An Inconvenient Corporate Truth

[deathbydanny]

This thread is basically here because I'm motivated to put out notice to anyone, be it on store level or corporate level, to start taking the advice and complaints of the grunts seriously, because I'm fucking aggravated at this point for being, as most of you were, a whipping boy for the company.

One year ago, and I'm sure someone like Kawliga will be happy to remind you, we were almost all employed and successful (as far as we could be) with Blockbuster. We defended the company relentlessly, standing in the face of overwhelming fact because we did our jobs, did them well, and continued to do so as our jobs went from cool video store jobs, to salesman jobs, to farces, to outright mockeries. We've all seen our jobs go from extremely busy and extremely in demand to stores where, on Saturday nights, you can still hear crickets chirping by 8pm. We've seen customers leave in droves as one bad business decision after another cripples our stores, plainly telling us (factually) that the competition offers better deals on the same stuff, that they're unsatisfied (through no fault of our own, though we take the blame) and personally, just how many people (surprising and even touching my heart) simply don't go back because I'm no longer there.

That last statement, contrary to what endless meetings and booklets tell you, is customer service. When a customer knows there's better deals and more useful items, better looking stores and whathaveyou, but still keep coming back to your store and spending their hard earned money with you simply because YOU ARE THERE. Though most customers are idiots, the occasional diamond in the rough will have integrity, will have self respect, and have the money to decisively factor in which company stays and which goes.

So, instead of keeping customer service around, what does Blockbuster do? Demand sales. They ignore the plain fact that sales are impossible without someone to sell to. They forget that sales goals on a computer screen do not mesh well against reality. Hell, I have a feeling that if a store collapsed in an earthquake tomorrow, corporate's only concern will be two days later, when tomorrow's sales weren't up to par.

Despite what you believe or were led to believe, we were good employees. We aren't just some schmucks who waltzed into a video store, had to be taught how to talk and type, and just got lucky. Some of us had careers with ol' Blue lasting since Reagan was in office. And this was at a time where Blockbuster could afford to be choosy.

Now, we have been replaced with monkeys who fucking hit buttons. Now, we are given sales goals, selling Total Access packages, prompting the customer to do all his business away from the stores, yet we're told this will help us. It really is like being told we have to sell the machines that will replace us in a year. We are blamed for lack of sales, even if extenuating circumstances otherwise permit. Blockbuster doesn't care if, say, the weather was beautiful, or a fair or parade is in town, where customers are away doing other things (because everyone on earth is a lazy ass who sits on his couch only leaving to get movies to watch, right?) If literally all of our regulars skip going in that day to go to a parade, it doesn't matter that no one came in. It only matters that I wasn't selling useless things to people who weren't even in the fucking store. No excuses, right? Would Blockbuster be happy if I stepped into the middle of the road with a shotgun, threatening each and every one of them unless they came into my store and bought an online program which, contrary to common sense, is being hyped as saving my job?

I want to hear a straight answer to this, by the way-- how exactly will selling online programs, which are specifically designed to come to customer's homes, negating the need to go to the video store, supposed to, um, bring people into the video store?

Is it in free trades? OK, they're in my store, but now my store is losing money, because a rental I could have gotten someone (if anyone cared to come in) to pay for is being given to some asshole.

This is Capitalism 101-- don't make money, don't have a job. How is losing money on our unique inventory supposed to keep my store open?

And back to why not selling is my fault-- how is that? More often than not, I met my sales goals. If I wasn't top seller, I was consistently in the top three. Even district wide, I was in the TOP TEN. Tell me this is an employee you want to get rid of and replace with two people, though they make less, often don't get sales at all?

What about days where I did sell to two people, out of six who walked through the door, but because I didn't have labor hours, I was tied up with those two paying customers while the other four raided my sell-through section, took more than triple what the other two just paid for, and even if I know it, I can't do anything about it because all four of the cameras in the store are on me, not the floor? I can't even call the cops, because then, if it actually went to court, how could I prove it? Not like I have a tape to back my word up.

But alas, I can't worry about thieves, obsolete and/or counterproductive sales are what I'm supposed to do, right? So I have a goal of two TAs this day. Fair enough, but should I ask the four guys stealing if they're interested? Should I ask the first of two paying customers? Or the second one, who, as it turns out, isn't paying at all because he has a movie pass and "left his wallet at home"?

OR, what if no one comes in at all? The competition Blockbuster obviously wasn't worried about a few years ago has turned it anorexic. While selling to my invisible friends and maybe some ghosts and the rats hiding under the ice cream cooler that I can't get rid of because BBV won't spring for an exterminator, whilst that rat hides under confection that expired during America's bicentennial, and I try to call IPT or something but hey, my phone hasn't worked in months and no one's coming to fix it, maybe I can make my TA goal that way. Since no one's coming in, maybe I'll sell one to the rat, and another to the exterminator!

And even if I could overlook all this, what am I getting for it? Am I lucky to have a job? Sure, but you could be an asshole and say hey, slaves during the American Revolution were lucky to have jobs, because maybe their damn master fed them. Because other than that, I sure don't feel lucky that I'm not getting commission like every single other sales-required job in the universe. Or even better, basic things that every employee in the galaxy EXCEPT FOR BLOCKBUSTER EMPLOYEES gets, like raises. And you know? If it'd been fair, I could've stymied that complaint, except the guy responsible (and don't weasel out of this, if even conflicting major papers agree, you're onto something) for putting the company into this clusterfuck is collecting a bonus of $400,000.

How fair is that? You're rewarding failure! To make this a precedent, you'd have to pay me an extra $100 for every Rewards membership I DIDN'T sell!

Ugh. I've had enough. The stores are OK by me, but until the overseers pull their heads out of the bull's ass and see it for what it is, I don't see the point in having faith in this stupid company. Though most of you hate to agree with this, Kawliga was right all along, it was only a matter of when. Now, with no plan in mind and a majority owner who's only interested in making his money back (that doesn't sound like a recipe for "keep the stores open!", I'll go one better-- it's only a matter of time before people see the vending machines on the odd street corner and go, "This used to be an actual store?"

[Lackluster]

I love this!

I totally agree with total access we are all totally screwed. Its been happening for a few years now. Sell the customer on our mail program and give them free in store rentals will save your store. Bullshit! They will come in and buy candy and soda. Whoooaaa they spent a whole 3 dollars while they leave with a 5 dollar movie that a paying customer would of rented since its only tuesday and came out today.

Corporate and Carl open your eyes. Harassing every customer that walks though your door for a reward, candy bundle, total access, pre-sale, direct access, or some other dumb ass promotion is scaring people away. Face it when you go to target or something do you like always being asked do you want to sign up for our credit card. I know its our job and we all do it but cum on already. We need to stop with all these gay promotions and focus on helping and building the business. Rewards will not save your store.

God Help Us

[KAWLIGA]

I'm KAWLIGA... and I support this message.

[Hot Head]

Originally Posted by deathbydanny

This thread is basically here because I'm motivated to put out notice to anyone, be it on store level or corporate level, to start taking the advice and complaints of the grunts seriously, because I'm fucking aggravated at this point for being, as most of you were, a whipping boy for the company.

One year ago, and I'm sure someone like Kawliga will be happy to remind you, we were almost all employed and successful (as far as we could be) with Blockbuster. We defended the company relentlessly, standing in the face of overwhelming fact because we did our jobs, did them well, and continued to do so as our jobs went from cool video store jobs, to salesman jobs, to farces, to outright mockeries. We've all seen our jobs go from extremely busy and extremely in demand to stores where, on Saturday nights, you can still hear crickets chirping by 8pm. We've seen customers leave in droves as one bad business decision after another cripples our stores, plainly telling us (factually) that the competition offers better deals on the same stuff, that they're unsatisfied (through no fault of our own, though we take the blame) and personally, just how many people (surprising and even touching my heart) simply don't go back because I'm no longer there.

That last statement, contrary to what endless meetings and booklets tell you, is customer service. When a customer knows there's better deals and more useful items, better looking stores and whathaveyou, but still keep coming back to your store and spending their hard earned money with you simply because YOU ARE THERE. Though most customers are idiots, the occasional diamond in the rough will have integrity, will have self respect, and have the money to decisively factor in which company stays and which goes.

So, instead of keeping customer service around, what does Blockbuster do? Demand sales. They ignore the plain fact that sales are impossible without someone to sell to. They forget that sales goals on a computer screen do not mesh well against reality. Hell, I have a feeling that if a store collapsed in an earthquake tomorrow, corporate's only concern will be two days later, when tomorrow's sales weren't up to par.

Despite what you believe or were led to believe, we were good employees. We aren't just some schmucks who waltzed into a video store, had to be taught how to talk and type, and just got lucky. Some of us had careers with ol' Blue lasting since Reagan was in office. And this was at a time where Blockbuster could afford to be choosy.

Now, we have been replaced with monkeys who fucking hit buttons. Now, we are given sales goals, selling Total Access packages, prompting the customer to do all his business away from the stores, yet we're told this will help us. It really is like being told we have to sell the machines that will replace us in a year. We are blamed for lack of sales, even if extenuating circumstances otherwise permit. Blockbuster doesn't care if, say, the weather was beautiful, or a fair or parade is in town, where customers are away doing other things (because everyone on earth is a lazy ass who sits on his couch only leaving to get movies to watch, right?) If literally all of our regulars skip going in that day to go to a parade, it doesn't matter that no one came in. It only matters that I wasn't selling useless things to people who weren't even in the fucking store. No excuses, right? Would Blockbuster be happy if I stepped into the middle of the road with a shotgun, threatening each and every one of them unless they came into my store and bought an online program which, contrary to common sense, is being hyped as saving my job?

I want to hear a straight answer to this, by the way-- how exactly will selling online programs, which are specifically designed to come to customer's homes, negating the need to go to the video store, supposed to, um, bring people into the video store?

Is it in free trades? OK, they're in my store, but now my store is losing money, because a rental I could have gotten someone (if anyone cared to come in) to pay for is being given to some asshole.

This is Capitalism 101-- don't make money, don't have a job. How is losing money on our unique inventory supposed to keep my store open?

And back to why not selling is my fault-- how is that? More often than not, I met my sales goals. If I wasn't top seller, I was consistently in the top three. Even district wide, I was in the TOP TEN. Tell me this is an employee you want to get rid of and replace with two people, though they make less, often don't get sales at all?

What about days where I did sell to two people, out of six who walked through the door, but because I didn't have labor hours, I was tied up with those two paying customers while the other four raided my sell-through section, took more than triple what the other two just paid for, and even if I know it, I can't do anything about it because all four of the cameras in the store are on me, not the floor? I can't even call the cops, because then, if it actually went to court, how could I prove it? Not like I have a tape to back my word up.

But alas, I can't worry about thieves, obsolete and/or counterproductive sales are what I'm supposed to do, right? So I have a goal of two TAs this day. Fair enough, but should I ask the four guys stealing if they're interested? Should I ask the first of two paying customers? Or the second one, who, as it turns out, isn't paying at all because he has a movie pass and "left his wallet at home"?

OR, what if no one comes in at all? The competition Blockbuster obviously wasn't worried about a few years ago has turned it anorexic. While selling to my invisible friends and maybe some ghosts and the rats hiding under the ice cream cooler that I can't get rid of because BBV won't spring for an exterminator, whilst that rat hides under confection that expired during America's bicentennial, and I try to call IPT or something but hey, my phone hasn't worked in months and no one's coming to fix it, maybe I can make my TA goal that way. Since no one's coming in, maybe I'll sell one to the rat, and another to the exterminator!

And even if I could overlook all this, what am I getting for it? Am I lucky to have a job? Sure, but you could be an asshole and say hey, slaves during the American Revolution were lucky to have jobs, because maybe their damn master fed them. Because other than that, I sure don't feel lucky that I'm not getting commission like every single other sales-required job in the universe. Or even better, basic things that every employee in the galaxy EXCEPT FOR BLOCKBUSTER EMPLOYEES gets, like raises. And you know? If it'd been fair, I could've stymied that complaint, except the guy responsible (and don't weasel out of this, if even conflicting major papers agree, you're onto something) for putting the company into this clusterfuck is collecting a bonus of $400,000.

How fair is that? You're rewarding failure! To make this a precedent, you'd have to pay me an extra $100 for every Rewards membership I DIDN'T sell!

Ugh. I've had enough. The stores are OK by me, but until the overseers pull their heads out of the bull's ass and see it for what it is, I don't see the point in having faith in this stupid company. Though most of you hate to agree with this, Kawliga was right all along, it was only a matter of when. Now, with no plan in mind and a majority owner who's only interested in making his money back (that doesn't sound like a recipe for "keep the stores open!", I'll go one better-- it's only a matter of time before people see the vending machines on the odd street corner and go, "This used to be an actual store?"

You are now a pimp hand hall of famer.

Keep your pimp hand strong.

[ClutztomerControl]

Well said!

[Finallyfreebaby]

Well said, BB went from being a fun place to chat with regulars about movies and life to a dismal wasteland of mildewy carpet (the store fucking smells!), falling ceiling tiles, used car salesman sleaziness and cheap sex in the RDO's conference room ;P (The only real fun I had there the last year) The only things missing are tumbleweeds and rabid dogs eating carcasses. And if the huge fly infestation we had is a signal of things to come, aforementioned stuff isn't far off...

[skitchx48]

I...I think I love you.

In all seriousness though, I had FOUR non-flagged customers today, two of whom said they hadn't "rented a movie in years." Towards the end of my shift my DM (who actually isn't as bad as most I've heard about on here) calls to say that I need to get TA's. What am I supposed to do? The people who come to the store come to the store for a reason. It's not as if Netflix is new. Most people who want to rent online already do!

So for the scant few people who come into the store and aren't already on some sort of program, I'm supposed to harass them into taking their business to the internet?

The bottom line is the future of this company (if it has one) lies with the online and kiosks. Corporate knows this. They are, understandably, moving the company in that direction. I have no problem with this. They have a right to try to make money. What I do have a problem with are the lies and propaganda they cram down our throats.

I get why they do this. If they acknowledged we were selling our jobs away, no one would sell the damn thing. In this economic climate, people are so scared of losing their jobs that they are willing to take actions that render their jobs obsolete by willingly buying into this illusion. And corporate is fully taking advantage of this fear.

I'm done. I'll sell bundles. I'll sell presales. Hell, I'll even sell pickles. But I will not sell away my job, and the jobs of my coworkers, just so some bigwig in Dallas can keep his.

If the stores really were as important as corporate claims they are, then they would listen to us, value us, and take us seriously. If they can't give us that consideration, why should I (or anyone else) give it to them?

[itirnitii]

Just be glad Blockbuster didn't buy Netflix when they had the chance... because they probably would have fucked that up too.

[zooworker]

I am zooworker and also ex loyal employee, and I support Dannys message also....

[djblade]

I'm djblade and I support this message too