Thanksgiving

As I'm sitting here, 3:10am the day of Thanksgiving, last year I would be fast asleep. Last year I worked for a certain food service company who is in charge of all of the food at Eagles games, I was a supervisor and ran about 6 stands-- about 25 people and saw more money in one night than I would make in 2 years at my current job :)

I had to get to the stadium by 2pm for a game that started at 8pm. This company told us that working on Thanksgiving day was not optional. Aside from that, they notified us that we (supervisors, mainly) would NOT be home in any time for dinner. They also told us that we would not be paid any sort of overtime for our inconvenience. They didn't even give us dinner. My thanksgiving dinner was a hot dog last year.

What's wrong with this situation? What -isn't- wrong with this situation. I completely understand that the goal of a company is to be profitable, but isn't this taking it a bit too far? How much "in the black" do you seriously need to be? Would it hurt you that bad to put together a pre-game Thanksgiving dinner for so many people who are giving up time with their loved ones to make money that they need to put food on the table that they can't even enjoy? Or would it hurt to give people time and half for not ditching work to be with their family the ONE day a year (that isn't religious) where you are SUPPOSED to be with your family?

I wasn't mad at this situation for myself either. I was going to have leftovers when I got home, I didn't have family flying in or anything like that. I was upset because of all of the people I worked with. My co-workers that I supervised. One woman told me she had cooked the whole meal and then went to work- she made EVERYTHING, she had a "soul food" Thanksgiving, she told me the meal consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, collard greens, corn bread, stuffing, pumpkin pies-- my mouth was watering while she described the whole meal she set up for her family. I asked "Did you at least get to eat with your family before coming?" Her response? "No, I had to leave, I will have leftovers after the game though."

I couldn't believe it. Here was a woman so dedicated to her minimum-wage, benefit-less job that she would prepare a whole meal for her family and then come into work to work for about 10 hours before going home to FINALLY enjoy her meal- and I am sure she enjoyed every bit of it.

What does this story have to do with anything? Well, lots of things. First of all, this company is a SHINING example of putting profits before people and because of that behavior, their profits will never be at their maximum. Second, it shows how dedicated some people are to their jobs and how employers rarely realize and/or recognize that. Third, if you are making it mandatory for your employees to abandon their families on a family-based holiday- DO SOMETHING FOR THEM- cook up a few damn turkeys. Finally, it just shows that I am still thinking of this woman and while I really did not enjoy my time with this company- people like her were what made me happy to be there.

That small conversation I had with that co-worker made me realize just how much some people have to sacrifice for their family and it makes me really value the family dinners that I have and how lucky I am to not have to commit to working Thanksgiving this year.

I may not have been the best with using all of the computer programs exclusive to that company (mainly because nobody ever showed me how to use them during orientation and I just kind of winged it) but I hope that I touched some co-workers during my time there because I made it a point to get to know all of my co-workers and really cared about the ones I saw week-to-week and definitely am still thinking about those.... extended family members I was fortunate enough to spend my 2008 Thanksgiving with :)

Oh, and did I mention how the company rewarded me for my service? Hah! I got a Pin :) Yes.. pick up your jaw now.

Best Buy? I think you should rethink that adjective.

Work? Check. Long-past-due blog? Finally, check.

Okay, well I've been incredibly busy lately, busy enough to put my blog and various other projects on hold (my website, collections, etc.. the things I've been doing to pass time while only having one part time job).

Now that I'm starting to manage my time more effectively, I'm putting enough hours into my job daily and still finding time to go to the gym and now I have free time again! So, without further ado- my latest rambling...

A few weeks ago, I decided to go into Best Buy to pick up a video game. Video games are universally the same price, most of the time. So, I normally go to Best Buy so I can get loyalty points (to get more money to spend at Best Buy... and so the cycle continues.) But, after this visit, I've begun to re-think my loyalties.

For every $250 I spend at Best Buy, I get $5. It may not seem like a lot, but when I'm buying a new movie or something, it's a pretty significant discount. Not to mention at Christmastime where my parents use my card because they don't have one. So, at this time of the year- I'm raking in the points. This is the main reason I'm a loyal Best Buy customer.

I'm not a loyal Best Buy customer because of their knowledgeable staff (more annoying than knowledgeable, they ambush you asking you if you need help, I'm a fan of enthusiastic employees but this feels more forced than enthusiastic.) I'm not a loyal Best Buy customer because I love the experience behind their brand. I'm not a loyal Best Buy customer because they run the best sales (honestly, Target has cheaper DVDs most of the time, BB just has a better selection). And I'm not a Best Buy customer because of their friendly and helpful cashiers....

Wait, friendly and helpful? Scratch that. I can't remember the last time a cashier at Best Buy made me smile, let alone smiled at me! In fact, the instance that drove me to write this blog happened a few weeks ago (I mentioned it above but then went off on a tangent.. I do that sometimes)...

I was in Best Buy to pick up a video game, I go to the section, grab the game, and head to the cashier line. I'm in line waiting- behind no one. I wait until I am called- I try to be courteous in this case, I don't know if the cashier is finished with her last transaction or whether or not she is ready- so I usually just hang right before the register, close enough for them to see me, but far enough away to not be intrusive. I notice that the lady who is about to ring me up is texting.

This is a middle-aged lady, not some 15 year old girl who is glued to her cell phone. I kind of wanted to clear my throat, but I went through a bunch of scenarios in my head that could be reasons why I shouldn't be rude- finally I narrowed it down to maybe her kid needed her for something. I didn't want to be rude if it was something important for her child- so I just stood there and waited.

She finished texting, finally looks up (finally looks up-- a sign you're NOT doing your job), and acknowledges me. She takes my item, scans it and then asks if that's everything. Before I can utter a word, her phone vibrates and she picks it up- SHE PICKS IT UP IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TRANSACTION... Okay, now that's just saying 'Customer, you're unimportant. Please pay for your item and leave. I have no time for you.' This cashier started having a conversation consisting of topics completely unimportant and completely unnecessary to be talking about when on your employer's dime.

Did I mention that this woman finished the whole transaction while holding her phone up to her ear with her shoulder? A sad skill no cashier should ever be proficient at.

Oh- and when she was finished? Didn't even look at me. Didn't say a word... Nothing. She continued her super-important conversation.

When your job is to work the front lines and be the face of your company to its customers- NOBODY. IS. MORE. IMPORTANT. THAN. THE. PERSON. STANDING. IN. FRONT. OF. YOU. Nobody. If the Pope walked into Best Buy to pick up the new Black Eyed Peas CD and you're ringing someone up, someone else will have to help His Holiness. Your attention should be solely on the person in front of you, not another customer, not your boss, not your co-worker, not your buddy on the other end of the phone. NOBODY. See where I'm going?

I grabbed my bag and left.

This was not the first case of employee indifference, but it was the most significant.

I have since been back to Best Buy, but the amount of times I've been there has been significantly less. I've determined that I would rather pay the same amount somewhere else and not be forced to continuously shop there unless they are having a sale.

So, the message here, Best Buy, if you're going to call yourself "Best Buy" without being the cheapest or the friendliest retailer, what exactly is it that you're "Best" at?

I'm a big advocate of banning texting for frontline employees when in public view- on break or behind closed doors- text the night away- but when your attention should solely be on the customer, put your damn phone away.