Big Brother is Watching You ...
From the Beginning:
So, I've been at Newbury Comics now since November... Where did 8 months go? I started off just working there as holiday help, got kept on afterwards, and then a few months later applied for a full time position as a Keyholder, which was/is unfortunlately located in a mall. I hoped that after gaining some Keyholder XP i'd be able to go back to my homestore (Natick), however when there was an opening there, someone with a unique situation (they were moving 5 minutes away and would have had to commute 1.5 hours to their previous store or quit the company) was given the position instead. I applied for it not because I desperately wanted to get out of the mall store, but because I'd really just prefer to be in the Natick store for many reasons, including location, the staff, the manager, and the store itself.
So, as the Natick manager relayed this news to me she told me that there was a position opening up in the Newton store and that she'd really like to see me there because "they need a strong keyholder," which was kind of flattering, but I was hesitant since I'd never even been to that store. Ten minutes later, the nanager of the Newton store calls for me to set up an interview. I really wasnt expecting him to call me, but I set up and interview and figured - what have I got to lose.
The interview/store tour went very well, but I had also just found a job at the main office that I was applying for as well. He gave me a few days to think about it, during which time I decided that I didn't really want to keep him waiting around because it would be a while before I heard back from the office. I had my interview with them the following week and so that would be at least one week + however long it would take for them to get back to me after that... so I'd have to pass. I actually felt a little bit bad because he'd gone out of his way to ask me, but... c'est la vie.
The office interview, however, seemed very promising. Its hard to tell because everyone at the office is very friendly to begin with, but they seemed to like what I had to say, and were pleased with my relevant experience. So It will be one to two weeks before I hear back from them. I won't hold my breath, but I think it would be a great opportunity. The job is a sort of general Administrative job with ties into accounting, marketing, and whoever else needs something done. Every day is different, and the office crew there, as you can imagine, has a broad range of personalities and interests. From the warehouse people, to the accounting department, to the product buyers... its quite a mix to say the least.
( *note* its getting late and my grammar skillz are already asleep for the day so pay no attention to the countless errors and stream of conciousness)
Anyway, we tend to get slammed with things to do on the first week of a new month - between the 20+ pages of products going on sale, being sent back to the office, and our manager being away on vacation we had plenty of stuff to keep us heavily occupied. We were also in the midst of much reorganizing areas of the store because it really needed to get done ...so its been a busy week to say the least. Along with everything else, the marketing team has this sudden flash of brilliance and decide to make us write down people's zip codes... which of course many stores do nowadays, because they want to learn a bit more about their customer base...fair enough. However, what they actually expect to gain from this I can't say. Maybe the thought that because other stores do it, they should too... Maybe they think that people's zipcodes are actually a DaVinci-style secret code to the cosmos...Maybe they can't think of anything more creative than that. I dont know, but its a pain in the ass, and in my not-so-humble opinion, a complete waste of time as far as gaining any viable insight towards anything.
That being said, we get a call on Friday out of nowhere telling us that someone will be in the next morning to do an estimate for installing video cameras. As you can imagine, our primary reaction is basically "WTF, Where did that come from?" and we are all quite put off by it. Not only because they want to install video cameras in our store with little or no warning, but we are also informed that these videocameras or not for the purpose of security, but to record customers as they are at the register, linked to the inventory so we can learn who is buying what...
The reaction to this goes over with even less enthusiasm and I am downright furious.
My first thought is, fuck this place, I dont get paid enough to be this annoyed about anything, but I decide to think about this overnight before taking any immediate action.
Not only is this probably very illegal, an enormous invasion of privacy, and highly HIGHLY unethical, but huge waste of resources that could be used in so many more effective ways.
I think that instead of doing hidden cameras, I could just stand there with a Polaroid camera, and take people's pictures while they are buying stuff, and staple it to their reciept. I'm sure customers would be thrilled to participate without consent to that, which is exactly what they are doing, but not telling people. I could go around asking customers what they thought about being recorded and linked to what they bought, and if they would agree to it and see how many people leave the store immediately to never return. I could walk arould wearing a shirt that says "Big Brother is Watching You...(ask an associate for details)." So far these would be the most entertaining ways to deal with the situation, however, for the time being, I've decided to write a letter to whoever is actually in charge of this nonsense and express my concerns in a professional and straight forward manner. It will go something like this: (names have been changed to protect the innocent)
Dear (Whoever is in charge of this ridiculous video camera idea),
Hello, my name is (Giant Robot from Outer Space) and I work in your Marlborough store where I was recently notified of a proposal to install videocameras in our store to link customers to sales and I think it is quite possibly the worst and most absurd idea I have ever heard. I highly doubt that this is legal, and if it is I'm sure it's due to some loop hole somewhere that apparently needs to be fixed.
I would also love to write a letter to the local newspaper and see what customers would have to say about that because I'm sure they'd be thrilled and Im sure it would do wonders for sales.
I also think its wonderful that your marketing team all started from lower places in the company and worked there way into the department, however it has become very apparent that no one actually has any clue about marketing in the real world or any comprehesion of ethics and variables as far as social observation goes which are both very necessary when it comes to market research. I also like that you want to spend however much money on this high tech system that will collect information that no one there will be able to analyze effectively while our computers are from 1982 and your staff that have been working there for years could just tell you what kind of customers buy what if you'd only ask them.
I would like to know how you would feel if you were a 50 something year old man just trying to buy some porn, knowing that you were being videotaped and linked to what you just bough in a database somewhere to be reviewed by a bunch of young Newbuy Comics staff members.
I hope that you will reconsider this project before I find it necessary to set off on a crusade to stop it.
Yours truly,
<3 (Giant Robot from Outer Space)
I may change a few words around, but I hope that would get the message across...
So, I've been at Newbury Comics now since November... Where did 8 months go? I started off just working there as holiday help, got kept on afterwards, and then a few months later applied for a full time position as a Keyholder, which was/is unfortunlately located in a mall. I hoped that after gaining some Keyholder XP i'd be able to go back to my homestore (Natick), however when there was an opening there, someone with a unique situation (they were moving 5 minutes away and would have had to commute 1.5 hours to their previous store or quit the company) was given the position instead. I applied for it not because I desperately wanted to get out of the mall store, but because I'd really just prefer to be in the Natick store for many reasons, including location, the staff, the manager, and the store itself.
So, as the Natick manager relayed this news to me she told me that there was a position opening up in the Newton store and that she'd really like to see me there because "they need a strong keyholder," which was kind of flattering, but I was hesitant since I'd never even been to that store. Ten minutes later, the nanager of the Newton store calls for me to set up an interview. I really wasnt expecting him to call me, but I set up and interview and figured - what have I got to lose.
The interview/store tour went very well, but I had also just found a job at the main office that I was applying for as well. He gave me a few days to think about it, during which time I decided that I didn't really want to keep him waiting around because it would be a while before I heard back from the office. I had my interview with them the following week and so that would be at least one week + however long it would take for them to get back to me after that... so I'd have to pass. I actually felt a little bit bad because he'd gone out of his way to ask me, but... c'est la vie.
The office interview, however, seemed very promising. Its hard to tell because everyone at the office is very friendly to begin with, but they seemed to like what I had to say, and were pleased with my relevant experience. So It will be one to two weeks before I hear back from them. I won't hold my breath, but I think it would be a great opportunity. The job is a sort of general Administrative job with ties into accounting, marketing, and whoever else needs something done. Every day is different, and the office crew there, as you can imagine, has a broad range of personalities and interests. From the warehouse people, to the accounting department, to the product buyers... its quite a mix to say the least.
( *note* its getting late and my grammar skillz are already asleep for the day so pay no attention to the countless errors and stream of conciousness)
Anyway, we tend to get slammed with things to do on the first week of a new month - between the 20+ pages of products going on sale, being sent back to the office, and our manager being away on vacation we had plenty of stuff to keep us heavily occupied. We were also in the midst of much reorganizing areas of the store because it really needed to get done ...so its been a busy week to say the least. Along with everything else, the marketing team has this sudden flash of brilliance and decide to make us write down people's zip codes... which of course many stores do nowadays, because they want to learn a bit more about their customer base...fair enough. However, what they actually expect to gain from this I can't say. Maybe the thought that because other stores do it, they should too... Maybe they think that people's zipcodes are actually a DaVinci-style secret code to the cosmos...Maybe they can't think of anything more creative than that. I dont know, but its a pain in the ass, and in my not-so-humble opinion, a complete waste of time as far as gaining any viable insight towards anything.
That being said, we get a call on Friday out of nowhere telling us that someone will be in the next morning to do an estimate for installing video cameras. As you can imagine, our primary reaction is basically "WTF, Where did that come from?" and we are all quite put off by it. Not only because they want to install video cameras in our store with little or no warning, but we are also informed that these videocameras or not for the purpose of security, but to record customers as they are at the register, linked to the inventory so we can learn who is buying what...
The reaction to this goes over with even less enthusiasm and I am downright furious.
My first thought is, fuck this place, I dont get paid enough to be this annoyed about anything, but I decide to think about this overnight before taking any immediate action.
Not only is this probably very illegal, an enormous invasion of privacy, and highly HIGHLY unethical, but huge waste of resources that could be used in so many more effective ways.
I think that instead of doing hidden cameras, I could just stand there with a Polaroid camera, and take people's pictures while they are buying stuff, and staple it to their reciept. I'm sure customers would be thrilled to participate without consent to that, which is exactly what they are doing, but not telling people. I could go around asking customers what they thought about being recorded and linked to what they bought, and if they would agree to it and see how many people leave the store immediately to never return. I could walk arould wearing a shirt that says "Big Brother is Watching You...(ask an associate for details)." So far these would be the most entertaining ways to deal with the situation, however, for the time being, I've decided to write a letter to whoever is actually in charge of this nonsense and express my concerns in a professional and straight forward manner. It will go something like this: (names have been changed to protect the innocent)
Dear (Whoever is in charge of this ridiculous video camera idea),
Hello, my name is (Giant Robot from Outer Space) and I work in your Marlborough store where I was recently notified of a proposal to install videocameras in our store to link customers to sales and I think it is quite possibly the worst and most absurd idea I have ever heard. I highly doubt that this is legal, and if it is I'm sure it's due to some loop hole somewhere that apparently needs to be fixed.
I would also love to write a letter to the local newspaper and see what customers would have to say about that because I'm sure they'd be thrilled and Im sure it would do wonders for sales.
I also think its wonderful that your marketing team all started from lower places in the company and worked there way into the department, however it has become very apparent that no one actually has any clue about marketing in the real world or any comprehesion of ethics and variables as far as social observation goes which are both very necessary when it comes to market research. I also like that you want to spend however much money on this high tech system that will collect information that no one there will be able to analyze effectively while our computers are from 1982 and your staff that have been working there for years could just tell you what kind of customers buy what if you'd only ask them.
I would like to know how you would feel if you were a 50 something year old man just trying to buy some porn, knowing that you were being videotaped and linked to what you just bough in a database somewhere to be reviewed by a bunch of young Newbuy Comics staff members.
I hope that you will reconsider this project before I find it necessary to set off on a crusade to stop it.
Yours truly,
<3 (Giant Robot from Outer Space)
I may change a few words around, but I hope that would get the message across...