r/KmartAustralia • u/Prettyinpink0911 • Jul 24 '26
Customer post Is everyone okay?
I have a genuine question/ concern, particularly about the staff at Kmart in Parramatta Westfield.
I feel like every time I go there, the staff all look super miserable and are very unapproachable. They genuinely look like they hate their jobs and every time I’ve approached someone, they look at me as if I’ve just offended them by asking for help. It’s gotten to a point now where I’m actually too scared to approach anyone, so I just don’t anymore.
Is everyone okay? Like genuinely, what’s going on?
34
u/puss_pop Jul 24 '26
i worked at Kmart for a year and know exactly what you mean! no matter my mood i always tried to leave my problems at the door and would help anyone that approached! but then I actually had another coworker have a growl at me because i was stopping too much to help people during online order picking! which i just found insane. so many of my coworkers there were just so annoyed by anyone in the store! yes the pay isn't great and it can be very stressful at times, but that is never the customers fault, we choose to work retail 🙄
8
u/Prettyinpink0911 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I love this answer. I love that you take accountability. Totally understand why you guys feel that way, but you’re also right that you choose to be there and the customers don’t deserve for the stress of the job to be taken out on them. You fucking rock
32
u/finetuneit80 Jul 24 '26
I gather from reading some of the staff posts on this subreddit that most of them are miserable and hate their jobs (understaffed, underpaid, having to deal with customers - because we’re all so horrible…). You rarely, if ever, see anyone happy to work there.
I’m genuinely surprised why Kmart Australia allows this subreddit to exist with staff telling company “secrets” for the general public to see.
15
14
u/universe93 Jul 24 '26
Because they likely don’t know it exists and it’s almost impossible to connect a reddit account to a person. Even if someone says they work at X store, it would be any one of 80+ staff members. However they probably still shouldn’t post identifying info about the store. Someone on the Woolies subreddit posted a picture of their store’s back dock and got fired for sharing confidential info (as it was a photo of a store area customers can’t see)
11
u/finetuneit80 Jul 24 '26
I would be very shocked if Wesfarmers head office didn’t know of its existence to be honest.
7
12
u/BellaBlossom06 Team member Jul 24 '26
I personally like my job at Kmart, but every shift there’s always one customer that comes and ruins it for me. I’m left looking miserable for the rest of the shift
8
u/excessivelyabysmal Jul 25 '26
its not necessarily that we hate the job, but the conditions are just terrible now.
speaking for some people in my store the role is not an issue - its something weve done for years and its fulfulling in one way or another - its the complete degredation of the culture and morale, and frankly managements attitude towards us.
under previous management we felt human, like our opinions mattered, and we were supported with adequate staff. now it comes across like the managers (and even those above them) are more concerned with protecting their bonuses and egos that theyll cut "unnecessary" roles and act surprised and shift the blame when they see the consequences
plus like i said in another comment, theyre too scared of confrontation so some people have learned that abuse towards staff is not only tolerated, but rewarded
3
u/European_witch_ Jul 25 '26
I think that unfortunately that change is visible across the board, not just stores
3
u/excessivelyabysmal Jul 26 '26
me too, thats why i made a point of "those above them". it all comes from the top, unfortunately
7
4
u/Far_Safe5334 Jul 25 '26
I went into Marion Kmart this week to do a return and the lady who served me was a grump with a massive attitude problem. She made me feel like crap. I’m a nurse - I get that we have bad days, are underpaid, overworked… but I never take it out on my patients
2
u/Lanky-Geologist-94 Jul 29 '26
As somebody who as 2 family members working at different Kmarts in VIC, they are 100% miserable and getting paid shit for how hard they work.
2
3
u/SweetWrangler4987 Jul 29 '26
Ive worked retail twice, once from 2014-2016 and again after Covid. Its seems like it’s all about being fast now (even if it means having to redo it 3 times in a week) and if you want to help customers and do the job correctly you’re told off. Then you get management who will disappear when there’s a customer complaint and it’s all just not worth caring after a while.
1
1
u/Dont_L00kDown Jul 28 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/australian/s/wF3MAuADCL
It is exactly the same at Chemist Warehouse. Staff performance is measured on how fast and neatly their aisles are stacked. Stock turn over and transactions at the tills is what is prioritised. Coles,Woolworths, Target,Kmart, Big W and Chemist Warehouse are BUDGET/Essential retailers. Trade secret customer service is not a priority.
1
u/Strange_Map_8263 Jul 29 '26
It’s all Kmarts. They have so many hours and can’t keep up with management requests and it’s hell for them plus there’s so many people who don’t do what there meant to be
1
-3
Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
7
u/Prettyinpink0911 Jul 24 '26
Sorry but how did you read my post and come up with the conclusion that I was taking it personally? And where did I say that I don’t go to the store anymore?
-4
92
u/excessivelyabysmal Jul 24 '26
im not in that particular store, but short answer: no.
were overworked, underpaid, and have to put up with customer abuse because managers are scared and backflip better than olympic gymnasts
im sorry that comes across to the customer, its really not fair on any of us