Some background:
For 6 years I've worked with a major fashion department retailer working my way up from a sales associate to a supervisor to a department manager.
This place has a great company culture on paper, but in stores the support they show to the teams is much different. It's difficult to motivate, and inspire employees and keep yourself going on what it was like a few years ago. They're reporting record profits this year and are doing less and less for their employees.
Working here I always felt an incredible amount of stress, they often overload the stores with a work load that is barely manageable as far as visual moves go, and getting shipment out. It's a constant stream of pressure, where at times be impossible to maintain the standards desired with the amount of floor coverage they provide.
I remember in 2019-2018 the thought of using less than 500 hours to run the store was unheard of, we had no idea how we would make the schedule work. Now in the stores since post Covid it's been right around 400-450 hours. This gives us barely enough staff to process 100 totes 3 times a week packed full; complete 4-5 commerical rehangs, and run the store. While developing and helping our employees grow.
For years working here, I've spent almost all of my breaks working off clock, trying to get caught up with whatever office work I had so I could dedicate my time to the floor. I bring projects home, I stay up all night worrying about what would happen the next day.
The turning point for this whole position was when Covid-19 happened. We closed, as did most retailers. Back in 2020 I was working in a store that was inside of a casino. When we reopened the covid protocols the casino had in place were not enforced. I started having panic attacks in my car daily before and after work about going in. Security wouldn't enforce masks, there would be garbage and debris in the elevators I needed to take to go inside that would remain there until the end of my shift.
This entirely wasn't a reflection on the company I worked for, as they were just a store inside of this building. But they didn't take any of these concerns seriously about safety going in and out. I would wear a K-95 and a face shield going in June / July 2020 and sped walked to my car. Capacity restrictions weren't enforced at the casino either. Right after lockdown it was insane to see so many people congregated in the same space.
When my store reopened my store manager didn't return right away, so I was the acting store manager at this time. I set up and trained everyone on all of the covid protocols, and reorchestrated the large set of tasks we had to reopen the store.
When we did open security wouldn't help us enforce the mask mandate, customers were berating us, trying on clothes when the fitting rooms were closed.
(At this point in time any garment a customer returned or tried on illegally had to be held in a tote in the stockroom for 48 hours before it could go back to the floor.)
I made the decision to take time off of work at this point for my mental health. I was offered a job working for a small business at slightly less pay than I was used too, but it would be a steady schedule and it involved a field of medicine I was really interested in.
After I received my vaccines my job kept asking me to come back on as an associate, no longer a manager as part time. From my first day back my store manager who I love dangled a job opportunity in front of me. Saying if I moved to this next big city I'd make 30 dollars an hour. I thought about it deeply. And decided to go for it. I had a lot of stress at my job here, but mostly what I couldn't handle were the lack there of proper covid protocols at the height of restrictions being lifted.
Once I applied the district recruiter was so excited to have me back we discussed a number of different stores I could join, because I was looking to just move to a new place so I could be flexible. We did a lot of negotiation for pay, I tried to negotiate my 5 weeks of vacation back and it was a whole debacle where I ended up getting it but went over her head to salary to get it without her knowing. She forgot to look into it for me and just told me I couldn't have it, so when I asked the salary department they just gave it to me.
This is summer 2021 now, I started my new old job, in a new location. Making more than I did before. Instead of having a 5-7 manager team this store with me joining had a 3 manager team due to turnover.
The store was in rough shape, the staff weren't as motivated as they were in my previous store. The commerical moves to update the departments never got executed within deadlines. I spent months working one on one coverage trying to turn things around and get things gone and make it a nicer environment for our employees. I don't blame them for not being motivated making 12.50 an hour. It's a tough retail job and it's expected that you work hard and don't complain with the promise of maybe you'll get promoted. Which is how I ended up in my position. I frequently would spend my own money to decorate the break room, and bring in food. Which is kind of just expected of you at this job. It's all about doing things like this for your team so you can post them on our work only social media.
(They have a company wide social media that during /before covid workers used to talk about striking and getting better conditions in the store – these workers were all fired or pressured to quit there were hundreds of losses silently from this. My area manager would threaten us that if we joined or liked any of these posts there would be severe consequences)
We have an event that happens in our store 4 times a year where district walks us to judge how we're doing. I knew our store was in terrible shape. In January all the managers were out with covid almost all at the same time or stacked concurrently so it was impossible to prep for February. I worked off clock as usual, came in early. Painted the break room with my own supplies, brought flowers and tried to do things to at least help morale.
Leading up to our walk I had constant panic attacks about it at home. Because I knew there wasn't enough time, and our store manager didn't believe what spot we'd be in.
It's hard to fully describe all of the pressure and all of the things my store manager has done that hasn't been great. But there are too many stories to tell.
I decided that in this week, to apply for two jobs back in the type office setting I had worked in before. I received job offers from both those places and went with one that offered the same pay and very similar benefits (except I'll never get my 5 weeks of vacation back ever again most likely because this is America. )
The benefits is what they dangle in front of you to trap you.
– which actually have been worsening by the year. They stopped covering hearing aids in 2022 which is another factor as to why I wanted to go back to this company in 2021 for the medical insurance plan. For Christmas this year they gave everyone a 3 oz candle as a gift for their most profitable year since 2017, the multi million dollar company.
It was really difficult for me to put in my notice. We had just gotten fully staffed. I really cared about the store, I really care about my store manager. I gave them a 3.5 week notice.
Two days after I gave notice I fell, and hurt my arm. My doctor said I could return for work in a sling. And only do one armed duties and not lift more than 10 lbs.
This was impossible given my job. I was under pressure to do the same amount of work, I was never told to explicitly do certain tasks with my arm in the sling, I was only told not to do things that I was unable too. But it was expected I still fold clothes, run racks, move things around. All things I am fully unable to do with one arm. I ended up using my arm a lot for two days and being in a lot of pain. When I brought my concerns up to my store manager she dismissed them, she seemed like she was still upset about having to work an open to close the day I fell because of the lack of coverage. Which isn't great at all, but that blame should be on district for not assisting or asking anyone to help our store. Or on district for not making the decision to either close our store early or open late.
When I went to physical therapy they arranged for me to get a new work note signing me out of work for two weeks upon hearing what I had to do at my job.
This would have me coming back with two days left at my job, my store manager asked me for my keys in case they needed a support manager when I was out. And then I told her Im still able to work the two days and she told me she didn't need the support.
I felt hurt. They clearly do need the support. I wasn't out on a feigned injury, I cared so much about this company to not receive any compassion back.
I feel like I could technically apply for unemployment, but I start my new job soon and I don't want to murk anything up.
They terminated me today and I was supposed to have until Wednesday. I also am out on short term disability, and as far as I know you aren't supposed to term anyone on short term disability.
But it's fine. I'll recover. I had 2-3 more days of disability pay left.
I very well could try to sue the company I feel like, but I am still hoping to remain close with my peers who I invited to my upcoming wedding. Unsure if that will be the case now.
It breaks my heart to have put in so much, and have had to leave in such a manner. I hate thinking that the injury I have is maybe just seen as a “coincidence” because “no one wants to work anymore” I want to work, I want to be appreciated though, valued, and I want to be somewhere where I feel like I'm good at my job and make a positive impact. I never even told the staff I was leaving or why I was leaving.
I didn't want to mention the company name because of the close ties I want to try to keep, and there's never any telling who is looking at this. But just keep in mind if you're in retail, even those retail stores that are top rated because of benefits and the pay scale come at a cost.
Having these past few weeks to heal my shoulder have been the healthiest mental health weeks I've had in a while. I am quite stressed I'll have a week without pay now, but I have short term state disability insurance until I start my new job shortly.
My partner is disabled because he's losing his vision and is hearing impaired. – getting disability is a very difficult work in progress for him.
We're entirely dependent on my income. I need a job that respects me as much as I respect them, or at least show a slightly greater fraction of the compassion I show them.
It's a tough life existing as a serf in a broken system.