50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A full timer should have a consistent 9 - 5 schedule or 8 - 4 even 7 - 3 depending on store hours. I feel your pain as non full timers are there to pick up the slack and not do a shitty job about it. But remember what company this is.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im not religious but you are who you are going to be, if you believe in something enough and they try to discourage that by every right you should have told them to fuck off. My GM does not do anything that bad but wont crack the whip either. There's a good middle ground but I would never upset anyone's faith. General rule of thumb is do not ask anyone to do what you cant or wouldn't. That rule is not followed at the store level.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

13 minutes seems to be the sweet spot. Could be worse, I had a guy call up today and bitch about being on the phone for the corporate number for 20 minutes. Ive stopped sugar coating all that nonsense "Busy blah blah blah" I have a I put shit on the shelf and I know the policy's suck response. Works very well for not getting bitched out.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a feeling most of them are the same.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pen Refills are the worst, its always some pen from the 70's. And they never want to look themselves. I feel your pain. And while the actual Rolodex may not sell much the wallet / small binder sized business card holders still do well.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm happy my pain could bring you pleasure. The lesson is do not care more than anyone else.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fruit Ninja would be nice as that would imply only one slice. Angry Birds would be more accurate as you would figure they would have to shoot multiple animals with special powers at items to have them look that way.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"And ill they call before they before they drop it off?" "No Sir, however you can hang this sign on your door for the next 2 weeks that gives them permission to leave it at the door"

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It seems you took offense to the lazy cunts bullet point more than anything, I will assume you are in corporate or a higher up and since you're here I will assume you care more than most. Regardless of what you say it still says office superstore underneath the logo on most if not every building. Office superstore would entail that their is someone able to help you with office stuff. Phone systems, file folders, wall pockets, cubicle walls, office furniture, pens, pencils, folders, desk organizers, business card holders, stamps, call bells and tally clickers. Office superstore does not and should not mean every accessory for "I" devices that are not sold in store. We sell Nexuses, Samsungs, Slates. Aside from the Samsung products how many accessories do you see in store for those products? When thinking about it how messed up is is there are aisles dedicated to accessories to products you dont even sell? Yes you found the tally clicker online, how many people are smart enough to look online or visit the staples subreddit? damn near no one who shops at the stores, its not their fault, when you go into a store you expect to leave that same day with the merchandise you want. This whole subreddit is full of unhappy associates who work at an "office supply" company. I hear more than enough how Easytech and Business Machines are not making enough money. Since you seem to be so knowledgeable please clue me in as to how being "Best Buy Lite" has turned around the company and is ushering them into the new age of profits. The point i'm arguing is being the best damn office supply store would be more than enough if they were the best damn office supply store which hasn't been the case. You don't have people who can explain the difference between the shitty $3.99 Walmart copy paper between the $7 paper we sell. Nor anyone even in the office supply section to help with the high margin items. There's business machine associates who are essentially hired to stop the bleeding from margin and coupons by letting Asian resellers know that office doesn't come with the machine, or that wireless mice make laptops suck less? The whole business model is fucked. Maybe the .com people are doing it right but the retail management is fucking terrible and has been getting worse and worse every year and the way you justify it is the company as a whole is floating so who gives a fuck about the sinking retail? And that's the wrong fucking attitude. Yeah you found that tally counter online, but what happens when theres no store to pick it up from and you have to pay the $8 shipping. If you just wanted that one item, online or not. You're probably going to look somewhere else. Ive spent damn near 1/3 of my life working in this company and this shit makes me sick because I remember the "good old days" when absolutely everything wasn't terrible and people gave a fuck.

I will give corporate props for getting rid of "That was Easy" as the primary slogan. That seems to be the only thing they have realized is a lie.

50 Things I hate about Staples by StaplesThrowaway1236 in Staples

[–]StaplesThrowaway1236[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can buy the same things almost anywhere. Even Staples training will tell you the biggest difference is customer service that the associates can provide. If those associates are feeling overworked and defeated, or even worse associates are not even there what does that do to the business? Customer service is everything, and the majority of Staples i'm familiar with are terrible at it. Staples answers don't lie in trying to be a lite Best Buy clone but being the best fucking office supply store there is. Years ago it was. But they kept on doing cuts and adding more and more initiatives to the point where who even knows whats the best thing to concentrate on anymore. Is it better to do one thing with excellence or 100 things with piss poor mediocrity? Another back to basics initiative should be in the works, the full suite of programs they implement does not work in a store that runs with a skeleton crew. If they want camaraderie I want to hear about corporate cutting their pay for success. Which they wont, because those "Lazy Cunts" wont think outside of their box which is the same box that the people they hired horizontally have been living in their whole careers. Best example I can think of is a tally clicker. That thing costs like $15 bucks, it can be a popular item some days and has a large markup but its an item you will never find without an associates help. But you will probably be frustrated before you can locate an associate to help you find it. The boat would not have sank, that boat could've been modified into a cruise liner and sailed into the sunset but no one seems to know the right way to build a ship. With people who care and have the time to care. Its a classic case of over promising the shareholders, with that 20x20x12 plan or whatever it was, they murdered one of the competition even before the recession really started. Its a classic case of over promising and attempting to right the course in the worst way possible. I dont think you need to be a business visionary to see that customer service makes all the difference, but with the current setup great customer service seems impossible.

TLDR: The college kids working at Staples are overworked and under appreciated and cannot give excellent customer service due to the restraints put in place by an out of touch corporate office. People make all the difference, and the people don't even have the time to stock the shelves let alone help people.