People at the cash registers

[mhall]

LOL If all you guys were there recently and didn't see me in fly fishing you were either there Friday or Sunday. Those are the only 2 days I have been off other than Christmas since Black Friday.

Mark, I can explain a little about what might have happened this weekend. It doesn't make your experience any better, but it might help. Obviously from black Friday until Christmas eve are so busy that at times it makes you want to lose your mind. After that, for a few days after Christmas you get the returns and exchanges. This weekend it was coupons in the mail for the 1st through the 4th where if you had that coupon you got employee discount pricing. It would be physically and fiscally impossible to staff every register. Add on to that the fact that everybody is convinced that this price was marked lower so then the cashier has to radio back to a department to get a price check. In the meantime the people in that department are busy assisting other customers and cannot answer the radio immediately. I understand your frustration, but trust me.....there is a lot going on at once.

Btw Peter was there Saturday and I sold him his first fly rod and reel, some leaders and a few flies. He can vouch for the fact that I work there.

Don, I saw you and Q coming so I decided to clock out for lunch! LOL

I was there Sunday as I said therefore did not see you. Your explanation of why is a very good reason I need to be more patient and time my trips better......I'll see you in there soon.

[psprowler]

its' not like they don't earn millions and still pay min wage. George if you worked for min wage you would sing a much different tune.

I'm going to guess George is probably like most of us. We did work a minimum wage job.....when we were 16. Problem is, we recognized early on that minimum wage jobs were not meant to be career jobs - they were stepping stone jobs meant to give us a little spending money while we furthered our education to become something that paid much more. While we were doing that, others (not all) weren't making the wisest decisions for their future and are now reaping what was sowed.

With that said, I could walk into KFC 20+ years later and still throw down a mean bag of extra crispy. It would be for 8.75 per hour instead of 4.25. I'll pass.

[Tim_T]

Nobody goes into a minimum wage job expecting more, except to be treated fairly. When my son took a job at McDonalds at 16 he started at minimum wage. When he left 2 1/2 years later he was making around $9 hour. He was rewarded for showing up on time and doing his job. Perfectly fair. The only reason he is not still there is because he went to work for more money at Amazon because he is 19 and it is of utmost importance to him that he and his girlfriend (both working and full-time college students) really need their own apartment!

Now lets compare that to place in retail. First, working retail is a real career for a lot of people and they make as much or more than they could at most places. Lets say there is one exception, that just so happens to be the largest retailer and richest company in the U.S. They pay their employees minimum wage to start, but after years they still keep them their. This is one of the richest, if not the richest corporations in all the world, yet there HR personell are trained to show their employees how to apply for government assistance. That company is part of the problem.

[mhall]

You speak of the Walmart I presume and I agree they certainly can and SHOULD pay their people more. And promoting their employees to strive and get Gov assistance is wrong. Good points old man....

[psprowler]

No argument there on wal-mart. Their practices are downright deplorable. But by now everybody knows this. It's never going to stop though unless people make a decided effort to not give them the business. How many times do you hear people moan and groan about wal-mart - "I'll never go there again" - and then they are back the next day. That's what I don't understand. As long as saving a few extra bucks is more important than sending a message by not shopping there wal-mart will continue to laugh all the way to the bank while enslaving their employees.

There are great jobs and careers in retail. You might have to kiss a frog though (wal-mart) before you find a prince.

Tim your son and his girlfriend are on the right track.

[Tim_T]

You speak of the Walmart I presume and I agree they certainly can and SHOULD pay their people more. And promoting their employees to strive and get Gov assistance is wrong. Good points old man.... Check Tesco Offers and Lidl Offers.

They cheated employees out of overtime for years by going in and changing their time. Lost a ton of many in lawsuits over that one.

When my sister was younger she worked there for 3 weeks. One day she had been busy and was scheduled for lunch. Her immediate supervisor tol her she needed to do something else and my sister never got her lunch break. The very next day a manager called her to the office. She was in trouble and getting written up for not taking her lunch break. She eplained the situation about being told to do something else. They wanted her to sign the write up paper acknolwedging she broke the rules and she walked out the door. She went practically right next door to Pizza Hut and got a job. Funny part was she madde more money working at a Pizza Hut than she did a $ multi-billion company.

Understand I am not one of those Occupy Wall Street folks, am not anti big business. I am staunchly anti-unfair business.

[GeoFisher]

its' not like they don't earn millions and still pay min wage. George if you worked for min wage you would sing a much different tune.

I got edjumacated, and learned a trade. I chose to not to earn minimum wage.

And it doesn't matter two shits that a company earns millions. You pay what someone is worth, not some arbitrary dollar amount, determined by some ******** politician based on what they think a company should pay.

I feel you should pay me a 1000 dollars to mow your **** yard.....because your yard is required to be mowed and I think there should be a minimum wage for lawn mowing.........GOOD GAWD.

Sounds a little socialist to me.........

[GeoFisher]

I can't speak for wal-mart but that is almost always the case with them and has been for years. At this point everyone should know the deal with them and expect a long line there. That's the main reason I don't shop there and will not in the future. Time is important to me, and saving a few bucks is not. For others saving the extra money is definitely a higher priority. At my particular place of employment I constantly hear "all cashiers to checkout", they go, and the lines are still long at times. The ratio of helpers to shoppers is just too slanted to the side of shoppers. It's just the way it is. I imagine if people took a stand and quit frequenting places that constantly have long waits corporate would get the message once sales started dropping - but that is probably a pipe dream.

And I hope you realize that I would not direct anything but some Louisville trash talk towards you mark I've seen you on the boards enough to get a good idea of what you're about.

I've had too many consecutive long waits at various places to expect anything less. It's why I shop online or just not shop all together. Any time I get out in less than 5 minutes I do a little dance on the way out.

We want the lowest prices possible.....I will wait in line and buy a 11 dollar shirt versus a 75 dollar shirt.

That is what it would cost with a 15 dollar living wage, and if it was made in America and if they STAFFED the checkout lines.

Simple economics.

Now, I'm not saying places like wally world would not staff effectively if sales started to be impacted. If they lost 20% of their revenue due to poor customer service, they "might" do something about it, but I doubt it.

Later,

Geo

[GeoFisher]

I'm going to guess George is probably like most of us. We did work a minimum wage job.....when we were 16. Problem is, we recognized early on that minimum wage jobs were not meant to be career jobs - they were stepping stone jobs meant to give us a little spending money while we furthered our education to become something that paid much more. While we were doing that, others (not all) weren't making the wisest decisions for their future and are now reaping what was sowed.

With that said, I could walk into KFC 20+ years later and still throw down a mean bag of extra crispy. It would be for 8.75 per hour instead of 4.25. I'll pass.

Ka BOOM.....you win.

Yep..........Paper route, Minimum Wage Job, Robbed as a Pizza Deliveray Boy....
Then.....40k in college loans, and a worthless major ( Music Performance).

Fortunately I was a techno geek in HS, and learned a few things about puters. And there was a crazy boom in that industry. AND I've worked very hard to stay ahead of the curb.

You are responsible for teaching yourself how to be successful.....period.

later,

Geo

[GeoFisher]

You speak of the Walmart I presume and I agree they certainly can and SHOULD pay their people more. And promoting their employees to strive and get Gov assistance is wrong. Good points old man....

Walmart DOES reward folks. They pick the top 10 or 20 percent and they regularly get raises and make decent money.

I know a crap ton of folks bringing down good SOLID money from wally world.

It is easy to get labeled as a shitty company when you get the absolute lowest level of potential candidates wanting to work for you, based on the SHEER size of your company.

[mhall]

Walmart DOES reward folks. They pick the top 10 or 20 percent and they regularly get raises and make decent money.

I know a crap ton of folks bringing down good SOLID money from wally world.

It is easy to get labeled as a shitty company when you get the absolute lowest level of potential candidates wanting to work for you, based on the SHEER size of your company.

I call Bull Sh it. I have a buddy that has been in management with them for a shade over 20 years and makes 19.89 per hour. Walmart has questionable practices and if Sam Walton was alive he would probably have a stroke. My buddy Rick Churchman's wife Gail was in upper management over three stores and was involved in payroll, payables, recievables and some other sensitive areas and she can tell stories that would curl your hair.

They own their own store now selling pellet stoves, and manufactured stone products and what not. When she left they tried every which way but Sunday to screw her out of her 401 K she had earned and some other stuff.

While I agree with you on your basic premise in fact we all are, you ain't selling me the Walmart is a good company to work for stuff I ain't buying bro. It use to be maybe, now I am not so sure.

[mhall]

Here is another point I want to make. Not everybody can go to college, I didn't and know lots of guys that didn't and we did great. Are we less intelligent, in my case maybe, ''strong maybe'' but I started at a job right out of high school and was slated to go into the Marine corp. I was scheduled to sign up and a little over a month away I backed out because of a stupid girl. I was eat plum up with her, she was smoking hot and had...............uhhhh, well everything I was wanting A LOT. She talked me out of it and I still hold that and a bunch of other stuff against her to this day, very long story. We almost married and didn't...thank you God.

I worked several jobs and then started for the company I work for now in July of 1981. Started for 3:50 per hour and worked like three Mules. I took pride in running sissy boys off that couldn't hang. You know that 18 year old mentality, meaner than a striped snake or at least I thought I was and liked it. I now after over 33 years am plant manager and work with the family that owns this place and I am family to them. I can assure you I make well more than that 3:50 per hour I started at.

I tell that story not to pop off and sound cocky but to make a point. Everybody can't punch a keyboard and sit at a desk or America does not run, it stops. Now what I did will not work for everybody but the basic premise just might. But in order for it to work the powers that be have to acknowledge it and reward it. That has to happen and if it doesn't many try very very hard and still fall short and that I will never make light of or stand on my pulpit and say they didn't try hard because some tried very hard and still fell short.