Does anyone know anything about the effects of ammonia? I work in a petco grooming salon, and yesterday I had this poor old dog that was matted to hell and covered in urine so bad it just reeked of straight ammonia. I had to demat and brush out the dog the dog before bathing it or else the mats just get worse. So, I was standing over that dog brushing and dematting for atleast 3 hours, and today my throat feels like shit.
One of my coworkers was ready to kick the owners ass. But luckily when he picked the dog up and we gave him a laundry list of things we were concerned about with the dog, he actually seemed concerned himself. :roll: I don't know if he really was, but atleast my cool coworker didn't get fired, and that dog feels a hell of a lot better now.
I'd just drink lots of water, keep some throat lozenges around, and if it's still like that in a few days, get to a doctor. And im not sure if you can collect worker's comp unless you actually have to stop working because of it.
There's a few chemicals out there worse than ammonia when it comes to inhalation over a long term. It's not lethal right now, but you definitely need to start pounding some water. Tell your doctor the truth about it being dog urine and he will likely prescribe a course of antibiotics just to be safe.
Best of luck.
Darth Waiter on
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I (casual employee) finally snapped today at the store assistant manager, after being sick of all his lazy as fuck, do-nothing attitude and leave it all for everyone to clean up instead. His words previous to today "Im just here to assist" as opposed to doing any of the fucking work he is meant to like, I dunno, ordering all the fucking stationery we need to operate after christmas. So yeah, I lost it. And guess who has three official warnings now.
I actually had to do that soliciting shit one day in my life. A couple years back my co-op at Uni didnt find me a job so I had 4 months with dick all to do. My mom found this job in the paper that sounded pretty awesome, good pay, decent work. My buddy in the same situation as I went in for the interview. The job was absolutely nothing like the description in the paper, it was this bullshit solicitation crap. They split us up (there were 2 other dudes 'sides us) and we all went with one of the more experienced guys. I got the shit end of the stick and had to drive with these assholes 30 mins to another town.
We spent the entire day walking around selling people these shitty candles, electronic poker games, and horrible little portable toolkits. We went into Churches, old folks homes, businesses, and people walking down the street. The jerk I was with ended up selling like 3 of these toolkits to some nice old lady by saying they would be great as an emergency road side kit (???). She ate it up. The only good thing of day was I didnt have to do any talking since it was my first day (haha) and he bought me pizza at lunch time.
I didn't go back the next day, even though they called my house relentlessly. It was the second worse job Iv'e ever done.
Today made me nostalgic for Black Friday. I'll gladly take that bundled-up, frenzied horde over the Post-Christmas Shopper.
Mercifully, the worst customer of the day was also the last. If my shift hadn't been up right then, I would've ended up saying something that would earn me a reprimand at the very least.
I walk into an EB to buy a Wii game and a Gameboy Micro. I specifically ask the guy for a "new in box Gameboy Micro." He goes in the back, and comes out with a used one (in a plastic baggie with a yellow cardboard thing on top) and puts it on the counter, and then turns around to get the Wii game from the locked case above and behind the counter. The used Micro apparently costs $50, same as a new Micro from Wal Mart.
I tell him I'm not going to buy anything used. While still getting the game, he asks me, "Why not?" I say nothing for about 10 seconds. Once he finishes getting the game and stands back up to the counter, he asks me again, "Why not?" I don't answer his question, instead asking, "When someone sold this to you, how much did you pay them for it?" He doesn't answer my question either, saying he doesn't know or can't find out.
(Yes, I was planning on being a bit more of an asshole if I had found out they buy them for $10 or $15 or something.)
So I tell him again that I'm not going to buy anything used from him, and ask if he has any new ones. He goes back into the back of the store AGAIN, and comes back out within a few seconds to tell me he doesn't have any new. I just buy the Wii game from him, and then I go buy the $50 new Micro (and Zelda Four Swords) from Wal Mart.
On one hand, I respect the kind of crap you guys have to put up with from lousy customers. But on the other hand, crap like this happens and I don't know what to think. Wasn't he being kind of an idiot? I mean, passive aggressive selling tactics work on who, exactly? Either be a human being -- recognize what the customer wants and help them get it, within the framework provided by the company -- or fully embrace your employer's best interests and be the best salesperson you can be.
(I know that this post dooms me to having to work in retail again and finding myself doing all the things that I used to find annoying in others. Not even a bachelors degree can save someone from the whim of the business cycle. X__X )
mspencer on
MEMBER OF THE PARANOIA GM GUILD
XBL Michael Spencer || Wii 6007 6812 1605 7315 || PSN MichaelSpencerJr || Steam Michael_Spencer || Ham NOØK QRZ || My last known GPS coordinates: FindU or APRS.fi (Car antenna feed line busted -- no ham radio for me X__X )
Tell me about it. I have a fucking physics degree and work in eb. This contributes to my eternal confusion at the hopelessness of that which is The Customer (who is always wrong). :rotate:
RandomVince on
ULTIMATUM, n. In diplomacy, a last demand before resorting to concessions.
Not ot be a dick or anything but was your reason for not wanting a used one because of the profit margin they make on it?
I'd imagine having a manufacturer's warranty, packaging, manuals and some degree of expectations that it will work perfectly would be part of it. That's why I don't buy used handhelds.
Not ot be a dick or anything but was your reason for not wanting a used one because of the profit margin they make on it?
I'd imagine having a manufacturer's warranty, packaging, manuals and some degree of expectations that it will work perfectly would be part of it. That's why I don't buy used hardware.
Yeah I stay away from used hardware as well. I love used games and I buy those right up but I prefer my hardware to be new. It's probably unnecessary but when spending that kind of money I like to be sure.
The worst was at this Broil King assembly plant. Actually it was more like a packing plant. They had three conveyor belts and like 50 people on each line and we had to pack in the various materials of a finished BBQ. My job for the first week was to put a godamned sheet of foam paper on the top and bottom of the box for the entire 9 hour shift. Standing up. It was the most mundane shit I've ever done. Fucking monkeys could have done 99% of the tasks on this packing line.
But then week 2 I got "promoted". I actually had my own little station off the line where I had to take these little metal tabs, put them in this hand press and bend a small prong that was on the metal piece. The supervisor showed me how to do the first one and I could honestly not tell the difference between a normal one and a bent one. So I had to that shit for the entire day, and once I got yelled at for not bending them enough.
To top it all off, everyone else there was 107% cranky (I wonder why), they paid barely above minimum wage, and when I started I had to buy $250 worth of safety glasses and boots from them (which negated pretty much all the money I made there). The start of the 3rd week they called me Monday morning and said there was a problem with one of the lines and they wouldnt need me that day, and they would call me tomorrow. They never called, I rejoiced, and got off my ass and back into school.
Elessar Elfstone on
Tobias: Or it could be your colon. I'd want to get in there and find some answers.
Not ot be a dick or anything but was your reason for not wanting a used one because of the profit margin they make on it?
I'd imagine having a manufacturer's warranty, packaging, manuals and some degree of expectations that it will work perfectly would be part of it. That's why I don't buy used hardware.
Unless it's sony. Getting your hardware taken care of with them is a bitch and a half. I've had so many pissed off customers because Sony won't take care of their broken shitty PSPs, and most of the problems aren't the customers' fault... disc read errors (the PSP equivalent) and non-charging batteries top the list.
So yea, Nintendo and Microsoft, buy new. Sony? Used is often better, because good luck getting service regardless.
So I've been canned from Best Buy suddenly, randomly, and in a sort of disgusting manner, after being there for a year and 4 months and a model employee (I was told so by several seniors and even the management as I was being fired).
I was brought into the SDR room by the inventory manager, where the general manager was working, and I had no idea what it was goint to be about, apart from it being something serious. I thought it was about a complicated transaction earlier in the day I had troubles with and the GM had to fix herself. But when she asked "there was a Playstation 3 ad up on the store a week ago, do you know who put that up?" I realised this was about something completely different, a non-serious issue IMO, and it would be easy to talk about.
So backstory: on the night of the 21st before that last friday (when we were getting another shipment of PS3s) I came to the store after closing (staff still there) and came inside to get a pen and paper to make an ad to sell the remaining PS3 I had between myself and a friend. I thought putting up a sign trying to capture an individual not wanting to wait all night would be a good idea and a good way to get the thing sold. I told as much to the LP person who let me in the store to get that stuff. He didnt think it was a good idea, but I interpreted that as BB not wanting to have something/ANYTHING posted on their building - like a aesthetic issue if anything. I figured if there was going to be a problem with it, they'd take it down MAYBE tell me not to put things on the store, and that would be it.
Note: This PS3 was not from BB or FS, it was not something I purchased at a discount either. It was the system only, new and sealed with receipt for EBgames.
The sign read: "If someone doesnt want to camp out all night I have a PS3 60 GB for sale. Call XXX-XXXX for immediate meeting anytime tonight." My name was not left because it wasnt important for people not interested in buying the PS3 to know it from a sign and link it to that #.
So not too long after I got a call from a woman I can't identify, who was calling on behalf of a "friend" of her's named "Jill". I never got to speak to Jill or have any contact info for her. Additionally the woman I WAS speaking with had a blocked caller ID #. Regardless, they sounded legit and we agreed to meet at a Shell Station close to where I live and pay in cash (a little over the cost of the system). I told them my name (I had nothing to hide), and went out there by myself.
I got a few calls assuring me Jill was on her way, just running late - yet I still ended up waiting between half an hour to an hour around midnight in a gas station and nobody called again or came by.
What was really odd I thought at the time is that the inventory manager came in, and I had never seen him in the city outside work, it was a really strange coincidence. He didnt appear to, or acted like he didnt see me, and it wasnt till I said "hey, I didnt know you lived here" that he looked up from his feet and said "yeah, i do." and then continued out of the gas station and left in his car. I waited the remainder of that hour before leaving a note with the attendent to have them call me if they ever showed up.
I swung back by Best Buy assuming I'd have to replace the sign since the first "buyer" never worked out. I put up one not on the building, but on the sign of BB's that told how many units there were left - carefuly not to cover any words or information on it. And then went back home intending to sleep.
I got a call around 4 am that I didnt answer (because I was tired and frusterated) but I listened to the voice mail right after it was left. It was someone who didnt leave their name pretending (in very poor acting form) to be a buyer with "$1000 in cash ready to buy it" and then they left a non-cellular #, one that didnt even match the one they had called with (I have caller ID). THEN at the end before even hanging up properly they remark to someone in the background that the # was a fake for Lido (a dating service). Sure enough the # I tried that he left was not in service ( think has to be a 1-800 first).
The fucked thing was this was 100% for sure the merchaindising manager, I could tell by the voice and the way he spoke. I dialed the # from my called ID back the next morning, and he answered without saying anything, it was a silent standoff. I called back again after he hung up and left a message on his voicemail saying I didnt appreciate "the person" calling me in the middle of the night, leaving a fake #, admitting, as much, and generally not being serious abouy buying. I didnt show or admit that I knew who it was, I handled it like it could have been anyone.
I never sold the PS3 between those 2 incidents (I assume they took the signs down both times) - I did sell it later next week but totally unrelated to the "ads".
So i thought this was all very strange, and between myself and a co-worked it looked like I had been set up to go wait at the shell station by management as a fucking joke or something, and was then prank called afterwards as well.
Anyways, thats the way it looked, but I didnt want or need to go about proving it, all it would have done is ruin relations with the managers more to call them out on it. So I more or less forgot about that night.
I worked through several very busy and demanding days, including a 15 or so hour shift on boxing day that started in the early early morning. I'm a senior in acting - never went up the chain because I never became full time there, but I know more about my department than anyone else but the supervisor of the conjoined dept in some areas (there is no senior or sup in cellular at all, which is basically my domain).
So yesterday yeah they're asking about this ad thing, I'm caught off guard but honest and admit that I did put up the ad.
They talked about how this is considered in direct competition with Best Buy, a very severe situation, and they'd have to call district HR (a woman I have dealt with in person before) as to how to proceed. She left the room to make the call, came back and just like that I had to be terminated based on what I had done.
I mean, the note never suggested peopel shouldnt shop at BB. This wasnt during store hours when they could buy a PS3, this wasnt me courting someone away while on the floor and whispering about a PS3 I wanted to sell them instead of buying there. We were going to sell out (and DID) the allotment anyways. We make no profit on PS3's. They would have had to buy games and accessories (likely from BB) too.
It was never in my mind about competing with BB when I put up that sign. It was ad based around convenience, and saving someone the trouble of having to line up. People drive by the lines in the morning all the time with Wiis or PS3's to sell.
Of course the key difference they told me, was that I work at BB, even though this was after hours and I wasnt WORKING at BB, and that I put it up at the store. They couldnt and wouldnt do anything if I had put the ad up elsewhere, or if it had been a non employee who did.
I was seriously floored their reaction HAD to be this extreme, I expected at that point to get written up at the most - this was something that caused exactly ZERO damage or loss to best buy, it was merely a policy in place to prevent POSSIBLE loss.
They refuse to consider how long I had worked there, my value as an employee, the fact that it didnt cause any problems for best buy, or that I was honest and apologetic in my response.
I never tried to hide that it was me selling it. Why they manipulated me into a fake meeting I dont know but I found that out AFTER being fired and it made me angry.
I even had to request to be allowed to shop or come to the store in the future! They expected me never to return after putting up a fucking piece of paper.
So right now several of my co-workers are planning a bit of an exodus, as well one has already scheduled a meeting with the GM and then regional the day after armed with SOP papers and knowledge of procedure to fight on my behalf.
I knew the company was capable of these things, I had seen another hard working coworker get canned after being accused of stealing a BOSE system (several of which had been stolen from all stores in the area), but I didnt know it was even going to lang on me.
No warnings, no PCR/write up, just ok you're a good employee, but you know what "you're going at the throat of best buy's business" and must be terminated.
When I called inventory manager on him staking me out and being a general douche for doing that, he ceased talking like a decent person and just repeated "you are no longer an employee here, so that's where its at". He REFUSED to address it.
Thoughts? Anything I can do? BB employees have any insider info on ways I can proceed?
I'm not sure I'd want my job back... It's the people I miss the most, and they are willing to quit and all get jobs elsewhere to be together anyways. None of us were lifers so...
Job ideas where 6 or so people could work together?
Deusfaux on
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SerpentSometimes Vancouver, BC, sometimes Brisbane, QLDRegistered Userregular
To be fair, you were selling your own stuff in the store. If I was corporate, I'd be pissed too. They don't allow anyone else to solicit products in the store, when their own employees are doing it, that's pretty crappy.
They did go about it in a totally retarded manner, though.
Well, the thing is, I see their point. You were trying to compete with the company you work for. That's gotta be an automatic dismissal, and you should've known that. The way they did it, and the way you were ratted out, wasn't the best way to go about it, but I'm guessing corporate policy said that you *had to* be fired for that.
Boilerbird on
"The Lord of Murder shall perish. But in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passage."
-So sayeth the wise Alaundo
Mario Kart friend code: 227.692.747.075
Tetris friend code: 742.696.731.030
Pokemon code: 2921 5590 8486
Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 0602-5937-3565
dont say in the store though. I was not stopping a sale from best buy. it was after hours, i was not working, nobody was. and it wasnt in competition with the store, it was never about hey dont buy from them buy from me instead.
originally i was going to come in the morning and physically grab someone who missed out to buy, but i thought i could save some time and get someone who didnt want to wait in line.
i understand the policy in terms of grabbing someone on the floor IN-store and asking them to buy from me instead. this is pretty removed from that sort of direct competition and has a totally different intent. apparently intent is not a consideration in their decision making process, even if it might be in a law setting.
oh well i thought it was a pretty lame way to go out, and its more of a loss to them if anything. dunno bout elsewhere but its pretty impossible to hire anyone here, let alone someone good or that wants to work there longer than a few weeks.
One particularly fun holiday event was when we got 3 pink dslites from fedex.
My manager had just left to take his lunch.
We sold them all before he got back.
I love the people that call asking if we got any. "You called just in time! To hear me ringing them all out!"
Hehe, at work yesterday we got 9 Wiis in and began selling them as soon as we recieved them. We got at least 30 phone calls in the first hour we were open asking if we had them, and if we could hold one. We do not hold anything. As soon as I sold the last one, two people came walking up and asked if we had anymore. When I told them we did not, he said "Thats bullshit, I just called five minutes ago and you said you had six!"
My reply was "Yes we did, but the other six people who called in the last five minutes got here faster."
He left angrily, as I smiled.
I love disapointing pissed off people, this was the same guy who had yelled at me on the phone for not holding one for "five minutes" then took 35 minutes to show up.
dont say in the store though. I was not stopping a sale from best buy. it was after hours, i was not working, nobody was. and it wasnt in competition with the store, it was never about hey dont buy from them buy from me instead.
I don't know why you would do something like this in plain view of the store when you should know that all of that wall spaced is either there to not have any ads on and if it does some other company/party paid money for it. I don't know why you'd solicit right next to Best Buy's sign either. They specifically seek out this sort of behavior so I don't know why you thought it was a prank at the time and not them verifying beforehand (otherwise they wouldn't have spoken to you in the first place) that you were the one placing up the signs.
They speak to people nicely before termination all the time, it's so you're not angry (read: prone to steal) until you're leaving the store for the final time. They are this harsh because if they were not, everyone would do this brazenly.
Really, this sort of behavior the one of the few things retail companies can and will outright terminate you for if it's verified, it was a pretty foolish move on your part. There is nothing you can do. It seems you were given a second chance of sorts when the first sign was taken down without you being terminated, for you to put one literally next to Best Buy's own informational sign though was totally nuts. There's no way you can get employed with them again.
Either way, you move on, hopefully get something not in retail as it's a waste of time in general
Neo Rasa on
"You know how Batman hangs people over the edge of buildings and gets them to spill information. That's Neo Rasa's way of it, but instead of information, he just likes to see people suffer." ~Senor Fish
Not ot be a dick or anything but was your reason for not wanting a used one because of the profit margin they make on it?
I'd imagine having a manufacturer's warranty, packaging, manuals and some degree of expectations that it will work perfectly would be part of it. That's why I don't buy used hardware.
Unless it's sony. Getting your hardware taken care of with them is a bitch and a half. I've had so many pissed off customers because Sony won't take care of their broken shitty PSPs, and most of the problems aren't the customers' fault... disc read errors (the PSP equivalent) and non-charging batteries top the list.
So yea, Nintendo and Microsoft, buy new. Sony? Used is often better, because good luck getting service regardless.
Yeah, pretty much the warranty and the lack of a box. It's harder to wrap a plastic bag than a box -- and they were selling used for the same price as new. I think mostly what annoyed me was the fact that I anticipated they would try to sell me used equipment, up front I asked for new, and the kid acted like he didn't care. He even had to make a second trip in the back to even see if they had a new Micro or not -- on his first trip into the back he didn't even check if they had what I asked for.
mspencer on
MEMBER OF THE PARANOIA GM GUILD
XBL Michael Spencer || Wii 6007 6812 1605 7315 || PSN MichaelSpencerJr || Steam Michael_Spencer || Ham NOØK QRZ || My last known GPS coordinates: FindU or APRS.fi (Car antenna feed line busted -- no ham radio for me X__X )
Our current ASM got promoted, and is now managing a different GameStop.
Our SGA took over as ASM, and now we need 2 SGAs. I talked with my manager about it for like half an hour yesterday, and I would have gotten the SGA position, if I was 18.
He flatout told me that I'm the best GA and that he wants to promote me, and that no one else is ready, but I have to be 18.
Our new ASM went from GA to SGA to ASM in 3 months. I have to wait a full year to even consider going up one level.
I'm sorry man, that sucks. Really, though, you I don't see that you have any recourse here. If I read it right, it sounds like the LP guy mentioned and you understood it would be a bad idea to put up a sign outside the building selling your PS3, but you did it anyway. The inventory manager saw that it was you, and you went back to piggy-back your own sign on the store's signage.
Retailers these days are very protective of their space. Most of these places will call the cops to have Girl Scouts or Red Cross bell ringers removed for trespass if they hang out or put up signs without corporate's approval.
Look at it this way. People are camped out for PS3s. Employees are hanging out, or putting up signs, or whatever, selling PS3s for a markup. Any customer who got wind of it would probably get pissed & never shop at BB again, and the story could easily get posted on the web and have people in forums just like this one bitching like mad. No one involved would care whether the employee was on or off the clock, or whether the PS3 actually came from BB or not. Its all about perception, and that creates a really lousy one for the store.
They way the dealt with you sucks, but I don't see any way at all that this course of action could have ended with you not getting fired. Hopefully you'll find another, better gig quickly.
Our current ASM got promoted, and is now managing a different GameStop.
Our SGA took over as ASM, and now we need 2 SGAs. I talked with my manager about it for like half an hour yesterday, and I would have gotten the SGA position, if I was 18.
He flatout told me that I'm the best GA and that he wants to promote me, and that no one else is ready, but I have to be 18.
Our new ASM went from GA to SGA to ASM in 3 months. I have to wait a full year to even consider going up one level.
Is this bullshit y/n
Does a SGA get a key to the store? If so then not really, its most likely company policy and I know that if I were in charge I would much rather have some one other 18 with keys to the store than some one under 18.
Sorry to hear you got fired, but you were kind of encouraging that the customers buy from you instead of Best Buy. Even if someone who camped out didn't end up getting one, of course Best Buy would want their business at the next shipment, and your sign was a big reason for someone to go to you instead, even if it didn't explicitly say "Don't buy from them, buy from me."
Thoughts? Anything I can do? BB employees have any insider info on ways I can proceed?
No disrespect or anything, but that was a pretty stupid thing to do. If you were going to do it, you shouldn't have let anyone know that works there. If there is one thing I've learned from retail, and Best Buy mainly, is a lot of people are more than willing to stab you in the back if they have the chance.
They pretty much had every right to fire you, and if you called HR, I doubt they would side with you. Don't even bother trying to get your job back. Because even if somehow you did, they will just find a way to fire you for something else.
Deusfax: It was not smart of you to advertise at your place of business. Even if it didn't compete with bestbuy, say you had been advertising a delicious cheese wheel you got in france, you were still soliciting something on corporate property, where you are an employee, it was not smart.
Qorzm: I'm in the same boat, I'm 17 and was most certaintly the most qualified SGA for my store, but they hired from outside the company instead because of my age. It sucks, but it makes sense, you have to at least be old enough to be responsible for yourself before a company can legally leave you with the responsibility of not only your self but other people as well.
When I read your story DeusFax the first thing I said in my head was "Damn that was stupid". You should know better than to do something like, especially after dude said it was a bad idea.
If you wanted to advertise, why not Craig's List or something?
I'm no fan of corporate but Deus, that was really just stupid. The second I realised what you were actually trying to do all I could think of was how ridiculous what you were doing was. It isn't a newsagents with a bike for sale in the window.
I'm kinda with the rest of the dudes here about the whole "what were you expecting to happen?" sentiment, though it was a tad of a knee-jerk reaction to what you did, you still should have seen something bad coming. The part that caught my interest was the sneaky underhanded spying your managers did to find out if it was you though, and then refusing to admit they were doing that shit. That just sounds absurd to me.
I hate that passive aggressive corporate BS. Corporate did a visit to my store and caught me playing my DS, they didn't say anything to me I had to hear it from my boss. After that no DS, no books, no newspaper, all I was allowed to do when there as no business was stare at the wall because they threatened to write up my boss too if they caught me again.
I hate that passive aggressive corporate BS. Corporate did a visit to my store and caught me playing my DS, they didn't say anything to me I had to hear it from my boss. After that no DS, no books, no newspaper, all I was allowed to do when there as no business was stare at the wall because they threatened to write up my boss too if they caught me again.
You got caught?
They don't tell you personally because it's your boss' job. It's their job to go to each store once every two months and jerk themselves off about how great their company is.
The other reason is more obvious and the other part of their job: This obviously isn't the ONLY time you've played your DS at work, they're not going to interrupt that on the fly, rather they go around, look at what's wrong with the store, then give your boss a list of what to fix.
Neo Rasa on
"You know how Batman hangs people over the edge of buildings and gets them to spill information. That's Neo Rasa's way of it, but instead of information, he just likes to see people suffer." ~Senor Fish
I'm kinda with the rest of the dudes here about the whole "what were you expecting to happen?" sentiment, though it was a tad of a knee-jerk reaction to what you did, you still should have seen something bad coming. The part that caught my interest was the sneaky underhanded spying your managers did to find out if it was you though, and then refusing to admit they were doing that shit. That just sounds absurd to me.
Apparently you have never worked at a Best Buy before. That company is famous for shit like that. I've worked at three different locations, and two of them did shit like that all the time. The one I'm at now feels like I'm working for a completely different company.
Does anyone know anything about the effects of ammonia? I work in a petco grooming salon, and yesterday I had this poor old dog that was matted to hell and covered in urine so bad it just reeked of straight ammonia. I had to demat and brush out the dog the dog before bathing it or else the mats just get worse. So, I was standing over that dog brushing and dematting for atleast 3 hours, and today my throat feels like shit.
One of my coworkers was ready to kick the owners ass. But luckily when he picked the dog up and we gave him a laundry list of things we were concerned about with the dog, he actually seemed concerned himself. :roll: I don't know if he really was, but atleast my cool coworker didn't get fired, and that dog feels a hell of a lot better now.
Dude, I wouldn't have even let the owner pick the dog up. I would have called the shelter/ASPCA on the spot.
I had to do that for a couple of my neighbor's cats a few weeks ago because they were literally starving to death. One them was so bad that her sides were completely drawn in. After asking around, I found out that the neglectful bastard and his skank daughter are never home to feed them. Made me really sad because they were really sweet and loving kitties.
On the subject of death and daemons disappearing: arrows sure are effective in Lyra's universe. Seems like if you get shot once, you're dead - no lingering deaths with your daemon huddling pitifully in your arms, just *thunk* *argh* *whoosh*. A battlefield full of the dying would just be so much more depressing when you add in wailing gerbils and dogs.
So I've been canned from Best Buy suddenly, randomly, and in a sort of disgusting manner, after being there for a year and 4 months and a model employee (I was told so by several seniors and even the management as I was being fired).
<snip PS3 story>
Yeah, that was a pretty dumb move on your part. BB really frowns upon solicitation and putting up an ad like you did is a prime example of said concept, good intentioned or not. They won't even let you set up an ad in the break room that you are selling your house or anything totally unrelated to BB's merchandise.
I know that employees can't buy Wiis and PS3s until further notice, probably for this exact reason. You can turn around and sell it to stupid people for a huge profit. Who says you didn't use a loophole in the rule (like getting a friend to do the actual purchase) to do just that?
On the subject of death and daemons disappearing: arrows sure are effective in Lyra's universe. Seems like if you get shot once, you're dead - no lingering deaths with your daemon huddling pitifully in your arms, just *thunk* *argh* *whoosh*. A battlefield full of the dying would just be so much more depressing when you add in wailing gerbils and dogs.
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One of my coworkers was ready to kick the owners ass. But luckily when he picked the dog up and we gave him a laundry list of things we were concerned about with the dog, he actually seemed concerned himself. :roll: I don't know if he really was, but atleast my cool coworker didn't get fired, and that dog feels a hell of a lot better now.
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You know, I actually do have the owner's address. I'm thinking of checking the place out in a month or so and see if I can get a look at the dog.
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Best of luck.
Awesome
Today made me nostalgic for Black Friday. I'll gladly take that bundled-up, frenzied horde over the Post-Christmas Shopper.
Mercifully, the worst customer of the day was also the last. If my shift hadn't been up right then, I would've ended up saying something that would earn me a reprimand at the very least.
I walk into an EB to buy a Wii game and a Gameboy Micro. I specifically ask the guy for a "new in box Gameboy Micro." He goes in the back, and comes out with a used one (in a plastic baggie with a yellow cardboard thing on top) and puts it on the counter, and then turns around to get the Wii game from the locked case above and behind the counter. The used Micro apparently costs $50, same as a new Micro from Wal Mart.
I tell him I'm not going to buy anything used. While still getting the game, he asks me, "Why not?" I say nothing for about 10 seconds. Once he finishes getting the game and stands back up to the counter, he asks me again, "Why not?" I don't answer his question, instead asking, "When someone sold this to you, how much did you pay them for it?" He doesn't answer my question either, saying he doesn't know or can't find out.
(Yes, I was planning on being a bit more of an asshole if I had found out they buy them for $10 or $15 or something.)
So I tell him again that I'm not going to buy anything used from him, and ask if he has any new ones. He goes back into the back of the store AGAIN, and comes back out within a few seconds to tell me he doesn't have any new. I just buy the Wii game from him, and then I go buy the $50 new Micro (and Zelda Four Swords) from Wal Mart.
On one hand, I respect the kind of crap you guys have to put up with from lousy customers. But on the other hand, crap like this happens and I don't know what to think. Wasn't he being kind of an idiot? I mean, passive aggressive selling tactics work on who, exactly? Either be a human being -- recognize what the customer wants and help them get it, within the framework provided by the company -- or fully embrace your employer's best interests and be the best salesperson you can be.
(I know that this post dooms me to having to work in retail again and finding myself doing all the things that I used to find annoying in others. Not even a bachelors degree can save someone from the whim of the business cycle. X__X )
XBL Michael Spencer || Wii 6007 6812 1605 7315 || PSN MichaelSpencerJr || Steam Michael_Spencer || Ham NOØK
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I'd imagine having a manufacturer's warranty, packaging, manuals and some degree of expectations that it will work perfectly would be part of it. That's why I don't buy used handhelds.
The worst was at this Broil King assembly plant. Actually it was more like a packing plant. They had three conveyor belts and like 50 people on each line and we had to pack in the various materials of a finished BBQ. My job for the first week was to put a godamned sheet of foam paper on the top and bottom of the box for the entire 9 hour shift. Standing up. It was the most mundane shit I've ever done. Fucking monkeys could have done 99% of the tasks on this packing line.
But then week 2 I got "promoted". I actually had my own little station off the line where I had to take these little metal tabs, put them in this hand press and bend a small prong that was on the metal piece. The supervisor showed me how to do the first one and I could honestly not tell the difference between a normal one and a bent one. So I had to that shit for the entire day, and once I got yelled at for not bending them enough.
To top it all off, everyone else there was 107% cranky (I wonder why), they paid barely above minimum wage, and when I started I had to buy $250 worth of safety glasses and boots from them (which negated pretty much all the money I made there). The start of the 3rd week they called me Monday morning and said there was a problem with one of the lines and they wouldnt need me that day, and they would call me tomorrow. They never called, I rejoiced, and got off my ass and back into school.
Forsake, Warlock of Stonemaul
Unless it's sony. Getting your hardware taken care of with them is a bitch and a half. I've had so many pissed off customers because Sony won't take care of their broken shitty PSPs, and most of the problems aren't the customers' fault... disc read errors (the PSP equivalent) and non-charging batteries top the list.
So yea, Nintendo and Microsoft, buy new. Sony? Used is often better, because good luck getting service regardless.
I was brought into the SDR room by the inventory manager, where the general manager was working, and I had no idea what it was goint to be about, apart from it being something serious. I thought it was about a complicated transaction earlier in the day I had troubles with and the GM had to fix herself. But when she asked "there was a Playstation 3 ad up on the store a week ago, do you know who put that up?" I realised this was about something completely different, a non-serious issue IMO, and it would be easy to talk about.
So backstory: on the night of the 21st before that last friday (when we were getting another shipment of PS3s) I came to the store after closing (staff still there) and came inside to get a pen and paper to make an ad to sell the remaining PS3 I had between myself and a friend. I thought putting up a sign trying to capture an individual not wanting to wait all night would be a good idea and a good way to get the thing sold. I told as much to the LP person who let me in the store to get that stuff. He didnt think it was a good idea, but I interpreted that as BB not wanting to have something/ANYTHING posted on their building - like a aesthetic issue if anything. I figured if there was going to be a problem with it, they'd take it down MAYBE tell me not to put things on the store, and that would be it.
Note: This PS3 was not from BB or FS, it was not something I purchased at a discount either. It was the system only, new and sealed with receipt for EBgames.
The sign read: "If someone doesnt want to camp out all night I have a PS3 60 GB for sale. Call XXX-XXXX for immediate meeting anytime tonight." My name was not left because it wasnt important for people not interested in buying the PS3 to know it from a sign and link it to that #.
So not too long after I got a call from a woman I can't identify, who was calling on behalf of a "friend" of her's named "Jill". I never got to speak to Jill or have any contact info for her. Additionally the woman I WAS speaking with had a blocked caller ID #. Regardless, they sounded legit and we agreed to meet at a Shell Station close to where I live and pay in cash (a little over the cost of the system). I told them my name (I had nothing to hide), and went out there by myself.
I got a few calls assuring me Jill was on her way, just running late - yet I still ended up waiting between half an hour to an hour around midnight in a gas station and nobody called again or came by.
What was really odd I thought at the time is that the inventory manager came in, and I had never seen him in the city outside work, it was a really strange coincidence. He didnt appear to, or acted like he didnt see me, and it wasnt till I said "hey, I didnt know you lived here" that he looked up from his feet and said "yeah, i do." and then continued out of the gas station and left in his car. I waited the remainder of that hour before leaving a note with the attendent to have them call me if they ever showed up.
I swung back by Best Buy assuming I'd have to replace the sign since the first "buyer" never worked out. I put up one not on the building, but on the sign of BB's that told how many units there were left - carefuly not to cover any words or information on it. And then went back home intending to sleep.
I got a call around 4 am that I didnt answer (because I was tired and frusterated) but I listened to the voice mail right after it was left. It was someone who didnt leave their name pretending (in very poor acting form) to be a buyer with "$1000 in cash ready to buy it" and then they left a non-cellular #, one that didnt even match the one they had called with (I have caller ID). THEN at the end before even hanging up properly they remark to someone in the background that the # was a fake for Lido (a dating service). Sure enough the # I tried that he left was not in service ( think has to be a 1-800 first).
The fucked thing was this was 100% for sure the merchaindising manager, I could tell by the voice and the way he spoke. I dialed the # from my called ID back the next morning, and he answered without saying anything, it was a silent standoff. I called back again after he hung up and left a message on his voicemail saying I didnt appreciate "the person" calling me in the middle of the night, leaving a fake #, admitting, as much, and generally not being serious abouy buying. I didnt show or admit that I knew who it was, I handled it like it could have been anyone.
I never sold the PS3 between those 2 incidents (I assume they took the signs down both times) - I did sell it later next week but totally unrelated to the "ads".
So i thought this was all very strange, and between myself and a co-worked it looked like I had been set up to go wait at the shell station by management as a fucking joke or something, and was then prank called afterwards as well.
Anyways, thats the way it looked, but I didnt want or need to go about proving it, all it would have done is ruin relations with the managers more to call them out on it. So I more or less forgot about that night.
I worked through several very busy and demanding days, including a 15 or so hour shift on boxing day that started in the early early morning. I'm a senior in acting - never went up the chain because I never became full time there, but I know more about my department than anyone else but the supervisor of the conjoined dept in some areas (there is no senior or sup in cellular at all, which is basically my domain).
So yesterday yeah they're asking about this ad thing, I'm caught off guard but honest and admit that I did put up the ad.
They talked about how this is considered in direct competition with Best Buy, a very severe situation, and they'd have to call district HR (a woman I have dealt with in person before) as to how to proceed. She left the room to make the call, came back and just like that I had to be terminated based on what I had done.
I mean, the note never suggested peopel shouldnt shop at BB. This wasnt during store hours when they could buy a PS3, this wasnt me courting someone away while on the floor and whispering about a PS3 I wanted to sell them instead of buying there. We were going to sell out (and DID) the allotment anyways. We make no profit on PS3's. They would have had to buy games and accessories (likely from BB) too.
It was never in my mind about competing with BB when I put up that sign. It was ad based around convenience, and saving someone the trouble of having to line up. People drive by the lines in the morning all the time with Wiis or PS3's to sell.
Of course the key difference they told me, was that I work at BB, even though this was after hours and I wasnt WORKING at BB, and that I put it up at the store. They couldnt and wouldnt do anything if I had put the ad up elsewhere, or if it had been a non employee who did.
I was seriously floored their reaction HAD to be this extreme, I expected at that point to get written up at the most - this was something that caused exactly ZERO damage or loss to best buy, it was merely a policy in place to prevent POSSIBLE loss.
They refuse to consider how long I had worked there, my value as an employee, the fact that it didnt cause any problems for best buy, or that I was honest and apologetic in my response.
I never tried to hide that it was me selling it. Why they manipulated me into a fake meeting I dont know but I found that out AFTER being fired and it made me angry.
I even had to request to be allowed to shop or come to the store in the future! They expected me never to return after putting up a fucking piece of paper.
So right now several of my co-workers are planning a bit of an exodus, as well one has already scheduled a meeting with the GM and then regional the day after armed with SOP papers and knowledge of procedure to fight on my behalf.
I knew the company was capable of these things, I had seen another hard working coworker get canned after being accused of stealing a BOSE system (several of which had been stolen from all stores in the area), but I didnt know it was even going to lang on me.
No warnings, no PCR/write up, just ok you're a good employee, but you know what "you're going at the throat of best buy's business" and must be terminated.
When I called inventory manager on him staking me out and being a general douche for doing that, he ceased talking like a decent person and just repeated "you are no longer an employee here, so that's where its at". He REFUSED to address it.
Thoughts? Anything I can do? BB employees have any insider info on ways I can proceed?
I'm not sure I'd want my job back... It's the people I miss the most, and they are willing to quit and all get jobs elsewhere to be together anyways. None of us were lifers so...
Job ideas where 6 or so people could work together?
A Kids In The Hall sketch I think we can all relate to.
I think I dealt with this couple yesterday.
They did go about it in a totally retarded manner, though.
-So sayeth the wise Alaundo
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originally i was going to come in the morning and physically grab someone who missed out to buy, but i thought i could save some time and get someone who didnt want to wait in line.
i understand the policy in terms of grabbing someone on the floor IN-store and asking them to buy from me instead. this is pretty removed from that sort of direct competition and has a totally different intent. apparently intent is not a consideration in their decision making process, even if it might be in a law setting.
oh well i thought it was a pretty lame way to go out, and its more of a loss to them if anything. dunno bout elsewhere but its pretty impossible to hire anyone here, let alone someone good or that wants to work there longer than a few weeks.
Hehe, at work yesterday we got 9 Wiis in and began selling them as soon as we recieved them. We got at least 30 phone calls in the first hour we were open asking if we had them, and if we could hold one. We do not hold anything. As soon as I sold the last one, two people came walking up and asked if we had anymore. When I told them we did not, he said "Thats bullshit, I just called five minutes ago and you said you had six!"
My reply was "Yes we did, but the other six people who called in the last five minutes got here faster."
He left angrily, as I smiled.
I love disapointing pissed off people, this was the same guy who had yelled at me on the phone for not holding one for "five minutes" then took 35 minutes to show up.
I don't know why you would do something like this in plain view of the store when you should know that all of that wall spaced is either there to not have any ads on and if it does some other company/party paid money for it. I don't know why you'd solicit right next to Best Buy's sign either. They specifically seek out this sort of behavior so I don't know why you thought it was a prank at the time and not them verifying beforehand (otherwise they wouldn't have spoken to you in the first place) that you were the one placing up the signs.
They speak to people nicely before termination all the time, it's so you're not angry (read: prone to steal) until you're leaving the store for the final time. They are this harsh because if they were not, everyone would do this brazenly.
Really, this sort of behavior the one of the few things retail companies can and will outright terminate you for if it's verified, it was a pretty foolish move on your part. There is nothing you can do. It seems you were given a second chance of sorts when the first sign was taken down without you being terminated, for you to put one literally next to Best Buy's own informational sign though was totally nuts. There's no way you can get employed with them again.
Either way, you move on, hopefully get something not in retail as it's a waste of time in general
XBL Michael Spencer || Wii 6007 6812 1605 7315 || PSN MichaelSpencerJr || Steam Michael_Spencer || Ham NOØK
QRZ || My last known GPS coordinates: FindU or APRS.fi (Car antenna feed line busted -- no ham radio for me X__X )
Our current ASM got promoted, and is now managing a different GameStop.
Our SGA took over as ASM, and now we need 2 SGAs. I talked with my manager about it for like half an hour yesterday, and I would have gotten the SGA position, if I was 18.
He flatout told me that I'm the best GA and that he wants to promote me, and that no one else is ready, but I have to be 18.
Our new ASM went from GA to SGA to ASM in 3 months. I have to wait a full year to even consider going up one level.
Is this bullshit y/n
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I'm sorry man, that sucks. Really, though, you I don't see that you have any recourse here. If I read it right, it sounds like the LP guy mentioned and you understood it would be a bad idea to put up a sign outside the building selling your PS3, but you did it anyway. The inventory manager saw that it was you, and you went back to piggy-back your own sign on the store's signage.
Retailers these days are very protective of their space. Most of these places will call the cops to have Girl Scouts or Red Cross bell ringers removed for trespass if they hang out or put up signs without corporate's approval.
Look at it this way. People are camped out for PS3s. Employees are hanging out, or putting up signs, or whatever, selling PS3s for a markup. Any customer who got wind of it would probably get pissed & never shop at BB again, and the story could easily get posted on the web and have people in forums just like this one bitching like mad. No one involved would care whether the employee was on or off the clock, or whether the PS3 actually came from BB or not. Its all about perception, and that creates a really lousy one for the store.
They way the dealt with you sucks, but I don't see any way at all that this course of action could have ended with you not getting fired. Hopefully you'll find another, better gig quickly.
Does a SGA get a key to the store? If so then not really, its most likely company policy and I know that if I were in charge I would much rather have some one other 18 with keys to the store than some one under 18.
No disrespect or anything, but that was a pretty stupid thing to do. If you were going to do it, you shouldn't have let anyone know that works there. If there is one thing I've learned from retail, and Best Buy mainly, is a lot of people are more than willing to stab you in the back if they have the chance.
They pretty much had every right to fire you, and if you called HR, I doubt they would side with you. Don't even bother trying to get your job back. Because even if somehow you did, they will just find a way to fire you for something else.
Qorzm: I'm in the same boat, I'm 17 and was most certaintly the most qualified SGA for my store, but they hired from outside the company instead because of my age. It sucks, but it makes sense, you have to at least be old enough to be responsible for yourself before a company can legally leave you with the responsibility of not only your self but other people as well.
If you wanted to advertise, why not Craig's List or something?
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You got caught?
They don't tell you personally because it's your boss' job. It's their job to go to each store once every two months and jerk themselves off about how great their company is.
The other reason is more obvious and the other part of their job: This obviously isn't the ONLY time you've played your DS at work, they're not going to interrupt that on the fly, rather they go around, look at what's wrong with the store, then give your boss a list of what to fix.
Apparently you have never worked at a Best Buy before. That company is famous for shit like that. I've worked at three different locations, and two of them did shit like that all the time. The one I'm at now feels like I'm working for a completely different company.
Dude, I wouldn't have even let the owner pick the dog up. I would have called the shelter/ASPCA on the spot.
I had to do that for a couple of my neighbor's cats a few weeks ago because they were literally starving to death. One them was so bad that her sides were completely drawn in. After asking around, I found out that the neglectful bastard and his skank daughter are never home to feed them. Made me really sad because they were really sweet and loving kitties.
Yeah, that was a pretty dumb move on your part. BB really frowns upon solicitation and putting up an ad like you did is a prime example of said concept, good intentioned or not. They won't even let you set up an ad in the break room that you are selling your house or anything totally unrelated to BB's merchandise.
I know that employees can't buy Wiis and PS3s until further notice, probably for this exact reason. You can turn around and sell it to stupid people for a huge profit. Who says you didn't use a loophole in the rule (like getting a friend to do the actual purchase) to do just that?
Don't dwell on it and move on.