Angry/sweary rant time for anyone who cares to read it:
I’ve had a shit week at work (retail). A shoplifter stole something and I got told off for not following the correct protocol. That’s okay, I can accept & acknowledge my mistake. But my company are greedy bastards and won’t employ a security guard, so I’m expected to confront and even chase people out of the store if I suspect they’ve stolen something. It’s a fucking joke of an expectation, I’m paid minimum wage why should I have to put myself at risk chasing thieves who could be armed with a blade as well as serving customers when there’s only 3-4 of us in the store. I can’t be everywhere at fucking once.
Stack shit on the walls, flog some shitty data harvesting app and useless additional products to every customer who comes in, watch the front of the store in case anyone steals something, serve customers on the check outs, etc. I don’t have 4 arms and eyes on the back of my head.
Fuck my manager too, she’s an asshole that has been unfairly targeting me with criticisms, even though I’ve been doing more than most colleagues in my department. But they don’t get any criticism because they’re her friends that she sees outside of work.
So done with putting in the effort and getting no thanks for it. Might just tell my manager not to give me any more shifts after the end of this month because I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Cunts.
Do you work for a large chain? I think that your head office would have a fucking field day if they found out that your manager was expecting mere store assistants to confront potentially armed and dangerous shoplifters.
If you were to get shanked that would be a H&S lawsuit in the making.
Would almost be tempted to make an anonymous tip to the head office about what’s been going on.
I do. But the worst part is, this is normal for this particular company. I’ve done the training modules and they say to “Make a reasonable effort to protect the stock” which means confronting shoplifters and asking them to open their bags, chasing them outside to try and identify which car they get into, and even attempting to wrestle items off of a shoplifter if they grab stuff and try to run. Also dropping the shutters at the front to lock the thief inside until the police arrive if necessary.
And yet it still says not to put yourself at unnecessary risk. It’s a complete joke honestly. Anyone else I know who works in retail thinks this is insane. And I agree, because I’ve never worked for a company with a policy like this. This should be a job for a security guard, not minimum wage staff who are mostly teenagers.
I don’t know your personal circumstances, but how feasible is it to look for another job? Is there something specifically keeping you there? Sounds like these cunts are putting your mental health at risk, and they’re just not worth it, mate.
That’s the plan, thankfully it’s not that important and I’m not currently in a situation where I literally couldn’t afford to leave my job as I still live at home and am lucky to have great parents.
You’re right, they’re not worth it. Appreciate the thought!
Angry/sweary rant time for anyone who cares to read it:
I’ve had a shit week at work (retail). A shoplifter stole something and I got told off for not following the correct protocol. That’s okay, I can accept & acknowledge my mistake. But my company are greedy bastards and won’t employ a security guard, so I’m expected to confront and even chase people out of the store if I suspect they’ve stolen something. It’s a fucking joke of an expectation, I’m paid minimum wage why should I have to put myself at risk chasing thieves who could be armed with a blade as well as serving customers when there’s only 3-4 of us in the store. I can’t be everywhere at fucking once.
Stack shit on the walls, flog some shitty data harvesting app and useless additional products to every customer who comes in, watch the front of the store in case anyone steals something, serve customers on the check outs, etc. I don’t have 4 arms and eyes on the back of my head.
Fuck my manager too, she’s an asshole that has been unfairly targeting me with criticisms, even though I’ve been doing more than most colleagues in my department. But they don’t get any criticism because they’re her friends that she sees outside of work.
So done with putting in the effort and getting no thanks for it. Might just tell my manager not to give me any more shifts after the end of this month because I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Cunts.
I’m sorry. You should not be expected to confront criminals. I hope it gets better or something better comes along.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!
Do you work for a large chain? I think that your head office would have a fucking field day if they found out that your manager was expecting mere store assistants to confront potentially armed and dangerous shoplifters.
If you were to get shanked that would be a H&S lawsuit in the making.
Would almost be tempted to make an anonymous tip to the head office about what’s been going on.
I do. But the worst part is, this is normal for this particular company. I’ve done the training modules and they say to “Make a reasonable effort to protect the stock” which means confronting shoplifters and asking them to open their bags, chasing them outside to try and identify which car they get into, and even attempting to wrestle items off of a shoplifter if they grab stuff and try to run. Also dropping the shutters at the front to lock the thief inside until the police arrive if necessary.
And yet it still says not to put yourself at unnecessary risk. It’s a complete joke honestly. Anyone else I know who works in retail thinks this is insane. And I agree, because I’ve never worked for a company with a policy like this. This should be a job for a security guard, not minimum wage staff who are mostly teenagers.
Chase down a shoplifter and ask them to stab you. Then sue the fuck out of your employer.
I don’t know your personal circumstances, but how feasible is it to look for another job? Is there something specifically keeping you there? Sounds like these cunts are putting your mental health at risk, and they’re just not worth it, mate.
That’s the plan, thankfully it’s not that important and I’m not currently in a situation where I literally couldn’t afford to leave my job as I still live at home and am lucky to have great parents.
You’re right, they’re not worth it. Appreciate the thought!