Saturday, April 13, 2013

A Conversation that Never Happened

boss: "So I hear you want to be promoted?"
grrouch: "yeah, I'd like to get back into management"
boss: "willing to transfer stores?"
grrouch: "Yep, not an issue.  I like driving."
boss: "willing to work for a manager who won't help you advance your career?"
grrouch: "umm...."
boss: "willing to have good employees but watch them leave for other departments every month?"
grrouch: "huh?"
boss: "willing to never get a chance to actually manage your departments let alone see one of them?"
grrouch: "wha...."
boss: "thinking about sodomizing you as well once in a while.  How do you feel about that?"
grrouch: "..."
boss: "we'll also add a lot to your workload and have you do things that are beyond your pay grade.  Cool?"
grrouch: "...."

This is the conversation that I wish I had before being promoted last year.  I might have thought a little harder  about whether or not I wanted to set myself up for this kind of failure.

I'm down to 2 full time employees in Electrical.
In a work week, at the bare minimum you have 14 shifts (with just an opener and a closer).  Every person works 5 shifts per week.  Two people means I have 10 shifts worth of workers to cover 14 shifts and still somehow manage to get all the work done and make the department look good and keep up with sales.
The department is double digit comping currently and completely understaffed.... I wonder what we could do if we actually had employees.

In plumbing I just lost my full time CSA - the guy I was supposed to be training to be my replacement.
He is getting replaced by a part timer guy (sometime - in the hopefully near future).
Full time = 40 hours per week.  Part time = 10-30 depending, on average probably 20.
So, I'm getting half an employee to make up for the guy I was supposed to rely heavily on...
I'm also (soon I hear) losing my part time guy as well (to another department).....
I had 2-3 weeks with really good coverage and it's now right back to never actually working with my own employees and being coverage 90% of the time when I'm there.

Work is frustrating.
Beer makes everything better.


  1. Replies
    1. In the grand scheme of things I enjoy my job most of the time.
      I like retail (as odd as that sounds) and I took this job knowing it would be a challenge but I just didn't realize where the real challenge was going to come from.

      Luckily in the retail world if you wait around long enough everything will change.
      There are some good things coming along down the tunnel that will make a big difference on me and I'm looking forward to them.
      Other than that I can put in my time and apply for a transfer to another store when there are openings (though, this store does bonus more than others - so that's a good motivator to stay and deal).