Working in electronics. I did it once, and I’ll never do it again. Strange thing is, I LIKED selling electronics. I liked offering sound advice on computers, sound systems, video games, and televisions. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone come in, intimidated by technology they’re unfamiliar with, and leaving with just a bit of understanding.
Its a good job that deserves to be done well, and if deserving of respect. It truly is a sad thing that the lowly salesman does not get this respect.
The idiot customers that came in from time to time I can deal with. Some of the more angry ones are actually pretty entertaining. Its when the idiocy strikes you from your managerial staff, the people who are supposed to be in charge, picked because they supposedly have more knowledge, more skill, more charisma, that things can get pretty frustrating.
When the department manager of electronics doesn’t understand what a video game console is, and doesn’t understand why a Playstation game isn’t the same as a GameCube game, there’s a problem.
When the department manager doesn’t realize that the DVD release of Spiderman on a Friday wouldn’t generate a higher volume of customers, there’s a problem.
The management seemed to walk around with ther heads up their ass all the time. They really seemed to have no idea what was going on. And they covered for this lack of knowledge by abusing and undermining their staff as much as possible.
Example:
It was a late night, about a quarter after 1:00am. I was scheduled until 11:00, but stayed to clean up the electronics department, by myself. I lurched towards the front doors, which were locked, and I motion over the nearby manager.
“Could you let me out?” I ask.
“Why?” He replies, as if its an abnormal thing for employees to leave after their shift is over.
“Because its time to go.”
“The store isn’t clean yet,” says the manager who had, until a moment ago, been doing absolutely nothing, just sitting by the front door.
“My department is clean.”
“But there are other departments you could clean, like toys.”
“What happened to the three people who were working toys?”
“They were here until close, so they left.” He said.
I had finally had it by this time, “So the people responsible for the department left when they were supposed to, and I, although I have already stayed over two hours past my shift to clean my department, am expected to pick up after them?”
He was silent, he knew I called his bluff, and knew he had nothing else to say about it, “I’ll let you go, but don’t let it happen again.”
“Uh… okay.” And I left.
They pulled stuff of the like all the time. And people were expected to roll over and take it.
And I wondered why the managers didn’t seem to like me too much.
Zel-kun out.
David N. Scott | 07-Mar-07 at 11:56 pm | Permalink
The management seemed to walk around with ther heads up their ass all the time. They really seemed to have no idea what was going on. And they covered for this lack of knowledge by abusing and undermining their staff as much as possible.
Yep. Story of life, seems like. I’ll probably be stuck doing that soon after having dropped out of the corporate world to get my degree… I’ll start at manager somewhere with no idea how the place works. Great system..