Post Something You Know That We Don't Because of Your Job

[waystinthyme]

I'm 23 and just getting into the job market. What are some interesting things you learned from your job that the average consumer wouldn't know about?

I'll start...

Seasonal Cashier at Target during college:

1) Cashiers are 'graded' based on the average speed of their transaction. 'R' or red means that you spent too much time checking the person out, 'G' or green means you completed the transaction fast enough. Checks, people searching for exact change, customers taking a telephone call in the middle of getting checked out, etc. are often the reason that cashiers receive an 'R' for a transaction. Take a look at the cashiers screen next time you go through the checkout line to see if they got a 'G' or 'R' for your transaction.

2) There is a 'secret shopper' in every store who walks around in civilian clothes. He is part of the store security, and uses a camera in the backroom to survey 'suspicious' activity before going out on the floor to follow people around.

3) Security, Staff, etc. are not supposed to continue following customers suspected of theft once they reach the parking lot.

4) We were allowed to change prices on items as long as they were within reason. I always changed prices if they were within 10% of the purchase price (sometimes more, just depends on how long my line was at the time). If it's listed for $29.99 and you say it was actually $27.99, i'd change it with no questions asked.

-waystinthyme

[Jesse7771]

I'm 23 and just getting into the job market. What are some interesting things you learned from your job that the average consumer wouldn't know about?

I'll start...

Seasonal Cashier at Target during college:

1) Cashiers are 'graded' based on the average speed of their transaction. 'R' or red means that you spent too much time checking the person out, 'G' or green means you completed the transaction fast enough. Checks, people searching for exact change, customers taking a telephone call in the middle of getting checked out, etc. are often the reason that cashiers receive an 'R' for a transaction. Take a look at the cashiers screen next time you go through the checkout line to see if they got a 'G' or 'R' for your transaction.

2) There is a 'secret shopper' in every store who walks around in civilian clothes. He is part of the store security, and uses a camera in the backroom to survey 'suspicious' activity before going out on the floor to follow people around.

3) Security, Staff, etc. are not supposed to continue following customers suspected of theft once they reach the parking lot.

-waystinthyme

Worked at target before Horrible place all around

Work at Homedepot now more money better hours nicer people all around better place

[justdragit]

There are lots of pharmacists that shouldn't dispense medicine or own a pharmacy.

(RS-232)

[GorillaGenetics]

u can walk into best buy pick up a tv and walk out legally they arent allowed to physically stop u but the can lock the doors so make haste

once uve been a bartender and bouncer u realize that u hate everyone

[Boatski]

I can control the HVAC, Refrigeration, and Lighting at all Dick's Sporting Goods, Kmarts, Sears, PetCo's, Steak N Shakes, Garden Ridge, Carmax, Nike (Soon), and a few other places from my work PC.

[waystinthyme]

I can control the HVAC, Refrigeration, and Lighting at all Dick's Sporting Goods, Kmarts, Sears, PetCo's, Steak N Shakes, Garden Ridge, Carmax, Nike (Soon), and a few other places from my work PC.

wow, does one company do the work for all of the retail stores you listed? do you work at the corporate headquarters or something? intersting post...

-waystinthyme

[Condroid]

I can control the HVAC, Refrigeration, and Lighting at all Dick's Sporting Goods, Kmarts, Sears, PetCo's, Steak N Shakes, Garden Ridge, Carmax, Nike (Soon), and a few other places from my work PC.

lol how?

[zuludddd]

when you get food from a deli worker, more so usually the homemade salads and stuff than the sliced meat, there is a decent possibility that someone dipped their penis/balls in the coleslaw/tuna salad (not me). Also the salads with the meat in it, which my deli calls "imported" are actually all end pieces of meats too short to cut on the slicer for customers

[waystinthyme]

Worked at target before Horrible place all around

Work at Homedepot now more money better hours nicer people all around better place

yeah, i only worked there for one season (thanksgiving/christmas/new year's)...wasn't too bad, but i knew the entire time i was working there that it was temporary, so that probably helped a bit. what position did/do you have at both stores? care to share anything about either that the average consumer may not know?

-waystinthyme

[TraininWh33ls]

I doesn't matter on how much you know, but who you know. -PERIOD

[Google...It]

albertsons here. when you have a case of water or soda under your cart and you push it through the cashier so i can bag your groceries dont fuking tell them its under there i dont give a fuk if you take it. i've let alot of people through with water,soda, and even bags of dog food. if the cashier catches you just say you forgot no big deal.

[Tsudo]

-GEICO customer service reps are required to get under 3:30 minutes per call. Srs. 3mins 30 seconds is the length they're allowed to place you on hold before breaking a hold. If they don't, they receive what's called a "non-A-call" which is bad for them and can get them fired.
That's why they get you on then get you off.

...s'all I got.

[Boatski]

wow, does one company do the work for all of the retail stores you listed? do you work at the corporate headquarters or something? intersting post...

-waystinthyme

It's one company. We do energy management for commercial customers. We have whole stores wired to one controller (think of a computer) that is then connected to our servers in the office. If something goes down or is incorrect, we receive alarms that one department processes (I started in this dept.)

Each customer has a standard to which the controllers are programmed. HVAC stays at this temp, lights come on at this time, etc. We're all over the USA and have a **** ton of sister companies. The HQ is in TX, but where I work is where the energy management stuff is handled.

lol how?

See above.

[Boatski]

-GEICO customer service reps are required to get under 3:30 minutes per call. Srs. 3mins 30 seconds is the length they're allowed to place you on hold before breaking a hold. If they don't, they receive what's called a "non-A-call" which is bad for them and can get them fired.
That's why they get you on then get you off.

...s'all I got.

I think our Customer Service ppl are supposed to keep calls around the same time. The dept micromanages like a mfer. People have to ask to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water. If you're 1 min late you are yelled at. I flipped out on my old boss because of this once. They like me here so they gave me a new boss, in a new dept, which is laid back as fuk.

Currently at work posting this now.

If people are on hold for more than 2.5 mins a bell starts going off which a light that flashes. It happens all day and its annoying as hell. I usually put my earbuds in so I don't have to listen to people.

[arkskier]

i work in a chemical analysis laboratory. be careful with diet pills/tea coming from china, some of them have poisonous heavy metals in them. and also, the milk you drink that says it has X amount of vitamins per glass, that's not really accurate. Some days your glass can have zero vitamins, some days 2X or 3X the amount of vitamins per glass; milk is not very homogeneous.

[Presi]

There are lots of pharmacists that shouldn't dispense medicine or own a pharmacy.

(RS-232)

Amen.

Uhhh...

Calcium Chloride and Ammonium Nitrate explode when mixed together.... (+ something else) Most hardware stores sell both,

[waystinthyme]

albertsons here. when you have a case of water or soda under your cart and you push it through the cashier so i can bag your groceries dont fuking tell them its under there i dont give a fuk if you take it. i've let alot of people through with water,soda, and even bags of dog food. if the cashier catches you just say you forgot no big deal.

this happened to me a lot too, but i usually told them to take it out so i could scan it. we scanned and bagged, but if they got past us and were caught by the front line manager, we would usually get yelled at for it.

in contrast, a lot of people LEFT things in the bottom of the cart when they were unloading things into their cars. cart attendants would sometimes come in with unopened merchandise that was already paid for that was left by customers. we usually gave them 24 hours to come back and claim it before someone either took it home or put it back out on the sales floor.

-waystinthyme

[Tsudo]

I think our Customer Service ppl are supposed to keep calls around the same time. The dept micromanages like a mfer. People have to ask to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water. If you're 1 min late you are yelled at. I flipped out on my old boss because of this once. They like me here so they gave me a new boss, in a new dept, which is laid back as fuk.

Currently at work posting this now.

If people are on hold for more than 2.5 mins a bell starts going off which a light that flashes. It happens all day and its annoying as hell. I usually put my earbuds in so I don't have to listen to people.

Pissed me off, too. Especially when I needed supervisor approval and the closest one was on the other side of the building.


Imagine having the find a manager on the other side, explain the situation, get approval, and keep it all under 3:30...after gathering the info from the policyholder.

BUT it did have a gym in the basement.

[snooter511]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

[waystinthyme]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

i always thought the gas was all the same...interesting, post.

-waystinthyme

[Tsudo]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

This makes me lol. I always hear people saying, "don't get gas at this place..it's bad gas"...jakes on them, I guess.

[CRUCIATUS]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

so whats the deal with gas stations saying their gas has "special" additives to do certain things? Is it all BS?

[snooter511]

i always thought the gas was all the same...interesting, post.

-waystinthyme

Yep when it comes down to the actual tanks in the ground at the station, the major oil companies are really just one big as conglomerate, here in Chicago 90% of gas comes from the BP refinery in Whiting, IN. If people would just pay attention they would see the conoco phillips, mobil, Citgo trucks and so on coming in and out all day long.

[KPGC10]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

I already knew this but most don't which is why I laugh at the idiots thinking they'll hurt BP by boycotting it. Store owners only really make money from people who buy items in store and probably lose money if you use you credit card to pay.

so whats the deal with gas stations saying their gas has "special" additives to do certain things? Is it all BS?

They add in additives once the truck has put the gas in their own stations underground tank? I dunno lol. In for an answer.

[mad?]

I build/design gas stations (specifically tank & piping). It doesn't matter if you get gas at BP, Speedway, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips ect....

That gas all comes from the same refinery, it's all the same gas, also don't be mad at the gas staion owner when the prices are high, no matter the price he usually makes between .02-.06 a gallon, sometimes he is actually selling gas at a loss.

your telling me the regular gas thast 2.60 from the fred meyer gas station is just as well treated/exact same as gas from a chevron at 2.80?

20 cents more a gallon... for some reason I don't buy it...

[snooter511]

so whats the deal with gas stations saying their gas has "special" additives to do certain things? Is it all BS?

I lulz at this with some of the delivery drivers when we are working on a station. I was at a BP talking to a driver and he had these 5 gallon containers with BP insignia all over them, some sort of chemical additive he is supposed to ad to the tanker before he delivers the fuel. He said they haven't refilled the additive in like 6 months. Yea it's all bull****, gasoline is gasoline the only difference is the octane. Premium or Regular, also Mid-Grade gasoline is the biggest rip off that **** is so close to regular as far as octane rating but you pay 6% more.

[red4life]

People that buy timeshares full price at the resort (lets say for $50,000) could get the same exact property on Ebay for $500!

[KPGC10]

i work in a chemical analysis laboratory. be careful with diet pills/tea coming from china, some of them have poisonous heavy metals in them. and also, the milk you drink that says it has X amount of vitamins per glass, that's not really accurate. Some days your glass can have zero vitamins, some days 2X or 3X the amount of vitamins per glass; milk is not very homogeneous.

Interesting about the Chinese supps. I was gonna order a few kilograms of caffeine, choline, piracetam, huperzine a, vinpocetine from China but figured it would be from a dodgy source. Do you have a recommendation of where to get these sort of supps I am after?

There are lots of pharmacists that shouldn't dispense medicine or own a pharmacy.

(RS-232)

Doesn't surprise me. I asked a pharmacist if he stocked melatonin in the store and he had to go to his computer and look it up and half the time when I get a prescription they just read the warnings straight from the box.

I lulz at this with some of the delivery drivers when we are working on a station. I was at a BP talking to a driver and he had these 5 gallon containers with BP insignia all over them, some sort of chemical additive he is supposed to ad to the tanker before he delivers the fuel. He said they haven't refilled the additive in like 6 months. Yea it's all bull****, gasoline is gasoline the only difference is the octane. Premium or Regular, also Mid-Grade gasoline is the biggest rip off that **** is so close to regular as far as octane rating but you pay 6% more.

This makes me rage.

[AndroShock]

More people wash their cars in the rain now than when its nice out. Not kidding. Then they yell at me becuase they pullout in a typhoon and it is still wet or the spot free didn't work. Yeah, phuck stain, rain is de-ionized and spot free. Phuckin tards. Don't get me going on the stupid schit i see.

Use citric acid to get the bugs of the front of your car, not soap. Orange juice, lemmon juice.

[snooter511]

your telling me the regular gas thast 2.60 from the fred meyer gas station is just as well treated/exact same as gas from a chevron at 2.80?

20 cents more a gallon... for some reason I don't buy it...

Haha, that's meijer using gasoline as a loss leader. It's funny you bring this up, the new thing is these big box chains like meijer, jewel, kroger, and especially Costco adding gasoline to their sites and selling it cheaper than the stations around the corner, it's just purchasing power. Costco sells a lot more gasoline than you realize at most stations, if you have 3-30k gallon tanks and you are getting 4-5 deliveries a day you have much more purchasing power than Abu with his one mobil site, they negotiate ridiculous discounts with the major oil companies based on the volume they purchase.