Yesterday we were told we were gonna have some 'big wigs' come in. So today I knew immediately when opening the store that we had to get everything on the front end in order.
I mean I was busting my ass for 2+ hours sorting reshop, cleaning, I also had to keep my eye on our famous shop lifter, all the while doing SCO and running back and forth to bag for our opening cashier.
We only had three courtesy clerks scheduled that morning (one at 6am, one at 7am, and the last one at 8am).
Unfortunately one had to call out (for very legitimate reasons) so that left the one to do all the work by themselves.
So usually, 6 and 7 will do their usual jobs, and the guy that comes in at 8 we rotate between bagging, carts, and reshop. Until more come in later on around 10am-12pm...
The 8am guy is an older handicap guy... so hes not allowed to do but certain things. Despite him wanting to do more.
7am calls out, so 6am asks if they could borrow 8am to help them get some stuff together... y'know, lighten the workload and help out... nothing wrong with that in my mind. We all gotta work together to get everything done... and despite both me and 6am busting our asses left and right, and my realllllly needing 8am.... I say yeah go ahead I'll figure out things up here.
6am asks me to ask 8am to clean the break room. I give 8am gloves, a spray bottle and paper towels and ask them to just wipe the tables and sink and what not...
15 minutes goes by and they come back.
In the meantime, our cashier is having to bag all the stuff herself and is upset that the only nagger we have is having to help our 6am courtesy clerk.
I was like, 'I'll try and help bag but 6am needs help...' and explained that me and the 6am courtesy clerks were getting **** thrown our way by the manager already... a lot of stuff has to be done before these people get here.
15 minutes... 8am was gone 15 minutes...
I go to ask if they could do cart so and to thank them for helping 6am out and they say that that's not their job. That that's 7ams job. That 7am should have come in (even after I told 8am as to why 7am had to call out I couldn't believe he said this) and that he didn't do ANYTHING up there because his job was to bag and do carts not that...
despite agreeing and walking UP the stairs to supposedly help 6am out.
The cashier, clearly pissed off at me for not having a bagged, starts high fiving the 8am courtesy clerk. And the two are going on and on about how he was up there watching tv not doing a damn thing.
Alllll the times he's complained about wanting to do more. Allllll the times he's claimed he could clean better than the other courtesy clerks that get to do other stuff...
All the times he's talked crap about other people, saying 7am should have come in despite the reason they called out for...
...
And while me and the 6am courtesy clerks are busting our tails he's up there watching tv.
And apparently it's funny. It's amusing, and not his job. Even though he agreed to help.
Hes been told many of times to help. And got caught many of times not doing what he was asked.
He once said it was too cold to do carts and refused to do them and made another do the whole lot themselves before I finally asked the one to stop and waited for the manager to come in to tell her what happened.
Id asked him to do one corner of the lot. She then made him do the rest of the whole lot since he wasn't being a 'team player'.
Our previous FEM almost sent him home because he's been caught multiple times 'doing reshop' when he's just walking around the store not doing a damn thing.
So when he said that I immediately said that that wasn't right, we need your help and I went on and on about how I couldn't believe that he didn't that.
He got, annoyed with that and him and the cashier just kept going on about how that's what your supposed to do when asked to do something you 'normally wouldn't do'.
That he did the right thing. Not doing anything at all...
This is when things take quite the turn.
I went, and told 6am courtesy clerk JUST what was said and done.
Because I was angry too.
I said what they said, what they did... gave them the whole scene.
And 6am courtesy clerks was rightfully upset.
I was kiiiiinda surprised by just how upset they were, and just told them not to worry about it... that it's realllly nothing... ( it wasnt) and just worry about it later.
I finally go on my 15 and come back and immediately I'm listening to them talk about how the cashier and courtesy clerk (8am) were just chewed out.
I ask what happened, even the FEM won't tell me. The cashier and bagged (8am) just look at me and ignore me...
Something was said, and it dawns on me...
6am came over and pretty much laid 8am and the cashier out.
Apparently 6am was realllllly upset, and really let them have it. Saying it wasn't teamwork and asking why they would do that...
I finally pipe in and say it was me I told her...
Cashier gives me THAT look... like she can't believe i 'snitched'... as much as they snitch about others.
And 8am starts full blown cussing me out. Says I need to shut my 'f*cking mouth' and shut my 'goddamn mouth' and I can't believe you did that and you need to learn to keep your bleeping this andthaaaat and he's doing this INFRINT of customers whilst we're bagging. Right in front of the lady whose bags were putting into a cart. ASnd in front of the FEM.
i walk away because I'm getting mad and don't trust my mouth. I started to argue back originally but seen the customer and stopped. Said customer will later walk up to me and say it's 'very unprofessional' to argue in front of people and I said I agree and walked away and STAYED at the SCO the rest of the day.
Didnt talk to either bagged (8am) or cashier all day.
Even though 8am Kept going on and on about it, still angry, even after his 10am break, and he still kept pointing at me saying I needed to **** my bleeping mouth.
The only thing the supervisor/FEM says about the whole thing is that I should next time let the 6am person ask 8am something personally so I don't end up in the middle again...
Nothing about the slacking off, nothing about him cussing me out in front of customers... it's me that needs to next time 'stay out of it' as though I shouldn't be angry busting my ass while someone is upstairs sitting around doing absolutely nothing....
Should I have said nothing to 6am, maybe I'm not sure. Whether it was pointless or not I don't see anything wrong with letting them know that they shouldn't be relying on 8am too much because, as 8am said in his own words 'I do what I want and nothing more than that' so...
needless to say things are gonna be hella awkward in the mornings now.
Ive clearly burned two bridges today. And yet the longer I think about it the less I care. I was doing my job, and it's the 8am who wasn't. (She also chewed out the cashier apparently for agreeing with 8am for not doing anything so ofcourse that falls on me to)
Regardless, despite believing in absolutely right that it's messed up to let others bust tail for you to watch tv...?
I wonder if it's really worth mentioning to the 6am person.
Even I'll admit I did it out of anger and just wanted to blow off steam.
Ya know, like when two be usually get together to complain about others. But who knew it's turn into this...
Some of the readers here will think "wow this person has taken too much time explaining every little detail of this incident'.
However, I want to say I TOTALLY Understand your frustration. Basically, it is SO frustrating when you know you are doing a good job, staying busy and doing the best you can, yet someone else does not take their job seriously, plays around, is totally unconcerned with performing their duties, and then they laugh about it, gossip with others, and somehow or other, YOU end up being viewed as the "Bad guy" or 'bad girl"....... So I understand how you feel.
But Please, try to just let it go...........it isn't worth all the stress to worry about it over and over. God Bless You!
But the bagged, we have to be in some form of cooperation because until the FEM comes in at 9am he's the only one that can do carts or reshop in the morning...
And in sure he'll have words with me then.
As far as today goes I still don't believe I was wrong in letting the person know that hey, before they ask so and so to do something else, they should probably know that theyll also need to clean the break room to while they're doing everything else... which they did.
But I know that if I'd have let it go, 6am would have thanked 8am. 8am would have said no problem. And he'd have done the same exact thing again the next time we need their help...
I suppose technically, if I wanted to be such a total bitch that I'm sure they now think me as.. I could have technically told the manager who'd been screaming at us all day... but I wouldn't have wanted to put anyone through that. And the punishment they would have gotten might not have fit the mere 15 minute crime.
Si I told the 6am courtesy clerk... Who I'd have likely told anyways. If only, again, I was pissed of. And I'm sure they would have been too. (Which they were)
And if it were me, I'd want to know if id have been the 6am courtesy clerk.
(Granted though, if I'd have BEEN the 6am courtesy clerk, Id have gone the hell off. Nothing worse than having to do everything, then find out the one person who AGREED to help you did nothing and then thought it was totally acceptable to laugh about it while your cleaning filthy nasty toilets thinking 'that's one less thing I gotta do today..'. Oh no. I'd have gone STRAIGHT to our ass hole manager. And I'd have specifically sought that one manager out.)
nagger? LOL um mm never mind. You are lucky you are having a bagger at 6am and one at 7am and one at 8am. We have one bagger at 7 am and if we are lucky one at 9 and very lucky another at 11am. This does not count the utility clerk at 7am that does not have time to bag.
Lmao i meant bagger but the thing auto corrects or something.
And technically we get one bagger at 8am. The other two do custodial work like bathrooms and cleaning foyers and upstairs...
We can't really call them to bag.
That means we get one bagger at 8am till 12pm unless we get that rare 10am guy. The other two... one will be doing custodial stuff all day. The other will do that till about 9am and then he'll help out on the front end.
Yeaaah, this sounds like typical "manbaby" behavior amongst older male CCs at my store. One of the reasons I'm trying to leave the Front for Click List.
I'm a little confused about your post, OP. Early on you say that 8am is limited to what he's assigned to, but is eager to help more. Then later in your post, you give examples of his history of halfassing the tasks. Sounds like you all should've just let him bag for the cashier, and asked management for some more help with the cleaning, if you knew about his pattern of behavior.
I think the best course of action is to NOT get in the middle of co-workers' conflicts and just go straight to management about it. You'll save yourself a lot of headache, and if the person or people dicking around is negatively impacting your work, like it was here, management must know about it.
He asks for more tasks because he gets bored doing the same thing everyday. Which I completely understand.
and usually, or rather before, he was more than willing to help.
The last couple times he got caught slacking, our old FEM really laid him out and sent him home. The other time he was made to do the whole lot himself in the cold weather....
When the one supervisor sent him home, you wouldn't even have to ask him, he would jump right to the reshop and knock a whole cart out in about 30 minutes.
Ever since than particular manager left, he's gone back to doing whatever he wants.
Im no supervisor, which I'm very much aware of. So I can't say anything other than to politely ask him to do some reshop or carts.
I've even tried just doing my own thing in the morning but according to out front end manager it's my job to make sure the others do what they 'are supposed to' and do what needs to get done until the real supervisor comes in around 9am.
So while I'd prefer to leave him be, if he doesn't get anything done for some reason that falls on me despite my complaints about it.
Not to mention the other courtesy clerks get mad at me because when they come in, they have to do more work than they were supposed to because I apparently 'didn't make him do it' as though I have that kinda power.
And the managers and supervisors we have now are so laid back that if you make a complaint to them they just say don't worry about it, just do your stuff and let him do what he wants. It isn't worth arguing.
And yet those same people will turn around and ask us to do reshop when we 'get the chance'... mind boggling.
And god forbid you ask the manager for help. One or two are nice. But either they ignore your pleas, or you'll get lectured on all the stuff you could have gotten done while wasting your time asking them for help.
Best part was, one manager was on my ass all day about reshop. The co manager comes in, I tell her I managed to sort everything and what have you... took me two hours... and she just waves it off like it's nothing.
I think that was also part of the reason I was in such a foul mood. Busting my tail, co manager waves me off, and I find out the only person we had to rely on that day thought it was funny us all working hard covering for people while he watched tv.
I have half of mind come Monday to just pretend the whole thing didn't happen. Nothing to be done now.
But should Monday come and he continue with his 'cussing me out' beef, I don't even care if it's 'snitching' or if I feel even a little bad. Im probably gonna just go straight to the store manger and let him deal with it.
Ill tell you what though, I'll never bust my ass again like I did today. Getting screamed at left and right. All that work for nothing. I even did the co managers check list for her to get everything done before she came in so all she'd have to do is keep up on it and she's all blasé about the whole thing.... and then I gotta get cussed out by a bagger because I told the other courtesy clerk lady that he was bragging about not doing anything while others did everything...
What a ridiculous day. It's all so stupid.
i just want off the front end now but we have to get it approved and we are so far beyond understaffed that it'll never happen I've been told....
This is why I don't talk to anyone and just do what I'm told lol. So much drama and shenanigans. People always try to drag me into their drama and gossip and I'm like b*tch im just here to get my money on friday I don't want to be your friend, let's just be professional fake nice to each other and do our crap. I hate how my coworkers who arent even in my department say hi to me and ask me how I am, like we're in the back I already have to do this fake smiling and pleasantries crap with the customers lets just walk past each other without looking at each other ok? lol.
As for the management and corporate bureaucracy that keeps the place from running smoothly, f*ck them all. The store is a product of their bullsh*t and they all pay for it in one way or the other.
Are you a manager or something? You're telling me that guy could get away with doing nothing? I'm not a courtesy clerk but I always feel like I never have a moment to breathe in that place. The courtesy clerks are always called to do something. Can't u rat him out to the people above you, that wouldn't fly at our store.
But apparently since our store opened some 3 years ago, it's been that SCO in the morning opening basically holds down the front end until the supervisor or co manager comes in.
So basically, your supposed to 'supervise' the front in without actually being a supervisor or get supervisor pay or any of that jazz.
Which is a total load to me but I get the whole cutting corners bit.
And while normally I would go tell a supervisor or manager I didn't want them too actually get in trouble especially since everyone was already in a fould mood that morning. And even now it'd be pointless because the co manager knows now and apparently could care less about the situation. Going further up will just start more drama and THAT I assure you would definitely be considered 'snitching'. Since the co manager has already been made aware of the situation.
Bit like I said before, if come Monday there's still some kinda issue then I will be going to store manager. And the real nasty one too. As then maybe they can have a taste of all the crap we had to deal with yesterday.
And personally I'd prefer being left alone. I too loathe having to fake pleasentries with co workers aswell. It gets tiring having to be fake to everyone...
Which is probably why when I'd run into the other courtesy clerk, I'd started venting because it was way too much and knew she'd know what I meant and would agree that it was a slap in the face to come down there and mock everyone for working hard while they did nothing.
Had I known though she actually would have confronted them in it I prooooobably would have waited a while.
Again, it's not "snitching" if someone goofing off is impacting your job. Maybe you complained to management and nothing was done before, but CORPORATE was coming that day. I wasn't really suggesting that they themselves help you clean, but that they delegate some other person from another department.
We have a Courtesy Clerk at my store whose apparently "special needs" according to my Front End Manager, and he your 8am sounds a lot like him. He does UNDER the bare minimum of work, is disrespectful too the cashiers. I'll relay a simple request to him about how the customer wants the groceries bagged, and he dramatically rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath about me. I seriously want to smack him. But I don't go to management about stuff like that, ONLY when it impacts my job.
And NO never disclose an employee's performance about another employee (unless you are actual friends with this person and you know that they will keep it to themselves) but as with the female CC, you didn't know her well anough to know she would start something.
That is what management is for, to manage the store and it's workers. If things are not up to snuff, they are suppose to know about it so something is done. Document the CCs failure to liisten and do their part, and tell management that your FEM claimed it's your responsibility to delegate tasks to them, and they are not following through. If your FEM gets upset about "going over your head" explain to her that whenever you went to her, nothing was done about insubordinate baggers.
Even though you're not supervising, if you as a cashier ask a bagger to do something and they don't, then they are in the wrong, and you should not get the blame if something is not done when you did your part in delegating the task.
I know at my store, something like this would never fly. Our opening service desk personnel / SCO is in charge and IS your supervisor whether you like it or not. Management will back them because they have the training to supervise. If you are CSR trained, I think part of that extra premium pay comes from their job classification (supervise and assist)
One UC recently got let go by our Store Director after they said they didn't want to clean the bathroom cause it needed it. Welp our Front End Lead (in charge of FE and Service Desk) happened to be opening that morning. They told them to clean it, they refused. Store Director said either clean it or go home. They walked out and I got a call about coming in early to help earlier til my usual end time.
I will admit, some times, I've wanted to say no, but then I genuinely like my job. I like my coworkers, some of whom are my friends now, my management team, my FEL, the customers. I mean seriously, I've seen some of our UCs be at this for years. I've been doing it almost 3 and already I am well liked by my coworkers, I am honest with management and they are honest with me, I also am one of the few UCs who has consistently trained some of our newer UCs on things because of how well I do my job and my supervisors trust me to do it the right way because they know I do not slouch. I prefer to do my job to the best of my ability, not some lazy half ass attempt. It's not a hard job, and if a CCs job is less than what I do as a UC in my division compared to other Krogers (we don't have CCs, only UCs, so we do the work of both) then I am massively disappointed in that CC who thinks they are above it. Our Store Director gets their hands dirty and does work around the store and busts their ass, so why should that CC be any different. I know for a fact they would have no qualms about dragging that CC into the office and giving them an ultimatum on the spot if that **** flew at my store, and the union wouldn't be able to do a thing. Store director doesn't have time for games, and it isn't a game when on the clock, period.)
