Thread regarding Sears layoffs

@2sgc. I get it, and I am doing everything I can to help as far as bringing these topics up and asking what can we do to help the stores. I can only provide my physical help to a local store right now, and that is what I have been doing, but it only goes so far.

@2jow, This, this & this. This should be the real subject of the town meeting the people person is having moderated by Leena.

Add a sentence in about how beyond having to perform the workload of those laid off, it's emotionally painful to see people losing their jobs, one by one. Some of these people have been by our side for years and it feels like a hit here, a hit there, a hit everywhere. Scary too because you never know what position will be eliminated next and the folks leaving one by one can feel more unsettling than a mass layoff.

@2oaf, it seems like the company doesn't empower you to help. I've come to appreciate you. I'm not sure about the rest of corporate rank and file but you have kept your connection to the stores. it feels like those of us "down here" on the store level are drowning. At least to me.

@2gye - Your observation is spot on and highlights a serious problem that has permeated Sears for decades; long before Eddie took over. Sears upper management style has always reminded me of the three monkeys; see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Any problem that emerges is quickly dismissed or ignored. Anyone that points out a problem is branded a company endangering malcontent. The deplorable state of affairs at Sears is a direct result of this hideous corporate mindset. No company can prosper unless they deal with their problems immediately, honestly and effectively!

Nobody wants to acknowledge any of the problems. There's a Pebble group for delivery issues. The same sales guy kept posting there over and over again about all the problems his customers were experiencing with deliveries. He didn't come across as negative at all, in my opinion, but he was posting CONSTANTLY. He was relentless about trying to help his customers. Finally someone had to come on there and tell him, basically, to quit whining. It was like saying yes we know our delivery service stinks but just shut up about it already. How is anything ever supposed to get fixed when we don't even want to acknowledge what the real problems are?

@OcDUGIY-2jow: Well said. Thank you. I echo your sentiment!

2oaf- I think what the poster is saying is that we at store level understand we are all in the same boat so those who have some power or even have contact with the store level need to give us a break on some things and show us and tell us you do understand instead of just spewing the same b.s.

@2jow. I understand. It really would benefit for everyone to see each others jobs from a hands on perspective. The perks we have in our department are from our VP when he spends on his own dime. They are not corporate perks. Outside of that I get it as I am in at least the Sears stores on a regular basis. I get what you mean with the computers and software, and while our computers are slightly newer than yours, most of ours are only slightly better. We are far away from cutting edge technology too. I get the store staffing as I have experienced it and everything we middle managers observe is taken back. I just dont have a lot of influence over store operations and being able to change things, but for those of us who have worked in stores in the past, we get it. We just dont know how to help.

I would like to give a little perspective if I may. It is not that it is "Store level vs. Corporate level" but more of the disconnect of corporate to the store level. We at the store level understand that there are many, if not most, of the people at HE who are just doing a job and trying to support families etc.

The problem comes in when we read on Pebble of how those are corporate have items delivered to their desk from whatever corporate store or eatery that is on campus, how corporate has events and perks, benefits and incentives that those at the store level do not. We do not blame you at HE and managment level but we hope you would understand where we are coming from as fellow employees who do not have those perks.

We at the store level wonder how those in corporate seem to want every rule and regulation and process and procedure followed but do not understand that to follow every rule and regulation, process and procedure would require that stores be fully stocked with merchandise and fully scheduled with employees. We would hope that you would understand, that to do our job like you would like, we must have modern computers and software, equipment that does not constantly breakdown, stores that are clean, modern, and without maintenance issues. That we work not only for the pride of doing a good job but also for financial gain to improve our live situation. And those financial incentives (raises) show us that what we do is recognized and appreciated by those in charge.

But as it is, we feel that anyone and everyone on Pebble who is in management or has some control on what we do at the store level is either clueless or apathetic as to what is going on in most of the stores.

We at the store level look to those who support, lead, direct or manage the stores, to help us make real those corporate values that we hear everyday at our rally's; "Serve, delight and engage our members as they Shop Their Way", Give our members a "Wow experience", "World's leading Integrated retailer", "Embrace Technology" just to name a few

Either those in charge, do not know, refuse to know, refuse to listen, do not care, are apathetic and ignorant or have no empathy to what happens at the store level. We, at the store level are stressed, fearful of losing our jobs, exhausted and fed up with it all. We are over worked and under compensated, over regulated and understaffed, over responsible and under empowered.

Moral, customer satisfaction and sales are at an all time low. Complaints, maintenance issues, and merchandise are at an all time low.

Yet, most of our conference calls, associate rallys, and time are spent on credit card and SYW sign-ups, printing signs that are wrong, emailing, and filling out reports that have no affect on sales or customer satisfaction.

Dear people in charge: Do you not see some sort of disconnect?

@tpm- not sure if it's bad by design or not. It's just an example of the company spending money in the wrong places. You want well-run stores? Staff the stores. Is cutting from the store-level just ignorance? Or are they wanting the stores to fail...

@ofo - Like you, I used to think that the signing team was the most incompetent group of people at Sears HQ; I did signing on the store level. However, a post on this board provided some insights as to why it seems that way. Like most of Sears initiatives, the Sears signing program was seemingly designed to fail. However, your observation about the bloated and ineffective management structure at Sears HQ is spot on!

Ever browse through Pebble? Pick an executive on there and then click on "organization chart." There are VPs of VPs of VPs. Totally excessive. If the stores were thriving maybe it could be justified. But they're not. Not even close. Even the corporate teams that directly support the stores are ineffective at best, completely incompetent at worst (I'm looking at you, signing team). I think that's what the OP is highlighting.

I think OP just feels that the workers in retail get the most cuts. I think the real corporate douche bags "are the high tier ones" they aren't touched and get paid the most, but I am sure everyone is feeling the cuts.

Only difference is you get paid more at corporate, and you don't have the added stress of dealing with all the customers, SYW, PAs, credit

My Director recently remarked that many of his higher skilled and more productive employees are giving notice and heading off to greener pastures. Well, DUH!

Yes corporate is thinner than it was before. I don't get the "toxic" comment though because everyone is pretty nice in our department. We have our stressed out days where people say things to one another they shouldn't, but other than that, we just do our own thing and work away. If anything it's quiet than it ever has been in the past. Quiet not meaning not a lot of work because we all have so much to do, but just quiet on the floors.

Wow, the OP is greatly misinformed. "Corporate" is just as hollowed-out as the stores. Hoffman is becoming a ghost town of empty cubicles. Tons of people have left (fired or quit) and the survivors are trying to keep things afloat covering the duties of 3 or 4 people. Just like at the stores, our systems are massively outdated so we the same issues about things not working. And even more fun is that Sears and Kmart systems were never fully integrated, so we have two different systems to contend with.

There aren't many levels of management. Many cases it's one experienced person trying to manage a team of people who've been here less than a year because turnover is so high. Oh, and with the recent layoff they now are told to manage another department as well.

Corporate and stores are all in the same (sinking) boat just trying to keep from going under.

@OcDUGIY

I worked at corporate in one of the many IT groups and was cut back in Feb. Many hundreds more have been cut or simply left because it's too toxic there now (depending on your group).

So no, corporate is not 'safe'. The upper execs golden parachutes are safe, but if you're a rank and file employee, just because you're at Hoffman doesn't mean you're secure.

Come on really ... everyone knows we are EXTREMELY top heavy in this company we have managers of mamagers of those managers and dont forget the leaders of the leaders then of course the VIP's even have vip's

A lot of people here don't understand that what they call corporate consists of more than just the upper management titles. Just because you don't like your district manager or Eddie doesn't mean you should blame all of corporate for it.

Also, corporate jobs have been cut several times and hundreds of them have already lost their jobs. You should at least make an attempt to be somewhat informed before posting.

Corporate is safe? Tell that to the 400 who lost their jobs a month ago. Or to the the other 400 who lost their jobs on the handful of months before that, I could go on. People need to stop this stores vs coporate story, we are mostly the same all struggling to get by.