So for the past...idk since March? Yah probably March, my job has been functioning on a skeleton crew.
Literally there are like nine of us still left in the store.
And we barely just added in a tenth person this week -our dog trainer- because corporate has decided that we can start up training classes again.
But like. We still haven't received enough hours to be able to hire back any of our other employees.
Which sucks because this week we also went back to our normal hours of operation.
Which means we're open for 12 hours a day instead of 10.
Which means we need to be able to cover 2 extra hours every day.
....When we haven't been given any more hours for that coverage. XP
It sucks. Big time.
Like we have only 9 people available to work.
But hours wise each day we're lucky if we can have like 7 people scheduled? All day.
If we're lucky that's three people in the morning, a mid person, and then three people in the evening, while also allowing two people to have a day off that day.
But it's like a fine balance there.
Because if someone calls out sick....we have no one who can come in to fill in.
And my coworkers and I...we're burning out. We're tired. We're exhausted. I'm pretty sure we all need a two month vacation from the crazy because it's hard and difficult on both mental, physical, and emotional health to be working as an 'essential' employee on short staff risking our health everyday by having to interact with customers who, at least in my area, seem to have very little concerns for the pandemic happening even though my state is like the number 2 hotspot state in the nation right now. XP
It sucks.
And like.
For the past month or so we've been forced to close my department early.
Because it's hard to sell/catch animals when there's only two people working in the store.
Like. You have the cashier and one other person.
And the cashier can't leave the register.
So that leaves only ONE person to field phone calls, help customers, do curbside pick ups, pick orders, back up cashier, etc.
So we can't really afford to have that ONE person get stuck at the fish wall for twenty minutes trying to help fish, or to talk to customers about purchasing their new pets.
So we've been closing down the department, sometimes as early as 1pm, because we just don't have the coverage to be able to have it open.
But this week we did have the ability to keep my department open as the managers had managed to swing it so that we'd have three openers and three closers.
Which only works until someone calls out.
Which happened. XP
In any case.
I've known for a while that closing the department early doesn't help our customer approval at all. Because if people come in after work and find that they can't buy the animal they wanted to buy...well we've had some customers get quite nasty about it.
And like it's well known that the evenings are far busier than the mornings.
Like the mornings have their rushes. But the evenings are far more crazy.
And it would make far more sense to have light coverage in the morning and heavier coverage at night to account for customer needs.
But at the same time we need heavier coverage in the morning to be able to do all the tasks in the store.
Like in my department that's cleaning cages and feeding the animals and such.
But we also do our stocking in the mornings as well.
And when we're given limited hours to work with and limited staff to do the jobs.
....Something has to fall through the cracks.
But with the return to normal hours.
There's been an uptick in customers getting upset that they can't be helped in the evenings.
So management is going to try something different.
Try to have more coverage in the evenings when it's crazier.
And lighter crews in the morning when it's less busy.
The solution....
Is to keep my department closed in the mornings.
Like not have it open until noon or so.
As not as many people come into the store in the mornings to get pets. (usually) and so it makes sense to devote the hours used there for opening...into closing hours where people actually come in wanting pets.
But because corporate is doing whatever crazy stupid thing they're doing on continuing to keep us on a short staff and refusing us more hours. (Greedy much? Trying to put more money in their pockets? Who knows)
That means that my own schedule needs to adjust.
Unfortunately.
Hopefully it's a temporary thing.
Because hopefully hopefully corporate will get smart and realize that their stores run a lot better, customers are happier, and more stuff can get done easier when we have MORE PEOPLE WORKING IN THE STORE. Gah.
But for at least next week, maybe the week after that depending on how the first week goes....
I will be working closing shifts.
As it's either work the closing shifts or get no hours whatsoever because insisting I work mornings wouldn't get me anywhere.
Lucky me (is it lucky?) I have a pretty open schedule at the moment so I can work whenever they need me to.
I mean when I became a Lead I kinda needed to keep my schedule as open as possible.
It's just I usually prefer to work the mornings and with seniority, I tend to get what I want.
But yah.
Next week is gonna be torture for me.
Because while I can be a people person...I'm not a people person for long. My social battery only lasts for like...maybe 6 hours on a good day?
And I'm going to have to spend every shift doing full customer service for my 8 hour shifts. XP
I'm going to be so exhausted when I get home. *exhales* I've never liked closing shifts and probably never will change my mind about that.
It's going to be interesting.
I do wonder how it's all going to work out.
Because as it is...we're going to have the managers doing the opening tasks...at least from what I understand. Which...considering that some of my managers have never done a bedding change and never needed to open the department...I'm expecting I'll be doing damage control inbetween attempting to help customers out.
So yah.
It's gonna be 'fun'
*exhales*
I really hope corporate gets their act together soon.
Because it's ridiculous that they're forcing us to work under such slim conditions when I know for a fact that we've been making plan (earning the projected amount of $$ we should be earning every week) and then some.
So there was no real reason for them to cut our hours. To cut employees. To work us under such stupid conditions.
*fingers crossed* we'll be able to hire people soon.
Because again.
Those of us who have had to work through this entire crazy pandemic....are very much ready for a vacation.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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