Osato
04-15-07, 08:33 PM
So, lemme explain what’s going down.
First and foremost I must explain that I had Drill this weekend, meaning I was stuck with the military for all weekend (in case you didn’t know what drill meant). I wasn’t that bad, it was hella boring, but not bad. I woke up on Friday at 8 am, got a drug test, went to work, and then hung at a friend’s till 11. I figured I had to get up at 4:30 on Sat so I should go home and sleep. Didn’t get to sleep till 4, meaning 30 minutes of sleep for that night. As soon as I came home from drill on Sat I hung out with peeps for a little bit, and then ended up getting to sleep at just shy of 12, waking up just before 4:30, meaning only 4 hours.
Now, I’m runnin’ on 4 ½ hours of sleep. That’s between Friday morning and now.
Anyway. So I go to a ‘mandatory spring meeting’ at Aeropostale. We had a 'spring meeting' and Paulette (Store Manager) was bitching at us about how we don't work and don't do a lot of things. And how if she was an associate for a day that we could be SM for a day. And how we aren't responsible, bitch about not having enough hours, but don't come in for extra and stuff.
I stood up, said that I was leaving. They asked why, and I said that the meeting was bullshit.
I said: If I could be SM for a day would that mean I could sit on a "conference call" for almost all of my shift, stand up front and talk to people without working? I told her that if she wanted her people to work hard and do well that she would have to set the example, and she wasn't doing that. And I went off on her for saying that I wasn't responsible, when I take/cover everyone's shifts, come in early and leave late, have a second job with just as many hours, AND have military obligations
Now, I must admit, I was kinda harsh about it. But I think that I explained myself pretty well throughout the meeting, trying to defend little things here and there but kept getting shot down. When I get angry, I get VERY quiet, most of the people that know me know that’s a fact. So, when I say “I went off on her”, what I really did was just smolder and say things in almost a growl.
To explain what I meant by “talking on the phone as an SM”: Two weeks ago, about, it was the end of the chillin’s spring break period. It was a Friday. Me, another guy, and Paulette (SM) were working the morning shift. Instead of helping me and the other associate greet and work the floor, she was in the back on the phone for 3 hours, coming out to the floor twice (once for 10 minutes, and the other time for 15 which she spent on the phone… before taking the conversation to the back again).
I think that personally, if you are going to bitch about people not being responsible you have to show that YOU ARE responsible. How can you get the respect of others when you don’t even do your own job? How can you expect people to work hard and try their best when the “leader” of the store, the person that’s supposed to be the example to everyone else, doesn’t even do her own job half the time?
In the military I can respect my leadership, they push and strive to at least pick up any job that’s required and get it done. They really are examples of how we, the lower ranks, are supposed to act. That is something that I have always seen and acknowledged as what a leader is supposed to act like. Aero doesn’t seem to have that. With the exception of one manager (and she is an amazing manager too) I would say that the leadership is the problem with the store, not the associates.
So, a few more questions… do you think I was right? Do you think I just snapped and was out of line? I’d like to know, because when it comes down to it I made a judgment call… and I hope it was the right one at the time…
First and foremost I must explain that I had Drill this weekend, meaning I was stuck with the military for all weekend (in case you didn’t know what drill meant). I wasn’t that bad, it was hella boring, but not bad. I woke up on Friday at 8 am, got a drug test, went to work, and then hung at a friend’s till 11. I figured I had to get up at 4:30 on Sat so I should go home and sleep. Didn’t get to sleep till 4, meaning 30 minutes of sleep for that night. As soon as I came home from drill on Sat I hung out with peeps for a little bit, and then ended up getting to sleep at just shy of 12, waking up just before 4:30, meaning only 4 hours.
Now, I’m runnin’ on 4 ½ hours of sleep. That’s between Friday morning and now.
Anyway. So I go to a ‘mandatory spring meeting’ at Aeropostale. We had a 'spring meeting' and Paulette (Store Manager) was bitching at us about how we don't work and don't do a lot of things. And how if she was an associate for a day that we could be SM for a day. And how we aren't responsible, bitch about not having enough hours, but don't come in for extra and stuff.
I stood up, said that I was leaving. They asked why, and I said that the meeting was bullshit.
I said: If I could be SM for a day would that mean I could sit on a "conference call" for almost all of my shift, stand up front and talk to people without working? I told her that if she wanted her people to work hard and do well that she would have to set the example, and she wasn't doing that. And I went off on her for saying that I wasn't responsible, when I take/cover everyone's shifts, come in early and leave late, have a second job with just as many hours, AND have military obligations
Now, I must admit, I was kinda harsh about it. But I think that I explained myself pretty well throughout the meeting, trying to defend little things here and there but kept getting shot down. When I get angry, I get VERY quiet, most of the people that know me know that’s a fact. So, when I say “I went off on her”, what I really did was just smolder and say things in almost a growl.
To explain what I meant by “talking on the phone as an SM”: Two weeks ago, about, it was the end of the chillin’s spring break period. It was a Friday. Me, another guy, and Paulette (SM) were working the morning shift. Instead of helping me and the other associate greet and work the floor, she was in the back on the phone for 3 hours, coming out to the floor twice (once for 10 minutes, and the other time for 15 which she spent on the phone… before taking the conversation to the back again).
I think that personally, if you are going to bitch about people not being responsible you have to show that YOU ARE responsible. How can you get the respect of others when you don’t even do your own job? How can you expect people to work hard and try their best when the “leader” of the store, the person that’s supposed to be the example to everyone else, doesn’t even do her own job half the time?
In the military I can respect my leadership, they push and strive to at least pick up any job that’s required and get it done. They really are examples of how we, the lower ranks, are supposed to act. That is something that I have always seen and acknowledged as what a leader is supposed to act like. Aero doesn’t seem to have that. With the exception of one manager (and she is an amazing manager too) I would say that the leadership is the problem with the store, not the associates.
So, a few more questions… do you think I was right? Do you think I just snapped and was out of line? I’d like to know, because when it comes down to it I made a judgment call… and I hope it was the right one at the time…