Store teams on the FLS side are being instructed to reduce payroll dedicated to most tasks by 50% temporarily for the last 2 weeks of April. This will affect MCAs, Cashiers, the Backroom Team, and others. They want to make the financials look better for the end of Q1.
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We were to!d in my store, that hours would be cut last two weeks of April to make the first quarter reports look better,trying I guess to make it look like we are making a profit.
Most were in softlines where there are hardly anyone working as it is, one cashier in the whole store,i
I am so tried of ringing up everything from the softlines side at hardware because there were no cashiers in men's.
Anyone else doing "side walk sales" I was told once by a manager that the ultimate goal of a side walk sale is for half the clothing to walk away. That way they can get rid of it and take it as a "business loss"
Unless it is preparing for liquidation. I have some items that are overflowing. Multiple display fixtures and the regular place for it is full and we still have a ton on the back, at the same time we have bare pegs from stuff that sells out regularly but comes in rarely. In my option the stores are breing prepped for liquidation and product is being stored at locations based on estimates of whst they think they will be able to sell the quickest before final liquidation where it is all given away so it does not need to be stored.
Might as well be. It's mostly sh-t that doesn't sell. Lots of softlines crap that is extremely redundant.
There's racks and racks of this crap that is stuck in the stockroom because most of softlines is all clearance. There is no floor space or fixtures available, and no payroll to push it out, either.
Most stores could get by with a truck twice a month, with no increase in pieces to make up for the reductions. Thats a BIG way to save money, stop ordering stupid sh-t nobody wants to buy. What a concept.
Is the product delivered in a dump truck?
Check Pebble to see the complaints emerging about the payroll cut. Look at that one guy where his Backroom team was given 2.75 hours for RRC unloading when they get 1300-1800 piece trucks. Unreal.
In my Sears store, we were given the most hours in HI,we have three full timers,all working at 40 hours or nearly 40, and one part time at 28.
HA has five full time at 40 hours each and one part time at at least 32 hours.
Soft lines is where the problems are because of total lack of the cashiers/MCA's who can work days,there are so few of them that there is never enough to cover men's and women's cash wraps so in HI we end up ringing clothing all day, on top of taking credit payments and tool exchanges ,then try and make some sale on commission if you can.
On Pebble yesterday I did read other associates saying the same thing about working in HI,ringing up items from all the soft lines departments while losing commission sales in HI.
It really surprised me that anyone would comment so negatively on Pebble,when in my store we were told my the store manager not to post anything not positive about Sears.
I don't know the reason behind it although as someone posted saving payroll money since that check has to clear, makes sense.
The leads who schedule found out at my store today when they found out how there are literally almost no hours to give anyone. They were surprised but I wasn't because I read here.
Can confirm the cuts. Lots of non-commission associates getting less than 8 hours. Lots of three hour shifts too, where as soon as you clock in it seems like your shift is done shortly after.
Softlines normally receives 130-150 hours in our store, they are now at 95 hours, counting the full-time lead.
Backroom normally receives 100-110 hours in our store, they are now at 77 hours, counting the full- time lead.
And management has received direction to cut more than what's allotted on the SAR if possible. So if you have 100 hours and can cut 15 more, do it!
How's that for creating a "WOW" member experience? Things barely get done with the normal hours that are given. The hours that softlines is allotted is mostly spent on the register and not spent completing all of the other tasks that are necessary. Softlines is so behind resets and PCNs it's not even funny. Freight is never put away in time for the next shipment and RAD-RAN is just forgotten about because there is no time to do it.
The backroom has piles of returns to process and ship to the return center. Stockroom locator is behind. They have grills, mowers and patio furniture to build for the salesfloor, and this usually falls on just one person which has to stay near the MPU area, so they can't really do those projects without stepping away constantly for merchandise pickup.
So if corporate wants to cut hours, they should cut the workload too. I'm not that hopeful though. They will still want all of the work done in just a fraction of time.
So if they know they are eventually cutting hours for larger stores and smaller stores alike why not just offer packages to the full time people with seniority. This will save a lot of time and money in the long run.
Sears wants full-time workers to hit the road. And don't come back. Even though there will be
nothing to come back to.
Maybe the CEO, (Eddie), could go back to Harvard and attend a few more classes. It's apparent he may have missed a few.
The DMs are pitching it as just another money-saving tactic. I'm willing to be it has more to do with reducing liability for unemployment down the road.
@1rna, here in out store they took FTA40 away. We had ine associate left who'd been grandfathered; he's now FTA30.
Think it's doubtful that a payroll cut like that would have enough of an impact on the quarter that they would try that. Think it more likely they're running out of cash and are conserving all the $ they have. They can slow pay vendors and all other bills to a certain extent, but payroll has to be paid. It's their single biggest mandatory expense...
does that coincide with the over 50% reduction in customers ( ooops members )
Just think how much financials will improve when they go out of business. Operating losses suddenly go from $billions a year to zero! All thanks to Eddie Lampert and his financial genius.
A crazy way to run a business for sure. I went through a Kmart store yesterday. There's only about 5 customers in the entire store. No employees in sight anywhere if someone wanted to buy an appliance or the like. I saw a likely buyer in the appliance department obviously looking around for assistance. He ended up walking out. Self service appliances is really working well for SHC..
You should always get 30 or more hours a week. Talk to your manager. The benefit of being a full-timer is 30 hours regardless of the hours they have. You should always get 30 hours. Call 88sears, and talk to someone or go to your store manager. It is your right to get 30 hours a week.
I am full time(30) and have worked 20-25 Hours a week since the beginning of the year!!
We have not been told to do this in my store. (Sears) Guess it's not every store?
Sears needs to look at each box and plan accordingly, small low volume stores with too many people sitting around waiting for a job to do, and large multi level stores with no one working on the upper floors.
Full-timers hours are 30 or 31 a week. If you go into a severance you will get 35 hours a week. If you are a grandfather in associates you will get 40 hours a week, no matter whats going on with the business. FTA 30 means only 30 hours a week. I should know been with the company for over 18 years.
I remember someone telling me about a DM basically telling their SM earlier in the week that they could allow overtime to finish a bunch of stuff that needed to be done. So the SM tells everyone that they can work OT if they want. Then on Friday morning, the DM suddenly sends a district-wide email declaring that there could be no OT, never acknowledging that they had already stated otherwise.
As you might imagine, most people who were actually ambitious enough to take advantage of the OT were a bit miffed. A lot of them had been scheduled for a normal shift that Saturday, but oh well, they were already going to be at 40 by the time they left on Friday, so it just ended up causing a massive lack of coverage the next day.
will make for a good shopping experience for customers
Get educated. Fiscal Q1 ends in April.
Q1 ended in march
Yup. They told us zone supervisors will only have 30 hours on the SAR so they'll take the other 10 from us to give them 40. The priority after that is giving full timers their 30 so the rest of us get the shaft. Time to use up my vacation I guess.
Crazy way to run a business.
Because when they report earnings and only lose $384 million rather than $385 million that is going to be the turning point for Sears right? Let the employees have their at least 40 full hours.