Should I stick it out? (Job related)

I am, I tell you, about fed up with the company I work for.

I started for 8.00 an hour in Alaska, where any bubble gum chewing kid off the street can make 8.00 an hour bagging groceries, at a job I wanted and enjoy. After ninety days I got a .50 cent raise. I assumed at six months, my next review I'd get another raise. My boss told me that, no, I'd just got a rasie. So, I thought, at a year I'd get a raise. No, the whole company gets a raise in June, across the board, another fifty cents.

Because I love my job, I stuck with it, even tho I thought it was bogus.

Then I found out that one of my trainee's was hired at 8.50, and then went up to nine at her ninety days and another person was hired at nine but didn't get a raise because her work was below par.

So I talk to my District Manager, who says she'll talk to the Regional. Now the District Manager was having problems and I was taking up a lot of her slack, doing all the training and feilding a lot of customer service problems etc, so they sent up a District Manager from another state to help out. She said she'd also talk to the Regional about a merit raise. Neither of them did, I found out when I met the Regional when I moved down here to Seattle.

So, here I am filling in over Xmas time at a store down here that's understaffed. One person just walked off the job and another gave her two weeks and her last day was Saturday.

These last two days, the last week before pics can be done for Xmas and deilvery days for over a hundred people, I've been left on my own to answer the phones, handle customer service issues, deilver, processes and take photos and it's been very stressful.

So yesterday, about fifteen mintues to close, I've got about 8-10 people in line for their deilveries and a woman comes up with her dog. My company doesn't do pets, and it was my understanding that the store in which my studio is placed doesn't allow pets. We do service dogs (seeing eye, etc) but I don't think her ducahund counts as a service dog.

She wants to do a walk in with her dog. Our sign says "Walk ins Welcome" and they are, but it's acording to availabity, and I wasn't available. I tried to explain it to her quickly, but she wanted to arugue the point with me and simply had run out of time and patience. I don't think I was snippy with her, maybe I was, but none of the other customers behind her who also had customer service issues that I dealt with after she'd left seemed to think so. Several of them said thank you.

So I'm dealing with them when a very pissed off Host Store Manager comes up and says he has to talk to me. I ask "Is it about the German woman with the dogs?" and he says "Handle your other customers first." So I do five more delvieries while he stands there glareing at me while I do my job and when I've finished up he "lays down the law." with me about how rude I was to the customer, that their store does allow dogs, etc. I explained to him the policy as I understood it and told him I would tell my supervisor.

That night when I called in my numbers to my current District Managers voice mail I told her what had happened.

Today she called me and said I don't need to come in to work this weekend (I have Wes and Thrus off). I said "May I ask why?" and she told me "Because of severe customer service issues and host store relations issues."

Now I worked up in the Alaska store for a year, had customers who gave me flowers when I left and a host store manager who said he was sad to see me go, that they'd never get anyone else in as good as me.

I'm so irked. My current D.A. didn't discuss the issue with me in any way and said she'd be discussing it with the R.A. to decide how to handle the matter. I don't want to leave this company on a bad note, but gosh, this really pisses me off.

Wow. What mess. No wonder you're considering leaving. It doesn't seem very fair that your District Manager didn't wait to hear your full side of the story before cancelling your schedule.

Nor do they seem to be taking your concerns about pay equity very seriously. :(

I'm not really feeling like I can advise you whether to stay or to go, but it does sound like you and your District Manager need to have a sit down, face to face, discussion. Ask her to give you feedback about your work performance and ask her if she's willing to hear your side of the story about the woman and her dog. I'm not sure that's the most opportune time to discuss the pay equity concerns. But, you do deserve an answer about that at some point in time.

Maybe you should take advantage of this long weekend to compose your thoughts and then arrange a meeting with her?

I don't really feel like I'm being helpful at all. I mostly wanted to tell you I'm sorry that you're having a tough time at work right now.

Lady Spinster

I agree with whiterose. This might be the perfect opportunity to compose your thoughts to prepare for a meeting/discussion with the appropriate management-type person. Don't let them slip out of it. Tactfully but firmly 'request' a true meeting/discussion about the issue. It needs to be dealt with directly and taken off the table so everyone can move on.

As far as leaving your job, you know you're the only person who can make that decision but here are my thoughts:

1. I love my job. I believe that if we have jobs that we enjoy, it makes a world of difference in our lives. Most of us have had jobs that we hated going to at one time or another. If you enjoy your job, then perhaps there are ways to deal with the issues one at at time. You know, pick them off with some strategic target practice.

2. We also need to get paid for what we do. I love my job and would be happy to retire with this firm, but if my salary doesn't come up to speed in the next year or two, I'll probably leave. I'm willing to bust tail and the pats on the back are great, but praise doesn't pay the rent or put food on the table. Figure out if you are content with your paycheck. If not, make a list your options.

3. A few years ago, I worked for another firm, doing something similar to what I do now. A computer contractor came in on a very stressful day when everyone was just plain *****y. He was quite the upbeat fellow. On his way out, he simply said "Remember, people, this IS the job." Those words were profound in their simplicity. In other words, if you don't like what you're doing, do something else (or somewhere else). Maybe you can do the same job for another company..? Or in another location?

4. EVERY job has it's really tough times and/or situations. Think of it as a relationship. Of course, you have more options in regard to jobs - you can always trade up *wink*. Figure out if it's worth working things out or if it's time to go.

Don't know if any of this helps. Let us know what happens.

P.S. - Sc**w the lady with the dog. What a wench.