So me, and the two other girls who spend the most time in the jewelry department were called into a small meeting about jewelry department policies today. It was mostly bullshit but at least I got to sit down for a little while.
The manager clarified how far we could go from the jewelry counter. Our counter is U shaped, the kind that has cases all round and space inside for the clerk to walk around. About three or four months ago we were told we could not leave the counter for any reason. Not to Slowly the managers have been telling us to leave, to clean up nearby or unhook purses or to help at the main registers, more and more. Today we are told you can leave the counter if no one is there and you stay in sight of the counter.
I am not surprised. I’ve seen this cycle of shrinking and expanding the range of the jewelry workers several times during the years that I have worked at this store. Either we aren’t doing enough work or we’re doing to much and need to focus on the jewelry counter. It’s totally arbitrary, based partly on the district manager’s perception on the one day he comes by.
We also got told that great line of “there is always something to do” and not to lean on counters. It’s really hard sometimes when managers who sit in the office for hours tell those of us who stand for our entire shift not to lean on the counter. And we’re supposed to greet customers as them come in the store. It’s forty feet to the doors, no one wants to be yelled at from forty feet away. If they pass by the counter I say, “Hello,” and smile like the good robot that I am. Did I mention Jewelry scored a 100% on friendliness on the store surveys?
I’m so tired of retail but I don’t have any other real options at the moment.