Wednesday, May 13, 2009

How dare you go to the emergency room!

From the comments of the previous entry:

"So now my studio and 3 others around us only have 2 employees. 2 employees to work 7 days. We were TOLD to get rid of everyone else.

So on mothers day I volunteered for a nearby studio since I am not a mother and was visiting mine for dinner. We gotta help our own since the company won't, right? Only 5 appointments were booked in this studio. NONE show up. but as I get there I get a phone call that another studio mgr who I worked with before calls me. she asks me to call some of her appointments because her employee schedule to work was in the emergency room and she was a few hours away doing her mothers day thing with her child.

I start calling these customers who begin SCREAMING that I ruined their mother's day. I'm trying to explain that the poor girl is in the ER and that the other employee is on the way. They don't care of course because I ruined their precious plans. Well pardon me A) I was just helping out another studio so THEY could enjoy mothers day and B) doing a second favor by making these calls. maybe i should have just let them get dressed drive all the way their to find the studio not open and waste MORE of their precious day.

Some of these people demanded I leave the studio I was in to go cover that one. I was an hour away! not to mention already an hour away from my OWN studio. WTF? The mgr of the store that wasn't open kept calling me asking me what to do. At the time I had taken 2 walk ins and was answering the phones from the angry appointments in the other store. I said look lady the manager of THAT studio is on her way there are NO OTHER PEOPLE, not working, close enough to get there and cover those people. now can I go finish the customers that are here in THIS studio so at least one store is making money today?

I can't wait to quit this job. I'd rather be a cashier at a grocery store at this point rather than waste my talent here anymore. Might as well have a talentless job rather than waste myself for nothing. No incentive, impossible bonuses, and no raise."

Edit: also from the comments:

"We have a Studio right now in our district that only has 1 employee...the manager. Because the other girl was working at 2 diff studios and got in a car wreck. This happened the SAME week all our studios were made to get rid of "Extra" employees.

This is already biting everyone in the ass it seems."

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a Studio right now in our district that only has 1 employee.. the manager. Because the other girl was working at 2 diff studios and got in a car wreck. This happened the SAME week all our studios were made to get rid of "Extra" employees.

This is already biting everyone in the ass it seems. =(

Anonymous said...

This new hours thing sucks...thats all there is too it. You can either work ALL the time by yourself and pray you never get sick or need a day off other than a Tuesday, or you can loose your full time position and take part time hours (I am the studio manager and that was my only choice in order to keep my faithful employee from loosing her job). It has also pissed off just about every customer who I've been in contact with. People can't book appointments, we are never open. On top of that they are all starting to realize that the super saver card is basically useless now because you can use it Monday....or if you can manage to make it in the 4 hours we are open wed and thurs. I've had more people yell at me since the hours change (this week) then in my entire time at this hellish job. Sorry people! Its not my fault no one is ever here!!!! Do you think I WANT to not work?! It was my choice to loose over 10 hours of pay per week?!! People are absolutely unbelievable...sorry you can't get a picture of your snot nosed brat today that you were only going to pay $4.99 for!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone else been written up yet for taking too many pictures? I've realized that the only way to get people to buy collections is to take a TON of pictures, that way they can't possibly say no to any of them. Or worse case scenario if they hate some they still have so many more that they love it makes it impossible for them to buy a package. My average session has 20 DIFFERENT poses. We are a slow studio who may only see 1 or 2 customers a day, so this really isn't a problem. Plus, I am able to get them out of the camera room in 30 to 40 minutes. We have been recently told that we are to shoot no more than 6 pictures per session and have the session out of the camera room and at the sales table within 10 minutes. Sorry, that is stupid! Who is going to spend hundreds of dollars on a session that only has 6 pictures in it? If you hate 2 or 3 of them you already narrowed down half the session. Plus...even if you love all of them, you can buy a sheet of each pose and still be under $50. It doesn't make sense. I was written up for "failure to follow instructions" for continuously shooting all of those poses. They told me I am taking too long in the camera room and I really need to work on the speed of my sessions. Hmm...something tells me that I won't have to worry about the speed of my sessions too much longer, as if I do what my DM is telling me to do we won't have any sessions to worry about anyway!

Anonymous said...

i once fell down concrete steps and sprained BOTH ankles badly. (and banged myself up some)after calling the ambulance from my cell i called my store. my SM wasnt in but i left a message with one of the girls there. about an hour later while on a gurney in the ER i get a nasty message from my SM how dare i NOT get her number and call her at home to inform her of the call out. we arent supposed to leave a message but call the SM directly whether shes working or not. excuse me for not taking more time out of my busy schedule of screaming in pain while the EMTs put me on a stretcher.

Anonymous said...

I suffer from migraines, and for a year or so they were frequent and I was in the ER about twice a month on morphine. I always covered my shifts, which only ended up being about once a month because a lot of my headaches were on my days off. This never negatively effected my studio as I had plenty of fabulous employees and we all helped each other out in my mega volume studio. I was the SM and once my DM sent my Asst mngr to my house to see if I was really sick. When my fiance let her in, she found me passed out with the ER bracelet still on my wrist. That was still not enough for my DM. About a month later, I had taken some migraine meds and called the opener to let him know I would be in by noon as soon as I felt some relief. (the meds make me pass out cold for about 2 hrs) He said he only had 2 appts so take my time. At 10:30 my home phone rings and its my DM. She had called the studio and my assoc had told her I had a migraine and would be in shortly. As I answer the phone in excruciating pain, she starts SCREAMING at me that I should have called her first and if I am ever going to be late she needs to know about it immediately. She doesn't care how much pain I'm in there is no excuse. I can barely contain myself from cussing her out. I told her I was sorry and it would never happen again. She then proceeds to ask me about some bulls*** like nothing had happened and tries to have a conversation. I told her I would call her when I got to work since I wasn't getting paid for the call and couldn't think clearly. Later I told her that my employees were responsible enough to cover themselves when they were ill or late and I would think she would expect the same of her managers. She had no response.
~M~

Anonymous said...

I still work for Sears Portrait Studios, and I have been a manager for more than a few years. I started out as a part time stay at home mom.. I realized I could be good at this and there was room for advancement.
The company had a Christmas bonus, that ended the year after I started, in all the years I've worked, the bonus program has netted me less tha a thousand dollars.. but we had some decent overnight meetinings, a small perk, the insurance has been whittled away, and we don't even get a goodie box for the busy season anymore.Nobody gets a raise this year, and they did away with any kind of awards ceremony...I love what they have done to my vacation and sick time. Add that to the fact that I'm not allowed to have my days off together, because Monday is such an important day in the sales week. Top it off with a You Have To Use A Vaca Day if you Want A Saturday Off!!
I deal with new hormonal moms and crabby two year olds.. I create beautiful sessions 8 or more poses so the parents choose a 9.99 pkg and won't even sit down so I can do a decent presentation. The server, internet, camera has a malfunction and that too I have to apologise for. But in this day, customer service is our number one priority, on line surveys, computer calls....press #1 At the same time, you have to back up the feild when the customer is looking for a freebie... too many times the customer already knows the squeaky wheel gets the grease and they use it.
I have too much pride in my work because it insults me when a customer only buys 1 pose....Thank you company for the 4.99 coupon. Thank you for insisting that I act like a used car salesman with the enhancements and the cd. For forcing me to insist on the 120.00 PRS from my people, from my customers.
Thank you for the fear that I feel now that our numbers are down. Thank you for robbing the few joys from this job. Thank you for taking an hour out of my pay everyday, when for years I worked my lunch around the customers, somtimes, no many times I didn't get a lunch.. thank you for putting the customers ahead of your Feild employees . We are the people that make the money for you... for the 7 dollars to pay me for a half hour today I rang up 2 passports and a publix person with an extra on site sheet... 65.00 and I have to e-mail why I ran late on my lunch hour....
Thank You for sending our appoinmnet schedulers overseas so they can get everyones names wrong and their phone numbers too... now that I have to call all the no-shows I can account for how many I haven't screwed up.
Thank you for making me a tele marketer..... I can't tell you how much I enjoy calling people and leaving messages so you don't have to advertise in the yellow pages... even though every other Portrait Studio is there..... I appriciate that I should go to the high schools an recruit customers, and employees for christmas.
Thank you for table tents I can't use, and flyers I have to find a place to put, and Thank you for spending money that might really make an impact.
This company showed me a fabulous job, trained me to be good at it, and now has trimmed all the benifits, perks, joy out of it...I and my team are the reason the customers come back. Not the prices, not the free 10x13...
I think I am about done with this ride, I think I have learned all I can here, I don't want to be a DM, I love the photography too much. I am over the sales tactics, the telemarketing, the fear that the company insists upon....I'll move on to something better for me... I just remember when this was a good company, and I miss it already.

SPS said...

*slow clap for the post above*

Anonymous said...

Omg totally didnt think they would call you and im really sorry. and after all that, not one of them have called me to reschedule after i called and said sorry up the butt, so i guess their life went on, but the first one i got there and took gave me a bad survey that they wouldnt tell others but would come back themselves does that make sence?? people always look for something to bi*ch about. btw she is still in the hospital from mothers day.

Anonymous said...

i totally love you lady dont even sweat it. im sorry you had to go in and upset your own family on mothers day. i got a call from your former asst mgr and we had a laugh how my post made it as a topic. im just amazed how EMERGENCY is not a good enough excuse. im just tired of rude inconsiderate people looking for everything free i strive not to be that customer unless the plce really screws up.

Anonymous said...

I worked fot the company for 9 yrs and loved my job almost every minute of it, I loved the kids, the repeat customers, every one that cmae in knew me, it was a great time. Unfortunately I was off work for six weeks, when I came back things still seemed to be okay but just not quite as good. Because I was great at my job I had way to much pressure put on me before I was a manager and district training manager but now just getting back still not much better but had been pressured into coming back had now had the responsible for being managers at 2
stores and still be a dtm the new store which was to be "fully staffed" with 2 brand new people that were trained by like 15 different associates, yeah right. the people that were training had just gotten out of training. Then with me being a dtm I was only in each of my studios if lucky once a week for like 3 hours because I couldn't go over 5o hours. I felt like I was being pulled in 1000 different ways! And trying to be home to spend with my family was impossible being I was driving 3 to 6 hours a day and being scheduled 930 to 8 shifts so even on my one day off I was wanting to sleep. I could go on and on, but still I remembered the job I had once loved, so I stayed with the company. Then again I had to be off! It was horrible I was still working from home, giving telephone interviews, making schedules, helping employees, calling complaints and not getting paid for it because I was on "FMLA" what a joke after being off another 6 weeks the DM decided to send someone to my stores to cover then called and said one of my stores had permantly been filled well first off, I was on the clock when the i was hurt first and it had never been turned into workers comp and then the doctor said the second injury wouldn't have hurt me so bad if I would have stayed off the correct amount of time, but again I was getting harassed daily. Then after being off three months my other studio was replaced, the day I got released yeah nice to wait till I can come back to tell me! I am now not able to work a year and half after first injury! I sit in pain almost every day and the people that were to have liked me so much and how my DM would tell me daily I was here BEST. I have much frustration after how being treated, I sacraficed everything for SPS. Now I have no job, no life and in pain daily, my kids get to see me daily but now just laying around because I can't get up to do anything without almost crying. THANKS ALOT the $36,000 a year was not worth it! Sorry to vent sooooooooo much!

Anonymous said...

My poor manager can't seem to get a day off..between requests off...and unavailability..unwillingness to work on a "preferred" day off.. That woman is run ragged. She has now worked 2 weeks strait without a day off. I think she is contemplating quitting. I don't know what we would do with out her. She has so much on her plate..that she is in tears most days. Sad thing is...she has gotten a divorce and is the single momma of 4 with no support coming in. She works our studio 40 hours and works another studio in the territory another 30. She makes only 9 bucks an hour cause they wont raise her. Our studio is always at the bottom of the lists and she is not passing the studio snapshots. She loves her job as a photographer..but not a manager. She hates that the company let go her most dependable people cause of a prs below 90. She is a kind hearted woman...I hate seeing her like this.

Anonymous said...

hugs for your manager...we all know we all go through it. best of luck to her

Anonymous said...

I would help her more..but I am pulling 30 hours myself.. and that is with out the flex. She signed up for vacation 3 weeks ago..when she had the help and the DM said to wait. She is STILL waiting. She needs a break. She told me yesterday that if she didn't HAVE to work..she would quit. She is already looking through the want ads to find something that will help her out. She is contemplating factory work...at least if she was sick..she could take the day off and not worry about getting yelled at.

Anonymous said...

No no..don't get sick.. your DM will badger you to go in. Right RON? I know you read this.

Anonymous said...

Everyone who is still working at CPI--there ARE other jobs out there that give you sick time and vacation time. Life is too short; GET OUT NOW!

Anonymous said...

YYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! I am OUT OF THERE!

Thank God!

I work at a GAS station and make the EXACT same amount I did when I worked as a manager at SPS. 10.00 an hour.. I get 35 hours a week.. when my schedule says off at 7..I am outta there at 7. OH..and I get SATURDAYS off too..if I ask for them. I get paid SICK time..I get paid PERSONAL days and I get 2 weeks of vacation after 6 MONTHS.

CPI..see ya..thanks for showing me how NOT to sell to customers.

btw.. I also have an awesome camera, photoshop, and a photo printer...I also have been compiling a list of customers for the last month who is interested in coming to ME for portraits..

HA..joke is on CPI!