Sick of employers....

[RyanJohnston]

This is a rant. Stop here if you don't want to listen to me complain.

Ok, so I was fired from GNC a few weeks ago for allegedly screwing up the cash count although they found it the next day. It was interesting how they hired a new person not too long before and how everything fell into place perfectly (I was basically accused of stealing credit slips and supposedly a deposit was unaccounted for one night). It seemed suspicious to me and a bunch of people, but that's neither here nor there.

I'm just so sick of working for these companies. You get jacked-around, treated like you're expendible meat etc. They expect you to do sometimes ridiculous amounts of work for minimum wage or nearly that. The work keeps piling on and on and getting a raise? Not happening anytime soon and if you get one, enjoy your extra twenty cents an hour. You're under constant suspicion and are watched more closely than customers who do most of the theft.

Also, the favouritism. If you don't kiss the manager's butt, say goodbye to that weekend you wanted off, that raise you wanted or even those extra few hours. The manager always seems to ride you especially hard. They come down on you for the smallest mistake. Somehow you seem always to blame and the manager wants to 'help you' all the time.

You somehow never win the draw for a free television or that gift card. Oddly, the manager's 'boy' nearly always wins. Anytime you go above and beyond, they rarely even thank you. Then they yell at you for not wanting to work when you get fed up. The favourite always of course gets mentioned for even wiping after going to the bathroom. If you say anything, you're just being negative and jealous.

Anytime you speak up about something be it a safety issue or perhaps an incident that occured with an idiot customer and so on...well, you're treated like more of a problem for speaking. If you don't want to climb up on rickety scaffolding without proper safety gear you oddly seem to get your hours cut. If you need time off for an entrance exam for school your hours seem to evaporate.

If the manager or the favourite sons screw up, they get a slap on the wrist. If you screw up, you're canned. I can remember a manager losing $30,000 dollars in merchandise because she didn't properly pin-lock a trailer. In fact, we never had when I worked there. Then you forget but once and it's game-over. Last I'd heard, she was now the store manager instead of a department manager. The double-standards are ridiculous.

To conclude, I'm not asking for pity or to be treated specially. I just want fair pay for my work. I want to be treated the same as everyone else and feel safe when working. I understand I'm there to work and make them money. However, stop treating me like I'm worthless and lucky to even be there. I'm sick of these companies.

[Jay Hagadorn]

A couple of solutions:

Get a job working for good people.
-OR-
Go to work for yourself.

ON the other end of that, anyone that has a job right now could be considered blessed. I interviewed a guy for a sales position (he had a good resume) the other day and he had put out just over 100 resumes. I was the only phone call he got, and someone else more qualified ended up with the job...it's tough out there right now.

[Easton Taylor]

This is a rant. Stop here if you don't want to listen to me complain.

Ok, so I was fired from GNC a few weeks ago for allegedly screwing up the cash count although they found it the next day. It was interesting how they hired a new person not too long before and how everything fell into place perfectly (I was basically accused of stealing credit slips and supposedly a deposit was unaccounted for one night). It seemed suspicious to me and a bunch of people, but that's neither here nor there.

I'm just so sick of working for these companies. You get jacked-around, treated like you're expendible meat etc. They expect you to do sometimes ridiculous amounts of work for minimum wage or nearly that. The work keeps piling on and on and getting a raise? Not happening anytime soon and if you get one, enjoy your extra twenty cents an hour. You're under constant suspicion and are watched more closely than customers who do most of the theft.

Also, the favouritism. If you don't kiss the manager's butt, say goodbye to that weekend you wanted off, that raise you wanted or even those extra few hours. The manager always seems to ride you especially hard. They come down on you for the smallest mistake. Somehow you seem always to blame and the manager wants to 'help you' all the time.

You somehow never win the draw for a free television or that gift card. Oddly, the manager's 'boy' nearly always wins. Anytime you go above and beyond, they rarely even thank you. Then they yell at you for not wanting to work when you get fed up. The favourite always of course gets mentioned for even wiping after going to the bathroom. If you say anything, you're just being negative and jealous.

Anytime you speak up about something be it a safety issue or perhaps an incident that occured with an idiot customer and so on...well, you're treated like more of a problem for speaking. If you don't want to climb up on rickety scaffolding without proper safety gear you oddly seem to get your hours cut. If you need time off for an entrance exam for school your hours seem to evaporate.

If the manager or the favourite sons screw up, they get a slap on the wrist. If you screw up, you're canned. I can remember a manager losing $30,000 dollars in merchandise because she didn't properly pin-lock a trailer. In fact, we never had when I worked there. Then you forget but once and it's game-over. Last I'd heard, she was now the store manager instead of a department manager. The double-standards are ridiculous.

To conclude, I'm not asking for pity or to be treated specially. I just want fair pay for my work. I want to be treated the same as everyone else and feel safe when working. I understand I'm there to work and make them money. However, stop treating me like I'm worthless and lucky to even be there. I'm sick of these companies.


It is not what you know, it is who you know bro.....

[MarshallWhite]

I had to comment on this....I am in no way trying to attack you Ryan but I often hear this same rant from lots of other people. Unforunately life is not fair no matter where you work even if it is for yourself. In my business I have to put up with something "unfair" on just about a daily basis...for me it is a lose lose situation because no matter what the circumstance, the people I deal with are grieving so they will always be right (usually even in the courts eyes). But this does not make my job bad or stupid, it is just life and there are so many other things that are great about it that it makes up for the "annoying" things. Yes, people that work overtime or are more friendly are favored...put yourself in your employer's position, isn't that what you would do? You can either "play the game" or not, but from what I have seen those that choose not to play usually end up on the losing end, because like I said....life is not fair...no matter how much we want it to be. In my opinion, you should count your blessings, move on to another job, and work as hard as you can to be a good employee until you can move on to self employment or your "dream job" of choice. Again, not an attack, just an opinion from someone who hears this a lot.

[rob meulenberg]

Marshall

People get mad at you because they do not like to see their loved ones dressed up in gimp suits playing out your fantasies!!

Stop sending me those weird pictures!


But seriously, Ryan you need to deal with it, or become self employed.

[RyanJohnston]

I don't mind putting on some OT and doing some favours for bosses, covering shifts and such. It just seems like it never counts in the end because people seem to think I don't like them as I don't try to be friends with them or whatever. I don't like 'playing the game' and kissing ass nor do I expect people to kiss mine. Marshall seems to be right though as I always end up out on my butt.

I also know you folks don't mean it as a personal attack and sort of figured people would say 'suck it up and soldier on'. I fully intend to get another job, go in and work and do what I need to do. I'm not saying I don't want to work or that I'm the perfect employee. I'm just frustrated with the b.s employers lay on people. I am thinking long and hard about being self-employed in future.

[Anthony Esquerdo]

I hate GNC and never shop there anyway, screw them.

[Pat Wilson]

Wow it sounds like my old job at golds gym! Ryan I agree with you but I also agree with m-dub. I will never kiss anyones ass. I am who I am! I will not ever sugar coat a damn thing and if it gets me in trouble so be it.... I AM WHO I AM! I saw the wrestler the other day, and when he was in shitty position working at the deli handing out meat and potatoe salad, he didnt want to do it but he had too... so he did it for a couple days and realize he doesnt need to be a push around bitch! He is who he is and he said screw it and we nuts and went back to wrestling for his fans and himself for what he loves..GREAT SCENE ALOT OF GUYS ON HERE COULD DEFINITELY RELATE. The guy lost it all, and still fought through it all. HE did what he loved to do! To sum it all up do what you love to do and be your self, but also be hard working and willing to go the extra mile.

[MarshallWhite]

I should clarify...I never meant that there are no retarded employers or anything like that, I just meant to say that if a person continually finds themselves in this position, at some point they should examine what they are doing...as opposed to directing blame.
Pat- At some point "a$$-kissing" will be necessary in everyone's life, whether it be a father-in-law, an employer, a person who you seek a loan from, etc....I think the key is to not degrade oneself or lose one's dignity, but "playing the game" is not a bad thing it is a fact of life. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I have also seen way too many guys get stubborn about "a$$-kissing" and inevitably it is their family that suffers. I agree though, be yourself, keep your dignity, and strive to do what you love because in the end I think that is all you have.

[MarshallWhite]

Marshall

People get mad at you because they do not like to see their loved ones dressed up in gimp suits playing out your fantasies!!

Stop sending me those weird pictures!


But seriously, Ryan you need to deal with it, or become self employed.

That's it.......friend divorce!

[Jim Harbourne]

One of the reasons unions are formed.......

[RyanJohnston]

I should clarify...I never meant that there are no retarded employers or anything like that, I just meant to say that if a person continually finds themselves in this position, at some point they should examine what they are doing...as opposed to directing blame.
Pat- At some point "a$$-kissing" will be necessary in everyone's life, whether it be a father-in-law, an employer, a person who you seek a loan from, etc....I think the key is to not degrade oneself or lose one's dignity, but "playing the game" is not a bad thing it is a fact of life. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I have also seen way too many guys get stubborn about "a$$-kissing" and inevitably it is their family that suffers. I agree though, be yourself, keep your dignity, and strive to do what you love because in the end I think that is all you have.

I know exactly why I end up in this spot: I just get so fed-up with things that I just don't care. That's my problem.

[Alex Klotz]

If they fired you for X and X turned out not to be real you can sue them for wrongful termination.

[RyanWilson]

I second the notion of, if you can't find respect in working for someone else, then find a way to be your own boss. You'll work 10x harder than you did at GNC and be accountable for a whole lot more, but there's nothing more satisfying than knowing you get to call the shots and that you're the only one to blame when things go wrong. Now isn't the best time for anything capital-intensive for starting up, but hey, if you can find ANY way to make a few dollars doing your own thing (even if it's just re-selling crap on Ebay to boost your income a bit), you'll be in full control and will feel that much better for it.

I do feel for you, though. Have a friend who used to be assistant manager at one of those Structure clothing stores (are they even still around?), and he got screwed over CONSTANTLY by upper management. He got bumped up just a notch above bottom-level sales because, frankly, he busted his a$$ daily because of a solid work ethic, but every time he thought he would finally get to be store manager, they'd have an excuse for why one of the others would get it. I watched him get passed over 5 times in 4 years as the other asstant managers would get promoted, yet he never moved up at all. He would pull double shifts without asking (opening AND closing multiple times per week when others would call in sick), work overtime and not even clock it in because he wanted to finish his tasks but didn't want the company to get mad about paying extra, he'd find ways to improve efficiency and cut costs, and would point out when others were wasting time/money so that upper management could step in and fix problems, but that was never enough. Once, he took on extra work at an underperforming store an hour away - he rode the bus there (no car at the time) and slept in the bushes outside the mall after Denny's kicked him out at 2 AM because he WANTED to make a good impression and help out where they needed it, thinking that being dedicated would get him ahead. Keep in mind, this was October in Wisconsin, so think about how much fun that was. So much for going the extra mile... I knew one of the other assistant managers he worked with who got promoted, and that guy was a real pile when it came to doing his job. That guy would call in sick every 2-3 weeks, would leave early, show up late, mis-manage cash deposits, yet somehow he never got in trouble and was eventually moved up a notch. So, just relaying one more story that goes to show, you're not alone in this one, people get the shaft all the time even when they're going all-out to try and help the company they work for. If someone else can't appreciate what you have to offer, then find someone who can, or, do it yourself.

[Matthew White]

You can come work for me, I'll treat you like every other sailor on the ship!

[Jeremy Strangfeld]

I worked at GNC off and on. A manager of mine became a pretty close friend. The same thing happened to us.

I moved back home and worked at the GNC there. The manager begged me to work there and he pulled strings to get me hired. Turns out he was a cokehead con artist. He obviously got fired, but so did the rest of this store.

This kind of stuff has happened A LOT in that company. A LOT. Our whole state had the same thing happening. People were training new ppl with promises of becoming the manager of the store only to get FIRED and have those new ppl take their places.

[Dave Bernreuther]

Part of me wants to be a jerk and say too bad, if you don't like it, acquire a skill that makes you more valuable so you don't have to work retail.

But another part of me wants to point out that I was fired from my last job in April 07 for repeating someone else's mistake, similar to a situation you mentioned. While it did take me a while and I burned all my savings, I found a way to work for myself and not have to put up with any of the crap (other people) that bothered me so much. Now I work from home, hang out with my dogs all day, sleep ten hours a night, and things are great. I should probably be taking more advantage of the fact that I have income in these times and working more than 15 hours a week, but that's on me, not on anyone else.

Use the time off from work to get more sleep and more work in at the gym, eat right, and keep your mind working for ideas on new things you can do. You might have to take another crap job in the meantime, but come up with a plan to get into a better situation. It could be school, it could be saving some money to open a store or gym of your own, it could be learning how to write websites, or it could be male prostitution. Only you can know. Decide what would make you happy and then go get it.

[Matthew White]

Alot of business over the US are doing similar tactics. It is cheaper to hire new employees at minimum wage, than to pay other people to stay on. As it isn't a difficult job to train for, they don't really expend much money by training programs, so this to them is suitable. Personally, nobody should look at GNC as a permanent solution to lack of employment. The company has a LOOOONG history of bad management starting from the top of the chain and working down.

[D.J. Satterfield]

ON the other end of that, anyone that has a job right now could be considered blessed.

This is very true.

[Gabriel Wells]

I completely understand where you are coming from bro, and you can take this and look at it in another spec. Sometimes in life things happen to open other doors for us. (without turning into a religious debate):D Take this opportunity to focus on something that you may have been wanting to do!

One door closes so that many more will open!

[RyanJohnston]

You can come work for me, I'll treat you like every other sailor on the ship!

I dunno wether or not that would be a good thing...if the Navy is anything like the Village People say it is :D. I dunno, I have considered a few years in the armed services. One thing though, my swimming sucks so I hope you don't have to swim too much.

GNC was definitley not a permanent solution for my employment. I just needed a place to work part time so I can have some money for books and so on for school (Kin or Athletic Therapy are what I'm deciding on). So I am looking to acquire that new skill that makes me valuable. This is basically a wake-up call if I was having doubts about school. I'm 22 and my sciences need polishing, but I'm doing it damnit.

Also, yeah, GNC in Canada is just as bad as the States. I have heard horror stories about forcing people to stay to work off the clock all the time, screaming at and threatening employees (in one case, a woman past retirement age). One store manager is actually a 'roids dealer. He keeps his stuff in the employee fridge in the back. 'Roids aren't as bad as coke I guess, but dealing them is illegal and to do it in such a public place is stupid.

[Barney Shannon]

Pat- At some point "a$$-kissing" will be necessary in everyone's life, whether it be a father-in-law, an employer, a person who you seek a loan from, etc....I think the key is to not degrade oneself or lose one's dignity, but "playing the game" is not a bad thing it is a fact of life. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I have also seen way too many guys get stubborn about "a$$-kissing" and inevitably it is their family that suffers. I agree though, be yourself, keep your dignity, and strive to do what you love because in the end I think that is all you have.

Word!!! I ain't too proud to do some a$$ kissing. :D

[Barney Shannon]

BTW, even the self employed must do much a$$ kissing to satisfy their customers/clients. No way around it unless you a trust fund.