So I've been talking with some friends since I've been back home for Columbus Break about the company we work for (GameStop). Apparently, as of recent, the company has started what they call "The 8 Week Plan". For 8 weeks, as an employee of the retailer, you MUST improve your numbers for sales (selling our discount card, etc.) or else you will get fired.
Now, I have worked in the company for years, and to me, this sounded like another scare tactic. We have been told before we would get "coachings", lose our jobs, have 3 warnings, etc. I had heard it all before. Until now though; my friend mentioned that I guy I used to work with actually got fired from his job by this program. A guy that I knew always tried to do his job, and do it well, and was also apparently working a ton of overtime.
Now I know being in retail, you have to be good at selling stuff. It's the way the job is. I have always been great at selling video games (it's easy when your favorite hobby is what you sell) however, there is only so much customers really want to buy. We do not get any acknowledgement as employees for however much we manage to sell to the customer aside from 2 things (game reserves and discount card subscriptions).
So, even if I sold a customer 5 new games, AND they filled out the customer service survey and rated me as excellent, I would still be a bad employee if I did not get either of the above mentioned items. Especially in an area like Plattsburgh, were Canadian customers will not want an American subscription (you need a US address) and will not reserve games (again, they would reserve them in Canada).
I doubt much will happen, I have been doing better at my job since we last got warned to do better (pretty much the whole store did). However, knowing a guy I used to work with got fired for just trying to do his job, just sucks in my mind.
Have you worked in retail before? Anyone else in another type of job been in a similar situation?
Unfortunately, with a stagnant economy, retail stores need to force their employees to do ridiculous things like this to stay profitable. While reserves and discount cards may be rare, or hard to sell, the company must think, or know, that these are the things that make the most money in the end. So while its awful you have to suffer for this, there's probably some kind of logic behind it.
ReplyDeleteI have heard this story about GameStop before. It's sad that people think that they can push people to sell more than the normal rate is ridiculous because a. it's common sense that giving someone that stress of being fired if they can't do more than the normal rate, and b. it's squeezing blood out of a stone. I don't understand why this isn't considered employee abuse. How heartless.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I don't like working at retail stores.
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