(no subject)
The first three days of my four-day Wal-Mart workweek have been "mixed". When I got there Friday night, I immediately checked the schedule, just to see if the schedule for June 2-8 had been posted; I had requested June 2 and 3 off. I had put in both a written request and a computerized one well in advance for not just the 2nd and 3rd, but the 9th as well, although the schedule for the 9th would not be posted until the following week. The computer showed that my time off for June 2-3 had been "finalized", so I thought I had been given those day off. But when I checked the schedule, it showed me working both days. I talked to my manager about it, and she indicated she'd look at it. I was not happy about the apparent scheduling error, but I was happy the rest of the evening, as I got to spend all five hours Friday night at the service desk, which is a real rarity for me. Saturday wasn't as fun, though, as I not only didn't get any service desk time, I spent several hours on a "speedy" checkout and was asked to stay 30-40 minutes over to boot. I voluntarily stayed about 40-45 minutes Friday night to get the service desk cleaned up and I didn't mind at all, but it was a little different Saturday night when I didn't get to be at the service desk at all.
When I arrived there on Sunday, I was placed on one of the "full service" checkouts -- one with a belt and no limit on the number of items. So that was all right. About an hour or so into my shift, they did an "audit" on me -- counted the money in my drawer -- and that gave me the chance to talk to my manager about the schedule once again, since my schedule had not been changed. I asked her if she'd had a chance to look at it, and she said she hadn't, in a not-so-nice tone of voice; she isn't the most approachable person in the world. I'd asked various CSM's if I would get in trouble for not coming in next weekend even though my time off had supposedly been "finalized", and none of them could give me various answers. I'm still going to Jon's wedding next Saturday (although maybe not the reception) and I'm still bowling in the PBA pro-am tournament the following Saturday, even if I have to take two late marks and show up to work on a day I was supposed to have off. I'm willing to "give back" next Sunday and work, but I probably won't be a happy camper. The co-manager -- my manager's boss -- was there, so I told him the situation and he said he'd get with my manager about it. I hated to go over my manager's head, but I felt it was necessary in that situation. In spite of some bad things I'd heard about her, I'd never had a problem with her -- until now. I don't think it's right that a person like me, who shows up and does what he's supposed to do, has to fight to get a day off that had previously been approved. And Wal-Mart wonders why the turnover rate among associates is as high as 70%, which is apparently how high it had gotten at the Maize Road store last year. It was just 4-5 days ago that I was defending Wal-Mart during arguments with Michael; now I find myself perhaps on the same side as him, although in a different way. He doesn't seem to like Wal-Mart from an economic standpoint; I don't like the way management treats the associates. They have been criticized on both fronts for a long time, and it has become easier to see why.
When I arrived there on Sunday, I was placed on one of the "full service" checkouts -- one with a belt and no limit on the number of items. So that was all right. About an hour or so into my shift, they did an "audit" on me -- counted the money in my drawer -- and that gave me the chance to talk to my manager about the schedule once again, since my schedule had not been changed. I asked her if she'd had a chance to look at it, and she said she hadn't, in a not-so-nice tone of voice; she isn't the most approachable person in the world. I'd asked various CSM's if I would get in trouble for not coming in next weekend even though my time off had supposedly been "finalized", and none of them could give me various answers. I'm still going to Jon's wedding next Saturday (although maybe not the reception) and I'm still bowling in the PBA pro-am tournament the following Saturday, even if I have to take two late marks and show up to work on a day I was supposed to have off. I'm willing to "give back" next Sunday and work, but I probably won't be a happy camper. The co-manager -- my manager's boss -- was there, so I told him the situation and he said he'd get with my manager about it. I hated to go over my manager's head, but I felt it was necessary in that situation. In spite of some bad things I'd heard about her, I'd never had a problem with her -- until now. I don't think it's right that a person like me, who shows up and does what he's supposed to do, has to fight to get a day off that had previously been approved. And Wal-Mart wonders why the turnover rate among associates is as high as 70%, which is apparently how high it had gotten at the Maize Road store last year. It was just 4-5 days ago that I was defending Wal-Mart during arguments with Michael; now I find myself perhaps on the same side as him, although in a different way. He doesn't seem to like Wal-Mart from an economic standpoint; I don't like the way management treats the associates. They have been criticized on both fronts for a long time, and it has become easier to see why.