Our tech department only hits 55% to budget every week and is causing the negative comp in our store(10.2%). Last year we did about 28000 a week and this year were only doing 14000 a week, some weeks even worse. I'm the tech sup and my gm insists its all my fault and my teams. he says I gotta get my guys to be used car salesman and upsell the hell out of people. I agree with up selling to increase sales but I disagree that's it's my fault. I don't think the best sales team in the world could make up 14000 a week no matter what is sold given the traffic in our store. If our store was down a few thousand a week maybe then I could see blaming the sales team but 14000 is a lot and seems like customers aren't buying as much tech anymore at our store. Also were down 100000 for the year in tech hardware sales, I think this is more than "the sup and teams fault"
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During my ti, me at my store (10+ years), we had 9 GMs, 6 DMs, and 23 assistant managers. Employee turnover was too high to count.
"I was eventually blamed for the sore losing 30-60 percent of sales". Wow, that is ridiculous. Just wondering, how many SMs and or GMs did you have over the last three years you worked there? I was in one store for three years and had 5 different SMs in that time. One was transferred out, but the other 4 either quit or were fired. The GM did not let them throw anyone under the bus like that.
Every store has a scapegoat. In my store it was me. I was Customer Service Lead for over 10 years. I left in 2012. The front end was responsible for 15 percent of extended warranties. It's probably more now. If I met that metric, then they would tell me market basket and add on sales were down because the front end wasn't recommending additional product. So when they made an effort to increase add on sales, I would get in trouble because checkout was slow. You can never win. I was eventually blamed for the sore losing 30-60 percent of sales. My store closed a year after I left. At least in my current job I get manager support. I am not blamed for everything, and occasionally receive praise for when I do something right.
This company is becoming a complete joke. Can not wait to watch all the DMs, RVPs and SVPs that drank the Kool-Aid get the axe themselves. Some of them actually get it and are leaving. Some are becoming more ruthless (and unrealistic), thinking that will keep their stores "in line" . Others actually take a stand. Lisa Eithers (sp?), a former DM in Connecticut, stood up to Vinnie Goomba at a meeting and quit, taking 3 or 4 GMs along with her.
Doesn't matter which store you're in these things are happening EVERYWHERE. Freight not getting done timely, low survey scores, negative comping, etc. most of it revolves around the skeleton crew labor situation. The GMs are forced to drink the Kool Aid to keep their jobs and everyone underneath is constantly stressed and threatened.
That being said...that much of a drop in sales is definitely staff related. Sorry to burst your bubble as I doubt it is entirely on you
More people using tablets and cell phones. Budgets were cut in half this year and no one is hitting it. It's not your fault. We go weeks without any tech. That's why they are pushing Liquid Armor for $29.99 like that's going to help.
I assumed you meant tech services, not the entire Easy Tech department. But either way, as Watching says, he is an asshole for not acting on it earlier, and if you are a T4, you are probably slated for closure.
Do you mean 2800 a week last year and 1400 a week this year? I do not know of any stores that were in the tens of thousand a week for tech alone. Most Best Tech stores were doing less than 4k a week. I do not even think BB Geek Squad does 28,000 a week (per location). But either way, he is setting you up to be thrown under the bus.... 1. Your GM should be on your SM's case about this, and then shit rolls downward. Do you have an SM or is he "protected"?... 2. It is now mid November. There are only 2.5 months left in the FY. Granted the holidays will be busier than normal, but BF is going to be a BUST. It is a little late in the year to fix this. Start covering your ass, record all conversations, get copies of all written communications.
Your GM is either in full denial, drinking the coolaide served by SVP's RVP's and DM's, or he is using you to deflect the heat he is taking in order to save his job. Regardless of which of these reasons are the cause, he is an asshole and nothing you do or he does will solve this sales problem. Your store may be on death watch particularly if you have fallen below 5mil. in annual sales and/or are near a lease end date.