Thread regarding PepsiCo Inc. (Pepsi) layoffs

Here is my issue. I get it - The G4 summit is about taking jobs from developed nations and moving them to undeveloped nations. I'm all for that. I would take a pay cut, so that some family in another part of the world gets to flourish. I have been fighting poverty all my life, and am willing to make sacrifices. What I will NOT do is move poverty from one nation to another. All jobs matter. If people can't work, they can't pay taxes. If enough people stop paying taxes, programs have to get cut. How is that progress? There is room for all of us, if we all work together. This does not have to be a dog eat dog world.

Another issue: I trained my replacement. When I was leaving, so was my replacement. He had already found a better job. This creates great instability. I stopped buying brands I loved in the past, because the quality and support is gone. This will lead to more job losses. How is that helping anyone?

Another point, look at what is going on with COIVD. It did not take much for some countries to fall apart. Again, I am willing to make sacrifices and help other parts of the world, but if the entire country is unstable it could come back to bite you. Haven’t you noticed how many companies are reporting data thefts lately?

I can confirm. Even w/o an accent, I get asked at least twice a wk where our office is. Usually just small talk but callers do seem interested in knowing. I feel kind of bad for what this new team will have to deal with from the karens of the world.

Yes, it was August 5th when I posted, but the layoff didn't happen yet... They haven't even informed the reps yet. I heard they plan to tell them in Sept or Oct, and their jobs would be done by Nov. So, yes, that would in fact be before the holidays.....😒

But anyway, I can tell you for a fact that many consumers HATE speaking to people with accents, whether they're in the U.S. or not. Reps that have even the faintest accent regardless how many years or decades or generations they've been in the U.S. quickly prompt the "where are you located?" questions and have been verbally berated from people who don't believe they're telling the truth about being in the U.S... I'm white and sound stereotypically white, and I've still had many a consumer rant off about "I'm glad you're in the U.S., I'm tired of speaking to people I can't understand". Many absolutely racist and bigoted comments have been received by CR. Even about athletes, celebrities, commercials, donations, sponsorships, and more, we've fielded some really horrible remarks.

But anyway, the bottom line is that we're aware that all that matters is a billion dollar company getting more billions. But we're still allowed to be frustrated and disappointed that loyal employees don't matter and that we very much would have liked to keep our jobs in our own hometowns.

Hundred of jobs lost just before the Holidays ???, a little bit dramatic, it's only August 5th. The job may be important, but that doesn't mean it has to be done from Plano or anywhere in the USA. People in Mexico, Tanzania, Mongolia etc can do the same job now in 2021 at 1% of the cost, the consumer doesn't care. In the global economy of 2021 they are used to speaking to people with thick accents and poor English that they can't understand. Is this right or is this wrong ? , it doesn't matter, all that matters is the bottom line, the stock price and the bonuses of the big shots.

Wow... I'm surprised at a couple of these comments. Hundreds of Americans will be jobless just in time for the holidays. Maybe a little compassion would be nice, instead of just telling them their jobs didn't matter anyway just because you don't know or care what they did.

FYI their jobs are actually extremely important. It's not a contest on whose is "more" important. But for the record, they handle ALL kinds of calls. They're involved in virtually every single aspect of how consumers buy and enjoy products. The company wouldn't exist without satisfied consumers buying and eating, would they?

The bulk of it is quality. Allllll the quality. Anything wrong with any product in any way at any time, we're the ones that send coupons to replace the product, plus are in charge of gathering all the UPC, manufacturing, and store information so that it can be reported. Where do you think the plants get the details about problems? CR. Info to figure out Praise to Dislike ratios and what 1st Time Users think of products, comes from CR. There are teams that organize and present all details about quality and praise that drives decisions about product offerings, nutrition, flavors, availability, and more from the details collected by CR reps.

But wait, there's more. New store wants to carry PepsiCo products, CR can get them in touch with the correct sales team. Consumer can't find a product they want, CR can help them find it. Need help with a promotion or code not working, CR can get you a new one. Food allergy to anything other than the Top 8, packaging can't tell you but CR can look it up or get it researched. Dietary restriction for a medical condition, CR can provide you the info you need. Ordered from a brand's website and it didn't come, was missing something, or arrived damaged, CR handles that. Break a tooth on a hard snack, CR can investigate it and arrange to pay the dental bill. Foreign object in a product, CR collects and identifies it. Even feedback about commercials, advertising, sales, coupons, promos, all of that comes through CR.

It's not just phone calls, but also live chats, emails (which are nearly all personalized, or even entirely custom, and not just canned templates), plus they also respond on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more. One team also handles social media reports too, so even if consumers don't go out of their way to praise or complain directly to the brands, their feedback can still be valuable info about products and campaigns.

There's probably more. But you get the gist. We do a he-l of a lot that supports nearly every other department.

It is an important job, they will come to regret this in time. For every unhappy consumer they may tell 5 people or more about their experience, many more with social media. That can add up to a lot in lost sales and Brand equity. It is twice as hard to gain new consumers as it is to keep them. Many are happy with a coupon or reassurance of their concerns and can turn into Brand proponents instead. Consumer Relations also helps protect the company from monetary losses from unwarrented or even fraudulant lawsuits or insurance claims. They are specially trained and they address issues with much knowledge and patience required. Being a company that cared enough to have the 1-800 # on the bag and not only standby the freshness guarantee on every bag but also address a multitude of other questions or concerns was something that set the company apart from many other competitors. The calls are compliments too and feedback from the consumers about their likes and dislikes can be a valuable tool for product developers as well.

What does this role do on a daily basis? Field Calls for both Snacks and Bev? Not sure this is important

I heard this as well. Not just Plano, but ALL customer service in ALL locations nationwide. I actually enjoyed what I did and I'm devastated. They haven't publicly announced it to anyone yet so not everyone even knows yet. They're planning to keep it under wraps for awhile so that all the reps don't jump ship right away.

Consumer relations. What a disconnected job. I have driven a semi for a dozen years and these people don't have a clue. If they got rid of my job I'd go get another one delivering goods to your homes as you figure out a way to maneuver into another role that is completely pointless.

Well, that was not SWEET.
Actually, it was kind of SALTY.
It may leave a taste sort of BITTER.
And lingering SOUR.
I've been out of PEP longer than I was in PEP but I never matched my PEP salary. Sounds like the latest PEP generation aims to destroy the Company.

I have been training GBS since last August. I am still waiting for my turn to be let go.

Apparently, November will be the switch to Mexico City. The current team will have to train their lowly paid replacements for the next 3 months. How insulting is that? I hope this destroys the Frito Lay brand. Glad I got out early.

Looks like they are offshoring the entire consumer relations team to mexico city. Lol. What a joke. How is someone in Mexico City supposed to empathize with some lady in Des Moines? These companies are gross. It's like giving your consumer the middle finger when you cannot be bothered to take their concerns yourself and have to send it to another country. Greed. Pure and simple.

Fu-k Pepsico.