2009-02-10 ... 8:16 p.m.

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Work stuff and weekend plans

Well it was a much better day for me at work today. And the weather was better, so no one was complaining about that! Even though it was sunny and beautiful, it was a bit cold, and it seemed like it was even colder inside. I wore my jacket all day, and I wasn't even out in garden.

I don't have to work Sunday. I must have confused some of my readers about the overtime issue. Our work week starts on Monday. They wanted me to work next Sunday, but I already had 40 hours for the week. If they made me work next Sunday, they would have taken one of my mid-week days away so that they wouldn't have to pay me OT for Sunday. OT is absolutely forbidden, at least at this time of year. So... I told them I would work Sunday if they would pay me OT for it, and they said no. Oh well.

I AM dogsitting this weekend, so it will be nice to have Sunday off. I can hang out with the pooches, or maybe run back here to my apartment for a couple hours. But I do intend on relaxing on Sunday, no matter where I am. I could easily hang out with the dogs for a day!

The latest thing at work is that the management wants the cashiers to ask people to apply for Depot of Home credit cards. They actually made it easy for us to fill out the application and do it at the register. HOWEVER anyone who is in line behind someone who is applying has to wait, and when you work in garden (for example) and the registers are limited, that can cause a problem.

It did today. Blue was out there by herself, and had four customers fill out applications. Not all in a row, but one man was behind someone who filled one out, and there was a problem, so he was even further delayed. He was ANGRY and came inside to check out his stuff.

I said my usual "Hi, how are you today?" and he told me "Fine, until I met some of your employees!" I didn't know what the problem really was, so I just got him through my line as fast as possible, and when I gave him his receipt, I told him to go online and use the receipt to give the corporate offices his feedback.

At that point, he got very sarcastic, and was making loud comments that were not very nice. He mentioned something about a manager and the next thing I know, he's talking to one of the ASMs. After he left, Jason was talking to the same ASM, so I asked him later what was going on. He wouldn't say much, other than "The tide didn't move fast enough for him."

Whatever. One of the head cashiers made a comment too, about how it's just one more job for the cashiers to do, and they need to stop piling stuff on us, and just let us do our jobs the way they are. I tend to agree.

When this whole recession thing started, a lot of people started paying cash for things. That hasn't changed much... except they previously were paying with small bills. I took in a LOT of $100 bills today. And lots of $20s. My register was quite busy, but that just could be because I work a bit faster than some of the other people.

I took in over $18K today.. I think that is a record for me. I stripped over $3K in cash from my register. Wow.

There's another new thing involving checking IDs for credit cards. It used to be that we checked IDs for any credit purchase. But apparently a couple of customers complained about it, so now we are only supposed to check the signature, and only an ID if the signatures don't match.

Personally, I don't like that plan much. First, most of the customers WANT to show you their ID. A lot of them haven't signed the back of their card, which MAKES us check the ID, because we can't check the signature. Plus, if there is a problem with the card, by the time you figure that out, you are too far in the transaction to just cancel out of it, and a head cashier needs to be called for a void. I might just relate my concerns to Norma and see what she says. I might just keep doing it my own way, because I will be erring on the side of caution, and that can't be a bad thing, can it?

Well I WAS going to hang some pictures tonight, but now it's already after 8, and I'm not feeling a lot like hanging pictures. Or putting anything away. I have the day off tomorrow and I can work on things all afternoon. Yeah, procrastination is my middle name!

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Kiss Me!

7 comments so far

Rosie - 2009-02-11 05:30:46
They need to set up a table where people can apply if they are so inclined BEFORE they get to the checkout! Have the greeter ask them as they come in if they want to apply for a card, and if so, then have them go through the process separately from the checkout line. I'd be pissed off too if I had to wait for that shit.
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Carolyn - 2009-02-11 12:27:35
I don't sign the back of my credit/debit cards either. I write "Please see ID." So many stores are pushing their credit cards now. A young woman I know worked for a large bank for a couple of years. She did very well and was well liked. Then they told her she had to start pushing their credit card. When she didn't get enough people signed up, they put her on probation. She was so disgusted, she quit and went to work for a local bank. With the economy the way it is now, the LAST thing I want is more credit.
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michele - 2009-02-11 13:03:08
I get really annoyed that Target asks their cashiers to push their credit card. While most purchases at Home Depot can add up to a substantial amount, typically most people don't spend that much per visit at Target. I know that the employees are REQUIRED to ask, but common sense should come into play. Once, a cashier asked Ben if he'd like to apply for their credit card--- Ben had $6 worth of socks on the conveyor belt!!! Um, yeah. I want to run my credit to save 60 cents on a $6 purchase. Uh-huh.
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Poolie - 2009-02-11 14:51:52
Rosie said it right. Yes indeedy!
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terri t - 2009-02-11 20:51:53
I am sure all the stores are trying to get more business and think applications for a credit card is a good way to go plus I imagine they can sell the names on the cards to other card companies for solictations too. However,.....with things as bad as they are now, the last thing most people should be doing is getting more credit cards because it is just too easy to get caught in the credit trap and buy more than you can afford. And I agree, asking a cashier to handle the applications while customers are waiting in line with their purchases is just wrong. maybe they should make a checkout line for credit and debit card customers only so us cash carrying customers can pay for our purchases and get out....that is one reason I often use the self-checkout lanes....
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Mary - 2009-02-12 01:56:10
When I was in high school and college, a good friend was a cashier at Sears. The pressure on her to get credit applications was incredible, she was frequently told her job would be on the line if she didn't get more. Her friends would routinely fill one out for her anytime we were in the store, knowing we had no money and would get denied. Imagine my shock when one day they gave me a card! There went our little scheme.
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Wyndspirit - 2009-05-13 21:18:45
Hi, catching up here. They make a killing on the interest, that's why they push the credit cards. Especially these days, how many people really pay off the entire balance each month?
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