After a year I know why you hate Macy's

Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 24

So I've been employed with Macy's for a little over a year first, working on the merchandising team and at the beginning of this year moved to the signing team. Even though I don't have to deal with customers or credit I finally realize why so many people hate this place.

I was hired as seasonal and was one of the few kept on after inventory. I was being given literally 10 hours a MONTH on the merchandising team and a signing position opened up and I jumped at it. Since then its been hell. I'm a 'contingent' employee (yet I work a set amount of hours each week, hmm..) and I have personally been told by the merchandising manager that I was the best signer they have ever had on terms of speed. I was hired to sign housewares.
Heres where the problems start. I was told by my hiring manager that after 90 days I would have a review and, from what I took from it, get a slight raise. When my 90 days of 'non-holiday' work passed I said something to my boss, he as surprised I remembered it and pushed it off a week. This was back in June and I have yet to have that review.
Next, I'm constantly told to sign other departments; china, moderate, ready to wear, petites, etc. Which is all fine until you have the sign lead come in work 30 minutes late more then once a week, and then spend the next 45 minutes talking and gossiping with the markdown lead, talking on her phone and doing whatever she does on her computer.
There are also two other PART-TIME signers that NEVER get asked to sign another department. Now I'll give them that my job is relatively easy and I do get to 'goof off' a good bit but when I'm told I need to sign my department, kids and then go downstairs and help the signing lead in her department because she wants to spend her time chatting I have a problem. Just yesterday I was approached by the signing lead and she said "hunny, sweety, do you think you could go do mens and I finish up here in china?" my response, "It won't be done before I leave." She obviously didn't like that response and turned and walked away. I told the merchandising manager about it and all he said was that doesn't sound like her.. yeah ok.
Lately I've been more vocal about it and haven't been scared to snap back at them.. If I'm the "best signer on terms of speed" why am I still contingent? and why was I not given the review promised? From now on if they want me to sign any other department other then housewares they need to at least pump me up to part-time so I can have some sort of benefits. Personally, I think they are abusing the situation and with me about to start a new career I could care less about my employment at Macy's.

Teams win! Thumbs Up

"Macy's - J.D. Power and Associates award winner for most trifling employer in America"

Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 114

Cody,
A few things:
-reviews are given once a year, around May. I don't know of any "90 day" reviews, so either someone mis-spoke or you mis-heard...you do have a 90 day "probationary" period, where Macy's can terminate you w/o going through all the steps that they'd have to go through after 90 days, but there's no pay increase after 90 days. You need to follow up w/ the manager who told you this...hr can grant an increase if they feel you were misled...talk to your hr manager
-Oncalls (or contingents) are not even eligible for an annual review unless they've worked 500 hrs/year. If you only worked 10 hrs. some months you might be out of luck
-You're probably not being offered an actual job because there I'm sure there isn't one open. You need to make sure you keep on your manager to consider you for any openings that may occur, and if you know of anyone leaving be sure you let your manager know you'd like to be conisidered for that position
-You complain about the signing lead wasting time, talking on the phone, etc, then in the next paragraph you say you "goof off" a good bit...I'm just saying, but if you complain about someone, make sure you don't give them or anyone any ammunition against you...because if you do they'll think you're a complainer and it'll hurt your chances of being given a pt position...if you feel the lead really is out of control with wasting time, you should keep on the merchandise mgr., as it's making everyone else work harder and that' unfair...maybe go to your ops manager if the merchandise mgr. doesn't give you any satisfaction and/or the behavior continues...have a specific incident in mind, like the one you told us about when she asked you to stay and help finish China...was she wasting time that day that she could've been using to get China done, instead of asking you?

Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 884

Cody, if you are a hard worker, Macy's will use, abuse and take advantage of you as much as they can. It is better to be an average or below average worker because then they will just leave you alone. Macy's wins the award for taking advantage of their good workers!

Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 1217 Location: ole wrap stand

But TEAM WINS Thumbs Up

Oustanding

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:02 am Post subject:

I agree with Fashion, if you are the fastest signer, then they are going to take advantage of that.
I believe that we do, or did, have 90 day reviews in my store. It seems that you should get a raise if you were hired as seasonal.
Frank, can you please enlighten us about the "contingent" status. How can people that work 40 hours a week be coded as contingent? And it seems to me that if a person was "contingent", they could choose to take hours or not, instead of being automatically scheduled. This seems very unfair.

Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 114

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:38 pm Post subject:

Frank, in my store, contingents are automatically scheduled, and are told that they do not have a choice wheter to work or not. One lady, frustrated b/c she was told that she could not have a day off, asked the OPS what "contingent" means, and the OPS said, "It means that you work when we need you to work."
Also, how are contingents consistantly (every week for several years!) scheduled for 40 hours a week? Shouldn't this signal to corporate that they are NOT contingent, but FULL TIME? It seems that these people are being abused. They are working full time for Macy's, but get no benefits. I wonder if this is even legal.

Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 1217 Location: ole wrap stand

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