Thread regarding Verizon Wireless layoffs

The company should institute say a $50 phone content fee for these people to put their personal iPhone login and password to restore from cloud and for the frontline to stare at the phone for an average of 30 minutes! These people take up too much productive time fron the understaffed stores to deal with everyday. We had a woman sit in a chair for 4 hours in a store to day and a rep stayed with her? No productivity for the company there! The madness has too stop we have to start selling again! The free service has too end and the will learne fast on how to retrieve their phone content. Hanging out for 4 hours is what safety playbook?

We're working 8 to 9 hour shifts with constant customer interactions! Do you think that's safe. Of course not.

No way not even close

Its becoming a free for all again customers walking past to wait sign till greeted(mgmt hanging out) walking abound like no pandemic touching phones, they dont care about their own safety? Over capacity on weekends with 70 minutes wait times and no IPhones in stock.

How could it be safe if employees are purposely mingling with people who have tested positive and then coming to work to infect others, just to have their stores shut down for 14-21 days.

The stores are not safe. Just the act of selling phones is not a 6 foot distancing business. So how can it be safe. The mutation virulent strain has been found in NYC. This strain spreads more easily and quickly. The stores are jut too small to stop using the queue and the appointments .

I’d rather not get covid, just sayin....argue on

I have worked a few holday seasons, and I have to admit this was worst one ever! I haven't been spoken too in the way the aggressive miserable customers have done this year and I get mostly 10s and 9 s on that disgraceful survey that they fill out even if they're not tech savvy lol. Unfortunately, if mgmt doesn't continue to take advantage of the queue and store capacity issues, the morale will deteriate even further. Mgmt has to start saying no in these troubling times.

I don’t feel safe at all, I have brought my concerns multiple times to my GM, DM and even HR. HR straightened out a bit. Things lax and bend which is very tricky on GMs part because I know he’s the puppeteer behind it all. They’re p-ss-d I actually spoke up and stood up for my and my coworkers safety. We have plexiglass that customers duck in between and we have to usher them back to behind it constantly. It’s annoying. WHY DO YOU THINK ITS THERE KAREN?!. I’m over these stupid people, mask UP ABOVE YOUR NOSE. It’s like wiping asses everyday even more than we do now. The outfits make us look like prisoners and I tend to eat not in the store. I will sacrifice being cold over eating where others have. We have more staff coming back in the new year and our capacity cap is already met it’s max. I’m very excited at the end of the night at closing when we don’t have loads of people standing around and I don’t get home until 2-3hrs after close. My GM doesn’t know how to handle the queue nor say NO. GROW SOME BALLS. I know we’re all about the customer experience but that doesn’t mean sacrificing safety or mental health by angry customers. Uppers need to start protecting their staff more from irate and inconceivable customers that act like complete lunatics. More things need to change but managers need to start caring more about the quality of stuff they let in, half my customers I turn away because they are things we can no longer handle in store. Stop acting like an id–t at the door and saying “every account is an opportunity” you sound creepy, and pushing us to force these customers to take products “or else” is also a great mindset. NO MEANS NO. Very predatory behavior. No good.

The stores are not safe because of inept management. Now with the new virulent strain of covid beginning to hit our shores and the vaccine being slow to administer the stores should be open 1 shift a day. By the way how many corporate people did you see on Black Friday to help out in the stores like years past? Thats right zero! And I haven't seen the Gm in 2 months. The company should make a plan to help the frontline get the vaccine in the near future if the employee wants it( that will be an individual decision) Thus a lot of reps feel the company doesn't care about their safety

It’s not the company’s fault. The problem is what people do on their personal time. All the stores that have closed is due to people bringing it into the store and risking their co worker’s safety. Until Verizon gets tougher on people that get infected off the clock we are going to continue to be at risk. I don’t see that changing. The problem is the company wants retail to go away so they are using the pandemic as an excuse to use us as test dummies to see how they can run a store with less staff and more self serve options so they can close stores and move the business to digital. BUT it backfired, revenue is down not because of the pandemic. Maybe it’s because we have less incentives. Duh, what a concept. Let’s push for more and pay less. Awesome sign me up! I’m super motivated now. Geeez how about some more motivation let’s get paid less and increase the amount of products we are expected to sell. Sales reps are motivated by money!!

Absolutely not safe

No it has been unsafe,then a rep suggested to store management about a week ago on how to take advantage of the queue! He suggested that customers instead of all waiting in front of the store and stare at the staff until helped, that customers wait in their warm cars and they get notified to come in. Also,phone content is appt only ,it working because most phones are gifts! Customers that don't want to wait drive away to hunt for the iPhone pro at other area retailers. We still have to coach store managers at the door to ask them what phone are they looking for and in store pickup on the My Verizon app so they can order it while waiting in the car.The rep who recommended this should be promoted to DM ! But,then he would have to work from home and be not heard or give those ideas.

Yesterday, Saturday, we had our number 1 inept Sm at the door. At one point we had 26 customers and staff in the store wandering around with 5 work stations. The safety protocol is thrown out the window. By the way, our capacity is 22. The appointments don't work ,managers just let open box FedEx ans phone content come in and take in some cases up to an hour of a– time. This is in a state were restaurants have 25 percent capacity while a small phone store is at100+% percent on Saturdays and Sundays! And in a few days it will be unsafe everyday! By the way our closest corporate store was close for 10 days because an employee got sick. Its only a matter of time.

The biggest takeaway from this post is "Do managers are at the door controlling the door"? NO they make reps go to the door! I talked to a person from corporate and they asked how's the appointments working? I told them most people don't bother and just walk in.Thus its a free for all with Sms not doing their job. Also,the general public acts like nothing happening with 5 workstations and 2 inept Sms.it will be a nightmare in about 5 days and very unsafe here in Northern NJ!

Stores are not profitable. Beggars can't be choosers.

The answer too your double question. No No! The 5 questions in the body of the post. No no No No No. The store managers and general public act like there is no pandemic. Its a free for all!

No believe it or not working in a small building with 8 other people with hundred+ customers and possible vectors for spreading it. F— CWA but we are being massively exposed.

Another union endorsed / initiated cry baby post.

Safe? Lol what playbook??? It’s BAU and no one cares. Employees with masks off, not enforcing customers to wear masks. Shoulder to shoulder customer assistance. It’s all very concerning.

For sure working in a Walmart is safer. There is less face to face interaction. Not stoping them at the door and face to face. Not in a small store.. so sure there is risk everywhere, yet we are sitting ducks.

Do you think working in a Target or Walmart is better? It is retail. Deal with it...

I think if the play book was followed (and most stores are not even close) it would be safer.

The other posters are correct some customers just don't care and some mock our ways of doing business.

It all comes down to poorly run stores and weak management.

Well every single one of my coworkers has gotten sick. I know several stores who are the same way. So no the stores aren't safe. Corporate knows and just doesn't care. We have some of the highest possitive rate of not healthcare workers in my area.

I believe all stores COULD be safe if all the rules were followed, but, the break down happens at the store level. We are stretched as thin as we can get, a lot of times unable to even follow basic rules corporate security outlines for us to stay safe even before covid came. The country is so divided on covid, and many people are unwilling to do their part to stop the spread, period.

It is like Verizon thinks they have done everything correct and it is business as usual. But stores around me keep closing because employees test positive.

My issue is how we have less staff due to the layoffs and people who made the mistake moving to telasales. Then the people out for covid-19 reasons. So people are having their schedule changed over and over at the last minute. Employees touching more customers.

Touchless in my opinion just a way for Verizon to train employees and customers how not to use an employee and do self service. Basically make stores express stores. The focus on the numbers is more important than employees safety.

In my state numbers are higher than ever and at work it is like pre covid, worrying about ARD.

I do not feel safe at work with what Verizon is doing. I have my own gloves and own hand sanitizer because we always run out.

Fellow co-workers think the back of house is a covid free zone. Other hugging each other.