... manager issue?

[ProudMami010305]

I don't know if there is a place to post about this, but I have a WWYD question regarding Kmart.

I quit my supervisor (hourly manager) job at Kmart after 3 long (too long) years. However, I still shop there frequently and we are doing all of our kids Christmas shopping there since they are the ONLY place that still offers layaway.
I was up there 2 weeks ago to make a layaway payment and of course, there was nobody in layaway. There was a note about what to dial on the phone to page for assistance. Well, as far as I'm concerned, its not my responsibility to get on their intercom and page for someone to help me in layaway. So I walked all the way back up front, watching for any employee on the way (which none were in sight) to ask the girl at the service desk to page someone back there. I got up there and saw a woman I worked with who's husband recently passed away. (she was not on the clock - she was shopping) So, being the nice person I am, I was asking her how she was doing and everything. Well, the store manager comes up and looks at me and says "please" and I look at him and he's pointing towards the door. and I asked him "what" and he said "please, you need to go" I informed him that I was a customer, not an employee and that I needed help in layaway or I could cancel my layaway and go elsewhere.. which would not hurt ME, but it would definately hurt their sales which have been down all year long. (at least, as of July when I left, they were still down) He immediately paged someone back to layaway himself, but it took a good 10 minutes (if not longer) for someone to get back there.
I emailed the corporate office about how I was treated and complained also about the wait for assistance in layaway. I never heard anything back from them.
I am going up there tomorrow and I am really debating about if I should just make the payment or cancel the layaway and just go elsewhere. Or if I should just wait and cancel it only if the manager says something rude to me again.
WWYD?

I just wanted to add that in my email to corporate, I did mention that I was a former employee. Which is why I think the manager was so rude to me, since I quit. (and I was the only closing supervisor who always made sure EVERYthing was done the way it was supposed to be) But thinking about it now, I think maybe they may have just blown off my complaint as "oh she's a former employee who's mad" or something like that. I really think that irregardless of how long I worked for them and everything else, I am now a customer and should not be treated differently just bc I'm a former employee. Does that make sense? Am I wrong?

[deisel5511]

I had the same thing happen to me after I quit my job last year. I worked for Publix for 8 years and they think that just because I used to work there, I don't get treated like a customer. Everythime I went in there they treated my like dirt...I think because I was one of the few employees that gave 110% there, and they were mad becasue sales were down in the dept I worked in. I emailed corporate because the store manager would not have done anything. Did I get anything...or a I'm sorry you were treated like that? No! So finally, I emailed with a fake name and complained...got a GC! I would probably email them back with a different name or something...I eventually stopped shopping at that store.

[ProudMami010305]

hmm that is a good idea! that is probably why they never emailed me back -- bc of being a former employee. it just sucks that places can do that.

[deisel5511]

Also..I would probably wait to cancel...wait until he is rude again....then you can really nail him with complaints!

[ProudMami010305]

We went up there last weekend to get the kids' halloween costumes and he saw me but didn't say anything. I was ready too...and so was hubby!

[arselia ben]

It's a shame when these companies are losing their business only because they don't want to admit that they have a problem. I once worked for a retail business who tried to open in chicago and had to close down within a year. Since I worked in the retail business for over 15 years I am experience in knowing how to run it. I worked my way up to account payable so I know everything from shipping and up. Since the begining I knew that this store was not going to stay. At meeting I would keep reminding them that if they refused to see the problem of not having their employees properly trained they wouldn't have a job. Sure enough they closed down and it a shame because they would have made money only if they really looked around. Some of their employee also moved their family from other states to help them to opened their stores and they lost their jobs because even though they relocated their family they couldn't move back because there was no positions for them to move back. The same thing is happening right now because that is the reason for stores being shut down. If kmart don't get smart they will have to close also because all I hear is how their business in treating their customers is so terrible and how many people don't even like shopping there. I myself don't shop there either. If you work for Kmart please get smart and try to make a difference. The one time that we went in was the b1g1free deal and they didn't even know how to do that. That's a shame because they lost a customer.

[MnM's Mama]

Ugh really hate them! I was doing mystery shopping in our area and the company I used to do it for had me going to Kmart. Don't do them anymore as they weren't worth it. $10 to go and buy a $1 item (all they'd reimburse!) and then check the restrooms and find 6 employees and remember their names and go to certain departments and ask certain questions and then go home upload a pic of your receipt and spend 1 hour filling out paperwork and submitting it...etc. Anyway my point was the "finding" of 6 employees part. IMPOSSIBLE! If they weren't in the breakroom or "the back" they'd be at the CS desk, My time was mostly spent looking for employees and then had to ask them my prescripted questions in a casual fluent way????!?!?! Right! The company must have known this was a problem because they specifically stated that if noone was in a dept you had to visit you needed to stay there for 10 minutes BEFORE paging anyone and then go back and wait an additional 5 minutes after and THEN you could leave if you still had no assistance after you were there for 30 minutes in the store. I once waited at the CS desk for 20min. just to see!

I'd do the email thing with another name just to get my vent heard!

[jkwal]

I'm also an Ex Kmart employee and so much happier when I don't grace them with my shopping dollars.... I used to think that it was because I knew too much about the inner working and how they treat employees that I don't like the company but I also used to work for Office Depot and I have no problems with O.D. and I shop there when I need something but, you have to really force me to shop at KMART (yuck). Now I left both jobs on a good note so, that cannot be said but, being at KMART for 5 years, you see how corporate treats employee/customers and I personally don't think they give enough respect to either. I'm trying hard not to go off on a tangent about the Big K but, I don't think they're philosophy has changed over the years and I don't think its worth spending your money there.
My personal opinion is that I cannot justify spending money with a company that does treat its employees so horibly on all levels... I have not met one Kmart employee completely happy with their job but as I said that is my opinion.

[ProudMami010305]

I've never met one either! Everyone always complained about how much they hated their job and how we all had to do the work of multiple people because they didn't want to give hours to anyone. and the pay --- don't get me started on that. I work at Walmart now and everyone has always told me Walmart treats their employees at crap -- now I just smile and say "you should see how Kmart treats theirs!" lol At least at Walmart I get the hours and even after just a few months, I'm making over 50 cents more an hour -- and not dealing with half the crap I had to deal with at Kmart! and Walmart is much more laid back as far as things go with coupons and returns and all that. Kmart has to be the way they are because they can't afford to lose any money at all.
I left Kmart on good terms for the most part. I wasn't about to lose my job or anything like that, and they knew it was coming because I kept telling the HR manager that I was looking for a new job and would be leaving as soon as I found one because the shortage of hours was not working out for me. (after several hundred times of asking for more hours, volunteering to come in if someone called off, ect ect and being told "no" everytime)
at the time I quit, 4 other girls quit too -- all to go to Walmart (different stores though) and in the past year, 1 assistant manager was fired, the store manager was fired, another assistant quit because the new store manager was so rude to her (he had her in tears!), and the DISTRICT manager was fired!!

[Kadie]

first of all no matter if former employee or not... you didnt get caught stealing, sexual harrassment, etc...

so for him to say "please" and to tell you to leave is unacceptable....

do you think maybe he was trying to be funny??? maybe in those jokes like "your hair looks horrible, just kidding" when they really mean it but they say just kidding like they arent serious...yeah i hate them but people still say them

By far i would give them a fake name, but keep in mind that they will contact him about his actions so then he will know u called corporate on him

and i would keep my stuff on layaway. u need it right? unless u find a way better deal.....