I run a troop store at an Army camp in the US. The only employee at that store. As such, you could imagine how much time I tend to have on my hands.
Started out in a larger BX on an AF base not too far from where I'm at now (maybe 30 minutes away). Was hired on at minimum wage to work the clothing department. However, as I'm sure many other employees on this site know already, there were a couple key words in the job posting that vague enough to mean anything. Words like "rover" and "other duties as assigned" come to mind. Apparently, they meant "you'll be covering the entire sales floor" and "you'll be responsible for stocking shelves, working in the warehouse, training other associates, loading/unloading merchandise" by that. At times, I felt I was the only employee at that facility.
Now I am the only employee at my current facility, and have to rely entirely on other facilities to receive things like merchandise and supplies. I can see why the person I replaced quit.
That particular person actually stopped by shortly after I was hired on, and asked me "have they started treating you like the red-headed stepchild yet?" I thought it was a joke at first. I was wrong. Very wrong.
Now, I know my customers. I'm glad to help them out as much as I can. In fact, many of them stop by on their 15 minute breaks or their lunch breaks an we just chat. I don't pressure anyone into buying anything, and I try to get them what they want when they want something.
However, the facilities I'm supposed to get merchandise from don't seem to feel the way I do. When I try to get merchandise the soldiers are asking for, I'm told "sorry, we're out of stock," "sorry, we don't carry that item anymore," or "sorry, looks like that item hasn't been in the system for quite some time." Lies, lies, lies. Worse, the stuff I was getting was expired!
I cannot and will not tolerate lies. That is not how I was raised. I know first-hand that the only reason I'm alive and able to anything today is because the brave men and women in uniform that defend our very ways of life. I grew up respecting the camo, and I'll be damned if I'm expected to lie to any soldier, sailor, airman, or marine.
I found out I was being lied to when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I began heading over to the other stores and pulling my own merchandise ON MY DAYS OFF, just to make sure it showed up. Lo and behold, I started getting the stuff the customers have been asking for. Little things like Mt Dew, Snickers, shaving cream... things that the larger facilities felt they needed more than I knew I needed. Things they had plenty of on the shelf and more in their stockrooms that I've been sold out on for weeks...
Then a manager stopped me, and asked what I was doing. I pointed out to her that the only way I could make sure anything got done was to do it myself. Her response was "stop what you're doing, because you're taking work away from MY night-shift." I didn't really care. They weren't doing their job properly.
So instead, they started taking equipment away from me that I needed. My troops want nachos. I was told our cheese dispenser was recalled and had to be mailed in for replacement. I was told that replacement would show up in two weeks. Three weeks later, I ask what's going on with it. Turns out, one of the other stores received my replacement unit and is using it alongside the one they initially received, "to increase their sales potential."
My store averages $500 a day. Their store averages $20,000 a day. Nachos sell for $1.99... and my store doesn't need them because...?
I've been without a working computer in the office for 2 months. My backup register is dead. My safe doesn't like to open. I have coolers with loose seals. I have burned-out lights. Hell, for a while, I didn't even have a single smoke detector (finally put one in the other day).
Our regional and local IT people haven't even bothered to check my computer, yet still send me e-mails (and, occasionally, try to fax stuff to my non-existent fax machine). HQ actually called ASKING if anyone has checked my backup register yet (thanks a lot...), then hung up when I said no. No word on getting the light-bulbs replaced (and I'm NOT paying for those out of pocket). I can get over all the other stuff, but those 3 things are inexcusable.
Indeed, my facility is the Red-headed stepchild of Western Region.
