Sears Portrait Studio Sucks

apparently this past weekend was supposed to be th...

2009-11-10T08:13:16.316-05:00

apparently this past weekend was supposed to be the busiest of the season.... we only needed 3 employees working. it was rediculously slow and i dont see it picking up any more than it already has.

With that being said, our PRS has went up significantly since the pricing increase. Which was a major shock to all of us.

Yes my PRS is up at PMPS as well but my sits are t...

2009-11-10T06:21:17.464-05:00

Yes my PRS is up at PMPS as well but my sits are the same or a little more. Plus I am not meeting my goals set at 4100.00/wk and the sitting goals are not being met. Last year at Christmas my goal for the week was 3000/week at Christmas time and sitting goals were half of what they are now. We are all being warned by the DM about not meeting the weekly goals at the moment.

You're a lucky studio. Mine hasn't seen the same r...

2009-11-09T18:03:11.115-05:00

You're a lucky studio. Mine hasn't seen the same results. PRS is the same or lower, sales are down even more and we've been hit with more packages.

I was very skeptical about the price increases, bu...

2009-11-09T16:59:32.404-05:00

I was very skeptical about the price increases, but my studio has actually seen a wonderful increase in sales AND PRS and we have had very minimal customer complaints regarding the higher prices.

I have heard second hand it is going to be a prime...

2009-11-07T23:58:10.163-05:00

I have heard second hand it is going to be a prime time for the company to purge employees that are not meeting expectations after Christmas. Especially the ones that are costing the company more on the bottom line.

The new price change was done because they think the recession is ending and they wanted to jump on the profit train. Plus there is another bonus since the bonus money is based on last year studio performance they will come out ahead on that one.

We were set up to fail. The company thinks they will be more profitable if they can get all the new Manager's in Training in place after the first of the year. Look for mass firings or asking present studio manager's to step down because of performance issues. There are over 400 hundred job openings for Manager's, Manager's in Training on Hot Jobs, Craig's List and a few more.

You need to get your records in order if your going to fight the company's denials of unemployment benefits.

From what I understand CPI has another company tha...

2009-11-05T10:20:10.053-05:00

From what I understand CPI has another company that handles the unemployment filings...I got benefits for basically being sick. I had something awful and my DM told me to come in or not to bother coming in at all.

I get 200 bucks a week!..they contested it 2x and it ultimately is up to the unemployment office..take all of your proof into them!

I had a dream last night: I wasnt on the schedule,...

2009-11-05T07:44:06.529-05:00

I had a dream last night:
I wasnt on the schedule, but i had to go in and pick something up, i get there and there is a line of 2 diff Large groups (1 didnt have an appt.)and they were both going to 9.99. So i ended up being made to stay. I go into 1 of the camera rooms and the lights dont work and the Backgrounds are ripped up all over the ground. Then i walk back out to the counter and a line of a 100 people picking up their pics. Then my kids woke me up.... Thank-God!

I don't know with them training everyone to replac...

2009-11-04T17:33:17.002-05:00

I don't know with them training everyone to replace each other. There's a lot of SM positions being posted on hotjobs.com. I check their daily to see if my position is listed since the DM has posted positions prior to the employee being terminated.

I don't expect them to fire anyone this close to "...

2009-11-04T11:43:37.683-05:00

I don't expect them to fire anyone this close to "busy season" (heaven forbid they say Christmas, or even the Holidays!!) but first thing January we all could be in the line of fire!!

I just received an email at home today form SPS......

2009-11-04T11:20:23.776-05:00

I just received an email at home today form SPS.... letter from Darla Earhart with holiday wishes to you and your family AND to start the holiday off right, use the coupon below to take an EXTRA 20% off your entire purchase AND THAT INCLUDES portrait collections that already give you a savings of over 60%!
(Expires Nov. 30th) OH yeah... NO session fee...and how are we suppose to convert them to buy ss/ cards? EVERY coupon I have seen last 6 months has had no session fee. (As my customers have pointed out.. they don't need a s/s card as they have 3 or 4 NO SESSION Fee coupons at home.)

They did raise our PRS expectations. In my studio ...

2009-11-03T15:44:59.689-05:00

They did raise our PRS expectations. In my studio by $15, which means either we only sell collections or are under.

Well if your keeping track of the contradictions y...

2009-11-03T15:35:27.999-05:00

Well if your keeping track of the contradictions you should have a book by now. Nobody knows whether their coming or going.

I was written up on 11 counts because they were tr...

2009-11-03T14:42:35.342-05:00

I was written up on 11 counts because they were trying to fire me. When I proved that all points were at or above SPS, they fired me for no reason. I got benefits right away. EDD in Cali was not happy that they were putting someone else out of a job during these times.
BUT...if they can prove that you were let go due to poor job performance, they will contest it or deny your claim. Just keep EVERYTHING including timecards, e-mails, write ups. And don't be afraid to write on those corrective actions exactly what you think and defend yourself. It will look better than you protesting and not signing it if you need any proof.

I was terminated last year for low numbers...I was...

2009-11-03T11:17:50.686-05:00

I was terminated last year for low numbers...I was given benefits immediately. I don't think my claim was even contested.

I've been keeping scorecards to show that I'm not ...

2009-11-03T10:26:47.924-05:00

I've been keeping scorecards to show that I'm not the only one down (and not worst in the district), write ups, contradictions in email/browser updates, etc. Keep anything that will show that you're (we're) being set up to fail by the company. I too am hoping my DM comes in fires me for being down. I'm sick of sps and the stress.

Its pretty bad when everyone who used to love what...

2009-11-03T09:45:27.693-05:00

Its pretty bad when everyone who used to love what they do are praying to be fired and are looking for other employment. And the company has done it to itself. Good luck this Christmas season SPS. Your going to need it.

Ive been praying to be fired as well. I cant affor...

2009-11-03T07:08:21.278-05:00

Ive been praying to be fired as well. I cant afford to just quit and have no unemployment, i would make MORE money on umemployment with NO stress and Bullshit.

To My DM: PLEASE, PLEASE Fire me for my numbers b...

2009-11-02T22:38:13.859-05:00

To My DM:
PLEASE, PLEASE Fire me for my numbers being down! It would SO make my day!!
Unemployment is looking better and better.
Has anyone who's been let go for #'s being down been denied unemployment? I am keeping coupons,BOGO card, daily sales reports, and scorecards (to show I am not the only studio down) as backup for unemployment if needed. Any other suggestions?

JcpPortraits.com is showing there prices compared ...

2009-11-02T16:31:13.032-05:00

JcpPortraits.com is showing there prices compared to there competition on their website....Can you guess which one is SPS? Hahaha

I absolutely agree with the poster concerning the ...

2009-11-01T23:07:25.274-05:00

I absolutely agree with the poster concerning the free collage at Halloween time. I had more than my share of free collages with packages or single-sheet purchases. Hey, the geniuses at the top can do and will do what they think best. If they want to create more unproductive foot traffic, they've succeeded. Continuing to send out coupons with $7.99 stated as the regular price is just plain stupid. It makes you think that the recent price increases were a reactive scheme to save some top-management bonuses. At the bottom of the chain it's impossible to know all the reasons behind policy, but, even so, some of it does come across as scattered and short-sighted. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. Look at all the over-paid luminaries who turned Citicorp into a financial vegetable living on public assistance. I can't imagine our guys being any brighter.

had a woman scream at me because i told her i woul...

2009-11-01T22:56:41.602-05:00

had a woman scream at me because i told her i would honor the 6 sheets at 7.99 and the additional at $2.99 for her this time. she screamed bc she wanted the cd for $10 and i told her that was with qualifying purchase. she screamed i said i would honor the coupon and didnt understand what "as low as" meant. new job cant start soon enough

TWO of our regular customers that buy the bronze ...

2009-11-01T22:52:43.723-05:00

TWO of our regular customers that buy the bronze collection w/ cd everytime they come in told me they are not coming back to us due to "the ridiculous price increase"... I did honor the old $129.00 price for them this time to get them to buy and NOT walk out. One customer threw her smile saver card on the counter and wanted her $ back for it since she isn't coming back and had just renewed it! God... is this a sign of things to come?
Now that I've convinced our regulars that they DO need the cd (for the past year) I sure as hell don't want to offer the collections without it now but can hardly keep a sincere face when telling them the cost of the cd has gone up, therefore the collections are higher... and NO, unless you get the platinum, you don't get any additional sheets, collages etc for the price increase.
And so the season begins.......
Fa La La La La, La La La La

YAY! TODAY WAS MY LAST DAY! I PUT MY NOTICE IN 2 ...

2009-11-01T17:36:20.513-05:00

YAY! TODAY WAS MY LAST DAY! I PUT MY NOTICE IN 2 WEEKS AGO!..AND DIDN'T CAVE WHEN HE ASKED ME TO GIVE HIM MORE TIME TO FIND A MANAGER TO COVER THE STUDIO!!!!..also, the AM and 2 other employees put in their notices also...they refuse to take over or be forced to take over my job. Burger King..here I come..lol! *hey, it pays better!*

I'm throwing in the towel. I'm done with SPS. I ca...

2009-10-29T23:06:27.898-04:00

I'm throwing in the towel. I'm done with SPS. I can't handle the stress from above anymore. I'm turning in my notice soon. I plan to enjoy my christmas holiday season (in my own studio).

Free collage... yeah, just what we need at a time ...

2009-10-29T22:42:45.915-04:00

Free collage... yeah, just what we need at a time when parents come in for halloween costume portraits... let's give it away where you get 3 or 4 poses on the collage (depending on which collage they select) instead of having them buy a couple of sheets. At least Mom would have bought a SHEET IF SHE HADN'T HAD THAT FREE COLLAGE. Oh yeah, "Grandma doesn't put up pictures in Halloween costumes, these pictures are just for me".
And I just received the new mailer coupon today at home with $2.99 sheet w/ purchase of 6 @ reg price $7.99. (I am going out to buy "Stress Squeeze Balls" for my team to use. Maybe I will draw my DM's face on them first!)
BREATH & SQUEEZE to help relieve stress!