly, I'm interviewing again for a job I thought I'd deserved the whole time and even the other people who were just as qualified said, yeah, let her have it.
My manager waited for well over four months to finally promote me. We all think she was waiting around for her precious assistant to come back, but by then she'd gotten another job that she said she loved so much and made more money. So, she was 'stuck' with me, and I really feel that's how she looked at it. The fact was, I think I knew what kind of assistant she wanted me to be - a kiss-ass who did whatever she was told and crawled behind her wherever she went saying 'yes, ma'am, right away ma'am, you're the greatest, ma'am." But, she never said it in so many words, except for when reviews came around and she kept going "I don't think you're living up to my standards" but she'd never set standards, so I'd follow orders and keep my head down and try to be my best.
I had made friends though. I would have made friends with her, but the one time I was invited to her house she treated me rather like an offensive bug and ignored, so I was really just sort of turned off of it. I even invited her over to my house once, I had a house warming party and only one other person showed up, but I figured it was because everyone else was too afraid of getting caught 'carousing' or something. I pushed on though, and it took another year or two before I started to realize just how many people were there because I was there, because I would calm them down and help them deal with the poison this manager was slowly feeding all of us. (See? I'm getting there!)
The first time I realized that I had a calming effect was when I'd go on vacation and would come back and someone would have quit. It was almost like clockwork. I did two main vacations a year, one in May, one in October, and at least one we'd lose someone I liked. Maybe I was the antidote to this poison? I can't claim that I was, but I never lost anyone during the time that my manger was on vacation...
Except that for some reason she told me to 'get along with everyone' when she'd leave on vacation and I'd be totally stumped by what that meant. There were only a few people that I didn't get a long with, and usually it was because either they were just as masochistic as she was, or because they had been so poisoned by her that I really hoped they'd leave just because they seemed so miserable.
About two years ago my poisoning really began. I'd secured the assistant manager spot and things went well from around March through Christmas. Then her precious old assistant was starting to beg to come back. She tried her best to get her back, but she'd need a raise, you know, couldn't have her working off of minimum wage, now could we? But she didn't get her way, I kept my job, things went back to normal for a little while. Then she forced out one of the other managers right before the next Christmas and immediately put that precious assistant in that spot. Now they were together again - but oh no! Someone was in the way of her master plan! ME!
They seemed to be okay with me for awhile. After all, it was the Christmas season then and we were too busy to really think about how to try to get me out, you know? But the moment Christmas ended and she'd taken her first vacation - I'm fairly certain now her best thinking of revenge on me came during her long cruises she always took - she came back and started hounding me about the fact I'd made friends. She threatened, and when I found ways to still hang out with them, she started writing them up, trying to get them to quit instead. We were strong together, and we managed to pass through to Christmas time once again. Which leads us up to just a few months ago.
Things started wrapping up from the holidays but we had inventory to handle so she was preoccupied. But soon after she started having these conference calls and meetings and keeping them under wraps yet again. I started figuring out that when she kept things quiet she was plotting something. She'd breeze over the importance of things, take vague notes and expect me to understand what they meant, and corporate had already started sending out emails directly to managers so that assistants like me were at the mercy of whatever the manager told us. And she rarely told me anything, even when I asked.
Then she went on vacation with the same "get along while I'm gone" nonsense. But already her precious assistant started to ignore me and wouldn't listen to orders. She did her own thing the entire time - which, honestly, wasn't much because she was always just a lackey, and nothing more. So I tried to get along and ignore her and move one with my life and waited for the manager to come back.
It started to turn into spring and I realized immediately that things were going to turn bad for a few months. Maybe her vacation helped turn her venom stronger? Each vacation she had was terrible in some way, so maybe all of that hate and misery congealed into a stronger poison that would effect everyone around her. Eventually it would start to thin out, but that first couple weeks she was a hissing, spitting cobra of all things terrible. Oh wait, no, she made no noise, actually she was more like a Black Widow spider who sneaks up on you in the dark and bites you when you aren't looking. Yeah, that's more like it.
She was in and out all last week dealing with the fact her husband broke his elbow (remember I said something always happened to her when she went on vacation? He had a stroke the year before, and a year or so before that she slammed her finger in the safe and broke it) and so I didn't think much of it because I had a lot of work to do and was trying my hardest to get things caught up while she wasn't around.
Then a strange thing happened. There was an off-hand reference to someone getting maced at another store by following a shoplifter. So, no more leaving the store, okay? Okay, no problem. But you should keep an eye on them, you know? She'd been having us follow people for years - literally years - keeping track of them, talking to them, "helping" them, and it was thoroughly ingrained in us to do as she told us. So on a day last week I did just that, but stayed far away because we weren't to 'follow' them you know? I kept a far distance and when she left the store I stood near the door to write down a license plate.
Little did I know that that would be my undoing.
Something so innocent, something that we had been doing for years. I didn't hear barely a peep out of my manager as she was in the office the entire time that it was happening. I just reported it over the headset and thought, guess nothing came of it, oh well. I went back to work, finished my day and the next day I had off, so yay! Away from the poison lady.
But then I got a phone call from corporate, then a second and an email. What the heck? Maybe someone had finally caught wind of things going on with my manager doing things that weren't quite kosher. (There are a long list of things that should have gotten her fired years ago, but I could never pin her on them, and also kept feeling bad because I'm a nice person.) I called them back only to be questioned on what happened yesterday with the shoplifter?
Okay...that was Tuesday over a week ago. Nothing happened. Life moved on. Okay, don't do that again, okay? Fine. Don't suspect someone who you really don't know for sure. Don't report it if you do because you're going to get called by corporate about it. Again, when I told her about it she sort of just shrugged it off like it was nothing and barely spoke a word to me as she left to work at another store for a few days.
I avoided going with her this time as I had the time previously, and she was probably furious about it. I had no idea though. She brought all of us presents from her cruise. (I'm going to throw them away though, I'm afraid they're actual poison now.) But things were okay, I was getting things done, no one was having issues with me, and then when I was on my own as manager one day, two guys blatantly started to steal things. And, after years (need I say they actually would praise us for stopping them?) of doing this same thing, I got the basket of t-shirts they were stealing, no harm came to anyone, and they left and all was well.
But I'd made a huge mistake.
I had no idea.
Just in passing I mentioned I'd gotten merchandise away from two shoplifters to the keyholder that was coming in to close that day. I thought we were on good terms. But I'm pretty sure she had been holding a grudge too (another masochist who used to be nice but her other job was slowly poisoning her as sure as this retail job was and she would come in spitting hellfire - like that cobra I mentioned for real - and want a pity party). I didn't give her pity that day as she complained about how bad her day was and how horrible everything was and how much she just wanted to go home...but I didn't have time to listen to her cry and mope for fifteen minutes, I had plans that evening.
So, of course, she reported me to the manager. Another spy for the enemy.
I had a terrific night. I hung out with my work friends, we had a ball at the science museum adult program and it was awesome. Honestly it doesn't matter now, but the whole thing was fantastic and I really didn't care if she found out anymore because she'd been treating her own precious assistant and her other spies so well over the past year that I just needed a final release from that poison.
I came home to find out I had to go in early the next day for a conference call.
I didn't know what it was about, but I'm almost positive that she did. And as the topic came to light, I was hit with the sudden realization I was getting fired that day.
They had instituted a new policy that forbid anyone from following, apprehending or even doing anything at all to stop a shoplifter. They never spoke of why this had come about, did someone sue? Did someone get stabbed? What happened? Completely hush-hush. Surely it couldn't have been because of one person getting maced, could it? How would that suddenly turn the whole company on every single employee.....could it?
But it continued. This was ZERO TOLERANCE. It didn't matter if you had been with the company for years, if you were outstanding, if you were good at your job....if you did this, you were done. They'd already fired some 12 people in the past few weeks.
I know the blood drained from my face and I started to shake.
Did they know about yesterday?
I didn't see a sent email about it. Maybe no one said anything? It's my word against theirs, right? No one would tell on me that it happened, would they?
When the conference call ended I stood up and my manager asked me what I was headed to do - and she basically sent me to my 'corner' - but before I could leave I asked if they'd said I was going to get fired. She deadpanned, "well, maybe not about the thing from last week, but last night... I had to report it."
I'm sure I turned white as a sheet as all of the blood drained down to my toes and I closed the door and headed straight to the backroom and started to cry. That's it then. She'd found her way to get rid of me. She'd used her teeth to suck the blood out of me and replace it with her poison.
And to make matters worse, they started calling from corporate. We need you to write a statement about last night. What happened last night? Didn't matter. I knew it didn't matter. I changed the facts ever so slightly. I knew they'd see what was on the film, that it wouldn't quite match up to what I told them, but did it matter? They'd already made up their minds. I had no case. This new policy went into effect swiftly and like a hot knife through butter (I like these analogies) I was going to be cut from this company.
But she had to bleed every last drop from me. She left right after the call, and when she came back she disappeared into the office and I kept my eye on the phone because I saw it was lit for a very long time... And I kept on working and she left to go home for 'lunch' because everyone would be leaving me at 5pm so I have to get home... And she reappeared and went into the office again.
One hour before my shift ended I got called to the office.
One freakin' hour when she probably knew from the very first moment she was going to fire me that day and could have sent me packing without giving me another day's pay - and she let me suffer the entire day.
The lady from corporate was on the phone. The one who questioned me the week before. "You there?" You know what you're here for, right? We are terminating your employment with us at this moment as of section AS100... I read that flippin' thing, it was right in front of me that morning and no where did it say that you'd get fired immediately. But they'd found a way to cull the herd. Instead of doing a massive layoff, they decided they'd find the easiest way to fire everyone - follow a shoplifter, get fired.
And my manager had found her way to finally get rid of me. She'd plotted it from the moment she heard that new thing went into effect and her spies expedited it.
As they spoke I basically blanked out. I wasn't angry. I was expecting it for seven hours. I'd plotted a dozen scenarios in my head, but I couldn't land on just one. So I pulled the keys from my pocket, set them down on the desk and walked out.
She didn't company me into the breakroom to make sure I left, she simply walked out and got back to helping customers. I threw down everything I could think of that I had that was property of the store, grabbed all of the things that were my own, clocked out and with one desperate (I hoped) look at my friend who was at the register when I left, I walked out.
I could have screamed.
I could have cried.
I could have done anything else then what I did, but I had realized in that moment that it didn't matter.
I was free of that thing that was poisoning me.
I texted my chain of friends and told them what happened so she couldn't do the same thing to them. One decided immediately she was going to go Jerry McGuire on her and actually leave with me and it was amazing. I would have felt bad but she was also planning on leaving anyway. I didn't ask them too, but I know they all knew she had been draining our life away one day at a time by slowly poisoning all of us.
I went home and sobbed with my husband for a long time.
It was both because a chapter of my life had ended, but it was also because I was free.
Maybe if you've read any of my other blogs in the past you'll realize how miserable I'd been. This poison that she had been injecting into my life for so long had driven me into a terrible depression. I would be so drained by my job that I'd do minimal things around the house. My husband started doing most of the cooking because when I'd get home I couldn't bear to get going to feed us. If he hadn't started cooking for us I'm sure I would have subsided on chips and PB&J sandwiches because that's about as much effort as I could put into it.
They only reason I found to cheer up were the friends I'd made over the past few years playing D&D. I had a group of my coworkers who talked me into becoming their DM (for which I am ever grateful) and another group that taught me how to play. And another that I shared the responsibility for the game and it was awesome. They are awesome. Every single one of the people I have been playing with for the past few years were one of the only reasons (besides my husband and cats of course) that would get me to clean the house, get me to get up and cook big dinners and getting me writing again. I had almost completely stopped writing for a few years and I think that was taking a very big toll on me emotionally and physically because I had no outlet, and this gave me time to think, time to plan, and time to enjoy myself.
But at the end I was becoming so wiped that I was starting to not even be able to do that. For anyone who has read this far who wanted to hang out with me and I cancelled plans with you - it's because of this. It's all because I was so emotionally drained, so stressed out, so anxious and depressed, that I couldn't handle being around people. I couldn't focus anymore. I'd sit for hours on the couch watching TV. I wouldn't pick up my laptop my husband gave me so I could sit here and type like I used to do (and like I'm doing currently) because I couldn't focus. My mind kept going back to work, back to being miserable, and only when I had a few days off in a row could I concentrate on being happy for a time but the moment I had to go back I was so anxious I almost quit my job multiple times - I'd literally shake and find it hard to breathe.
The sad thing was, I had an idea I knew what was happening, but I still thought I could overcome it.
I started talking to the doctor and she prescribed me all sorts of anti-depressants. Then just a week or so ago she upped the type and when I told another coworker I considered a friend this, she looked at me wide-eyed and said something like, "Oh no...that's terrible stuff." It honestly freaked me out a whole ton.
So yesterday I got fired from my job of 16 years. And all of that poison came out hour after hour of scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. It rolled around in my head as we went out to dinner, as we took a walk at the park and my husband talked to me about other things and I tried hard to pay attention to him. I'd been so poisoned by this woman that I couldn't even stand helping him anymore with his convention - I think that was evident by some of my blogs too.
I didn't want to go to bed last night because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. I tried to stay up as late as I could so that I'd be too exhausted and fall asleep, but it didn't work. I tossed and turned for hours - all of that poison rolling around, spewing from every pore (figuratively).
This morning I awoke and went to the bathroom and as I came back to lay in bed a bit, it hit me again what happened. I still needed to process more. But DAMN IT - I WAS going to do what I had planned to do on my day off before all this crap hit the fan. So we did. I still thought about the stuff that I have to do, but it's the weekend, and I can't call the doctor to cancel my appointments or my dentist (I was just a few weeks away from my 6 month check up, dang nabbit!) But thankfully some of my prescriptions were renewed right beforehand... But that stuff could wait a day or two. Of course I need to go job hunting and of course I'll need health insurance again, but for a few days, things will be okay, and I really needed to enjoy this momentary freedom.
And guess what?
I looked at my backyard again for the first time and realized how green it was. I appreciated the little birds that were at my birdfeeders, realized that I hadn't cleared out the garden out back yet. Looked at the sky and saw how blue it was. I looked around my house with a new sense of purpose - something I hadn't been able to do in awhile.
I didn't take my anti-depressants. I took an allergy pill and I moved forward.
I realized that I no longer had to worry about the stockroom piling up. I didn't have to worry about my manager never giving me any help to accomplish things any more. I didn't have to even see or talk to her ever again!! That certainly brought a smile to my face. I'd never have to deal with those people secretly loathing me while smiling at my face. It was gone. All of it. The only thing I had to worry about is myself.
I hadn't had that blissful relief in a very long time.
And even though I know tomorrow is another day, and that I'll have to deal with all of the annoyance of having to go out and get a new job and deal with new things, at least I can decide.
Want to know something else?
I still have a supportive husband. I was able to listen to him talk about his convention with an open mind again. It didn't feel like yet another heavy weight on my shoulders that I wanted to throw off. (It felt like he was adding bricks to my back every time he talked about it because I already had loads and loads of other bricks there and didn't realize it.) And that made me happy.
I still have supportive family. I told my mom and she was very positive - you know, if God closes a door, He'll open a window! I feel like in this case though, God opened the door and said, "GET OUT OF THIS PLACE NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" And I'm outside of that place and here's this wonderful new world just waiting to be explored. I don't know where to start yet because I'm still adjusting to the light that I haven't seen in so long, but when I regain my focus, I'm sure I'll be fine.
I still have supportive friends. These people are magnificent. Every single one that was enraged or shocked when I posted online about what happened - there was a massive outpouring and each one gave me a massive blast of fresh air that I hadn't breathed in that poisonous atmosphere.
And I have a D&D game planned for next Friday and maybe Tuesday as well.
So, that's about it for now. I am going to let the rest of the poison drain out of my system. I'm going to take a breath of fresh air. I'm going to look around me for the first time with fresh eyes and throw off the burden that I'd been carrying for so long it was breaking me.
And I'll pick my next path.
Because somehow, I've escaped.
They didn't break me. They've freed me.
And I know this next chapter in my life will be better - because once you're at the bottom for so long, there's gotta be a way up.
See you again soon!
Showing posts with label Retail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retail. Show all posts
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Rant: "Big Brother" is "Big Business"
Today's rant has been brought to you by.... well, no one, no one is paying me to talk about their companies, so if anything, it's been brought to you by me, no paid sponsors and no reason but that the subject has been on my mind the last week or so since my last rant.
In today's rant, I will be speaking of my opinions about "Big Brother" - the government, business, and other things that are constantly spying on us. And also brushing into the fact that many of these "Big Brother (from here out referred to as BB)" businesses are also giant, crushing monopoly-like monsters.
Now, to begin, I'll post a picture of a thoughtful gorilla. This is your last chance before I go into this weird rant (which is actually pretty positive today even in a worrisome sort of way). I'm not entirely sure the name of this gorilla at the Columbus Zoo (it may have been the one who died on her 60th a few months later, if so it would make a whole lot more sense that she was contemplating her life as a great-great-great-great?-grandmother.) Either way I figured this might be a fitting photo.
We thoughtful gorillas -ahem- humans (I really hate the idea of being distant cousins although I believe those evolutionists actually put us closer to chimpanzees rather than their larger gorilla cousins) have spent a very long time breeding, expanding, creating, and making our lives better for ourselves and the other creatures that live on this planet. However, unlike those creatures on our planet who get by eating, breeding, sleeping and repeating; we use forms of currency to trade our labor for goods. And when someone gets really good at trading that labor for goods, they no longer have to labor, they have others do it for them. They still have the goods, they just don't have to work any more, and the current generation (some Millennials and a few of the newest generation which doesn't seem to have a name yet) seem to believe that money is just out there, and anything can be yours if you have a magic plastic card in your pocket. They don't seem to question where that ability to use the plastic card came from (someone working to put money on it to use) they just use it until it's all used up and then they would get another one.
Okay, maybe some of that trouble arose before the Millennials, because the biggest credit card debt problem actually arose back around the time before 9-11 and continued through the early 2000's until the recession in 2006/2008. But I'm not here to talk about debt, even though it's a really good topic to get into at some later date. What I am going to talk about is how those people who have grown up in a world where anything can be bought on the internet really has changed the way things work today.
If you are currently reading this, you've participated in the grand internet advertising scheme that is out to get your money. Not me, I don't ask for money and you won't find advertising on this page since I pay for you to see it without ads, but you most likely came here through Google or Facebook and those two companies are the biggest money grabs out there. And yet, it's okay, right? They don't charge anything to use them. I won't go into the logistics of how they make their money because there are plenty of articles and YouTube (another one!) videos about it out there (advertising and games of course). But I do want to make a note that they are definitely some of the closest things to a "Big Brother" that we have today.
The BBs of today are mining information. They are doing it at the most steady rate imaginable. In fact, I don't think we can imagine the rate that they collect our information. They know our names, our birthdays, things we like, people we talk to, work we do, vacations we take, places we live...well, you get the idea. They have facial recognition to know what photos we are in; isn't that horrifying? You could be in a background photo of someone and Facebook could know who you are, even if you weren't even supposed to be there. It reminds me of when I was skipping out on a band concert in 6th grade and lied that I was sick when I actually was going to a bowling tournament award dinner, and I'd written it on the back of a paper which I'd accidentally left behind in the classroom...and my teacher found it. It's like that, only so much worse.
But, I digress because I'm sure the internet would know that at some point too if it tried to find that information. The BBs also know what kinds of things we buy and advertise to us with websites we've visited and items we've viewed.
If you've spent any time Google searching sponsored ads and then gone into Facebook a bit later, you'll find ads from those companies showing those exact items you just looked at. I kid you not, it's creepy. But you get used to it and move on because most likely if you didn't already buy the item, you aren't going to, and the ad isn't going to sway you either way. And also those websites get it wrong sometime because maybe they think you're of that age and should be having babies so it'll start sending you ads for diapers and I'm like - heck no - you'd better stop THAT right now. It's not perfect, but they're perfecting that advertising a little more every day.
Then there's Amazon, and you can get just about anything from there, and if you can't get it there you can get it from one of China's copy-cat websites because there's sure to be a lead-soaked replica of whatever it is you wanted from there. They advertise just as heavily and will pop up in your Facebook and Google feeds too, also in side-ads on websites that carry news and information. Ever go to your favorite News website and see an ad for that thing you just looked at? Well...it's everywhere, they feed off the "cookies" that your computer tracks and the history too. It's all very invasive and sort of creepy.
HOWEVER.... I'm okay with it.
Why? Why should I be okay with all of this invasion of my privacy? Why should I be okay with Amazon and Google and YouTube and Facebook knowing about me at every moment of my life?
Well, in part, it's so darn convenient. And also because I sure as heck don't do anything bad that would cause that information to come back and bite me. I don't look at porn, I rarely swear (unless I get really heated) and I don't engage in illegal activities - don't touch drugs, don't steal, haven't gotten a traffic ticket and there's probably a bunch of things I can't put on this list because I haven't done them to even think of them.
And as for the convenience of it, isn't it nice to go on Amazon and suddenly there's an ad for the next book in a series you've been collecting? Oh, it's out today? Sweet, let me order it today. Or oh look, Google is suggesting a new restaurant I haven't tried yet but all of these people who visited other restaurant I like also liked it. Or oh look Facebook just showed me that I did the exact same thing 5 years ago that I did today...weird.
Then there's things like the Amazon Echo where you can call up any music you want to listen to (for a monthly fee at least) or ask for a monthly news briefing. And sure, the Echo is listening to everything that is being said in the room at all times - but what's it going to hear? Nothing that will incriminate me of criminal activity, because I'm not doing anything like that. And from what we've seen, so far, these large companies are keeping their information to themselves for the most part.
We've already seen how Apple refused to unlock the I-Phone of a terrorist even though there could have been information on it. And also that Amazon kept the recording of a home that had a murder happen within it to themselves. Both eventually did get out (but I believe both didn't really have any information that helped in these cases) but all the same, these companies are protecting themselves from the government.
And that's really the biggest issue with BB. In the book 1985 and Animal Farm and so many others, the government was really the bad guy. They were monitoring everything that was going on and using it against people to keep them in line. And yes, the government is monitoring us at every moment too. They listen to our telephone conversations, they can dig into our internet histories, they know the things we were doing; but not to the extent these private companies are. And these private companies are doing this for one reason: to advertise to you to buy stuff.
We're probably going to buy that stuff anyway, right? Well....no, probably not. Maybe at some point, but not to the extent we are at the moment. And it's making them into huge monopoly-like giants.
This is where things get sketchy in my mind. Because I like shopping on Amazon a lot. I like giving Google information about the restaurants I visit and I like using Facebook to share things about myself with my friends. But they've all but killed their competition over the last ten years. Before when you wanted to buy an item you typically went to that website of the item and bought it from there. But now if you go to Amazon since they're so big they have lowered the price, so you get it from them instead. The original company doesn't see direct profits from it, and eventually they lose out. I do see a smaller sect of private business springing up and managing okay on their own until some bigger rip-off company selling on Amazon steals their designs or artwork and then they too get overwhelmed unless they decide to go the legal route to sue. But that's darn costly in itself. So now you've got Amazon and all of these big companies taking all of the money.
The big companies of yesteryear are slowly falling into oblivion because they can't keep up with this powerful "monopoly". I can't say they're exactly a monopoly, because that would imply that Amazon could stop others from doing what they do, and even though they can to some extent, they can't legally do it. So I can't call them it straight out. But there are a lot of other large companies out there right now that basically own everything. And if they don't own it yet, then they don't see it as competition yet. Google buys up everything they see as useful, Amazon, Facebook, and so too telephone providers, internet and cable providers and all of those food businesses like Tyson, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and General Mills...I could go on forever, but if you look up just about any big name you'll see dozens of businesses under them.
My opinion on this is that as big as the government is, it's not the powerhouse these BB companies have become. Is it something that effects me? Sure it does. I don't work directly for a big one, but it was bought by a bigger one that owns a few other larger chains. I buy from huge chains and am watching as the little ones either get sucked up, or killed by those chains. It hurts to see a store you once loved disappear. But will I be able to find the same items I used to buy there? Sure. Maybe it won't be quite the same, but that's okay, we'll move on.
What I really wonder, however, is what will this all mean for us in the long run? I don't mind spending my money at Amazon, but I know that to an extent it killed my favorite bookstore Borders. But that bookstore had killed my local Young & Welshan's which was a smaller, locally owned bookstore. They'd moved into a new spot a few years before next to a coffee shop and had opened the wall between them only a year or so before. It was the first bookstore/coffee shop I'd ever been in outside of the Borders I first visited in Maine a few year's before. But then Borders came in across the street (almost literally, although about down a half mile) and suddenly Y&W was gone. Then Amazon started taking over as well as Barnes and Noble (about a mile away) and both of them had an internet presence but Borders did not, so they were gone within ten years. What do I do now? I still visit B&N, although the closest one is 15 miles or more away, so usually I just order on Amazon. I don't even have a smaller local bookstore to go to because the few we did have also have closed in the past five or so years. The ones that still exist are even a further drive.
What does that mean to me? It means that I'll continue to participate in buying stuff from these larger companies. Why? Because there's not much of a choice. And it's convenient. Do I wish I could go back in time and wish that those bookstores would come back? Sure I do. But would they? Probably not.
Why don't I hate businesses more that drive other businesses out? Maybe because I know that change is definitely inevitable. If we don't keep up with it we'll be swallowed by it like those little businesses do. BUT...I won't refuse to participate in helping smaller businesses either. I don't refuse to going to the privately owned places, but I really do hate getting attached to them. Even if my $20 a month helps them out, I can't be the only one otherwise they'll disappear like so many others have. It's really depressing to get attached to a business only to see it fold over time and then I have to still seek business elsewhere. I'm not sure what the answer is to that.
Maybe the only real answer is if these larger businesses start helping the little ones. I'm not sure how that would work, but I could totally see Amazon going "okay, we want an extension business so we want to help you do what you do..." And even though I have seen that with smaller businesses using Amazon Marketplace...I'm not entirely sure if it's really helping or harming these businesses. I just don't know enough to speculate.
So, in conclusion... Well, there really isn't a conclusion. I think it's O-K to buy things from the big stores. They do give a lot of people jobs, even if those jobs might be terrible. They do make things convenient even if it costs other smaller companies their business. And I think that to a lesser-extent some businesses do benefit from them because there's advertising and if I can't find said item on Amazon (for instance) but it's right here at this little store (or maybe it's cheaper here or the same price and I can have it now) I'll buy it there. And it's hard to tell what the future will bring and how much all of this information gathering will effect us in the future. But I don't think it's all that bad, so I'm not just going to start boycotting because as a middle-class American, I really can't afford to spend my time on it. Gotta work to pay for the goodies I'm buying, even if that is a whole other matter that may need to be blogged about in the future as well.
TL;DR: I think it's okay to shop at Amazon and use Google even though they might know more about me than I do myself and sell me stuff that's killing smaller businesses.
In today's rant, I will be speaking of my opinions about "Big Brother" - the government, business, and other things that are constantly spying on us. And also brushing into the fact that many of these "Big Brother (from here out referred to as BB)" businesses are also giant, crushing monopoly-like monsters.
Now, to begin, I'll post a picture of a thoughtful gorilla. This is your last chance before I go into this weird rant (which is actually pretty positive today even in a worrisome sort of way). I'm not entirely sure the name of this gorilla at the Columbus Zoo (it may have been the one who died on her 60th a few months later, if so it would make a whole lot more sense that she was contemplating her life as a great-great-great-great?-grandmother.) Either way I figured this might be a fitting photo.We thoughtful gorillas -ahem- humans (I really hate the idea of being distant cousins although I believe those evolutionists actually put us closer to chimpanzees rather than their larger gorilla cousins) have spent a very long time breeding, expanding, creating, and making our lives better for ourselves and the other creatures that live on this planet. However, unlike those creatures on our planet who get by eating, breeding, sleeping and repeating; we use forms of currency to trade our labor for goods. And when someone gets really good at trading that labor for goods, they no longer have to labor, they have others do it for them. They still have the goods, they just don't have to work any more, and the current generation (some Millennials and a few of the newest generation which doesn't seem to have a name yet) seem to believe that money is just out there, and anything can be yours if you have a magic plastic card in your pocket. They don't seem to question where that ability to use the plastic card came from (someone working to put money on it to use) they just use it until it's all used up and then they would get another one.
Okay, maybe some of that trouble arose before the Millennials, because the biggest credit card debt problem actually arose back around the time before 9-11 and continued through the early 2000's until the recession in 2006/2008. But I'm not here to talk about debt, even though it's a really good topic to get into at some later date. What I am going to talk about is how those people who have grown up in a world where anything can be bought on the internet really has changed the way things work today.
If you are currently reading this, you've participated in the grand internet advertising scheme that is out to get your money. Not me, I don't ask for money and you won't find advertising on this page since I pay for you to see it without ads, but you most likely came here through Google or Facebook and those two companies are the biggest money grabs out there. And yet, it's okay, right? They don't charge anything to use them. I won't go into the logistics of how they make their money because there are plenty of articles and YouTube (another one!) videos about it out there (advertising and games of course). But I do want to make a note that they are definitely some of the closest things to a "Big Brother" that we have today.
The BBs of today are mining information. They are doing it at the most steady rate imaginable. In fact, I don't think we can imagine the rate that they collect our information. They know our names, our birthdays, things we like, people we talk to, work we do, vacations we take, places we live...well, you get the idea. They have facial recognition to know what photos we are in; isn't that horrifying? You could be in a background photo of someone and Facebook could know who you are, even if you weren't even supposed to be there. It reminds me of when I was skipping out on a band concert in 6th grade and lied that I was sick when I actually was going to a bowling tournament award dinner, and I'd written it on the back of a paper which I'd accidentally left behind in the classroom...and my teacher found it. It's like that, only so much worse.
But, I digress because I'm sure the internet would know that at some point too if it tried to find that information. The BBs also know what kinds of things we buy and advertise to us with websites we've visited and items we've viewed.
If you've spent any time Google searching sponsored ads and then gone into Facebook a bit later, you'll find ads from those companies showing those exact items you just looked at. I kid you not, it's creepy. But you get used to it and move on because most likely if you didn't already buy the item, you aren't going to, and the ad isn't going to sway you either way. And also those websites get it wrong sometime because maybe they think you're of that age and should be having babies so it'll start sending you ads for diapers and I'm like - heck no - you'd better stop THAT right now. It's not perfect, but they're perfecting that advertising a little more every day.
Then there's Amazon, and you can get just about anything from there, and if you can't get it there you can get it from one of China's copy-cat websites because there's sure to be a lead-soaked replica of whatever it is you wanted from there. They advertise just as heavily and will pop up in your Facebook and Google feeds too, also in side-ads on websites that carry news and information. Ever go to your favorite News website and see an ad for that thing you just looked at? Well...it's everywhere, they feed off the "cookies" that your computer tracks and the history too. It's all very invasive and sort of creepy.
HOWEVER.... I'm okay with it.
Why? Why should I be okay with all of this invasion of my privacy? Why should I be okay with Amazon and Google and YouTube and Facebook knowing about me at every moment of my life?
Well, in part, it's so darn convenient. And also because I sure as heck don't do anything bad that would cause that information to come back and bite me. I don't look at porn, I rarely swear (unless I get really heated) and I don't engage in illegal activities - don't touch drugs, don't steal, haven't gotten a traffic ticket and there's probably a bunch of things I can't put on this list because I haven't done them to even think of them.
And as for the convenience of it, isn't it nice to go on Amazon and suddenly there's an ad for the next book in a series you've been collecting? Oh, it's out today? Sweet, let me order it today. Or oh look, Google is suggesting a new restaurant I haven't tried yet but all of these people who visited other restaurant I like also liked it. Or oh look Facebook just showed me that I did the exact same thing 5 years ago that I did today...weird.
Then there's things like the Amazon Echo where you can call up any music you want to listen to (for a monthly fee at least) or ask for a monthly news briefing. And sure, the Echo is listening to everything that is being said in the room at all times - but what's it going to hear? Nothing that will incriminate me of criminal activity, because I'm not doing anything like that. And from what we've seen, so far, these large companies are keeping their information to themselves for the most part.
We've already seen how Apple refused to unlock the I-Phone of a terrorist even though there could have been information on it. And also that Amazon kept the recording of a home that had a murder happen within it to themselves. Both eventually did get out (but I believe both didn't really have any information that helped in these cases) but all the same, these companies are protecting themselves from the government.
And that's really the biggest issue with BB. In the book 1985 and Animal Farm and so many others, the government was really the bad guy. They were monitoring everything that was going on and using it against people to keep them in line. And yes, the government is monitoring us at every moment too. They listen to our telephone conversations, they can dig into our internet histories, they know the things we were doing; but not to the extent these private companies are. And these private companies are doing this for one reason: to advertise to you to buy stuff.
We're probably going to buy that stuff anyway, right? Well....no, probably not. Maybe at some point, but not to the extent we are at the moment. And it's making them into huge monopoly-like giants.
This is where things get sketchy in my mind. Because I like shopping on Amazon a lot. I like giving Google information about the restaurants I visit and I like using Facebook to share things about myself with my friends. But they've all but killed their competition over the last ten years. Before when you wanted to buy an item you typically went to that website of the item and bought it from there. But now if you go to Amazon since they're so big they have lowered the price, so you get it from them instead. The original company doesn't see direct profits from it, and eventually they lose out. I do see a smaller sect of private business springing up and managing okay on their own until some bigger rip-off company selling on Amazon steals their designs or artwork and then they too get overwhelmed unless they decide to go the legal route to sue. But that's darn costly in itself. So now you've got Amazon and all of these big companies taking all of the money.
The big companies of yesteryear are slowly falling into oblivion because they can't keep up with this powerful "monopoly". I can't say they're exactly a monopoly, because that would imply that Amazon could stop others from doing what they do, and even though they can to some extent, they can't legally do it. So I can't call them it straight out. But there are a lot of other large companies out there right now that basically own everything. And if they don't own it yet, then they don't see it as competition yet. Google buys up everything they see as useful, Amazon, Facebook, and so too telephone providers, internet and cable providers and all of those food businesses like Tyson, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and General Mills...I could go on forever, but if you look up just about any big name you'll see dozens of businesses under them.
My opinion on this is that as big as the government is, it's not the powerhouse these BB companies have become. Is it something that effects me? Sure it does. I don't work directly for a big one, but it was bought by a bigger one that owns a few other larger chains. I buy from huge chains and am watching as the little ones either get sucked up, or killed by those chains. It hurts to see a store you once loved disappear. But will I be able to find the same items I used to buy there? Sure. Maybe it won't be quite the same, but that's okay, we'll move on.
What I really wonder, however, is what will this all mean for us in the long run? I don't mind spending my money at Amazon, but I know that to an extent it killed my favorite bookstore Borders. But that bookstore had killed my local Young & Welshan's which was a smaller, locally owned bookstore. They'd moved into a new spot a few years before next to a coffee shop and had opened the wall between them only a year or so before. It was the first bookstore/coffee shop I'd ever been in outside of the Borders I first visited in Maine a few year's before. But then Borders came in across the street (almost literally, although about down a half mile) and suddenly Y&W was gone. Then Amazon started taking over as well as Barnes and Noble (about a mile away) and both of them had an internet presence but Borders did not, so they were gone within ten years. What do I do now? I still visit B&N, although the closest one is 15 miles or more away, so usually I just order on Amazon. I don't even have a smaller local bookstore to go to because the few we did have also have closed in the past five or so years. The ones that still exist are even a further drive.
What does that mean to me? It means that I'll continue to participate in buying stuff from these larger companies. Why? Because there's not much of a choice. And it's convenient. Do I wish I could go back in time and wish that those bookstores would come back? Sure I do. But would they? Probably not.
Why don't I hate businesses more that drive other businesses out? Maybe because I know that change is definitely inevitable. If we don't keep up with it we'll be swallowed by it like those little businesses do. BUT...I won't refuse to participate in helping smaller businesses either. I don't refuse to going to the privately owned places, but I really do hate getting attached to them. Even if my $20 a month helps them out, I can't be the only one otherwise they'll disappear like so many others have. It's really depressing to get attached to a business only to see it fold over time and then I have to still seek business elsewhere. I'm not sure what the answer is to that.
Maybe the only real answer is if these larger businesses start helping the little ones. I'm not sure how that would work, but I could totally see Amazon going "okay, we want an extension business so we want to help you do what you do..." And even though I have seen that with smaller businesses using Amazon Marketplace...I'm not entirely sure if it's really helping or harming these businesses. I just don't know enough to speculate.
So, in conclusion... Well, there really isn't a conclusion. I think it's O-K to buy things from the big stores. They do give a lot of people jobs, even if those jobs might be terrible. They do make things convenient even if it costs other smaller companies their business. And I think that to a lesser-extent some businesses do benefit from them because there's advertising and if I can't find said item on Amazon (for instance) but it's right here at this little store (or maybe it's cheaper here or the same price and I can have it now) I'll buy it there. And it's hard to tell what the future will bring and how much all of this information gathering will effect us in the future. But I don't think it's all that bad, so I'm not just going to start boycotting because as a middle-class American, I really can't afford to spend my time on it. Gotta work to pay for the goodies I'm buying, even if that is a whole other matter that may need to be blogged about in the future as well.
TL;DR: I think it's okay to shop at Amazon and use Google even though they might know more about me than I do myself and sell me stuff that's killing smaller businesses.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Business Ideas that Are Causing Damage to Businesses
I'm going to take us on a strange topic today that is completely different than all of my blogs to date. As I spend time working as a retail manager, I find that there are a lot of business practices that aren't really helping businesses at all. I'm not here to talk about my business or the things that they do, because I would be out of a job that I need. What I'm here to talk about today are the business ideas that keep cropping up around the United States that need to go away. Many of these businesses are trying to fill a need. What they're doing instead are creating havoc and theft. Let me take a step back and give a few examples of what kinds of businesses I'm referring to, as they are causing far more theft and crime than they probably ever meant.
All of these companies and businesses fill a need in our consumerist driven society. How to get rid of something you don't need to get something you do need - money. That's all fine and dandy. I, like everyone else, needs money to get by. These ideas on paper probably look really good and for many people, they use these businesses rarely and use them honestly.
However, there's a catch. What if these offerings are not used honestly? What if people start selling other's items to get money for themselves?
Sure, you see pawnshops in every lower class area, every 'ghetto' area, everywhere that people start finding they're just scratching by. I won't even talk about loans and check advance places or gambling places because they all have their own problems and you'll see them everywhere as well. Most of the time these places move into a bad neighborhood, but as things change they get forced out by a changing economy and eventually the run down neighborhood gets a face lift and the pawn shop moves away.
But what if the area doesn't make a comeback? What if things make a turn for the worse when something like the Great Recession of 2008 happens? There's a huge bankruptcy crises, mortgages collapse because banks let people over-borrow, they go into dept because of credit cards, and large businesses that never had trouble staying afloat are suddenly buried.
Suddenly homeowners are forced to leave their homes in foreclosure. The honest ones will leave their houses quickly but fairly intact. The others, instead of being able to crawl out of the debt by moving on, take every scratch of appliance, every wire, everything that isn't nailed down (and even some that are) and run to the nearest scrap yard to sell it. That doesn't get them out of debt, it merely helps them survive. They run out of things to sell and so they start taking things to sell. They steal from friends and family, they steal from empty houses on the street and take pool pumps and air conditioning units. They take copper wires and clear out entire homes of everything that could bring them a bit of spare change. Suddenly these people allow themselves to do corrupt things in order to just get by.
I digress... the reason for this blog is to point out that these ideas that should be helping honest people are merely helping thieves. Thieves will steal purses and backpacks to steal phones and laptops. They don't use these items because they need them, they steal them to sell. They break into cars and into homes to steal and pawn TVs and computer equipment. The police can't track them down or won't unless the items are worth just so much, and if they find out the owner has insurance, then they won't bother at all. The items will just get replaced. That, in turn, makes the insurance fees go up and it causes those people who were stealing to go around without insurance because they can't afford it any more.
Gift card kiosks are the worst of these businesses in the last few years. It's stores that get hurt because they're trying to be nice to the honest people. Here's how it works: Thief knows that store will take back merchandise without a receipt and give them a gift card in return. So they go in and steal stuff. Maybe they'll have a crew that steals and a crew that 'returns' the items. The person who 'returns' these items takes the gift card they get and takes it to the kiosk. They get free money. It might be $20, but for some of these people it's enough to buy a meal and some drugs. Most of them are usually out for the drugs since food stamps pay for the food. So the stores are out the money, but if they refuse to do the return, they're out the items. If they take back the stolen items, the store shows an extra in their stock and when they have inventory they'll come up short which takes a hit on their theft shrinkage. That means they'll get hit twice, first with the theft of money, and then with the supposed theft of items in inventory.
But thieves don't stop there. Eventually the thieves realize that the store isn't cooperating and if they find out that it's too easy to steal things, they'll go to great lengths to get tons of things out the front door. I've seen huge boxes and carts full of things leaving the door. I don't work in a retail establishment that sells food or items of great value, nothing that these people would need to live. So what are they doing with these items? Pawning most likely, some of it. Flea markets maybe. Selling it to other businesses that buy items for money, I'm sure. Whatever big score they can get to buy them a bag of drugs or some money to feed their kids.
And what is stopping these thieves? These businesses say they track these people. They say they only let people get just so much money a day... But how do they stop them if they use fake IDs? Many of these people have drivers licences as well as just IDs... And I'm not sure why the government is allowing this, but I won't get into that. What I'm saying, however, is that there's nothing stopping these people from getting multiple "IDs" with various addresses and they can get around all of the rules in place to stop them from fraud.
What I hope though, is that these businesses would take a much better look at how people are going to use their product. Will this cell phone sell-back service cause theft from honest people? How can this business be abused? If every business would take a step back before promoting their product and ask, "can this go wrong?" I think perhaps that thieves would have to think twice in order to make a profit. Businesses are losing money because they aren't planning ahead. Sure, if everyone was honest, putting that gift card kiosk in the store would be great. You would make a profit and customers could have the convenience of buying a card for a gift. However, what about those people buying gift cards with stolen credit cards?
How about we all just start looking at the world with a bit more suspicion. I like to be optimistic when the economy is starting to bounce back after our recession, but there are too many out there who have gotten used to this dishonest system. They take advantage because the system has taken advantage of them. Maybe someday these people will all get jobs and be productive members of the society again, perhaps the government will give them a reason to, but more likely these people will keep doing what they are doing, teach their kids to do the same, and if we don't stop them from doing these things, it will continue to get worse and worse.
So, I plead with new business owners and these people who are thinking about starting up the 'next great thing' - ask yourself, "How can this be abused?" Don't put it into practice if only a few honest people will actually be able to take advantage of this and a few hundred thieves are using it daily. Take a good hard look at what protections you have in place. Then, not only will your business thrive because thieves aren't taking advantage of you, but the honest person will also trust you to know that you're taking care of them too.
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EDIT ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: It was brought to my attention that of course not all homeowners forced to allow their homes go into foreclosure are thieves and vandals. Some, like those in the military, may have to move and cannot sell their homes and have to forfeit the home they bought. There are others, as well who just have financial crises and family problems, job lose, etc. In this article, I'm talking only about those people who, instead of finding ways to make ends meet honestly, turn to making a quick buck as an answer. There may be some people who turn to this life of crime or vandalism once and then find their way out again without letting anything get on their permanent records. However, there are still so many more out there who allow themselves to be swept up with the lie that "it's okay because everyone is doing it" or "just one more time and I'll quit this drug and won't need the money anymore."
I sincerely believe that anyone, anyone can go through a hard time in their lives due to unforeseen circumstances. A job can be taken out from under them, a loved one can die, a tornado or flood can take out a house where insurance won't cover it... Good people (and I believe everyone can be good, but it's much harder to do sometimes than to be bad) will try to crawl out of their situation even if that means taking a part-time job that pays squat, or they'll give up and start over again somewhere new. It might be hard, but there's always an honest way out, so long as one is willing to put everything they have into it. The problem exists in the 'easy dollar' or trying to find some way out that usually results in a temporary solution that tends to hurt not only the person doing it, but those around them as well. And perhaps if businesses paid their employees enough to live, they wouldn't have so many employees stealing from them and adding to a whole set of other problems! But...that is for another day.
- The first of these businesses I want to talk about are scrap yards. I am sure everyone has seen these huge plots of land filled with various scrap metals and cars. These yards have been around for ages and really haven't caused all that much trouble in the past. Most of the time scrappers simply go around picking up cars, appliances and other scrap pieces of metal from the curb of a household that doesn't want it anymore, and they take it to sell at these scrap yards. Most of the time they'd get a hundred dollars for the amount in a pick-up truck or some other amount depending on what kinds of metals that they have brought in. This worked pretty good because home owners who couldn't afford to pay to have their oversize garbage taken away found it gone the next morning. I get rid of lots of things that I know I can't sell but someone else can use and I can't afford to drive it somewhere to donate it.
- The second business is very similar to the scrap yards, as it deals with selling electronics or gold or some other items for cash. Mind you, pawn shops have been around for a long time. You take in small items, and they give you a bit of cash for it, and you can either leave it behind forever or come back to get it when you have the money to pay the loan back. Simple enough. But now there are places that buy more specific things like gold, electronics, phones, etc. These places will usually recycle the items much like at a scrap yard and your items are gone forever.
- The third business has to do with gift cards. In the past gift certificates were non-transferable pieces of paper that one could buy from a business if they didn't know what to get someone from that store. The person could bring it in and use it as cash to buy something they actually wanted. Certificates changed to gift cards when the technology for card swiping machines were included in nearly every store as the credit card companies expanded. Around the 1990s everyone could get credit cards and so businesses started selling gift cards, cash cards, phone cards, you name it. But what if someone bought you a card for a business you didn't like? Suddenly there were websites popping up to exchange the cards. Then, more recently, there are kiosks that could exchange cards for cash. The company would take a small profit for the card, but you got money instead of a card you couldn't use. More recently, CoinStar is starting to exchange these cards as well, making it less of a local program to a wide-spread problem. (I say problem as you'll soon find out).
All of these companies and businesses fill a need in our consumerist driven society. How to get rid of something you don't need to get something you do need - money. That's all fine and dandy. I, like everyone else, needs money to get by. These ideas on paper probably look really good and for many people, they use these businesses rarely and use them honestly.
However, there's a catch. What if these offerings are not used honestly? What if people start selling other's items to get money for themselves?
Sure, you see pawnshops in every lower class area, every 'ghetto' area, everywhere that people start finding they're just scratching by. I won't even talk about loans and check advance places or gambling places because they all have their own problems and you'll see them everywhere as well. Most of the time these places move into a bad neighborhood, but as things change they get forced out by a changing economy and eventually the run down neighborhood gets a face lift and the pawn shop moves away.
But what if the area doesn't make a comeback? What if things make a turn for the worse when something like the Great Recession of 2008 happens? There's a huge bankruptcy crises, mortgages collapse because banks let people over-borrow, they go into dept because of credit cards, and large businesses that never had trouble staying afloat are suddenly buried.
Suddenly homeowners are forced to leave their homes in foreclosure. The honest ones will leave their houses quickly but fairly intact. The others, instead of being able to crawl out of the debt by moving on, take every scratch of appliance, every wire, everything that isn't nailed down (and even some that are) and run to the nearest scrap yard to sell it. That doesn't get them out of debt, it merely helps them survive. They run out of things to sell and so they start taking things to sell. They steal from friends and family, they steal from empty houses on the street and take pool pumps and air conditioning units. They take copper wires and clear out entire homes of everything that could bring them a bit of spare change. Suddenly these people allow themselves to do corrupt things in order to just get by.
I digress... the reason for this blog is to point out that these ideas that should be helping honest people are merely helping thieves. Thieves will steal purses and backpacks to steal phones and laptops. They don't use these items because they need them, they steal them to sell. They break into cars and into homes to steal and pawn TVs and computer equipment. The police can't track them down or won't unless the items are worth just so much, and if they find out the owner has insurance, then they won't bother at all. The items will just get replaced. That, in turn, makes the insurance fees go up and it causes those people who were stealing to go around without insurance because they can't afford it any more.
Gift card kiosks are the worst of these businesses in the last few years. It's stores that get hurt because they're trying to be nice to the honest people. Here's how it works: Thief knows that store will take back merchandise without a receipt and give them a gift card in return. So they go in and steal stuff. Maybe they'll have a crew that steals and a crew that 'returns' the items. The person who 'returns' these items takes the gift card they get and takes it to the kiosk. They get free money. It might be $20, but for some of these people it's enough to buy a meal and some drugs. Most of them are usually out for the drugs since food stamps pay for the food. So the stores are out the money, but if they refuse to do the return, they're out the items. If they take back the stolen items, the store shows an extra in their stock and when they have inventory they'll come up short which takes a hit on their theft shrinkage. That means they'll get hit twice, first with the theft of money, and then with the supposed theft of items in inventory.
But thieves don't stop there. Eventually the thieves realize that the store isn't cooperating and if they find out that it's too easy to steal things, they'll go to great lengths to get tons of things out the front door. I've seen huge boxes and carts full of things leaving the door. I don't work in a retail establishment that sells food or items of great value, nothing that these people would need to live. So what are they doing with these items? Pawning most likely, some of it. Flea markets maybe. Selling it to other businesses that buy items for money, I'm sure. Whatever big score they can get to buy them a bag of drugs or some money to feed their kids.
And what is stopping these thieves? These businesses say they track these people. They say they only let people get just so much money a day... But how do they stop them if they use fake IDs? Many of these people have drivers licences as well as just IDs... And I'm not sure why the government is allowing this, but I won't get into that. What I'm saying, however, is that there's nothing stopping these people from getting multiple "IDs" with various addresses and they can get around all of the rules in place to stop them from fraud.
What I hope though, is that these businesses would take a much better look at how people are going to use their product. Will this cell phone sell-back service cause theft from honest people? How can this business be abused? If every business would take a step back before promoting their product and ask, "can this go wrong?" I think perhaps that thieves would have to think twice in order to make a profit. Businesses are losing money because they aren't planning ahead. Sure, if everyone was honest, putting that gift card kiosk in the store would be great. You would make a profit and customers could have the convenience of buying a card for a gift. However, what about those people buying gift cards with stolen credit cards?
How about we all just start looking at the world with a bit more suspicion. I like to be optimistic when the economy is starting to bounce back after our recession, but there are too many out there who have gotten used to this dishonest system. They take advantage because the system has taken advantage of them. Maybe someday these people will all get jobs and be productive members of the society again, perhaps the government will give them a reason to, but more likely these people will keep doing what they are doing, teach their kids to do the same, and if we don't stop them from doing these things, it will continue to get worse and worse.
So, I plead with new business owners and these people who are thinking about starting up the 'next great thing' - ask yourself, "How can this be abused?" Don't put it into practice if only a few honest people will actually be able to take advantage of this and a few hundred thieves are using it daily. Take a good hard look at what protections you have in place. Then, not only will your business thrive because thieves aren't taking advantage of you, but the honest person will also trust you to know that you're taking care of them too.
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EDIT ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: It was brought to my attention that of course not all homeowners forced to allow their homes go into foreclosure are thieves and vandals. Some, like those in the military, may have to move and cannot sell their homes and have to forfeit the home they bought. There are others, as well who just have financial crises and family problems, job lose, etc. In this article, I'm talking only about those people who, instead of finding ways to make ends meet honestly, turn to making a quick buck as an answer. There may be some people who turn to this life of crime or vandalism once and then find their way out again without letting anything get on their permanent records. However, there are still so many more out there who allow themselves to be swept up with the lie that "it's okay because everyone is doing it" or "just one more time and I'll quit this drug and won't need the money anymore."
I sincerely believe that anyone, anyone can go through a hard time in their lives due to unforeseen circumstances. A job can be taken out from under them, a loved one can die, a tornado or flood can take out a house where insurance won't cover it... Good people (and I believe everyone can be good, but it's much harder to do sometimes than to be bad) will try to crawl out of their situation even if that means taking a part-time job that pays squat, or they'll give up and start over again somewhere new. It might be hard, but there's always an honest way out, so long as one is willing to put everything they have into it. The problem exists in the 'easy dollar' or trying to find some way out that usually results in a temporary solution that tends to hurt not only the person doing it, but those around them as well. And perhaps if businesses paid their employees enough to live, they wouldn't have so many employees stealing from them and adding to a whole set of other problems! But...that is for another day.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Tidbits around the House
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As I was wandering about the house yesterday, fighting an infestation of ants trying to eat the cat food in the kitchen, I recalled the fact that we had a package of ant traps under the kitchen sink. I hadn't even had my first cup of coffee for the morning as I swept, mopped, and eventually set down the traps in the corners where I saw them coming from. I think after having our new patio built that they had a new way to get into the house. My husband was a bit wary about using traps since they kill off the entire community of ants, but as I reminded him, if there are so many ants in the yard that some find a way inside, then there are too many ants. On the plus side, this morning I have not seen any ants, and maybe it's because it's finally stopped raining for more than two hours (the sidewalk is actually dry the first time in almost a week). But I'm happy that they've decided to move on...
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Here's a helpful tip if you ever buy a milk carton that's the old fashioned cardboard kind. If it doesn't have a screw cap, then use a paperclip to seal the opening shut again. It'll keep things like creamer, heavy cream, and even regular milk good longer than just closing it and shoving it back in the fridge.
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What really irritates me about working retail sometimes is the fact that people have the tendency to look down on you. Not sure exactly why that is, because I know people who don't work retail and make less than I do, and really, if you don't have a college degree of some sort, most retail stores won't hire you for a management position, that's just how it is. But just the other day I was calling out for the next in line. "I can help who's next!" I said cheerfully. The woman that came up put her items on the counter and practically growled at me, "URGH!" I blinked a couple of times thinking she was irritated for having waited too long (which is usually why they get mad...or it's because they couldn't find something. Usually I can either apologize to make them feel better or find the item, at least, usually.)
"Is something wrong?" I asked, almost hesitating to find out what was going on.
"It's NOT, 'Can I help whose next?', that's NOT proper English. And you people always say that, every time I come in, it's just wrong." I stared at her, tried to explain that not everyone said it that way, but then it occurred to me that I wasn't wrong, because, in fact, I was saying the contraction of "who" and "is" - hence, "who's". She was still going on about how it was the "English teacher in her" that couldn't stand to hear it said wrong. I rung her items and said, "May I help the person who is next in line. Is that better??"
"Yes, that's better." The woman then left and I shook my head, because it really wasn't any different than saying "May I help the person who's next in line?" And the fact that she had to jab in there that she was an English teacher, as if all of us working in retail are stupid. I, in fact, have a degree in English as well. I've thought at various times that maybe what I was saying wasn't correct, but the truth was, I even looked it up in the Associated Press Handbook to see if the contraction was real. It is. But for some reason I think she thought I was saying "whose" which would be incorrect. Unfortunately with the English language, the two words, "whose" and "who's" sound identical. The fact that she got upset and didn't say, "are you saying the contraction?" means that she got angry without thinking it through. It was worse than when someone has to point out the distinction between "can you" and "will you".
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Speaking of English pet peeves; I have a few of my own. Recently, it's mostly to do with when people add an "s" to the end of a word that isn't supposed to have one. A few examples: Targets, Walmarts, Meijers, JCPennys, HotTopics, and Krogers. I've noticed that oftentimes it comes more frequently in Southern areas, but then again, everyone at home up North used to call it "Meijers" too. Now, I have thought about it a bit to think that perhaps this comes from our past when places were named after a specific person. And maybe back in the day it would have been "Kroger's Grocery" meaning some person named Kroger owned a grocery store. So, perhaps, as stores eventually grew big, they dropped the possessive "'s" and stuck with the last name by itself. Not all stores did this, I know that, but I wonder if in the collective conscience, some people still think of the stores as belonging to someone.
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The reason I say this is because I just came back from a trip to West Virginia and while there ate at a Chinese restaurant that my husband loves. He's been eating there for years, and now I sort of have been too, but things were getting a bit sketchier over the last few visits, and then suddenly a friend and I both ordered Egg Drop soup and we both got food poisoning pretty bad. Seems that I keep getting it once every few months to the point where I just don't want to eat anywhere that I feel a bit weird about the food. This time it was a slightly suspicious green colored egg in the soup. Didn't think too much about it because I've had odd colored pieces in the soup before without much trouble. However, what should have made me stop eating it was the fact that the soup wasn't broiling hot like they usually get it. Usually they're bringing out your egg roll or your meal by the time it cools down enough to eat without scorching your tongue. This time, no such luck, which meant that whatever was in that bad bugger was still alive. SO... A note to you, if your egg drop is not scalding hot, don't eat it!
As for the picture above, this was the sunset above my in-law's house on the night before we left. I was recouping from the food poisoning by that point, thankfully. I'm just glad it hadn't been so bad that I couldn't go places, because I've been sick like that and on vacation, it's just not any fun.
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I've heard a saying once that "you never see baby pigeons". Well, these aren't baby pigeons, but a close cousin, the mourning dove. Each year we have at least one pair of mating doves that hang out in our yard, and usually they find themselves a nice spot on our fence to build a nest. This year it was in the back corner above a lilac bush. The reason you "never see a baby pigeon" is they usually stay in the nest until they almost look like an adult (only a bit smaller in stature) and then they're let out to fly. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure only one of these little ones survived, as I only saw one of them after this once it was able to fly. The other probably went to a neighboring cat.
We have two, a black one, and a calico-looking tan stripe/white cat, both pretty fluffy. I call them "him" and "her" consecutively. "He" will come up and stare in the back door at my cats and since he looks like my Mina, sometimes I get a heart attack thinking she's gotten outside. "She" will roll around in the catnip growing in the back yard. Both of them, when they get too close to the Mockingbird that lives around here, will get attacked and chased away by the little gray bird!
And the robins around here....Oh I swear to you those things are horny. Already they're on their second brood this summer. First set had one baby, and now we have two hanging out on the fence pooping everywhere. At least it's better than the first one who chose to sit on my porch chair and I had to scrub that bugger like crazy.
I will leave you with one last thought: Have you ever seen a baby pigeon?
Friday, June 28, 2013
Retail Life
I'm going to preface this right here and say that I normally don't talk about work. And if you know where I work, don't mention the name because even I'm not going to come right out and say it. And what I have to say is no reflection on my job whatsoever. I'm just going to ramble idly for a few paragraphs about retail life in general, as a consumer and an employee of somewhere that sells stuff for money. (I recently went through a very lengthy training seminar about behavior on the web and as I would like to keep my job, I try my best to keep where I work private when and where I can.)
Anyway, so the other day I met this interesting gentleman, who responded to my askance of whether he found everything okay gave me a resounding, "NO, I did NOT." I get that from time to time of course, and whereas most of the time it's because perhaps we just don't carry it, sometimes I get lucky and can go get the item for them, or perhaps can order it. I like to do things like that even when we have a big line that will tick off people who are waiting, but you know, if they see you do something like that and then apologize to those waiting, they're usually pretty accepting. Heck, I'm a pretty patient consumer myself when I see someone going above and beyond for someone else.
Surprised at the gentleman's response, I questioned if I could help him find it and with forcefulness, he refused me and went on to say that now that the store had been moved around he could no longer find anything and since nothing was in the same place as it had been he would no longer return to shop at our store. What could I say? It had been over a year since we had changed the layout, and after working there for years, I was actually pretty happy with the new layout myself because things were grouped better than before, whereas similar items used to be spread out all over the store. I told the gentleman just that and his response was basically that no one liked to "shop" for things, that there had been a survey about it quite recently, which stated that before, people liked to mosey around to find items. But now in our busy day in age, people liked to get in and get out. Apparently he had also stopped going to our local Kroger because they had recently renovated and had moved everything around. (In truth, some things had moved in the middle of the store to accommodate a liquor area in the middle, but the important non-packaged junk was still on the inside of the store).
I didn't say too much more to him, there's not much more too say to that. Sure, they actually do make shopping malls completely open air now with parking in front of stores. Of course, I'm often the same way when I go to a store I go directly to the place where the item is and then get it an leave. But generally, women like to shop. Heck, many of the men who come to my place like to shop around too. They'll wander around the store, but if they want something specific, they'll ask for it at the front desk. This gentleman did not want to ask, did not want anyone to show him, and did not want to ever come back. Well, I thought to myself that if it had been over a year since he had been in the store, it wouldn't be much of a loss if we didn't get his $20 purchase every couple of years. But he made it out to be a big thing.
Now, I know for a fact that as long as you have good customer service, a good product, a clean store, and a refreshing inventory, people come back. Only those "in-and-out" shoppers won't return once a month or so because they don't care about the new stuff we get in all the time. Heck, when I go to a store and don't see anything new there, I'll wait a few months before returning back just in case there's something different. I'm always surprised when people throw a hissy fit about our store, whether it's the layout, lack of an item or just something that confuses them, because I have a feeling that they've never worked, or been around retail much in their lives. Sure, everyone has to shop to survive (or have someone else shop for them) but it's a cut-throat world out there and if you don't do something to keep people coming back, especially that one Jane Smith who buys the big ticket stuff, you're never going to get anywhere.
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On the flip side of things, I have a confession to make. I'm very impatient with poor customer service. I've become more so since I started into management, as it reflects very poorly on a company and brand. And it was sad because there's places I've been to time and time again just recently that I've stopped going to when things failed for me.
Restaurants are one of my largest pet-peeves right now, and maybe it's because I've seen so many Restaurant Stakeouts. Recently I've had some pretty poor service that reflects more upon the management then the employees, and it really saddens me because it says to me that the corporate offices of these places are "saving" so much money on training that their employees have no idea what's going on. The last two places I've seen that were at the local IHOP, which I've eaten at only once because the first time there was no waitstaff on the floor and the kitchen was so backed up that no food was coming out...full restaurant, no food. We eventually got it, but I thought, okay, so it's new they need work, we'll wait a few months. So we went back, and there was no one cleaning tables, so the poor hostess was bustling to clear tables just so she could seat people. She never once asked a manager to help or refused to seat anyone, because I guess if the waiters didn't clear their tables I guess they didn't want money either from new paying guests, right? So we went to Cracker Barrel. For the record, I rarely have a bad experience there, they really have their stuff together.
Second most recently was Fazoli's where I love their stuff, but the kitchen staff was all just goofing off and then they screwed up my husband's salad by putting it under the heat lamp while my chicken parmesan was cooking up all nastly... I'm pretty sure I should have returned that bugger because it probably came out of the freezer box like that. *sigh*
Then there's Firehouse Subs which I love, but when the owner isn't in, sometimes you don't even spot the staff as they're down the way picking up burritos as a neighboring restaurant. Or maybe it's like the Dakota Watch in the mall today where the employee had completely disappeared even though I just wanted to get a new watch battery. In fact, most of the places I went to today to find a new battery were completely empty.
And as much as people hate the name Walmart, I'll tell you what, the gal came right on over when called and helped me out immediately. She explained why her computer was going so slow when she rung me up and I had a nice conversation with her over slow registers. Doesn't matter that she scratched up the back of my watch, but the point was that she cared enough to get it done and was polite doing so.
Plus, she was there.
Not only in body but in mind too, because I've had a terrible experience at a store at the Easton Town Center that sold local goodies. The guy who rung me out was too busy talking to the gal behind me, rather than to me, so when I told him I had the coin change after giving him a bill, he said, "Nope, too late," and refused to take the coins! Then continued having a conversation with the person just standing around!
This, quite frankly, just boggles my mind.
Why are people in jobs that they don't like? Is it just because that's all they could find? Why aren't they trying to find something that they like? I like my job. I may not love it, but I certainly don't hate it, and I'm good at it. So when someone complains to me about my store, I take offense, and I take a stand and I take problems into my hands. And maybe that's why I'm in management and maybe that's why I have so many awesome customers.
But for that one not-so-awesome customer experience in the bunch, I have this to say: things can get better, but don't be nasty, be patient. Problems get solved but you have to be reasonable about it. I won't go back to a few places for awhile, but I'll go back eventually. I won't stomp my foot and demand for free stuff, because that hurts the employees more than it hurts the company. And for those of us who like working in retail, we want to help. A nice request, a well-asked question, a patient attitude; all of these will get you very far in the world.
Anyway, so the other day I met this interesting gentleman, who responded to my askance of whether he found everything okay gave me a resounding, "NO, I did NOT." I get that from time to time of course, and whereas most of the time it's because perhaps we just don't carry it, sometimes I get lucky and can go get the item for them, or perhaps can order it. I like to do things like that even when we have a big line that will tick off people who are waiting, but you know, if they see you do something like that and then apologize to those waiting, they're usually pretty accepting. Heck, I'm a pretty patient consumer myself when I see someone going above and beyond for someone else.
Surprised at the gentleman's response, I questioned if I could help him find it and with forcefulness, he refused me and went on to say that now that the store had been moved around he could no longer find anything and since nothing was in the same place as it had been he would no longer return to shop at our store. What could I say? It had been over a year since we had changed the layout, and after working there for years, I was actually pretty happy with the new layout myself because things were grouped better than before, whereas similar items used to be spread out all over the store. I told the gentleman just that and his response was basically that no one liked to "shop" for things, that there had been a survey about it quite recently, which stated that before, people liked to mosey around to find items. But now in our busy day in age, people liked to get in and get out. Apparently he had also stopped going to our local Kroger because they had recently renovated and had moved everything around. (In truth, some things had moved in the middle of the store to accommodate a liquor area in the middle, but the important non-packaged junk was still on the inside of the store).
I didn't say too much more to him, there's not much more too say to that. Sure, they actually do make shopping malls completely open air now with parking in front of stores. Of course, I'm often the same way when I go to a store I go directly to the place where the item is and then get it an leave. But generally, women like to shop. Heck, many of the men who come to my place like to shop around too. They'll wander around the store, but if they want something specific, they'll ask for it at the front desk. This gentleman did not want to ask, did not want anyone to show him, and did not want to ever come back. Well, I thought to myself that if it had been over a year since he had been in the store, it wouldn't be much of a loss if we didn't get his $20 purchase every couple of years. But he made it out to be a big thing.
Now, I know for a fact that as long as you have good customer service, a good product, a clean store, and a refreshing inventory, people come back. Only those "in-and-out" shoppers won't return once a month or so because they don't care about the new stuff we get in all the time. Heck, when I go to a store and don't see anything new there, I'll wait a few months before returning back just in case there's something different. I'm always surprised when people throw a hissy fit about our store, whether it's the layout, lack of an item or just something that confuses them, because I have a feeling that they've never worked, or been around retail much in their lives. Sure, everyone has to shop to survive (or have someone else shop for them) but it's a cut-throat world out there and if you don't do something to keep people coming back, especially that one Jane Smith who buys the big ticket stuff, you're never going to get anywhere.
--------
On the flip side of things, I have a confession to make. I'm very impatient with poor customer service. I've become more so since I started into management, as it reflects very poorly on a company and brand. And it was sad because there's places I've been to time and time again just recently that I've stopped going to when things failed for me.
Restaurants are one of my largest pet-peeves right now, and maybe it's because I've seen so many Restaurant Stakeouts. Recently I've had some pretty poor service that reflects more upon the management then the employees, and it really saddens me because it says to me that the corporate offices of these places are "saving" so much money on training that their employees have no idea what's going on. The last two places I've seen that were at the local IHOP, which I've eaten at only once because the first time there was no waitstaff on the floor and the kitchen was so backed up that no food was coming out...full restaurant, no food. We eventually got it, but I thought, okay, so it's new they need work, we'll wait a few months. So we went back, and there was no one cleaning tables, so the poor hostess was bustling to clear tables just so she could seat people. She never once asked a manager to help or refused to seat anyone, because I guess if the waiters didn't clear their tables I guess they didn't want money either from new paying guests, right? So we went to Cracker Barrel. For the record, I rarely have a bad experience there, they really have their stuff together.
Second most recently was Fazoli's where I love their stuff, but the kitchen staff was all just goofing off and then they screwed up my husband's salad by putting it under the heat lamp while my chicken parmesan was cooking up all nastly... I'm pretty sure I should have returned that bugger because it probably came out of the freezer box like that. *sigh*
Then there's Firehouse Subs which I love, but when the owner isn't in, sometimes you don't even spot the staff as they're down the way picking up burritos as a neighboring restaurant. Or maybe it's like the Dakota Watch in the mall today where the employee had completely disappeared even though I just wanted to get a new watch battery. In fact, most of the places I went to today to find a new battery were completely empty.
And as much as people hate the name Walmart, I'll tell you what, the gal came right on over when called and helped me out immediately. She explained why her computer was going so slow when she rung me up and I had a nice conversation with her over slow registers. Doesn't matter that she scratched up the back of my watch, but the point was that she cared enough to get it done and was polite doing so.
Plus, she was there.
Not only in body but in mind too, because I've had a terrible experience at a store at the Easton Town Center that sold local goodies. The guy who rung me out was too busy talking to the gal behind me, rather than to me, so when I told him I had the coin change after giving him a bill, he said, "Nope, too late," and refused to take the coins! Then continued having a conversation with the person just standing around!
This, quite frankly, just boggles my mind.
Why are people in jobs that they don't like? Is it just because that's all they could find? Why aren't they trying to find something that they like? I like my job. I may not love it, but I certainly don't hate it, and I'm good at it. So when someone complains to me about my store, I take offense, and I take a stand and I take problems into my hands. And maybe that's why I'm in management and maybe that's why I have so many awesome customers.
But for that one not-so-awesome customer experience in the bunch, I have this to say: things can get better, but don't be nasty, be patient. Problems get solved but you have to be reasonable about it. I won't go back to a few places for awhile, but I'll go back eventually. I won't stomp my foot and demand for free stuff, because that hurts the employees more than it hurts the company. And for those of us who like working in retail, we want to help. A nice request, a well-asked question, a patient attitude; all of these will get you very far in the world.
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