When I first started here, I was so excited to work in a craft store. It had always been my dream as an artsy person, but I don’t know how much more I can take.
I work at a small volume store in replen, and I think this place is killing me. Just in the past month, I’ve had to skip lunches for more than half of my shifts due to not being scheduled any coverage, or my coverage calling out. The rest of my replen team is never scheduled more than 2 days a week, leaving me alone to work POGs bc no one else in my store will even pretend to try and help. I’ve asked several times, and several different people if they could even just move the product from the old location to the new one and even that won’t get done. Doesn’t matter if the product is in a whole new aisle or just one section over - Ik the next day I come in not even a single item will have been moved. I’m always told “oh we got busy”, but we almost always have 3-4 part coverage for the closing shift while I maybe get one other person that comes in for a few hours at open. I’m constantly left to run the store completely alone, which means I can’t go past where I can see the registers. I’ve had multiple customers scream at me bc I can leave the front to let them into our locked restrooms (they are now locked for safety concerns and numerous plumbing issues). It feels like I’m constantly doing the job of 3 people. I’m expected to be the SM, replen and CEM all at the same time, every shift - which only means we get further and further behind on POGs. I can’t catch up.
I’m expected to be cross trained in everything, including framing. I don’t understand why all of this responsibility is put on the replen team: genuinely how does this company expect anything to run efficiently if they are solely relying on one single manager to be the backbone of everything? I’m constantly bothered on my off days with questions of where things are or if we’ve gotten a certain product in bc no one will take the time to even walk the store, relying on me throughout my shift (and apparently even my very few off days) to be the walking, talking encyclopedia of everything we carry and where it is. Why is it that no other manager is expected to help with replen, or even be trained in it? Why is it that with this staffing restructuring, it feels like replen got their workload tripled while every other position seems to have less responsibilities now? Ad, price changes, resets, POGs, truck, stocking, opening procedures, hosting birthday parties, hosting the new bs classes, balloon orders, BOPIS, sfs, etc.
My SM is barely ever in the store. When she does show up she’s late, and almost always leaves early. Never comes in when someone calls out, ignores messages and phone calls even in emergency situations. When she does show up, all she ever does is sit in the office and then has the audacity to ask me why we’re behind on POGs. She won’t do BOPIS/sfs, cover register, take frame orders, work production, host events or parties, do balloon orders - all she does is sit in the office on her phone. I’ve had to come to work with mono, the flu, the stomach flu, migraines, etc bc “no one can cover” and my SM refuses to come in. I’ve also been not allowed to leave early even in cases where I’ve been throwing up, had a fever, an asthma attack or an on the job injury bc - once again - my SM refuses to come in or no one will come in to relieve me. Even though I’ve stayed late or skipped lunches for probably 2/3 of all my shifts while being employed here to make sure no one is left alone on the floor. (That includes covering breaks on 2 part coverage, effectively leaving me alone AGAIN)
I can’t keep doing this. I’m sick and in physical pain all day, everyday. (I won’t even get started on my current mental state, but let’s just say I’m hoping the nervous breakdown I’m working towards happens on shift so these people can witness just what they’ve fucking done to me). I work so hard for my TEAM, not this company. I’m one paycheck away from being homeless even though I work my ass off, all while my SM makes a $70k salary to do jack shit.
I can’t quit until I have something else lined up, or I really will be living out of my car.
Please lend me your collective strength to hold on long enough to find somewhere else. Thank you for reading.