Throughout the pandemic myself, and almost all of my friends, decided that with it being a “workers market” that we would find a job we actually enjoyed and improve ourselves.
I'm specifically talking about my retail job that I still work part time at. My main crew consisted of Myself, “Ty”, “Mark”, “Justin”, “Rob”, “George”, and “Leo” names changed for privacy.
Retail department store got a new store manager 2 years and 6 months ago. She is awful. Does not know how to properly manage, overly competitive, and micromanages while being extremely condescending. She asks a lot out of her associates, when every other store doesn't and does much better in all numbers compared to this store. This was not the beginning of the downfall, however she has made huge pushes for everyone to finally leave.
Compared to when I started 3.5years ago there are a grand total of 16 people who are still here. Out of 110 associates. Everyone else here has been here for less than 2 years. Over the pandemic timeline, we started at 146 people, lowest was 53 people, and we have had a staggering recovery. We get 3% raises 2× a year, but many times Corporate messes up those raises. Never extra, always less. Someone literally got 1¢ raise last raise. Corporate wouldn't change it.
Mark went to college for a specific kind of design, but for 2 years after college he still stayed at Retail store (RS). And he hated it. He loved designing, but all of the “big deals” he dealt with in college who loved his material weren't offering jobs or ghosted him after he graduated. I still remember his, and our entire crews, excitement when he answered a call, threw off his company issued apron and threw a fist up in the air and silently screamed when he was offered his job. He walked right up to our store manager and told her “You suck at your job, and you make everyone's life here hell. He's my notice, effect immediately.” Flicked her off, and walked out.
George only works here part time, but he's found a love for working on cars and being a mechanic. So he's transferred positions from him other job to be an auto mechanic, and got a $2 raise for it. He's putting in his 2 week next Monday so he will still get our “big bonus.”
Ty recently started his own business, along side working for the city full time and working RS part time evenings. He's only been up and running for a few weeks, but he's already booked 7 weeks out, and avg $4+ a week. He loves what he does, and will be putting in his notice as soon as he knows his business will have steady income.
Justin is active military, but he's not deployed or on base for now. He goes to drill regularly, and was deployed for 2 months. While deployed he was offered his dream job in a corrections facility that he is so excited for. He's never shown a ton of emotion, but he's been on cloud nine the past week because he put in his 2 weeks and is so ready to not be a manager at RS anymore. He also informed me it was a $7 raise from a manager position here. He was heavily mistreated, didn't even want the manager position, but he was guilted into by store manager.
Rob worked in sales with me and really helped me understand that everything our store manager was doing is absolute BS and really helped me clear the “work hard and earn it” brain fog. He's a sales specialist that was threatened with termination for not meeting HER specific (not corporate) rule of selling 20k a week which nobody has ever made in this store since 2 years before she started. Only exception was the appliance man who upsold the shit out of everyone he talked to. He got a specialist position for his specialty (plumbing) for a higher wage. The company was 5 starts on every site I've seen, and they only lost 3 people in the past 2 years.
I no longer talk to Leo but he also decided to start his own business, I'm unsure what because he has many passions. But his wife, who I see every day is so glad that he finally got out of here after 8 years. She says it's made him happier, and their family life has improved so much.
And I'm about to take my certification exam that will put my full-time job's pay above RS pay. Once I get the letter of graduation and certification I will be putting in my 2 weeks. The pay I receive here is nice and comfortable for my current living situation so I want to leave in a good note so if shit goes upside down I can come back (to another store) and get the same if not better pay.
We all decided to improve our quality of life. And we all prospered. To my knowledge everyone has essentially said “fuck you” to the shitty managers and has openly told everyone how awful it is to work here. I've personally told everyone that the opportunity to move up is a lie and explained how and why. Someone else recently had this happen as well, so now everyone knows it's bullshit.
I fully believe that people shouldn't have to stay in shitty jobs, and take the amount of abuse that is given literally daily.
I hope everyone here gets their opportunity, and gets to tell whoever is fucking them over to go to hell.
Good vibes, prosper, and it's time to make this a workers world again instead of this oligarchy bullshit we call America.