Does anyone have any idea what, if any, cuts will be announced tomorrow? Are they store or district cuts? Associate or store executive cuts? Specific positions being cut?
Thus far, the only cuts I am aware of are APMs and MSOs- nothing really else from a store level.
AST and meal and break ....policy but also rules by state....our state has a lot of rules about these and we “monitor” lunch and breaks because we have to. VPSM wants an update whenever someone didn’t clock a lunch and she calls them into her office to have a conversation. We’ve fired people for cheating the system. I have a form I use which used to be in color but I can’t do color anymore b/c we can’t order color paper. We don’t cover lunches either, I’m lucky to get to take my own.
It may vary state to state but where I live, you can be fined for not taking a lunch. So it is not only to keep the hours in check but to protect us from a liability.
Well said!
one more thing about the lunch break reports... it seems annoying, and we too don't pursue it much except to send the memo, but all those hours associates don't clock out can really add up and put you way over budget... and you know what happens then.
Perhaps we should all respect everyone's position. Let's not turn on one another. It does not do anyone any good to demean your coworkers. We all contribute to the functionality of the company. It is unfortunate that this is happening. We are all in this together.
How about say your job is my job and my job is still my job? :-P
Do you really want to stay at a place like that? is this why the unemployment rate is so low?
NO one in 2018 should be saying that's NOT MY JOB or l wasn't hired to do that. . ASTS included.
I was referring to color coded form to sign based on what rule was broken. I found that comment hilarious and thought who has time to make color coded rule breaking forms. We all work hard and as for perception >>> I can get started on my sm’s sitting in the office HOURS and HOURS. Hear a lot of laughing going on yet if I request help with a customer up front for something I couldn’t solve, oh man they are all of a sudden way too busy and run out the back door. Or how they take the batteries out of their phones, or turn it off completely if they haven’t forwarded it to someone else. Then pretend the phone is broken. And I can go on. We can all finger point but at the same time we all do ALOT for our stores and basically it’s never good enough.
All the stores have forms they either made or have had handed to them to use. So what’s the big deal about color coded? Our store had green missed punch forms, yellow supply request forms, blue training tracking forms.....and pink slips when we closed last year. Be happy you have a job and just do what you are supposed to do.
AST'S be careful... it's all about perception.
I agree, not the AST or ASTS responsibility to cover lunches. Usually only one on duty at any one time now, so who’s lunch are they going to cover? How much of their day do they need to come out and cover YOuR job while leaving their own undone? Lunch breaks are usually done over a three hour stretch. So as soon as a customer shows up in the office for help, then what? Are YOU going to go back there and help with it? I think not. And if you think all the AST people do is sit in the office, you’re completely ignorant of all the back office things that have to happen to keep YOUR job on the floor going. Visit one sometime and ask to see their task list. See that list posted by @R86xMEO-1mkn? That’s only part of whats done every day. I know because I used to do all that and more and it’s a pretty thankless job, just like most support jobs. I’m glad I gave it up and moved on.
So if she’s monitoring lunches does that mean people are stealing time and going to lunch and getting paid? Might be your new OPS APM might be ready to manage that soon Haha!
I am an ASTS and I’m cracking up at the color coded documents comment! She has way too much time on her hands or a larger team than my 1 part timer!
I don’t want to work on the salesfloor period. If I wanted to work on the salesfloor, then I would have applied to be an SM. Not my responsibility to cover lunches. I don’t beat the managers up about lunches because I know they are struggling to make sure associates have coverage. We send out a weekly report with a friendly reminder (because we have to) and that’s it until the next report.
The ASTS in our store sits and monitors lunch hours on a regular basis. Instead of helping us on the floor with lunch coverage which would take a lot less effort and be more productive She also created a color coded printout sheet for you to sign dependiing what rule was broken.
In response to the AST cccomment. Too bad you do not have a productive AST. im in a fairly busy store The AST in my store is our backbone and takes so much B.S. off of the sales managers day to to day. From covering call offs, handling customer and associate calls, the walk in need help with my bill older customer, finding receipts, setting our day for interviews and the endless re training, pulls together all of the Stuff and goals for our endless cause marketing. Does all for the HRM and VPSM. Etc etc etc
I agree, we should not cut the floor any more, but their is a lot more fat on the district level.
I.e. multi store ops mgr that is in a store twice a week, ... if the store is to small for an ops mgr. The mtm can handle it.
A dist. sterling silver coordinator that merchandise, only sterling in larger stores a few times a month, a district mgr in every FOB ???? Doing floor maps that can be done in store, sending daily pre sell updates that the VPSM could do. Weekly call to cover info we already have received from the portal. Deep dives that accomplish none thing or change what they had you change the last time.
We would be just fine without ASTS....
Well...she IS an executive. I worked as an ASTS for 4 years. Lot of responsibility and little pay. Left for another admin job making 10k more a year and no nights or weekends. I could give you a big list of things they did and if the ASTS or the AST associates weren’t there anymore to do them, you would see some things fall off the rails pretty quickly.
I don’t understand why we are cutting the people that actually sell to customers, as it is we don’t have enough staff in the floors. Instead of cutting ASTS,AST’s and District Merchants we are cutting associates—-doesn’t make sense. What do district merchants do anyway? ASTS’s are just extra— the one in our store thinks she is an executive ...all she does is rearrange her desk and talk to her kids...but let’s keep her and eliminate a selling associate. Makes no sense!!
there are cuts all over from the executive to associate level BUT it depends on your location!!!! stores in one district might have different needs than stores in another!!!! Here are some- support leads for receiving, merchandising, signing, and pricing, sales associates, AST, AP associates, fitting room associates, jewelry complex associates, commission associates, cosmetics and fragrance managers, counter managers and associates ( there are some lines that are being closed in certain locations), visual associates, private brand stock, and visual associates. executives are AP managers, jewelry business and sales supervisors, HRM's, ASM's assistant visual managers, MTM's, receiving managers, sales managers, and sales supervisors. again this is based also on any future changes to a specific stores and store volume. these cuts will not be in every store.
Hourly sales and support cuts haven’t been announced yet, fearing its going to be really really bad this year. All exec cuts have been announced and interviews being held for open jobs.