There seems to be much anger in our workplace

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 477

Many of you seem to be very upset of what sears has done to you over the years. If wages keep on going down while inflation and prices of housing (at least in my state) keep on going up, have any of you ever considered another career. I am not trying to be mean but honestly do you really want to stay at sears for another 10 or 20 years when you don't agree with the way they treat you and what the company is doing? Maybe its because i am too young to understand but i could not imagine working somewhere for so long and disagreeing over the years of what they were doing to me and everyone else especially int he pay area. I wish the best for everyone and encourage people that are really upset with the company to look elsewhere for happiness. Please don't respond by saying there is nothing else or no other option because there is always another option, it might not be an easy option but there are always options

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:08 am Post subject:

For you alone "SearsMatrix",
First understand the way I posted your ID. Then ask, or try to rephrase your question. I for one, will allways ask. Why is it, That we must suffer, when thouse who now, have said "It is now in your hands" are allowed to be fat?

It is just a thought,
Ratchet

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:08 am Post subject:

Think , before answering.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 2110

SM, think about this. There are people out there that are worse off than we are. Right now, with all the layoffs, we should be so lucky to have a job. Think about the people who are now homeless, hungry, or living in slum areas. You could be worse off yourself. Something to think about. Neutral

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2003 8:15 pm Post subject:

There is so much anger, cause alot of us have put our heart and soul into Sears and we have literally been slapped in the face.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 830

I'm always looking, and if I find something better I'll move on. Do you have any suggestions?
Until I do or don't move on, I will feel free to voice my opinions of the company, good and bad.

CS Wink

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 933 Location: roaming...

Searsmatrix, I understand that you chose to leave Sears. What I don't understand is why you are telling others to leave as well. While it is true that I like happiness and hate being forced to waste nerves, it is doubly true that I am staying and challenging this company's practices so that the next "searsmatrix" doesn't have to suffer these misdeeds. If we all followed your "don't like it, then leave" philosphy, no one would hold down a job for longer than a month.

Joined: 11 Jul 2003 Posts: 132 Location: Midwest, IN

I guess i really should not complain as much as i do, im just doing this job to put me through college (although almost full time during the summer months and on breaks).

It is like i see other people say, when you put so much into something it really hurts to be slapped in the face, and for someone like me right now where i live atleast its hard to get a job where they know you won't work full time, it used to be easier just a few years ago. Anyways enough of my talk.

Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 280

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 1337 Location: The Collective

I have seen a lot of posts from long termers like me talking about "the good old days" at Sears. I have always pretty much liked my job, but just as many people bitched about the company 20 years ago as they do know. The pressure for MA's was, if anything, higher then than now.....some of the pressures are different but the same level of pressure is still present. When I first started big ticket, I made 3.50$ plus 3%...the old timers then were making base hourly wages of from 7 to 13 an hour plus double comm when they hit thier premium sales goal. I had no chance to make even close to that untill they took away the base rates in 1989 and 1993....our system now is more fair...everybody gets paid the same.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 422 Location: Woosta

I don't think that is more fair. If someone has been at sears for 25 years they have dedicated a lot of their life to sears. They should not be paid the same as some 18 year old kid that's only here untill he/she finishes college. This may also deter newer employees from wanting to stay a long time because there isn't enough of a room for advancement in most departments other then management.

Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Posts: 1037 Location: Formerly 3333

Two thoughts here....

1.) Wage Issue
A "same wage" system is fair in my book when talking about commission sales. The basic pay structure is the same for all, but the difference in the paychecks will be, more often than not, a reflection of the skill level of the selling associate. A 25 yr veteran should make more money than the 18 yr old high school senior BECAUSE of his/her 25 years of experience. If the veteran can't outsell the rookie, then that's a reflection of lack of selling skills, not a lack of fairness in the pay system.

I do not hold the same belief on hourly, but it's generally not an issue. A 25 yr veteran working in an hourly job has had 25 years (or something close to it) worth of increases and makes more than a new person walking in off the street. The years of service are accounted for in an hourly assignment.

2.) Advancement to Management

I've seen in several posts on this board, comments like Dons ("there isn't enough of a room for advancement in most departments other then management") and it makes made me wonder. Why don't more associates persue Management as a viable advancement path? It's often mentioned on here with disdain.

If you want to make a positive difference, why not go into management and use your skill, knowledge, and years of service, along with your creative ideas, to make Sears a better performing company and better place to work. It beats sitting on this board and complaining about how bad things are doesn't it?

Get in the game, better yourself, and the company.

"Footie"

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:41 pm Post subject:

When I started with Sears, most or all of the veteran salespeople were former managers. They were just able to earn much more money as sales associates and get none of the headaches.

Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Posts: 1037 Location: Formerly 3333

Which illustrates the need to reform the pay structure in the store. I know there will be those who disagree with me on this one but this is how I feel.

I ran several departments over the years. In my early years, I was the lowest paid person in the department and I had all the responsibility. In my opinion, a persons salary should reflect the level of responsibility one has. The greater the scope of the job, the greater the pay that goes with it. If we want our talented people to go into management, then we have to provide the necessary incentive.

CentralNJ... you very accurately described the problem and illustrated one compelling reason why changes had to be made. Why would a person want to be a manager, complete with accountability and responsibility for sales and performance for a significant area in one of our stores, when they could take a sales job and make more money and have fewer headaches?

"Footie"

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 11:53 pm Post subject:

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 1337 Location: The Collective

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

Soldiers if you will,nothing but brainwashed rats in maze following that piece of cheese that the corporation just keeps yanking away from them just enough to keep them moving.POG POG POG,May I May I May I-the processees-Oh give me a break-Managers have NO leeway and there fore can't manage but merely become executioners of corporate doctrine.EXAMPLE:POGs account for only I'd say for only 60% of what is carried and AVAILABLE IN store stock at any given time and yet attempt to display that un-POG'd merchandise which has NOT been zeroed out or alter the current POG to high light stuff THAT SELLS or you want to get rid of an SGM or DM will crap a river of freighters.Then coporate tells YOUR store what it will sell obviously not taking into account the consequences let alone the sales history,then you make a complaint or observation you don't even get a reaction from your SGM;'Oh it's not in the budget or plan' and then they cry tears(worrying 'there goes my bonus').Then we get this 'store owns sales" crap which is nothing more than responsibility shifting-( not my fault-Oh well);what ever happend to chain of COMMAND,ultimitly R E S P O N S I B L E... .Then there's this little diatribe about those who have more REPONSIBILITY should get paid more-Well EARN it!-but not in this company for this is SEARS.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 422 Location: Woosta

Joined: 11 Jul 2003 Posts: 132 Location: Midwest, IN

sounds like some people dislike "kids" working for sears.....

seems to be a trend at my store, mostly new people in the store... maybe the wages are too low to keep anyone with experience around.

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2003 3:03 pm Post subject:

When I started in BC (1989), I was the only person not making a base salary in my store. The old timers had bases that increased regularly over the years. So they longer you worked there, the more you could earn. But no longer.

Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Posts: 1037 Location: Formerly 3333

Like it or not, the reality today (not just at Sears) is that more is expected of long service associates BECAUSE of their experience.

The days of getting more because of longevity, not necessarily performance, are over.

"Footie"

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2003 2:11 am Post subject:

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2003 2:44 am Post subject:

msguru, you said a mouthful. Wisdom, knowledge and experience are priceless.

However, I feel that the Sears of today does not value any of the above traits. In fact, it is just the opposite. If you have been with Sears long enough to have wisdom, knowledge and experience; you are probably soon to be on your way out the door.

In an effort to "cut costs" all of the sales support hours have been cut to the bare minimum; and all the while the amount of work has been increasing.

I find it near impossible to even get the chance to take the vacation time I have coming. We are so overrun with don't care, don't know and really have no interest in learning part-timers who only want to work 1 or 2 days a week that I don't have enough coverage to be gone.

These part-timers don't work enough hours to be eligible for vacation time, yet they are constantly putting in for days and weeks off which in turn means that I cannot take my vacation time that I have coming to me.

We will be in the 4Q before you know it and once again I will be screwed and end up losing vacation time that I have worked for and have coming to me.

SearsMatrix wanted to know why we old-timers have stayed all these years. Well SM, the Sears of today is not the Sears I spent all those years working at.If it had been like it is now, I wouldn't have stayed either. I am glad you found something else and are moving on. Unless there are some drastic changes in the future, Sears is no place to make a career.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 477

I believe what agent said reflects many peoples view that there is no more career left at sears (only maybe with management there is). The honest question I must ask many of you is if the grass is greener on the other side of the retail rainbow? Do lowes or homedepot provide people with a career? To be brutally honest I believe there is no career left in all of retail not just sears. Sears is unique because we have many people (associates and managers) who have been with the company 10,20 or even 30 plus years. In my area you would be dam hard pressed to find a lot of people at other retailers who have been there longer then 10 years. I think that sears was a different company in the past and over the years has evolved into a centralized corporation. All decisions coming from one region of the country that affects all workers nationwide. People use to make more money as well. Sears use to be more of a community thing where your whole family shopped there. The sears I have known working there for about 4 years now pales in comparison to what long time associates (people who have worked 20 years plus) tell me what sears use to be.

Times changes and no company stays number one forever. I believe it would really take a complete restructuring from the ground up of upper management (starting at store level and going from there) as well as a philosophical change to the way the company should be run and how people should be treated. Trying to be positive here when they close the deal on the credit maybe they could pay off there debts remodel the stores and start a new sears that gave people a chance to make more money. Also I must note that to make more money peoples commissioned are not the only thing that has to be increased. A real simple solution to give people a raise indirectly Vs raising commissions is to lower the staffing requirements on the floor. Instead of having say 8-10 people on a Saturday worker reduce it down to 5-7 people. Raise the sales per hour to keep less people on the floor. Sears will probably never do that because then people would make too much money. I really thought that "the sky is the limit" when it came to commission unfortunately I don't believe sears shares those same ideals that I do.

Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 1381

I'm forfeiting vacation (weeks of it) mostly because my name would be mud if I didn't get the work done and the job is way too important to me to take a chance with. I'd rather be ON THE JOB making the same money, guarding my employment and my reputation. After all, being a long service employee, I am entitled to more vacation than is believable. Like you, Agent99, I'm in a job where everyone would notice if I wasn't there. My absence would throw a wrench in the works. At my store we are in total high gear every single day, with more work expected than can actually be accomplished unless all hands are on.

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