Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 64
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 1:36 pm Post subject: Gone but not forgotten ! | |
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3 posts from the original RW that still hold true:
At last I found a site where Sears employees can vent their frustrations and get information. Everyone who has found their way here--please share this web address with your coworkers. In the three years since I have worked in BC, I have seen constant out-of-stock problems, commission rates cut, added responsibilities, a general lack of respect for employees and disregard for the fact that WE are Sears best customers. Now a bigger and better "Rip-Off" program is being announced, a new closing proceedure, the point system and rumored decommissioning. The company is set up to pit management against associate--for example: We are paid based upon the commission paid per item (usually the higher priced out-of-stock ones) and management, buyers and replenisher bonuses are tied to volume (hence the bulk stacking of items that pay us .5% to sell). Added to decresasing wages, we must pound customers for credit apps, pound customers for credit protection, pound customers for product protection or replacement protection. I don't know about the rest of you, but outside of Sears, people are telling me they are getting tired of it. In addition, branded merchandise it often rediculously higher priced than our competitors. Many people are too timid to ask about price matching and leave the store even before being approached. With regards to decommissioning BC. Over 40% of Sears profit comes out of BC. I suspect after the true figures come out of the latest credit flap it will be much higher. I'd like to ask Alan Lacey why Sears customers buy the $2000 refrigerators, $1200 washers and $450 vacuum cleaners (coincidently the items that have the highest mark up and profit for Sears, too). I hear a lot of complaining and sadly, employees feel that they lack the power to stand up against the unfair practices of Hoffman Estates. While it is true that one person alone can do little, we are thousands! -------------------- Want to hear what they did before they dumped commission rates? When I was in the old Division 3, we had a real runaround going on back when commissions were halfway decent.. There were three major sales periods for our merchandise. Graduation, Back to School and the holidays. Sears starting running us out of merchandise, in other words slowing deliveries right after each of these periods. I don't mean they cut down to balance the inventory as sales slowed. I mean they let us run completely out of most of our high commision/high ticket items and we would remain that way until just a week or so prior to the next high sales period. The result was that when the big sale arrived and computers started selling again, we would usually be the full 5 weeks in draw. During the BTS and Grad sales we usually wouldn't even make it out of draw (pay off the five weeks) before the period was over. I remember the store manager making a snide remark during one of these no merchandise periods and me growling at him that I couldn't sell MAs with no damned merchandise to sell them on. During the much longer holiday season we would get out of draw maybe and even earn a pretty good check for the last 2-3 weeks. I once had an $18,000 day (B store) on December 22, at the end of which there was not a single new computer left in the store. The inventory did not get back to anywhere near normal until graduation time the next year. The 5 months in between I was lucky to get pre-sold orders filled before the customer got tired of waiting and decided to cancel on me. I remember that the model we promoted for the Xmas special that year was the Packard Bell 1540. It had been carrying a 5.5% commission rate all during the model run and we had a ton of them come in just before Thanksgiving. Sears Lowered the rate to 4.5% for the Xmas sale, and then raised it back to 5.5 after the sale was over by which time we again had none of them to sell and couldn't get them fast enough to fill orders. So of course Sears featured them in full page ads for the next two months. (I know, sell up to next higher model or to something we do have). That's not the point and I consider it a disservice to the customer if not outright illegal (Bait & Switch". My Brand Central Manager came to my partner and myself and actually had the gall to complain at us about "selling too many of them" and told us we needed to slow down. I thought she was joking until she repeated a few days later. Those of you who think Sears has only been screwing with you during this "conversion", you need to think again. This stuff has been going on for at least five years that I am personally familiar with, and only the form and manner along with the descending level of intelligence and common sense of the people doing it to you ever changes. -------------------- Sears' policy for returns over 180 days after the "original sale" states that commission salespeople do not lose their commission after this time. However, for years now Sears' has been taking our commissions away, and in a very deceitful manor. First of all, on our commission sheets that we get with our paychecks, the date of the original sale is changed to the date of the return (even though we have input all the correct information). Second, I'll use a hypothetical situation, Let's say you sold Mrs. Smith a washer in January, and she was allowed to exchange it in March. Then come along August she is allowed to return it for whatever reason. They take your commission away, and we usually don't question it because we are thinking the sale is from March. This is incorrect, the "original sale date" was in January, and we should not lose our commission. I am begging everyone who works on commission to please get out a ruler and REALLY scrutinize your commission sheets every payday. And when errors are found, don't just settle for having your human resources give you an adjustment. That money was due to us THAT day, not 2 weeks later when the adjustment is made. Demand to have an explanation, in writing as to how this error can be made. They make these "errors" on purpose. It is a deliberate attempt to cheat us out of our money, as they know many won't catch these errors. If all we do is fill out something for an adjustment and sit idly by, we are giving them permission to do it again. Also, when these errors are found, get a copy of the exchange receipt that shows the original sale date and fax it along with your commission report to ethics. And, once again, demand an explanation in writing. If we added up all the money they have cheated us out of over the years, I'd bet it would be in the millions. Let's put an end to this NOW                 
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Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Posts: 1522
Location: chicagoland by the big guys
| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 2:19 pm Post subject: | |
| This is all true I was also in 3 at that time> Let us not forget the Imaxx too the colored one that started at five, the minute they got wind of eveyone wanting them they dropped them to 3. Another thing is a good lawyer could have a hay day with how they just put the screws to us.If you read jewlerys screws being put to them it clearly states they can not lower anyone over 10%, but they were able to screw us 20-25% in bc | |