A question for people from closed or closing stores (if any still come here) - were there any signs in addition to sales that closing was coming?
I'm mostly wondering about your managers. More than one in my store have either found a new job or transferred out within the last month, and that has me worried.
Did your managers know ahead of time the store was slated for closing?
Yes. The SMs are notified 2 to 3 weeks in advance of shakeups and changes.
When the DM cuts happened our SM was told 2 weeks in advance.
What I can say as a (now) former employee as of 2 days ago is this. One day out of the blue on a busy Saturday Mr. Ellison, and his entourage visited the store. What he thought will always remain a mystery. Shortly after that our SM began a cleaning regimen in anticipation of a visit from Mr. Mcfarlen, one week later. After that visit the cleaning escalated to repainting, redecorating, and refurbishing everything we had been told we couldn’t afford to do. Then the “investors” visited. When I told my SM that they had arrived he behaved as if it didn’t matter. I was puzzled at the time but now I understand. Personally I’m ducking out of this company for a awhile, maybe until the surrounding stores have absorbed all of us and things settle down. The stress and the worries about the companies solvency are questions I no longer want to ponder. It doesn’t mean I never want to be rehired again it just means I need a job without the emotional investment it’s too taxing.