- Joined
- Apr 11, 2013
- Messages
- 1
Alright, after reading through a few rants, here's mine...
Except for a few 12 hours/week occasions, I loved my cashier job. I showed up, I worked hard, I handled stress well, was happy enjoyed the customers and, by golly 🙂, was one of the fastest cashiers at my store. Over my two years in the cashier position, my store began with encouraging customers to apply and save, to seeking a conversion goal of 1.25%, to meeting a conversion goal of 3.5% or subsequent coaching and disciplinary action would take place. Let me say that while I did ask and communicate the benefits of the Red Card (and made sure my supervisors saw it), I think the Red Card push is one of the worst things to happen to a good retail company, for two main reasons.
1) As a customer, I take this sort of push/upselling technique as slightly annoying, and sometimes rude. As Carl's Junior is requiring its cashiers to upsell before allowing the customer to return a "Hi." I think it is definitely worth it to apply for a Red Card (at least the debit). But I think it's unfair and unprofessional to push customers to apply right up there at the cashier register. At least have a separate area (maybe open one or two registers) just for card applications.
2) As an employee, requiring cashiers to meet a quota they have no control over or be subjected to a not entirely private chew-out session and threatened with "disciplinary action" and in some cases, provoked to tears, is bullying. Simply bullying. I don't care how good a salesman you are or aren't. This was an added responsibility (not in my original job description), so at least --AT LEAST people!-- let your good cashiers who are struggling to sell your Red Cards have the option to move to another department. Not promoted, no higher pay. Just give them the option to move. Don't make your new unreasonable goal a requirement to move! I requested this on more than one occasion and was denied. The last month of my job, after two weeks of no new Red Card applicants, I requested again, but denied.
I quit soon after, for these reasons. I suspect now they wouldn't have fired me (unemployment benefits) or they would have tried hard to avoid it, but they certainly pushed chew-out sessions until I either attained their goal or cracked. I cracked. :-/
I hope they soon get the hint. My prayers for those who are striving, hard workers.
So kids, lesson! Learn a trade, do something worthwhile in college, get a good, secure job! Target, McDonald's, Starbucks, these can be good transitional jobs. Listen to your parents. There are far less of these issues to deal with in the professional world. In the words of Adam Carolla, "Minimum-wage jobs are the ones you’re supposed to have in high school and you’re supposed to pass through them. The idea is — I worked at McDonald’s when I was 16. The whole idea isn’t let’s make Adam Carolla comfortable working at McDonald’s. I was like, ‘I’m getting $2.43 a hour. This place sucks a@@. I want out of here as fast as I can possibly do it."
Truth.
Except for a few 12 hours/week occasions, I loved my cashier job. I showed up, I worked hard, I handled stress well, was happy enjoyed the customers and, by golly 🙂, was one of the fastest cashiers at my store. Over my two years in the cashier position, my store began with encouraging customers to apply and save, to seeking a conversion goal of 1.25%, to meeting a conversion goal of 3.5% or subsequent coaching and disciplinary action would take place. Let me say that while I did ask and communicate the benefits of the Red Card (and made sure my supervisors saw it), I think the Red Card push is one of the worst things to happen to a good retail company, for two main reasons.
1) As a customer, I take this sort of push/upselling technique as slightly annoying, and sometimes rude. As Carl's Junior is requiring its cashiers to upsell before allowing the customer to return a "Hi." I think it is definitely worth it to apply for a Red Card (at least the debit). But I think it's unfair and unprofessional to push customers to apply right up there at the cashier register. At least have a separate area (maybe open one or two registers) just for card applications.
2) As an employee, requiring cashiers to meet a quota they have no control over or be subjected to a not entirely private chew-out session and threatened with "disciplinary action" and in some cases, provoked to tears, is bullying. Simply bullying. I don't care how good a salesman you are or aren't. This was an added responsibility (not in my original job description), so at least --AT LEAST people!-- let your good cashiers who are struggling to sell your Red Cards have the option to move to another department. Not promoted, no higher pay. Just give them the option to move. Don't make your new unreasonable goal a requirement to move! I requested this on more than one occasion and was denied. The last month of my job, after two weeks of no new Red Card applicants, I requested again, but denied.
I quit soon after, for these reasons. I suspect now they wouldn't have fired me (unemployment benefits) or they would have tried hard to avoid it, but they certainly pushed chew-out sessions until I either attained their goal or cracked. I cracked. :-/
I hope they soon get the hint. My prayers for those who are striving, hard workers.
So kids, lesson! Learn a trade, do something worthwhile in college, get a good, secure job! Target, McDonald's, Starbucks, these can be good transitional jobs. Listen to your parents. There are far less of these issues to deal with in the professional world. In the words of Adam Carolla, "Minimum-wage jobs are the ones you’re supposed to have in high school and you’re supposed to pass through them. The idea is — I worked at McDonald’s when I was 16. The whole idea isn’t let’s make Adam Carolla comfortable working at McDonald’s. I was like, ‘I’m getting $2.43 a hour. This place sucks a@@. I want out of here as fast as I can possibly do it."
Truth.
