Isn't that why we all go to work, to make a paycheck? To make enough money for groceries? For life?
I have a PT job as a cashier at the grocery store to supplement my side business until it takes off.
Yesterday at work my team lead (TL) told me when I walked in that we were doing a friendly competition to see who could sell the most flowers for Easter. Apparently they “bought too many”. There were 2 small displays at the front of the store and each register had 2 flowers. I asked her what we were competing for.
(TL)”Lunch.”
(Me) “What's for lunch?”
(TL) “I don't know, let me pick out a gift card.”
About 10 minutes later I went back to her and asked again.
(TL)”It's just going to be a general $25 gift card.”
(Me)”Okay, how are you keeping up with who's selling what?”
(TL)”You just tell me.”
(Me) “Who's ahead and how many have they sold so far?”
(TL) “Someone from first shift has 3 from this morning.”
I laughed “that's nothing, watch this.”
She scoffed and said “yeah, okay.” Which really grinded my gears. She had no faith!
Over the next hour not only did I sell out what they had displayed at our registers, but the TL had to call the Store Manager (SM) to bring us more flowers from the back. I was killing it and determined to get my little $25. The SM came by with a crate all huffy and said “keep it up!”
“You're at least going to give someone 2nd place, right?” I yelled back, respectfully and playfully with a smile. “You know I've exceeded expectations here, right?” And everyone laughed.
My TL informs me that the competition is now by shifts and each shift will get 1st and 2nd place. I was happy to hear that they took my advice and ran even further with it. Even if it ultimately didn't pan out that way, they at least pretended like this was going to be a thing.
Another hour goes by and we only have 10 flowers left on display between the registers. I told my TL that I can't keep going if there's not a full display because at some point, what am I selling?
My TL (who was in the office, I was informing her that I was going on break) turned to look at me and said
“It's over Shannon. You won. We stopped the competition. We'll get you your gift card when you come back from break.”
I was having fun! But okay, sure. I came back from break and my TL gave me my gift card. Then my SM came by and handed me 3 more $10 gift cards for how much I had sold. He asked me to keep going though and I said
“With what? There's nothing left!”
(SM) “These few at the registers still need to be sold.”
I was dumbfounded. Like, what? I've practically sold you out of flowers and while you were in the back you emergency ordered more because it's not even Easter yet. Excuse me?
I told my SM that I didn't want to take a gift card from anyone else and that if the competition was still going for who could sell what was left that everyone else could compete. I was out – there wasn't enough left for me to actually sell from imo.
(SM) “Take it from them, you can keep going.”
I told him to have everything set up like it was when I walked in, full and pretty, and restart the competition and I would keep going. He said Okay and then
Left.
So I kept on my regular day and sold 2 more without even trying. Like I legit didn't even mention anything about 0 squat. I really was genuinely serious about not wanting to take a gift card from someone else who might need it if the competition was to sell what was left, it wasn't going to me. I had made my point lmbo. I was done.
If my employers always had a competition for money and extra incentives I absolutely would go for it (most) every time. But when it's just “oh hey, sell these” where's the incentive? I would NOT have done that if there was no money prize.
I ended up selling a total of 35 flowers (33 in 4 hours before my break and the 2 when I came back) and the closest anyone came behind me was 13. I spent the gift cards on groceries which equated to 3 gallons of milk, 3 lbs on ground beef, and 1 gallon of juice. That's as far as that little $55 went. But – I got groceries! Kind of.. 🤦️🤷️