My new manager made me cry!!
By courtknee525
@courtknee525 (3742)
United States
March 30, 2012 11:07am CST
This past week the section of the store I work in got a new category manager. Ever since I've started working there, we didn't have our own manager and so managers from other parts of the store would come to our side and basically check up on things.
So this week our new manager had her first day. I didn't want to decide whether or not I liked her on the first day, so I let all of her controlling behaviors slide. First, she came into the store and treated us like we worked in a department store..which we're not. She assigned people to different parts of the room and we pretty much had to stay in one spot..even if we were done taking care of our section and somebody needed help.
Well yesterday was her second day and she was even worse. When I got there, nobody was allowed to leave their zone and I could tell that the girls were annoyed. I got out on the floor and my manager told me to stay on one side of the room while another girl stayed on the other. Five minutes later she came back in and told me to go somewhere else. She kept doing this for about an hour and I could never stay in one spot and just focus on the job. Then there came a point where I was the only one in the room. my manager told me to stay on the panties (which were already done). I saw someone who needed help with the bras so I walked the 4 feet to the bras and was helping them. My manager came back and saw me by the bras and told me that I should be on the panties. I told her they were done and she asked if the drawers were done too (and they were pretty good and not messy). She happened to open up the most annoying panty style drawer and told me they weren't done. I told her that they always looked like that because it's hard to fold them and make them look nice.
She then took out the drawer and taught me how to fold panties after I've already been doing it for about 7 months now. Not only did she teach me how to do something I already knew how to do, she told me she was switching me with another girl so I could go do something "easier".
That's what made me crack. I was angry and felt humiliated and I just couldn't hold my tears in anymore. My old supervisor had seen what she was doing to me all day and hugged me while I cried. Then my manager came over and took me away.
I was so fed up after that they I barely spoke to her and I just nodded and did what she told me to do.
1 person likes this
6 responses
@timetravel (1425)
• United States
30 Mar 12
Is there someone above her you could speak with if this keeps up? She must be accountable to someone else. Everyone under the Boss is accountable to another person. Or, if there is a spare moment, perhaps when she moves you somewhere else, you could ask her what you should do if a customer needs help in another department and no one is assigned to that part of the store. I've always found it best to put things back on the person who tells you what and how to do something. Such as, "Are you telling me to stay here even if a customer in another area needs help?". Clarify something like that - repeating what she says - it will probably sound stupid back at her - hopefully - some people say a lot of stuff and don't realize how idiotic it sounds until it's repeated back in some way.
You could even say, "Could you help make it clear what I am supposed to do when my work in this section is finished?"
The ideas are worth a shot, anywho. Good luck!
1 person likes this
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
30 Mar 12
There are bosses higher than her but I don't want to run complaining to them just yet because one of the higher managers actually hired her and loves her so far. But I like your idea of asking her questions and pretty much repeating what she says. If it sounds dumb to me, then I sure hope it would sound stupid to her as well. We'll see how things go...
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
30 Mar 12
This is so sad. Some people behave like that just to show that they are the boss. You have been there earlier and know how to do your job the best, so you should be safe - especially since your previous supervisor sees what is going on. But learning to handle this situation will take time.
I second that you should ask her questions to clarify what she wants. Is it important to help the customers if they need it, or it's more important to arrange the panties while those who want to buy something leave? If she keeps doing this, you might need to bring it up to someone who knows her or is above her.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
2 Apr 12
I think I'm going to start doing that. I won't be rude or mean about it, but I'll repeat what she wants me to do and ask if I just stand in my spot if someone needs help. And if I get in trouble by another manager for not helping someone, I'll just tell them that that's what my manager told me to do and that I had to stay in one spot.
If things keep going like this, I might start to look for a job somewhere else.
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
2 Apr 12
Is she still doing that? Yes, you should certainly tell other managers that she said you had to stand in one spot. If someone doesn't get help and leaves, that's not your fault. But it might be better to look for another job if she doesn't change, it's not easy to handle this situation when you know what you should do, but you are not allowed.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
7 Apr 12
That's too bad that you had to go through that! Is she still like that now?
I think that being it was her first few days, she just wanted to make an impression as 'the' manager. Unfortunately, she got blinded by it, and didn't think clearly. That there was no need of 'fixing' what you were doing before. That you could help out the next person when you're done doing your part. (I'm like that too! I have the compulsion to help out the next person when I'm done with my job).
I hope that you slowly stand up to her. I mean start asking her questions too, of what she wants. And to clarify her instructions so that she wouldn't drive the people there crazy.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
7 Apr 12
She's kind of eased off a bit, but I also haven't worked with her much since. She says everything super nicely, but you feel like she's being very condescending and fake towards you.
I try to just ignore it now and I'll fix what she tells me to do, but when I see other things that need to be done I'm going to move on to that so I'm not just standing around all day in one spot being idle.
She also says that she's going to start a new thing where she'll keep us after our shift has ended if our zone isn't perfect. But if I'm the only person folding panties and people keep messing it up, it's going to be pretty hard to finish and make it all perfect. There is no way she'll keep me past my scheduled time. I have no problem staying for my scheduled shift but after that, I make plans and I have things to do and stuff to get done.
I don't like the way she's trying to change every aspect about our section of the store
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
30 Mar 12
I am so sorry. I have had bosses that make me cry and it is awful. Its very difficult to work in that type of environment. I think the first responder is sooo right. Maybe asking will make her see how ridiculous she is being. And if there is someone above her I would speak to them in a respectful manner. I hope things improve for you soon...
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
30 Mar 12
Thank you. If things continue like this I'll definitely start asking her what I should do in certain situations if a customer needs me somewhere else. Right now it's just very frustrating because all the girls I work with are so used to move around freely to fix the store or help a customer and now we're restricted to stay in our designated spots. Hopefully it lets up soon or else I'll be looking for a job somewhere else.
@timetravel (1425)
• United States
30 Mar 12
perhaps the customers, too, might start looking for somewhere else to shop if they aren't getting the attention they are used to getting!
@onevoicemia (67)
• United States
30 Mar 12
She sounds like a real beach that loves to throw around her authority & make those working under her feel small. I've worked with managers like that back when I used to work at Walmart. I put up w/ it for as long as I could until I couldn't take it anymore & quit. I tried complaining to the higher ups before it got to that point, but unfortunately that got me no where. I soon found out that the managers there all stick together regardless of how one of them treat other fellow employees.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
2 Apr 12
That's exactly what she does. Her voice sounds really nice but really it's like she talks down to you and is very condescending. We're a pretty small section of the store and she wants us all to literally stand in one spot for our 7-8 hour shift and only focus on our little "zone". Personally, I don't like working that way because it's boring to do. Instead, I like to be assigned to one room and move around in it fixing things that need to be fixed or helping customers.
So far I'm not liking the way she manages and I might start looking for a job somewhere else.
