I have to admit that I echo Jessie's comments about her future drama "frustrated; confused; disappointed; lost; angry; betrayed" only my issues relate to current drama.
When you are hired into a company they usually run through their "companies policies" all the while overloaded with new information regarding training, new people, etc. When hired into Polo 7 months ago they ran through all of their company policies and was rather strict regarding their policy about employee discounts and how to use it appropriately. Blah, blah, blah.. don't abuse your employee discount (40%) by allowing your friends and/or family members to purchase items with your discount.. blah, blah, blah. Sure, whatever. Just hire me so that I can have a weekend job and earn extra cash.
Five months go by and a co-worker/friend of mine wants to purchase some shirts for a guy that she's dating. Not a problem.. she wants to get my discount. Okay.. a little nervous.. but it'll be fine. Come into the store, pick out the shirts.. hand them to me before you leave and I'll purchase them at the end of my shift. NO PROBLEM! She comes not only with a friend of hers, but her sister, and her daughter! We have these large tote bags for customers to use while they shop. My friend had no intentions of her friend making any purchases but of course if she's going to get my discount, her friend wants the discount too. I'm working behind the cash register that day and I take the large tote bag filled with my friend (as well as her friends) purchases and hold them behind the register until the end of my shift. She also tells me that day that she returned some items to Polo about a month ago and didn't have a receipt for the return. She is then entitled to a merchandise credit to use for future purchases at Polo. She wants me to use her merchandise credit towards her purchase along with my employee discount for the purchases.. shouldn't be a big deal.. right?! I'll just tell my manager that a friend of mine wasn't ever going to use the merchandise credit so I'll take it and use it towards my purchases. If I knew then what I know now.. I never would have allowed this purchase to be made. Managers must do all employee purchases and when I told her that all of the items I was purchasing were gifts; all was fine.. until I presented the merchandise credit card. She had asked me how I received the credit as employees are not usually granted credits due to the nature of their position with the company. I simply relayed the message as previously stated; she said, "It's okay this time, but we usually don't allow employees to use credits to pay for merchandise as they already receive 40% off." (Remember the quote highlighted in bold as it will come into play in my somewhat near future events). This purchase happened on 11/19/2006.
I come into work today as any other day working all over the store.. doing everything I'm told.. do this, do that, scan this, scan that.. we're not too busy on a Sunday after the holidays so the managers have us doing busy work and clean up the store a bit. I go to lunch and when I come back.. there's a man dressed in Polo clothing back in our stock room. I stop him because I'm thinking he's a customer looking for a fitting room as he looked lost and not quite sure where he's going. He introduces himself as Kevin Johnson and he works for the district. (Remember him as he will come into my life again). I'm scheduled to be the greeter of the store from 4-5.. I man my post just as another associate tells me that he will be covering greeter for my 4-5 shift; my manager says, "Hey Christina, I got a question for you".. and motions for me to follow her into the back stock room. Awesome! I hate being greeter anyway..
She takes me into the back office where there is a sign posted in RED lettering: 'Meeting in progress, do not disturb." Mmm.. okay? I am shocked to see Mr.. what's his face that I ran into in the back room.. what's his name again.. "Hi Christina, we haven't been formally introduced. My name is Kevin Johnson and I'm the district loss prevention manager." No lights have gone off at this point.. have they for you?
My manager sits down behind me slightly to my left, and Kevin motions for me to have a seat in front of him. He begins to tell me that he's here to talk to associates to get to know them and discuss loss prevention with us. Cool.. it's a good thing that someone talks to us about it since over the holidays we had someone get caught stealing from the store. He begins to applaud me for stopping him while I ran into him in the back stock room as it's a great tool to help defeat loss prevention and that's what he's here to talk about today. He starts off the conversation by saying he hasn't had time to review my file that is sitting in his lap but.. how do you like working for Polo? How long have you been with the company? Are you full-time or part-time? You're going to school..? for Business Management.. good for you. Where do you plan on taking your degree once you finish? Would you ever consider a position in Retail Management.. this guy really does want to get to know all the associates.. this is nice. He also proceeds to tell that he thinks I'm a very good associate because he's heard great things about me from people in the store. This is great... he knows about me.. people have told him that I'm a valuable employee.. cool. Then he begins to ask me what I know about loss prevention.. it's not just internal or external theft.. it's when accidents are made by associates at the register (I.E. accidentally not ringing an item, giving someone an additional credit when not allowed, abusing your employee discount) All of these items I relay to him.. to show him that I am up to par on what loss prevention is.. still feeling pretty good about the meeting at this point..
Then he starts asking if I have ever done anything that would have brought a loss to the company.. well.. I've never not rang up a customer's items.. I've never taken something from the store without purchasing it.. I've never given someone an additional credit on their purchases if they didn't qualify for it.. where the hell is this going.. ? So, I tell him the obvious that I thought most employees wouldn't own up to: "I can say that I've used my discount to purchase items for friends and family members." Kevin: "Well, that's understandable.. we've all done that. Thank you for being honest." Can you give me specifics on how you feel that has caused a loss to the company. I replay a scenario in my head right before the holidays that my sister and I came in to make purchases for Christmas presents for her and other family members. He reiteratesmy story as I told to him and asks, "So, your sister was with you in the store while you made a purchase for her?" "Yes, for her Christmas present." Again, thanks me for being honest.. whatever.
He then continues to interrogate me by asking more questions about "loss" to the store... what about purchases made with a customer's gift card, merchandise credit.. anything like that come to mind? DING! DING! DING! My blood pressure rises before I could even begin to answer his question. I know exactly where this is going.. I begin to tell him that I'm feeling uncomfortable and in my head I'm replaying that day when my friend came in to "make her purchase." I then tell him as the tears begin to burn down the side of my face, "If you want an honest answer, you're going to have to ask me a specific question." He talked his way around the statement basically saying that they needed me to confess to what I had done.. saying that if you ask closed-end questions that he wouldn't get the answer he was looking for. I told him exactly what happened that day and said it was a violation of policy to use my employee discount to make purchases for friends and/or family members. GOT IT DIPSHIT! I then had to write a "voluntary" statement admitting guilt for the events that have caused a loss to the company. While I'm writing the statement he's proceeds to tell me that I must repay the loss that Polo has accumulated due to my policy violation. Now, because my sister was with me at the time that I made the purchase for her Christmas present, I have to pay full price for it. I don't have to reimburse my other sister's gift, my mom's gift, nor my grandmother's present. But because my sister was present at the time of her purchase, I have to reimburse the company $28.. which is the difference between my employee discount and the actual price of the item. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Not only do I have to reimburse my sister's fucking Christmas present, I owe the difference from the transaction made on 11/19/2006... yeah.. the one that my manager, the one who is sitting right behind me said.. "It's okay this time!" So, I now owe for a purchase made 2 months ago which totals $158.80 plus my sister's Christmas present; $28. In my "voluntary" statement I needed to include that I was willing to pay back the loss, that I know my acts were wrong, and that I will never let it happen again.
My dilemma, do I allow this company to lose "a valuable employee" and quit because of this ridiculous policy? Do I give them the satisfaction that they may be wanting? Do I remain a loyal employee and continue to work as if nothing happened? Do I become a shitty employee and only make purchases related to work attire? Is a part-time job that is completely not related to my field of study worth causing me this much stress and frustration while working a full-time job and going to school part-time?
I feel that the whole situation was handled very unprofessionally. My manager rang me up the day of 11/19/2006 with allowing me to use another customer's merchandise credit, didn't tell me about the meeting even if to say this gentleman is here to discuss loss prevention with you, butters me up by telling me that I'm a great employee only to let me fall hard on my face. My manager says nothing to me about the situation except when he leaves the room to take a call.. "I didn't know that you were also going to school while working 2 jobs.. that's a lot." Bitch, I don't want to have small talk with you... When he returns from his phone call in the other office he says, "That was my boss. He said that he was worried about me because the roads were bad and he hasn't heard from me. He was worried that I was on the side of the road dead." Laughter erupts from the two of them.. and all I can think about it.. dude I only hope that you end up on the side of the road dead at this moment in time. (Not really.. I'd feel really bad if that really happened.. )
They allow me to leave after this meeting (2 hours early - mind you I was meeting with him for 1.5 hours) Neither says anything to me as I leave the office. Not even.. "it was nice meeting you.. thanks for your time.. fuck you.. NOTHING. My manager doesn't even say anything to me. What the fuck is that all about?
Sigh.. I'm so torn. I've been up since 4:30 this morning and I don't know if I should walk in to Polo this afternoon and turn in my keys. I'm going to talk to the manager that was in the meeting with me and relay all of this to her. Her reaction will probably rely heavily on my decision.
Thanks for listening to me vent..
Current Mood: 
FUCKING PISSED
Current Music: Walk On Water - Eddie Money
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