This is a Two part rant, pretaining to my time working at The Home Depot. The first part is about the "Fast Lane" Self Checkout and the understaffing of my Home Depot location. The second part is about promotions (advancement within the Home Depot).
Background. I started working at the Home Depot after taking a break from working at a BBQ restruant as a ordertaker/cashier, and i got started off at a higher pay so i was happy to take the job. It all started off great, all the other cashiers and HC (head cashiers) were cool and helpful, then things took a turn for the worse. One of the female cashiers got fired for being generaly rude and providing horrid customer service, this started the chain reaction from hell. From one person being fired we lost about six other cashiers who were either friends or got angry about someone being fired for *GASP* not being good at it. So now we are understaffed and i have to take on some shifts that i dont really like but whatever money is money right? In addition to that i have to take on The Self Check Out (SCO) which is annoying as hell and you have to deal with 4 customers at one who are angry because your SCO computers are slow and dont work really well. Then it gets worse, three HC's quit (the three that do closing so the ones i hang out and work with). So I have a REALLY Anal-Retentive lady that i have to close with or in some cases close myself due to the lack of a HC.
Part One: The "Fast Lane" Self Check out.
The SCO makes sense on paper, 4 registers to one cashier thus should allow for less expenses and a faster front end. The short answer is that is completely wrong. This is the long answer with observations after over six months observing this horrid invention. The self checkouts are simple, they give onscreen prompts and if anything goes wrong i am there to assist, but it doesnt work out that way. You scan your item, then place it on the scale (in a bag if the item is small enough to fit in one) then touch the finish and pay button and pay whichever method you choose. People however fail to read onscreen prompts (or understand them maybe im not sure which), and fail to bag their item, which brings up a warning and the machine asks them to place the item in the bagging area and they look at me stupidly and ask what it wants them to do ( i mean common it says it on the screen and verbally anounces it). Maybe if they make it past that without trouble we come the problem that arises in states with a purchase tax. The machine only adds the tax once you touch the finish and pay button. Many people insert their cash and then get very angry when the total changes and they get less change. I have had to call the manager over at least once a day to deal with a customer who is fanatical about how we are theives and stealing their money and trying to trick them. Maybe if its not one of those problems the people cant identify where the pin pad is or where they recieve their change. THERE ARE LIKE 5 SIGNS ON THE MACHINE AND THE COMPUTER SHOWS A LITTLE PHOTO MONTAGE OF WHERE THEY ARE. The concept of SCO fails because the average customer cannot follow a simple instruction or even read a prompt. I think they should be removed. There is no reason to keep them open, the 4 SCO lanes barely keep up with a decent cashier.
Part Two: Promotions based on performance... so they say.
Through my time on the SCO i have also been on a regular register as well, finishing usually first one metrics but always top-five. At the same time i get all my work done (SCO is clean and the end-caps are stocked) as well as helping out with whatever else needs to be done (beyond what i really need to be doing) such as doing the trash at closing or taking back returns and helping keep other registers clean if their lane is buisy. I had been told by all the HC's that i would probably be the next HC when an opening happened. Apparently the FES (Front End Supervisior) thought differenty, instead of getting the job, a new girl who doesnt have good metrics isnt the best with customers, PREGNANT (aka she will be taking a leave soon), doesnt help out beyond her own station, and has only been there two months (aka i still have to go over and help her occaisionally) got the job. im pissed. makes me want to quit.
PS. Wow, I really am terrible at spelling.
Background. I started working at the Home Depot after taking a break from working at a BBQ restruant as a ordertaker/cashier, and i got started off at a higher pay so i was happy to take the job. It all started off great, all the other cashiers and HC (head cashiers) were cool and helpful, then things took a turn for the worse. One of the female cashiers got fired for being generaly rude and providing horrid customer service, this started the chain reaction from hell. From one person being fired we lost about six other cashiers who were either friends or got angry about someone being fired for *GASP* not being good at it. So now we are understaffed and i have to take on some shifts that i dont really like but whatever money is money right? In addition to that i have to take on The Self Check Out (SCO) which is annoying as hell and you have to deal with 4 customers at one who are angry because your SCO computers are slow and dont work really well. Then it gets worse, three HC's quit (the three that do closing so the ones i hang out and work with). So I have a REALLY Anal-Retentive lady that i have to close with or in some cases close myself due to the lack of a HC.
Part One: The "Fast Lane" Self Check out.
The SCO makes sense on paper, 4 registers to one cashier thus should allow for less expenses and a faster front end. The short answer is that is completely wrong. This is the long answer with observations after over six months observing this horrid invention. The self checkouts are simple, they give onscreen prompts and if anything goes wrong i am there to assist, but it doesnt work out that way. You scan your item, then place it on the scale (in a bag if the item is small enough to fit in one) then touch the finish and pay button and pay whichever method you choose. People however fail to read onscreen prompts (or understand them maybe im not sure which), and fail to bag their item, which brings up a warning and the machine asks them to place the item in the bagging area and they look at me stupidly and ask what it wants them to do ( i mean common it says it on the screen and verbally anounces it). Maybe if they make it past that without trouble we come the problem that arises in states with a purchase tax. The machine only adds the tax once you touch the finish and pay button. Many people insert their cash and then get very angry when the total changes and they get less change. I have had to call the manager over at least once a day to deal with a customer who is fanatical about how we are theives and stealing their money and trying to trick them. Maybe if its not one of those problems the people cant identify where the pin pad is or where they recieve their change. THERE ARE LIKE 5 SIGNS ON THE MACHINE AND THE COMPUTER SHOWS A LITTLE PHOTO MONTAGE OF WHERE THEY ARE. The concept of SCO fails because the average customer cannot follow a simple instruction or even read a prompt. I think they should be removed. There is no reason to keep them open, the 4 SCO lanes barely keep up with a decent cashier.
Part Two: Promotions based on performance... so they say.
Through my time on the SCO i have also been on a regular register as well, finishing usually first one metrics but always top-five. At the same time i get all my work done (SCO is clean and the end-caps are stocked) as well as helping out with whatever else needs to be done (beyond what i really need to be doing) such as doing the trash at closing or taking back returns and helping keep other registers clean if their lane is buisy. I had been told by all the HC's that i would probably be the next HC when an opening happened. Apparently the FES (Front End Supervisior) thought differenty, instead of getting the job, a new girl who doesnt have good metrics isnt the best with customers, PREGNANT (aka she will be taking a leave soon), doesnt help out beyond her own station, and has only been there two months (aka i still have to go over and help her occaisionally) got the job. im pissed. makes me want to quit.
PS. Wow, I really am terrible at spelling.
Facebook
Twitter