I Hate Blockbuster Forum  

Go Back   I Hate Blockbuster Forum > Lovers of Blockbuster > Are You An Employee Of Blockbuster?

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Unread March 29th, 2011, 10:09 PM
psycoma psycoma is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 227
Taking Back My Passion!

I'm new here but I've already gotten in a few posts and I'm no longer moderated so I wanted to take some time and hopefully find some common ground and commiseration for something that I've come to realize tonight.

When I first went to work for Blockbuster back in 1998, I'll be honest, I did it because it was the first place I saw that I could apply for. I had just moved to a new area and needed a job fast. My husband (then boyfriend) and I decided to rent a movie one night so we trekked up to the local Blockbuster store. At the register, as an afterthought I asked for an application. I figured, I love movies, love watching movies, and had just gotten done working at a gas station, so I wanted something different.

I got a call a couple days later, went in for an impromptu interview and was hired on the spot (back when they could still do that lol). I started as a CSR and within about 6 weeks was asked if I wanted to be promoted to ASM. I jumped at the opportunity. It was my first stint as a manager but I figured I could handle it and the pay increase was another bright spot.

For the most part, and for about 3 years, I loved my job. It wasn't too hard, the thing that sucked the most about it at all was not getting off work until 12:30 every night. Then, in their infinite wisdom, Blockbuster decided to introduce Direct TV as a retail opportunity within its stores. Looking back now, it almost seems as though that was the beginning of the end. If people have more choices of what to watch at home, why are they going to bother to come into the stores anymore?? Anywho, at that point, Blockbuster became more about the upsell than the customer satisfaction, at least in my eyes. Plus, at the time I was younger and not quite so self assured and self confident and having customers yell at me on a constant basis because I was trying to enforce policies that Blockbuster had set forth started to really wear me down.

Feeling very beaten and very defeated, I put in my notice. Cut to 6 years later and I found myself on the phone with my former SM asking her if she was in need of a good CSR that she knew she could count on for some part-time nights and weekends shifts. She hired me in as a 4 star but then the 4 star position went away so I was made a SL instead. I fell back into the old routines with one very noticeable difference; the focus on the upsell was now a fever pitch and we were getting barked at from every conceivable side. The only thing that made it remotely bearable was the fact that the SM felt that the buck stopped with her. She'd take the heat for her store if it under performed but she didn't let that negativity trickle down to us. She did her best to keep us motivated in as positive a way as possible.

She got transfered out and we got a new SM, one with very limited tenure in the company who was coming from a closing store. I had my reservations about him in the beginning but he ended up being a great driving force in sales and I'm pleased now to be able to call him a friend. Once again, the goals and barking was still coming down from upper management but he did his best to keep us motivated by not only being positive with coaching but leading by example. There was not a week that went by that he was not top in sales. Then he got transfered to another store that needed some sales help and we got the Store Manager from Dickville in his place.

The man constantly bullied the staff, insulted them, belittled them and made them feel as though they weren't worth the attention he'd give something he scraped off his shoe. I found out after 8 months under this person's "guidance" that our store was one of the ones on the chopping block. Without very much hesitation, I quit. Once again, I felt defeated. But oddly enough, not broken. I'm a stronger person than I was and this person's influence in my life was not enough to break me.

But I noticed something tonight, sitting here, reading these forums and watching tv. My experiences with Blockbuster over the last decade has killed my passion for movies. I used to love watching movies. My entire life, you couldn't find anybody who knew more about them than me. Even when I was little, like 8 or 9, if my parents wanted to know what a movie was about or if a movie on tv was any good, they'd ask me. I always seemed to know. (probably because I used to sneak into the living room at 2 in the morning to watch things like Halloween 2 on HBO). I don't feel the same way about movies anymore and that makes me sad. Somewhere along the way, watching movies went from something I loved to do to something more like a chore.

WELL NO MORE!!! If you're still with me (and I hope you are), let me share what happened tonight. Ladyhawke was on Encore...I...LOVE this movie! I had forgotten how good it was! And the ending. Oh.My.God.! This...this is what passion is! In the middle of the church, they see each other, the music swells, they declare their love, TRIUMPH!!!!!!! This is what I had forgotten.

This is what I'm taking back. Blockbuster, you sucked close to 7 years of my life away over the course of a decade. You took my self respect. You took my spirit. And make no mistake, I realize completely that I allowed that to happen. And you almost got away with my passion too. But I'm taking it back. It's mine....you can't have it.

All of you out there still in your stores, still plugging away, still fighting the good fight. Don't forget your passion. Most of us started working for Blockbuster because we loved movies. Don't make the mistake I made.

TL; DR: Don't let Blockbuster rob you of your passion. Stay if you must, but don't lose sight of who you are, what you're worth and what you love.
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to psycoma For This Useful Post:
abhorrent scowl (March 30th, 2011), almondSM (March 31st, 2011), Antithesys (March 30th, 2011), Big Dog (March 30th, 2011), BUYMECAR (March 31st, 2011), Freemason220 (March 30th, 2011), FZappa (March 30th, 2011), HelloItsMeMOM (March 30th, 2011), its_me_ASM69 (March 31st, 2011), SuspectRoll (March 30th, 2011), TheAnomaly (March 31st, 2011)
  #2  
Unread March 29th, 2011, 11:09 PM
MaximusX7's Avatar
MaximusX7 MaximusX7 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 265
I knew it was going all down hill when you 'trekked' up to blockbuster...
  #3  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 01:33 AM
wheresmikey's Avatar
wheresmikey wheresmikey is offline
IHBB Freak
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The internets
Posts: 1,226
Thank you for the tl;dr version.

But seriously, I read it and greatly enjoyed it.
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Don't believe in yourself - believe in ME! Believe in the KAMINA who believes in YOU!

Last edited by wheresmikey; March 30th, 2011 at 01:40 AM.
The Following User Says Thank You to wheresmikey For This Useful Post:
psycoma (March 30th, 2011)
  #4  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 04:32 AM
bbv123456 bbv123456 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: HELL
Posts: 32
wow very similar as far as not liking movies anymore. i was a movie freak. havent watched one since december. used to watch 5-10 easy a week.
  #5  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 04:36 AM
Freemason220 Freemason220 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 206
Very good post.

Blockbuster will never take my passion for what I love to do. I enjoy talking to people about movies and games. I love seeing the faces of people who really enjoy movies I recommend.

Blockbuster maybe be trying to push sales onto people, but I'm pushing back by doing things that have long been forgotten by most in Upper Management. Those things are talking about movies, letting people browse freely within my store without having to worry about some sleezy salesman trying to get you into a program or sell you a candy bundle.

We're not used care salesmen here! We took the job because we like movies and/or games. That's the very core of our business, and people seemed to have forgotten that.

Instead of selling candy bundles; why not get them to rent another movie at 3-5 bucks which will give you the same revenue?

Instead of TA; why not sell in-store passes to make sure you get the most profit out of it?

The truth is that most people that walk into your stores already have candy, are about to eat dinner, or have a convenience store up the street that sells candy and sodas for much cheaper price.

Plus as our local corporate mongrel (cheap shot at 482; no offense though ) "Candy Bundles won't save the business"
The Following User Says Thank You to Freemason220 For This Useful Post:
psycoma (March 30th, 2011)
  #6  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 04:37 AM
AbandonedDreams's Avatar
AbandonedDreams AbandonedDreams is offline
IHBB GOD
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Everywhere
Posts: 3,083
Send a message via AIM to AbandonedDreams
Thank you for that well written, punctuated, and paragraphed post. I actually read it.


I was never really a movie buff, but BBV was a job for me. It also killed the not as great as your love for movies I had. I still won't watch many movies on my own (especially not dvds at home), usually I only do when my hubby buys something for us to watch together.

I started to hate movies so much that when my husband told me he secretly wanted to work in a record shop, I made very clear that I thought it would kill his love of vinyl, which he seems to have taken under advisement.
__________________
Remind me never to play poker in this town.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to AbandonedDreams For This Useful Post:
psycoma (March 30th, 2011), sar94pga (March 30th, 2011)
  #7  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 06:10 AM
Hot Head's Avatar
Hot Head Hot Head is offline
IHBB GOD
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: In my car
Posts: 3,106
Money and the power, Power and the money is all that matters to me.
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
╭∩╮(︶__︶)╭∩╮

Even the Devil, which is the main share holder of blockbuster is saying you guys are making me look bad!

Horse Power is how fast you hit the wall. Torque is how far you take the wall with you.
  #8  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 07:22 AM
psycoma psycoma is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 227
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbandonedDreams View Post
Thank you for that well written, punctuated, and paragraphed post. I actually read it.

lol I tend to babble so I know the importance of paragraphs...hello wall 'o text!!
  #9  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 07:37 AM
psycoma psycoma is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 227
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freemason220 View Post
I love seeing the faces of people who really enjoy movies I recommend.
Thank you for the compliment and this comment by you was something that got me through the holiday season this year while working Thanksgiving, Christmas eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. In the past it never mattered if I worked holidays because as an adult, you can celebrate whenever you want. Now that I have a child though, I really wanted to be able to spend at the very least Christmas morning at home. There's something magical about Christmas morning and watching the face of your child as he or she opens presents. Sure, you can do that Christmas Eve or even later Christmas Day but it just isn't the same.

I was a little annoyed that I had to work at all on Christmas but thankful that my SM understood and scheduled me for Christmas night instead of morning. Talking to my husband after my daughter (she's 2) went to bed xmas eve, something occurred to me. One of my fondest and most special childhood memories of Christmas was the Christmas I spent with my mom right after she got divorced. It was the year that A Christmas Story came out in theaters. We were living in Texas at the time, San Antonio to be exact, and it was colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra. It is in fact (to this day) one of the coldest Christmas Days on record.

My mom had promised me a trip to the zoo so, true to her word, after we opened presents, we went to a fancy brunch and then to the zoo. It was so cold that we spent most of the time in the bird and reptile houses, clutching cups of hot cocoa. Then we went to the movie theater and watched A Christmas Story. It was the perfect day, the perfect Christmas, and a memory that I hope to emulate some day with my own daughter. If someone had not had to spend their Christmas working, at the zoo, at the buffet brunch, and at the movie theater, I would have been denied one of the happiest memories of my entire life. So I thought about that, and translated it into my current situation. Maybe, just maybe, somebody will come in with their parents, their family, after a particularly traumatizing year and rent a movie. And maybe, just maybe, the memory of that experience will stay with them forever, will be happy, will remind them of all the things about life that are wonderful.

If I didn't work that day because Blockbuster decided to be closed, I would be taking the opportunity of that memory away from someone else. Thinking about it like that is what allowed me to not only be ok with working that day, but also to be ok with not spending all of Christmas with my daughter and my family. Yah, I still think it sucks that places are open on Holidays at a retail storefront level when the Corporate side of things is closed. It's incredibly hypocritical to me that just because somebody works in an office somewhere that I'll never visit and wears a suit and tie to work they don't have to make the same sacrifices I do. But then again, not nearly as many people hate me lol
The Following User Says Thank You to psycoma For This Useful Post:
FZappa (March 30th, 2011)
  #10  
Unread March 30th, 2011, 08:39 AM
Hot Head's Avatar
Hot Head Hot Head is offline
IHBB GOD
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: In my car
Posts: 3,106
psycoma use the quote button zooworker will get his panties up in a bunch if you dont
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
╭∩╮(︶__︶)╭∩╮

Even the Devil, which is the main share holder of blockbuster is saying you guys are making me look bad!

Horse Power is how fast you hit the wall. Torque is how far you take the wall with you.
 

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:10 PM.


vBulletin Version 3.7.1
© 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.