A couple weeks ago, I started working at a thrift store. I work in the back inspecting items to put on the sales floor. My department was extremely behind and shorthanded when I started, and they let me know this. So, as I'm still trying to learn what to do, despite getting conflicting orders from three different managers (for example: one manager tried to get on me about pricing an item too high when it was another manager who told me to do it), they decide to tell us that we're not meeting our quotas, and that's a problem.
So, here's how it works. The department only has two people. If one person is working, that one person has a solo quota, which I've been consistently meeting since I started. But when the second person is there, the quota doubles for the entire department. Basically, it's the solo quota x2. So, the lady they have me working with isn't meeting her end of the quota and it's dragging us as a department down. So, it doesn't matter that I met my solo quota. If she doesn't also meet hers, it's like I might as well not do anything.
So, I chafed a little bit when they told us WE were not meeting OUR quota. Because, like I said, anytime I've worked the department alone, I've met and exceeded the solo quota with no issue. And I exhaust myself in the process. With two people working, it doesn't matter that I meet the solo quota because I'm also at the mercy of another person's output. It's a team effort at that point. I'm not exactly a young man and it's extremely tiring work. So, I'm not about to exhaust myself even further to compensate for someone else coming up short.
Furthermore, I'm getting talked to about item prices I didn't even do, because they were done before I even started. “Why is this item this price?” I don't friggin' know. Maybe ask the person who worked here then. Because it wasn't me. But when it comes to the things I did actually price, one manager tells me I'm too high and another tells me I'm too low. So, I'm stressing out not only trying to meet this quota, but also trying to find a happy medium between Miss Too High and Miss Too Low.
I do what I can, and that's stressful enough. I'm not about to add more stress because THEY can't get right. I'm not about to put myself in the grave over some donated scarves. Give me a break.
Rant over.