This is not a way of life.........

Now that things are calming down a bit, I can blog a bit. You see, I've been working inside a Big Box Store. You know the ones: all the staff dress like Smerfs and behave like Stepford wives. The management is manic depressive, or maybe just depressive, and the cashiers used to be row bosses in women's prison. So, you get over these stereotypes, and try to enjoy something in the character of the staff you're compelled to work with. I use the term "work" loosely, as the cliche says. One works, one (two, or three) watches. Surreptitiously. Suspiciously. Which brings me to the crux of this blog. (crux: A tormenting or baffling problem. Hmm. Guess I should've said the crux of the job within the BBS!)

Where is the pride in work? Where is the self respect in doing well at a job? Where is the integrity in customer service? (Where is the customer service??)

Who teaches the kids to do well on the job, to be honest, to work a full day, to take fair and restful breaks? Who teaches respect for the co-worker in a higher position, and respect for the newbie in a lower position?

Who tells the staff member that customers are important? Not because of the wallets, but because they're human beings who took the time to shop here? That those purchases pay your wages?

Who cares about quality of or caring for the products?

The managers I worked with were pretty concerned and spent significant time working on creating a buddy relationship with junior staff. The junior staff spent even more significant work hours flirting and chatting and slouching along corridors, avoiding eye contact with customers but definitely making eye contact with the girl/guy staff she/he wanted to.......talk business with at the next staff meeting. Yeah right.

I'm burned about the entire situation. It makes me sick to see no positive teaching, no respect, no pride, no honesty coming down from management, trickling down the food chain to the lowliest position on staff. When you have the opportunity to teach a junior worker a correct procedure, they don't want to learn it. They just want to slouch around, get paid, go home. Don't miss the staff Xmas party.

It was literally making me ill to work within this atmosphere. I had to leave. I said thank you God, but for the grace of, there go I. May the God of the cattle on a thousand hills protect me from ever having to feed my needs by working in such a place. And I wasn't even on the staff!

The creepy thing is the way they all talk Big Box Speak. You know, the comfortable terminology that A. makes the staff feel important because they know a secret language that customers do not and B. a spade isn't called a spade. There are "tasks", not "work" or "duties". Everyone is an "associate", not a "worker" or "staff". Nearly everyone from the dog up has a title, which means nothing because not only does this titled person have no authority at all, he is seemingly too stupid or dishonest to acquire or deserve the responsibility attached to authority.

Yeah, I'm gonna stop now before my blood pressure goes any higher or my spirits any lower. It's redoubled my efforts to encourage, teach, listen, show respect, and call a spade a spade.

Vive l' small business!!