Judgemental to customers

When you think I have been off work for almost 6 months, having just gone back, after 5 minutes it is like I have never been away. It is like a hiccup in time However, some things have changed.

Some people I work with have become more dissatified with work and therefore get annoyed or upset by stupid things. For instance, one older lady I work with has become judgemental about customers she serves - making comments about them, their appearance, size, or matter. I told her that we are not there to be judgmental just to serve and get people through the door as quickly as possible. But I know she really doesn't want to be there and quite frankly, if she feels that strongly why doesn't she leave?

It is a pity that people have to behave like that. I can remember a time when people would jump through hoops for you but not now. Now we have a credit crunch, no pensions, no money and the cost of living has risen sharply hence, some people feel they are justified in behaving in this judgemental way.

Miracles do happen

The absences of posting is due to a long stay in hospital. Fortunately, for me the NHS put me in a private hospital - that was the good news. The bad news was that they made me go home. Gone was the fantastic room service and the lazy life.
Now that I have just about recovered from a total hip replacement, I am facing the prospect of going back to my supermarket job and already the problems have started.
I spoke to my manager to arranged rehab hours, they she made it clear that I would be give no concessions to accommodate my rehab. As if I am not already freaked out about going back this made things much worse. I really wish there was a way, some way so that I wouldn't have to go back EVER.
I know miracles do happen and I am certainly due for one.

After the Christmas Party

Sorry for the delay in adding content to my blog but due to unforseen circumstances I have been unavailable to access my spot on the internet, Things are getting back to normal after a hectic few months including Christmas.
It has been entertaining watching senior management behaving like schoolboys who have just reached puberty at the staff Christmas parties. All I can say is that school girls must be getting desparate to let these "old" men anywhere near them. And believe me they are not much to write home about. Yet they are the ones who preach how mature we must behave to customers.. . yet it is OK for them to get legless.
On a positive note, I was pleased to see Jamie Oliver having a go at Sainsbury's in the papers this morning about not attending his conference on animal welfare in farming. Good on ya Jamie - their excuse was pretty lame if you ask me. They replied saying that a statement had already been made and therefore they did not see the need to attend. Yeah, right. I hope the customers boycott the stores then that will teach them.

Stealing time from your employer

I did think I was alone in my opinions about the queen of milking the sytem, but I found out that I was NOT alone and that more people than I first realised felt the same as I did i.e. that it had been going on for too long, that it wasn't fair on the rest of us, that she wa also bullying me. However, when I went to management, on three occasions to complain about the bullying nothing was ever done except that it got forgotten. So much for management helping resolve issues like this. But, I refused to go once again to management and be degraded into thinking it was my fault although this time it wasn't the issue. The issue was stealing from the company which to anyone else would have been instant dismissal but to her it was just another warning. Let's face it when you are suppose to be working and manage to do other things that take forever you are clearly milking the system and stealing from your employer. Trouble is that management in these large supermarket superstores don't see things like that they seem to see things in front of their face.
I'm not hoping for miracles just for this to be resolved for once and for all but I am not holding out a lot of hope on that front either - I am realistic.

Bozos

Monday was a really bad day because I wasn not conforming to regulations set out by senior management who are never on checkouts anyway. Apparently, I do not great customers appropriately - whatever that means. Nor do I treat them in a patronising way. Shame on me for showing them respect and dignity. After all these bozos who are senior management haven't got a clue about how people, how to manage and what customers want. Can you blame checkout operators for not wanting to stay in a job?

Red is for HWAID

What is an HWAID you ask? In supermarket superstore speak it is "How Well Am I Doing" which in laymens terms is suppose to be an assessment of your customer relation skills. And I had mine yesterday.
Bearing in mind I am on a till (all day) serving customers (all day) with the use of one hand (due to medical conditions preventing me from using the other.).
One of the criteria of this HWAID is being observed by some jumped up know it all . Needless to say I failed on this because I could not pack customers items. I really find it hard to take this job seriously when so many of the people I work with clearly abuse the system by disappearing off the tills for long periods of time leaving the rest of us to cope - yet they are the ones given the responsibility, they are the one given Shinning Stars and they are the ones management likes. I know this world is unfair but that just about takes the cake.
Anyway, I did badly on this HWAID because I am disabled and unforunately this is not taken into consideration. But who do I go to? Where can I turn?

Half term madness

Half term is a wonderful time of the year if you have kids - or it should be. It never ceases to amase me that parents would rather bring their kids shopping than to spend quality time with them. I know when my daughter was younger, I would look forward to being with her at half term, doing things going out for the day, making things anything but shopping.

It is such a shame that most parents seem to replace quality time for shopping time. Let's face it there is more to life than spending money.

Working on a supermarket checkout you certainly see all forms of life including very loud and unruly kids who appear bored by shopping too.

Why can't we go back to how things use to be inexpensive but meaninful?