Co-Workers

[SoulBlazerFan]

So, let's talk about jobs, shall we? Raini previous discussed on how to make retail workers lives easier as a customer. Here, I'm going to explain how to make retail workers lives easier being a co-worker. Anyone ever heard the term planogram before? I imagine some of you who've worked in retail know what this, but for those of you who don't, it's the process, or the layout, of how an aisle is going to be set for the customer, or as we Target-ines say, "Guests." More on this in a second.

I generally work in stocking shelves, usually in the electronics area. (Games, phones, videoes, books, CD's, ect) but I'm also vesatile in that I can work just about anywhere they need me to. Recently, I've been working on the planogram team, setting aisles.

When doing planograms, or plano for short, you're given paperwork on how the aisle will be laid out, and you follow this in order to complete your workload. There is also a online resource for this to, which includes the timeframe in which the workload should be completed.

For instance, last night, we had two full aisles to set, which both were lightbulbs.The computer said the two aisles should both be completed within 14 hours, by one person. There were two of us over there in one of the two aisles. We started at 9:30, and, me, a veteran, with a girl, who is a newbie, finished it by 12:30. Which, if you're keeping track, is 3 hours. Double that up, it would've taken one person 6 hours to complete, maybe less for me since I was working with the newbie.

Now, considering the other aisle had two veterans also, wouldn't you think that those aisles would be finished in the same timeframe, if not quicker?

Well, I left early at 5:30, and the two of them still hadn't finished their aisle yet. In fact, four others, including myself and that girl, came over to help the two of them.

This really bugs me. I always bust my ass to finish as fast as I can, while others take their sweet-ass time in doing their job. Discuss, or tell other stories of crummy coworkers.

(I apologize now, cause I only just realized I was venting -.-; )

[EverPhoenix]

my co-workers are usually quite nice. in terms of how hard they work, that is debatable. usually everyone tries to finish stuff as soon as they can, with minimal slacking off (the main reason it takes me a little while longer to finish a cage is because i insist on sorting the stuff on it, makes it easier to fill and crush the rubbish)

the thing that annoys me most is when someone (either new fillers, customers or checkout staff putting stuff back) fills something in the wrong place. not only do i have to put it back, i might overlook where im actually supposed to be putting something. it is very frustrating.

[Yet One More Idiot]

Back when I was working for Stanleybet (high-street betting company), my regular co-workers were pretty good. Some of the relief staff who'd come in to fill in gaps in the weekly roster were quite often lazy, but the regular staff did their jobs well.

My manager was a straight-up guy, and taught me everything I learnt about the high-street gambling business. He put in the long hours and had been doing the job for about 30 years (in fact he's still going now, even though he reached retirement age last year).

His deputy manager was also a fairly hardworker - sometimes. When the two of them worked together, they were a good team. But when she worked with me (who was, at that time, the n00bie), she'd often go and take 4-hour lunchbreaks with her girl friends, right during the busy period of the day (leaving just me to serve ALL the customers). I ended up making the odd mistake 'cos I was new to the job, and in the end she wore the results of that line. She got fed up that she hadn't been given a promotion and moved with her hubby and kid up to Birmingham, and demanded a transfer - so they stuck her in the worst shop in the area, just to get rid of her. I ended up being promoted to deputy in her place some months later, as I actually took the work seriously.

The new cashier who came in after me also worked hard - I hear she's still there, promoted to a deputy manager at least.

One cashier was caught sleeping on the job once - by the Area Manager. 5 minutes later, he was being booted out the front door. >_>

The worst one though, was the manager of our other branch just up the road from where I worked. She was a real bitch to all the customers, and since getting promoted to manager, had managed to alienate most of her regulars. She was also terminally stupid, and once rang me up to ask how much was double £100 (srsly. Then she asked what the banging noise was - it was actually me, smashing my head against a brick wall).
It also turned out much later that she had been embezzling huge amounts of cash - placing her own bets into the system without actually putting the money to cover them; she owed the company something like £14k when they fired her. Not only that, her deputy manager had been doing the same thing, and neither one was aware of the other's activities.

So, yeah. In any job, you'll get some good honest hard workers, some slackers, and some who are trying to take the system for a ride. Be one of the former. ^_^

[tay120n64]

Well, the perk of being a manager is that if you don't like the way your employees are working, you can yell at them until they fix it.

For realz, though, the only time I ever have a problem is if another employee is trying to work over me. I have a certain method that I use to get things done, and also I am quite OCD. If another employee comes behind me and undoes everything I just took the time to do because he "felt my method was inadequate", that's something I can't stand. (though, this issue is void if its a superior that undoes it). And yes, this kind of thing has happened before.

[inferiare]

My boss puts almost all of the work on myself and the other girl in my department.

As for me, I always bust my ass to get things done. The only time I really take my time is if I KNOW I still have 7 hours left in my day and what I'll be working on throughout the day will take me at least 3 of those hours plus the extra 2 or so behind the desk for bill processing on a slow day. I've been working at other stores that are about 80% slower than my own store, so stocking the HBA stuff on to the shelves takes between 2-4 hours to do, depending on the item count (400+ items can take anywhere between 3-4 hours for one person filling it out to the shelf.)

My coworkers are generally pretty awesome though, save for one that everyone wants to punch in the face. Some of you might remember me ranting about him back in the end of July last year. Same guy. He has his good days though. Sometimes.