Hmmm... well life changes...
Today I walked out of the job I have had as a store manager for the last time. I wont be going back. I have expended ALOT of energy over the past two years defending my choice to work for Hot Topic to my friends ... Political Punks who cursed the labor used to make the clothing (which I really couldnt defend) the quality, the selection... and more than anything the WORD corporation. I would say things like... NO, Hot Topic treats its employees really well! I would say... I have never worked for a company that treats their employees as well as Hot Topic... and they would say I was blind, I was delusional, I was not myself. I still think I learned ALOT from my job... I still think the training was valuable and that I will be able to use it in my next job (which I am pretty sure I already have) but... no more blinders... Hot Topic is a corporation that cares more about the almighty dollar that any single person it has working for them. I was there for two years. I definately put in my time... I gave up travel, time with friends and family, I had planned to move away from this little mudhole of a town I live in and I gave that up because I was ASKED to stick around for a while. I gave that job all I had to give to a job. I worked 50 and even 60 hours a week sometimes KNOWING they would only pay me my salary... (40 hours)... I listened to the problems of my staff... I helped them, empathized with them and yes watched them go sometimes. Then, one day... Hot Topic is ROTTEN...
I did a layway cancellation on our register... (never being actually taught how to do it)... I did it incorectly... there is a portion of the process that I did not do... because of this... there was a cash overage... I had NO idea what to do with the money... an old manager did this same thing once and used the money for a store party, well... Pizza. I had NO intention of doing anything with it until I spoke to our District Manager, who was on vacation at the time. He was planning on visiting our store in less than a week and the plan was to just ask him when he came to the store...anyway back to me... as the store manger I thought the best place to keep cash in a store that was randomly finding strange but IMPORTANT things missing was with me so, I put it in an envelope, labeled it "layaway deposit" and put it in my file that I kept the store schedules, employee evaluations, employee discussions and other things that I was entrusted to do at home... Our District manager cancelled his visit but the FT Assistant was able to ask him what to do with money that she herself (having ALSO done the layaway INCORRECTLY... watch your back, yo) had left over from doing the same type of cancellation. She found out that we should deposit it with our nightly deposit (effectively causing our deposit to be over) SO... I immediately put the cash INTO the register with a note for the closing manager, I emailed our sales audit person explaining what I did and told her that our deposit would be over that evening.
For this I was first reprimanded, then I was told I could be terminated, I was left in limbo with all the stress and resposibility of running the store knowing I may be working for a company that would simply discard me after I had been such a loyal employee... I didnt steal form them. I wouldnt!! I dint spend that money, I dint lose it... and they had trusted me in the past to HAND CARRY merchandise that was worth waaaaaaaaay more than the layaway deposit which was $50. Which I did NOT spend or STEAL! I was simply ensuring that it wouldnt go missing and (quite possibly) THANKS to me it did NOT go missing... it was deposited as soon as I was given the information that we were supposed to deposit it. That's how easy it was! Now, I could have lied at several points durring all of this and I would still have my job. I would be a trusted store manager BECAUSE I LIED! I could have stolen that money and played it off like it was just another THING that went missing... but I DIDN'T ... WHY?? because I dont lie and I dont steal... Because I had NO criminal intent...
the last thing I heard from the person who told me today about all this is "Im Sorry!"...
To that I say... "sorry is what you say when you plan on changing your actions, sorry is what you say when you plan on making things RIGHT... IM Sorry... YOUR JUST PATHETIC!"
I dont know if I believe that he didn't WANT to do this but that's what he said. he said that he'd been sick for the past 3 days thinking about having to do this... he said that the decision wasnt HIS but that he was responsible for carrying it out. He said that he NEVER lied to me. He also said I could use him as a personal reference and that he would give me a good word. I hope he meant at least that... because if he didn't ... these last two years of my life have been worth SHIT! I have met some REALLY cool people and made some friends that I hope I stay in contact with for a long time.
Jamie, I hope you're having a grand time in Pittsburgh... and that Stab Stab Stab gets all famous and shit.
Well that's my shitty week in a nutshell.... tell me good joke... I could really use a good laugh right now... the only jokes I have heard all week are all on ME!
Cheers!
Today I walked out of the job I have had as a store manager for the last time. I wont be going back. I have expended ALOT of energy over the past two years defending my choice to work for Hot Topic to my friends ... Political Punks who cursed the labor used to make the clothing (which I really couldnt defend) the quality, the selection... and more than anything the WORD corporation. I would say things like... NO, Hot Topic treats its employees really well! I would say... I have never worked for a company that treats their employees as well as Hot Topic... and they would say I was blind, I was delusional, I was not myself. I still think I learned ALOT from my job... I still think the training was valuable and that I will be able to use it in my next job (which I am pretty sure I already have) but... no more blinders... Hot Topic is a corporation that cares more about the almighty dollar that any single person it has working for them. I was there for two years. I definately put in my time... I gave up travel, time with friends and family, I had planned to move away from this little mudhole of a town I live in and I gave that up because I was ASKED to stick around for a while. I gave that job all I had to give to a job. I worked 50 and even 60 hours a week sometimes KNOWING they would only pay me my salary... (40 hours)... I listened to the problems of my staff... I helped them, empathized with them and yes watched them go sometimes. Then, one day... Hot Topic is ROTTEN...
I did a layway cancellation on our register... (never being actually taught how to do it)... I did it incorectly... there is a portion of the process that I did not do... because of this... there was a cash overage... I had NO idea what to do with the money... an old manager did this same thing once and used the money for a store party, well... Pizza. I had NO intention of doing anything with it until I spoke to our District Manager, who was on vacation at the time. He was planning on visiting our store in less than a week and the plan was to just ask him when he came to the store...anyway back to me... as the store manger I thought the best place to keep cash in a store that was randomly finding strange but IMPORTANT things missing was with me so, I put it in an envelope, labeled it "layaway deposit" and put it in my file that I kept the store schedules, employee evaluations, employee discussions and other things that I was entrusted to do at home... Our District manager cancelled his visit but the FT Assistant was able to ask him what to do with money that she herself (having ALSO done the layaway INCORRECTLY... watch your back, yo) had left over from doing the same type of cancellation. She found out that we should deposit it with our nightly deposit (effectively causing our deposit to be over) SO... I immediately put the cash INTO the register with a note for the closing manager, I emailed our sales audit person explaining what I did and told her that our deposit would be over that evening.
For this I was first reprimanded, then I was told I could be terminated, I was left in limbo with all the stress and resposibility of running the store knowing I may be working for a company that would simply discard me after I had been such a loyal employee... I didnt steal form them. I wouldnt!! I dint spend that money, I dint lose it... and they had trusted me in the past to HAND CARRY merchandise that was worth waaaaaaaaay more than the layaway deposit which was $50. Which I did NOT spend or STEAL! I was simply ensuring that it wouldnt go missing and (quite possibly) THANKS to me it did NOT go missing... it was deposited as soon as I was given the information that we were supposed to deposit it. That's how easy it was! Now, I could have lied at several points durring all of this and I would still have my job. I would be a trusted store manager BECAUSE I LIED! I could have stolen that money and played it off like it was just another THING that went missing... but I DIDN'T ... WHY?? because I dont lie and I dont steal... Because I had NO criminal intent...
the last thing I heard from the person who told me today about all this is "Im Sorry!"...
To that I say... "sorry is what you say when you plan on changing your actions, sorry is what you say when you plan on making things RIGHT... IM Sorry... YOUR JUST PATHETIC!"
I dont know if I believe that he didn't WANT to do this but that's what he said. he said that he'd been sick for the past 3 days thinking about having to do this... he said that the decision wasnt HIS but that he was responsible for carrying it out. He said that he NEVER lied to me. He also said I could use him as a personal reference and that he would give me a good word. I hope he meant at least that... because if he didn't ... these last two years of my life have been worth SHIT! I have met some REALLY cool people and made some friends that I hope I stay in contact with for a long time.
Jamie, I hope you're having a grand time in Pittsburgh... and that Stab Stab Stab gets all famous and shit.
Well that's my shitty week in a nutshell.... tell me good joke... I could really use a good laugh right now... the only jokes I have heard all week are all on ME!
Cheers!