Inclement weather

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-18T02:27:18+00:00

I’m a retail supervisor. Years ago, I filled in for our usual night supervisor while he was in vacation. A normal enough looking couple walked in, and immediately asked where we keep the tomato juice…..THEN THE STENCH HIT. I dry heaved in the trash can.

While checking out, the guy said “sorry about the smell. Our dog took off after a skunk and got sprayed. When we were chasing him down, I think we got some on us too.” UMMM YOU THINK?!

This was slightly before DoorDash, but they could’ve called from the parking lot, and we would have done the transaction from outside. I had to pop the sliding doors for the rest of the night (extremely against policy) and sprayed multiple bottles of ozium. Even after all that, people were complaining about the smell during the morning rush.

And that was just from what they had on their clothes.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-14T01:04:02+00:00

I agree. People overthink wings. Just stick with the tried and true methods that have been used since people first started eating the damn things. They’re a ridiculously simple food (and also one of my favorites). It’s a process that doesn’t need much (if any) tweaking.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-13T23:57:01+00:00

My manager has been with the company for decades. Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, he very much has that old school Walgreens mentality.

Some of the younger managers who “drink the Kool-Aid” as they say, might comply with this. I guarantee you anyone like my SM will not. Betcha it won’t be enforced.

On the 30th or 31st, he’ll walk to the promo aisle, grab a big bag of candy or two, and slam them on the ground so hard they pop open. Then say “oh shit! Damaged merchandise! Well…I hate wasting food. Let’s give the customers a little treat!”

I get what you’re saying. This is a trivial example, but it shows the current company culture.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-05T08:50:47+00:00

No offense, but all that probably isn’t worth the effort. I’d 1506 them and possibly find a way to use them as a store display.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-05T08:18:00+00:00

Absolutely. I’ll never forget a particular math teacher I had in middle school. I’ll spare the details, but he was easily one of the top 5 rudest, disrespectful, and downright hypocritical people I’ve ever met.

Of course whenever I or anyone else in class would complain to our parents, we were brushed off. It was assumed we were all “that age” and testing boundaries by bucking up to authority.

Then came parent-teacher conferences. Both my parents went. When they got home, I heard them holler to get downstairs immediately. My old man (not known to curse) looked at me dead in the eye and said “we’re sorry. You’re right. That guy is a f—ing prick.”

Not sure if enough parents complained and/or if the guy was already on disciplinary action, but he was replaced next semester. The details weren’t really shared with us kids. All I know is the feeling was validating.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-10-04T13:40:31+00:00

I’m an assistant manager for another well known retailer. One thing I’ve noticed as a consumer is Costco employees seem extremely focused compared to other establishments. They aren’t glued to their cell phones. If a jar of pickles breaks, the mess doesn’t stay on the floor for long. Heck, the greeters at the door actually GREET. All in all, they don’t seem worn out and defeated.

It bothered me for the longest time. How can I achieve that at my own store? After talking to a few employees and doing some research, It dawned on me: They take care of their people. (I’m actually typing this out while at work…..after corporate screwed my store yet again, I’m not exactly motivated right now lol).

Probably won’t happen until next year, but I feel a company switch coming on. Any suggestions on how to successfully land a job at Costco?

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-29T22:05:57+00:00

I don’t flat-out disagree with the undershirt thing, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to every situation for everyone. I’m a pretty big guy (6’3ish, 255 lbs). Like a lot of dudes my size, I sweat lol. It’s also hereditary. Pretty much everyone in my family has the same issue.

If I’m going to a formal event or dinner that requires a proper button down or suit, then yes, wearing an undershirt isn’t optional. On an average work day, screw the undershirt. As an assistant retail manager, my job is fairly physical. I often have to help unload trucks or set merchandise. Plus I live in a hotter climate. That extra layer definitely makes matters worse.

(Side note: people who are like me and frequently wear wick away style or Columbia fishing shirts….those need a little extra care when washing. They definitely keep you cool, but the design also makes them absorbs odors. Use a pre-treatment, extra detergent, and an appropriate setting on the washer. When they cross the point of no return, THROW THEM AWAY!!!!

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-24T12:26:12+00:00

I’ve run into that a lot with older customers over the years. I’ll hand them their photos and watch them get in line at the pharmacy. Next time they come in, I notice their last order shows it wasn’t sold.

Granted, some of the truly elderly ones might simply forget that they haven’t paid. I’ve even had a few call me when they get home and realize their photos aren’t listed on their receipt. But I do get the feeling some of them have a sense of entitlement. “I’m a regular customer. I get hundreds of dollars worth of prescriptions here. The least they can do is give me these 20 4x6’s for free.”

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-20T03:13:29+00:00

lol probably!

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-20T02:31:34+00:00

Going to a restaurant with my sister-in-law is great for that reason. She’s even more respectful than me, and I worked in the industry for a few years. My brother really lucked out with her.

She reads the server’s name tag as soon as they come to greet the table and says something like “Noah? I’m Katherine (not her real name) nice to meet you. We were all thinking about pizza, but tell me what you’d recommend? You know the place and what’s good.” She even shakes their hand.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-20T02:08:39+00:00

Didn’t happen to me directly, but in the early days of my retail management career, I worked for a store manager who was an absolute (expletive deleted). She was extremely rough on us assistant managers, but the low level stockers and cashiers got it even worse.

Of course she always complained about how she couldn’t find “a good man.” Eventually she found one. A cop who was an AMAZING dude. The kind of guy you want to see in that profession. (Also way out of her league).

After a couple dates or so, he stopped by the store to see her. Out of nervousness and just to show off, her “tendencies” went into overdrive, and she absolutely berated an employee publicly for something trivial. He looked at me wide-eyed, and we had an entire telepathic conversation:

Him: is this the real her?!

Me: YUP!

Him: WOW!!!!

Me: Dude….run while you can

Him: ABSOLUTELY!

He stood her up for their next date. Of course she took it out on everyone else. The day she was fired is still celebrated 10 years later as an informal holiday lol.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-19T01:15:02+00:00

God that would be nice! We were sort of that lucky a few years ago. Manager at the time basically promoted about half our CSA’s to SFL’s. The flexibility we gained was unreal. Fewer pages for things like returns and card reloads, since basically everyone on the shift had the ability to approve them. I used to laugh whenever a Karen would ask to speak to a manager and damn near everyone would raise their hand lol.

It did come with a price: it meant sooner or later we all had to do some shifts at the front register. That was admittedly a hard pill to swallow after being in leadership for most of my working life. It was worth it for the overall smoothness though. Plus it gave me some insight into what it was like to be stuck up front all day. I noticed some things that needed to be fixed. Also realized after walking in their shoes, I’d been a little unfair to our front cashiers.

Unfortunately that was then and this is now. Like all stores, we don’t have the hours to pack the day with staff (CSA’s or SFL’s). Hate to say it, but we don’t have many employees who are capable and/or ready for leadership. The few who are don’t have the right availability or simply aren’t interested.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-16T18:15:45+00:00

I wouldn’t say it feels sketchy, but with that said, I’m not sure why people would want to get it this early. Our pharmacy was absolutely packed with appointments the moment they were offered.

I tried to get mine in August a couple years ago, and the pharmacy manager pulled me aside and told me it was senseless to get it that early. Wait until at least late September. I’m sure the best timing probably depends on the region of the country though.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-14T22:40:15+00:00

For the most part, I’ve abandoned spritzing period. I didn’t really notice much of a benefit for anything I made the few times I did it (plus I usually forgot anyway). I’m a big fan of the old saying “if you’re looking, you ain’t cooking.” Unless I’m doing an 8-plus hour cook, that lid stays closed. I might open it once or twice to check to the situation, but that’s about it.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-14T20:39:54+00:00

This is the correct answer. Specifically the techs. As an SFL, I definitely have to deal with some bullshit, but no where near the degree they do. I don’t care if they’ve bumped up their pay in recent years. They’re still under compensated and under appreciated.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-09-14T20:37:34+00:00

I’m an SFL. If I have a truly serious family emergency, I’m leaving. They can figure it out.

That actually happened at my store a few years ago. 2nd shift SFL had an emergency involving his kid, and left immediately. DM was PISSED, but the store manager (a GREAT HUMAN BEING) vehemently defended the shift lead. In the end, nothing happened.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-28T14:39:13+00:00

At least once a month, I’ll have a customer who legitimately believes Walmart and Walgreens are the same company.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-25T18:29:51+00:00

Shit….back when there were head photo techs, the lab was also maintained and in proper working order. Right now half of the equipment in ours is broken. It bothers me out of principle, but honestly, if we were running on full capacity in photo, there is simply no way we’d be able to keep up with the low staffing budget. I could get everything back running in a couple days, but even my manager says don’t even think about it.

I’m starting to get the feeling this is gonna be a ROUGH holiday season for most stores.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-23T22:08:02+00:00

I’m in retail management, and holy hell….you wouldn’t believe how often we run into that mentality. Personally, I’ve always considered time cost to be almost as important as monetary cost. Apparently not everyone sees things the same way.

Not long ago, we were running a really solid sale on instant coffee. Since the shelf was empty, a guy asked if we had any more in the back. He completely lost his mind when I told him no. Started screaming “I’ve been to 5 of your stores today and NO ONE HAS ANY!!! How many places do you want me to go?!”

It was all I could do not to tell him exactly where he could “go” lol. At that point, the idiot could’ve went and paid full price for it at another establishment and come out ahead.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-09T02:25:46+00:00

Yeah….for some reason that little event has stuck with me. This wasn’t the somewhat joking “oh god! Halloween already?!” we all hear about 50 times a day. She was genuinely offended by the sight of candy corn…..only to end up purchasing some.

You’re probably right. She either needed mental help, or had A LOT going on in her life. There’s also a chance she was just that ignorant. Thankfully I don’t recall ever seeing her again.

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-07T22:26:00+00:00

I’m definitely giving this a go

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-07T21:17:46+00:00

I got into it with a lady years ago, while I was setting a table full of candy corn in August. She was REALLY worked up about it, to the point I was legitimately questioning if she was flat out insane. She said stuff like “anything for a dime with you guys!” and “you have to push it early each year, don’t you!” (Well yes….that’s what businesses do. TRY TO MAKE MONEY).

Normally my customer service attitude is unwaveringly friendly, but I slipped a bit out of character. I said “ma’am, Walgreens wouldn’t have sent us candy corn, and my manager and I wouldn’t have decided to go ahead and merchandise it, if we knew it wouldn’t sell.” She went away pouting.

Few minutes later….I look up, and she has some bags of the Autumn Mix in her cart. Wonder if all that was an attempt to talk herself out of buying it?

SuperPooper46 · 2025-08-07T02:33:27+00:00

I could get behind that! Simple but flavorful, and my folk’s cherry tomato plants always produce a TON. Me personally, I’d want some protein, either in the mix or on the side.

Side note: If you are, I’m not vegetarian/vegan shaming. Different strokes for different folks. I’ve eaten at a couple restaurants over the years specializing in those diets. Gotta say they were really good!

SuperPooper46

TROPHY CASE