A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I work in a convenience store and was written up today after only being there for three weeks. One report was written because the register I was working on had been short, the other was due to a customer complaint that involved me forgetting to put through a coupon. They claimed I was trying to 'steal' money because I didn't remember there was a coupon, meanwhile I feel it's NOT my responsibility to remember to a coupon in a flyer available to every customer when said customer can't be bothered to bring it to the register themselves. Also, I check any money I take out or put in twice, carefully, and at least two people use the same register in one day. They never check my drawer when I go on a break because there's no time, only at the beginning and end of a shift, and I know for a fact it couldn't have been my doing because I'm almost obsessively careful. I have a feeling one of the managers dislikes me and is doing this to get rid of me. What should I do in this situation? I plan to speak to the store manager about it, but should I dispute it? I signed the write ups in acknowledgement that I was spoken to about the issue, but will they also think it was in agreement or admission of guilt? I'm so annoyed about this, I try my best and have never been written up for ANYTHING, and yet get reprimanded for this crap.
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reader, anonymous, writes (24 April 2011): I had the same crap pulled on me when I worked in a supermarket. You're screwed as far as the coupon goes, the customer is always right and if they make a complaint about you then you're screwed because they matter more than you. Simple as that, take the blame for it and promise it won't happen again, that's all you can do. By all means explain what happened but take the blame. Look OP they can get new staff in a heartbeat but they won't keep a customer unless they address the issues that customer wants them to, it's not fair but that's the name of the game. So play along. You can't have both your pride and a job in this kind of work, you really can't. You have to choose your battles, you have to know when to stick up for yourself and when to back down, when it's a matter of a customer complaint such as this one you must back down, just make sure it doesn't happen again. It was a lapse, you were not trying to steal anything, the customer is just being melodramatic.
As far as the till goes stand your ground, you were not the only person on that till and there's no way in hell they can put it solely on you if there were others there. Tell them you're 100% sure it wasn't you that gave out the wrong change but seeing as you have no way to prove that to them you will accept shared responsibility with all the others that were on that till, nothing more nothing less because they can't prove it was you either, and if they try to use the excuse that it has never happened to the other employees or something like that, then you say anyone can make mistakes and that reason is not fact, and you can't be legally held accountable on your own for this based on that. Don't go above this managers head and go to the store manager just yet, you will just completely alienate the other manager, you will lose their respect and they will view you as threat. Try and find a way of dealing with this manager directly, find their buttons and what makes them tick and feed that. It sounds like this manager is one of those on a power trip. Which means you have to play them, you have to feed their sense of control. OP if there's a specific manager that doesn't like you then you have to find a way of making them like you, if licking their ass and telling them what they want to hear will work do it, or life will be very hard for you and you won't last there. If you can then find a way of getting them to like you, being friendly, having a good rapport. You be surprized because it's managers like that, are the ones that will more easily let you get away with stuff and will fight your corner if you get them on your side. If all else fails with this manager then you have to become tough and stand your ground, but only after you've exhausted all other avenues with this manager, some people just know no respect but fear makes everyone respect you.
OP just remember you're the bottom of the pile in a pretty degrading and demeaning job, if you don't want to play along then you'll get nowhere. If dignity is more important to you than money then you're in the wrong job. The most important part of working in your kind of job is keeping your colleagues, customers and bosses happy, that's it, most of the work will you do will be to do this, it's not about stacking shelves, mopping up spills and working the till. Your job is to work the system and the internal politics of this job to your advantage, that's the hardest part of your job.
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