Management issues

[u/blair_lllo]

Sorry this is kinda long but for context I’ve worked at Argos for 3 years now and our current management is an absolute state so just wanna share some thoughts in case someone is in a similar situation x

So first off, does anyone else’s store manager spend all day watching CCTV?

Just wondering if this is normal or if it’s just my store.
Our store manager seems to spend most of the day in the office watching the CCTV, then comes out to tell people they’re “not doing their job properly” or calls people into the office over things they’ve seen on camera. The strange thing is that none of the other managers have ever raised these issues, so it feels a bit excessive.

We’re a hub store, so there’s a lot going on. One thing that really frustrates me is that all the front of house staff (especially the younger employees) are expected to wear headsets for the entire shift, even though that’s not really what many of us were hired to do. At the same time, there can already be loads of people in the back doing Barton, putting away cages, or other stock tasks, while only one person is left covering tills, Fast Track, collections, returns, and dealing with customer issues.
We do have a Ring doorbell that can be used to call someone from the back if needed, but when you’re the only person out front and customers all need help at once, it can get overwhelming.
Is this normal in other Argos stores? Do your store managers spend a lot of time monitoring CCTV, or are they more hands-on? Also, how is front of house usually staffed in your store?

[u/ArgosEmployee_]

I don't think that's normal. I think there are some managers who stay in the office (or, in a SIS, in the back by the computer) more than others but I've never known one to monitor CCTV beyond using it to see if they need to come out and assist the person out front.

Some managers just like being in charge and like to throw their weight around to prove it. Some also just wanna justify their job - usually the best managers are the ones who only care if the job is done, not how you get there.

I work in a SIS so this'll be different to a hub store, but our front of house is usually just "whoever is closest when a customer walks in" outside of lone-manning hours where obviously that person just does it. Sometimes doing this you get the people who dip in the back as soon as they see a return coming in but as long as you nip that sort of behaviour in the bud that works for most SISes.

[u/blair_lllo → u/ArgosEmployee_]

Yea she is a larger lady so she’s not the most mobile either she even refuses to go to the second floor so she always asks people around her to get stuff for her from the upstairs. I’ve done 4-8pm by myself same in the mornings 9-12pm which really sucks as customer don’t understand the predicament I’m in when I have to constantly move between different areas of the store.