9.1% unemployment but every business we go into is understaffed. Explain that one

[NNN0LHI]

My wife and I started our day yesterday at Kohl's. Had a $10.00 gift card we received in the mail off anything we buy so we went to look at the shoes. I need a pair of shoes and figured I would get myself a pair of shoes for Fathers Day. Looking at the shoes and the box they came in my wife and I started looking for the COO(Country of Origin,) label and neither of us could find one after 5 minutes of looking. So we were going to ask someone where they were made. There was no one to ask. Only workers we could find in this store were the two people at the checkout who were busy as hell running peoples credit applications for a Kohl's in store credit card to get 30% off their purchases.

Never did find out what the COO was for the shoes but that is for another thread. Figured Kohl's can kiss my ass if they don't want to have enough employees to answer a question or two. We left without buying anything. And we won't go back. Cheap bastards.

Went out for lunch and found the same thing there. There was one waitress in the entire restaurant. And that appeared to be like they normally operated. I noticed the same lady who greeted and seated us was busing the tables after people left. Our drinks sat on the bar for about 15 minutes until the bartender finally brought them out to us. Not the waitress. I seen the bartender bringing out peoples meals because the one waitress was busy doing other stuff.

My wife and I discussed this on the ride home. Got to pay good money for bad service because the owner is too cheap to have a large enough crew to do the job right? No, that isn't happening any more. Won't go back to Kohl's and we will not be eating out much if at all any more.

Anyone else noticing this?

Don

[closeupready]

1. Yes, I noticed this at a Duane Reade recently; the "cashier" doubled as stock clerk.

And she was alone. So I go to the cashier and wait, and it took her so long, I put the item down and walked out.

[xchrom]

2. oh yeah. & it's really aggravating in the big boxes. nt

[Deep13]

3. I think big business is playing presidential politics.

They are sitting on a few trillion dollars in unused assets. They know Obama cannot be reelected if the economy does not improve. They are offended by his modest reform efforts.

[emulatorloo]

47. I totally agree. And the GOP'ers are doing everything to keep the economy bad so they can win in '12

Sickening.

[TBF]

53. You've lost sight of the fact that democrats have been in power the past 3 years -

why did we hold George W. accountable for every problem, but refuse to do the same with the current president?

[Deep13]

55. He's not doing enough. That's true...

...but there isn't much he can do about big business refusing to spend money.

[TBF]

58. Tax the crap out of them rather than giving them rebates -

use that tax to create jobs (yes, government jobs - the horror!). Lots of infrastructure to fix up, let's get on it.

[Deep13]

59. Yup, I agree. nt

[glinda]

125. Yes.

[Brigid]

77. Let's take a look at the math here:

Businesses are sitting on trillions in assets but won't hire. Millions of Americans out of work. It will take trillions to fix our infrastructure, and lots of manpower. Yes, the answer is obvious.

[girl gone mad]

79. Businesses are sitting on trillions in debt.

They've been taking advantage of the junk bond bubble to build up cash reserves and make their books look better, but this is money that they've borrowed, not money that they've earned. It has to be paid back, with interest.

American companies are not in robust financial shape. Federal Reserve data show that their debts have been rising, not falling. By some measures, they are now more leveraged than at any time since the Great Depression.

You'd think someone might have noticed something amiss. After all, we were simultaneously being told that companies (a) had more money than they know what to do with; (b) had even more money coming in due to a surge in profits; yet (c) they have been out in the bond market borrowing as fast as they can.

Does that sound a little odd to you?

A look at the facts shows that companies only have "record amounts of cash" in the way that Subprime Suzy was flush with cash after that big refi back in 2005. So long as you don't look at the liabilities, the picture looks great. Hey, why not buy a Jacuzzi?

According to the Federal Reserve, nonfinancial firms borrowed another $289 billion in the first quarter, taking their total domestic debts to $7.2 trillion, the highest level ever. That's up by $1.1 trillion since the first quarter of 2007; it's twice the level seen in the late 1990s.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-biggest-lie-about-us-companies-2010-08-03

[EC]

102. And in real life

How can Pres. Obama do that?

I agree that is what has to be done. But how? There is no way we will get repubs to vote for any tax increase.

[StarsInHerHair]

134. Rebuild America Act on every ballot in every State? & actually upgrading the

infrastructure

[comtec]

117. republicans have blocked EVERY bill that would have helped

as much as i hate to admit it, the crap bills that did get through were the best we could get past the senate.

Hary reid has no spine or balls.

GREAT bills passed pelosi's house, but ried's senate is shit.

bu even with the shitty bills that passed, have done wonders for the economy.

even I, NOT a lover of Obama, think that this economy is the gop's fault 100% because they refused to allow him to get done, what needed to get done.

[awoke_in_2003]

128. and when democrats...

held the reins of power in both houses of congress and the presidency, they did nothing. "Oh, the evil republicans are stopping us". Republicans never had filibuster proof majorities, but always managed to shove their crap down our throats. One party that goes by two different names.

[comtec]

186. kind of

mind you we agree.
IF Obama had WANTED more legislation through im certain he could have forced lieberman to vote correctly
but i am forced to agree also that lieberman is not a reliable 60th vote.

THAT said... yes they should have changed the senate rules and invoked the nuclear option to be able to kill a filibusterer with a simple majority.

ried id spineless, Obama is corporate, LIEberman is scum, and the rest of he dem's (except franken) are useless it seems.

[JDPriestly]

120. Yes. At the very least, he could go out and explain to the people the

flaws in the right-wing economic theories. At least he could if he were not so captured by them himself.

Problem is that deep in his heart of hearts, Obama is a conservative. He can't take a strong stance against the Republicans because he is a conservative himself.

It's so bad for the American people, so bad.

That is why I have the John Edwards avatar. He had moral flaws, but he was the only candidate talking about trade and jobs and the Two Americas. He was on the right side on the issues for all of his faults. I don't know whether he would have done any better than Obama, but at least it might have been possible.

Now we are pretty much ruined.

[trud]

155. he can do something about leveling the playing field

so that companies that outsource are financially clobbered in a way that offsets the financial benefit to them of paying slave labor wages/no pollution control costs so they might as well hire in the US. Also, infrastructure funding for job creation a la FDR.

Maybe Congress controls a lot of this, but he hasn't even tried.

[Obamanaut]

66. Pesky facts! nt

[emulatorloo]

67. You've lost sight of the abusive use of the fillibuster by Republicans since Obama took office

ON EDIT: Take a look at this article by Robert Parry

The GOP's CIA Playbook: Destabilize Country to Sweep Back Into Power

By Robert Parry, Consortium News
Posted on June 9, 2011, Printed on June 10, 2011
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1269282&mesg_id=1269282

The full article is worth reading, you will find it here:

http://www.alternet.org/story/151209

[OnyxCollie]

106. And what have the Senate Democrats done to stop that?

Jack shit.

Better to keep the powder dry than kill the republican boogeyman. They might actually have to do something then.

[awoke_in_2003]

129. democrat=republican...

they are all tools and do the bidding of their masters (not us)

[emulatorloo]

198. Not in Iowa, Michigan, etc etc. In Iowa, the senate dems stop every BATSHIT CRAZY legislation

coming from the Republican Gov and Crzy House. We are very lucky that Dems are still in control of the Senate here.

Nationally we are lucky the Dems still have control of the Senate or the RYAN BUDGET would have passed Congress.

The "they are all the same" thing is clever and all, but it does not stand up to the evidence we have seen since the 2010 election.

[eppur_se_muova]

81. Obama took office in January 2009 -- that's 2 years, 5 months.

Calling it "three years" is the latest RW talking point. Don't enable the opposition.

[Name removed]

100. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JDPriestly]

119. George W. left an economy to Obama that was an absolute disaster.

Obama has not taken strong enough stances to correct things, and he has hired to many right-wingers for his cabinet. Seems we just can't win.

This is a takeover by the very wealthy who are intentionally ruining the economy in order to enhance their power and be able to push us into still more wars to support their grab for oil.

We will pay. Sooner or later we will pay. And it is not fair.

The media does nothing to inform the people about what is going on. Shame on them.

[pasto76]

146. uh, cause not much gets done when the House blocks everything, no matter what it is

the same way Bushie used the veto threat. mutherfucker vetoed like three things under the republican house and senate, then when Dems took over, that fucking veto pen was in overdrive!

oh, that included his public threat, on the record, to veto the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

[AldebTX]

168. Last I Checked

The House was controlled by Repugs.....unfortunately the house controls the purse strings.

[Zoeisright]

172. Good god. Have you been paying attention?

REPUKES have been holding everything hostage. And they can do that in the Senate, since ONE senator can hold up bills.

Grow up.

[Harmony Blue]

76. The term you are looking for is Capital Strike

the problem is how do you prove there is foul play, or collusion involved? Well, we know the Bilderberg meeting is just a meeting of "friends" snicker that gather from all over the globe to discuss whatever "friends" discuss.

[awoke_in_2003]

127. I don't think they are...

they are conditioning us. At one time, the Japanese were the hardest working (in regards to hours worked every year) in the industrial world. We are now number one in that category. They work us like dogs, and if we bitch about it, we are told that we are lucky to have a job. As most Americans are barely making it paycheck to paycheck, we shut our mouths and do as we are told. Most of us (me included) are one or two paychecks away from homelessness. The corporate masters have paid off "both" parties to ensure that they keep up their high profit margins.

[Deep13]

185. +1

[FSogol]

4. Cost cutting to increase profits despite declining sales. n/t

[Tesha]

12. Precisely. (NT)

[TheKentuckian]

49. Yup, yup.

[rfranklin]

5. This is the dream of all big boxes and chains....retail outlets with NO EMPLOYEES...

I saw somewhere that they are trying to eliminate employees at grocery stores by having customers check themselves out just like the self service checkouts at Home Depot.

[Recursion]

17. Best Buy has vending machines in airports and train stations.

Vending machines. For iPods and laptops.

[Samantha]

111. I have declined to check myself out for over a year now

regardless of what store I am at. Sure I know how to scan. I have a scanner. But when people get pushy about it, knowing the reason behind it, I simply tell them I do not work there, I am a customer, and I am looking for customer service. Sometimes I say it is not my job to keep track of the inventory here, I am a shopper. Once a manager at CVS tried to steer me into checking myself out. I handed the merchandise to him and told him if he wanted it scanned, he could scan it himself, I didn't work there. He handed it back and walked away.

I know this is not much in way of a protest, it one small way I can help. I refuse to help these corporations put more people out of work.

[pezDispenser]

135. Never use those either

They cost jobs and like other posters have pointed out - it's not my job to check myself out.

[trud]

157. Samantha

So far no one has approached me about that, I am rarely in those stores, but my plan is to offer to check my stuff out if they'll pay me or give me a discount :-)

[Samantha]

169. Well, trud, they SHOULD pay you if you work for them

Asking for free labor in this economy is a bit much, don't you think?:-)

Additionally, I do no labor on behalf of COMCAST, when they tell me to drive 25 minutes to Bowie to exchange my box, I tell them I expect customer service, and it is not my job to swap out defective boxes, using my time and gas to do so, and then to come home, lift the heavy box onto the set and install it. So far, they have sent a rep out every time after I refused (and of course after the rep had to take a time-out to discuss this with the supervisor). I didn't install these boxes, so why should I be expected to uninstall them and fetch new ones to take their place? I also like to think I am helping keeping some of their service reps employed by generating more demand for their services.

[AngryOldDem]

176. So I'm not the only one.

I don't use them by choice, either.

I'm even more adamant about it at the library. THe employees there are hanging on by a hair's width thread. I'm not helping anyone out of a job.

[chervilant]

113. hmph...

I refuse to use those self-service checkouts. No way, no how.

[LibDemAlways]

133. Markets near me usually have one or two

checkstands available manned by a clerk. However, they push customers toward 6 or 8 self checkout stations with one lone employee standing nearby to offer assistance if anyone needs it. This is the future. I anticipate that before long there will be an extra charge to interact with a human. Same shit banks try to pull. Businesses have become incredibly cheap when it comes to customer service. It is becoming a rarity.

[trud]

156. grocery stores

I never use those self service checkouts.

Trader Joe's has checkers unload your cart, like old times. When you are old and creaky and have heavy stuff in it, that is happiness. If they weren't some distance away, I'd shop there all the time, even with their zillion decibel music.

[Vincardog]

6. Anyone else noticing this? Yes. Have you been to a big grocery chain? The check out lines are LONG

except toe the SELF SERVICE line. They want me to check my self out so they can save and lay off another employee.
I refuse to check my own groceries, (Not because I can't figure it out but because I am protecting another JOB)

[femrap]

23. +1000

I can't believe people check themselves out. I walk by them and say....'Hey, you're costing someone a job....don't you care?'

Most of the time, they don't even understand. No one uses their brain anymore.

Kroger is on a big ad campaign now....'no waiting in line.' I went the other day and they had EVERY lane open. :wow:

[Carolina]

27. me, too

even when I have 10 items or less, I go to the manned check-outs!

[valerief]

46. That's why I don't use self-checkout. To keep the person employed. nt

[kas125]

89. I was at Meijer one evening and got into the only checkout lane

open that had a real cashier. She told me she was closed after the person in line before me and that I should use the self checkout. I asked her if I could use a check at the machine and she said yes, but then she told me to stay there and she'd close after me. While she was scanning my stuff I told her that I hate the self checkouts because the more we use them, the less humans they need working. She sighed and said, "I know. They want to get rid of all of us. But I'm going home now so I'm not going to think about it anymore tonight." I asked if there would be someone to come and take her place at the register and she said no, after 8:00 pm only the self checkouts are open. Meijer is open 24 hours so that means they probably only have human cashiers for 12 of those hours.

[sarcasmo]

92. I refuse to go to Meijer for that reason and spend my money at the Family Fare.

[FSogol]

88. Same here (and because I want to flirt with the sales girl of course.)

;)

[BuelahWitch]

103. Self check was all that was open at Dillons this morning

There used to be at least one checker even early in the mornings, but none today...I almost always use the checker. Not only because of the person needing the job, but the self check lines always feel so awkward. I never have to worry about dumping the shit out of my purse when someone else is handling the scanning.

[ArcticFox]

122. What happens if you fail to scan some items?

Anyone have experience with that? Are the systems good enough to catch you?

[AllyCat]

131. That makes sense. I hate those things. They never work right.

I'm always waiting for the one employee helping all those lines to come clear yet another code. If my kids are along and so much as lean against the area where the bag is, you get another error message. And yet, the lines for people with carts are lines up past the next aisle of goods. Makes me nuts!

[MedicalAdmin]

144. There is a cure for this.

Stop shopping at big boxes. Shop small and local. I have noticed that small family restaurants and stores still have customer service, good prices, and staff. Our local food coop has the highest staff to customer ratio in the area and they are paid more and are more knowledgeable than other store. And no self check out shit.

Don't have a coop? Start one. It's actually pretty easy. I'm helping one start up now and we are talking about adding a health care coop component to it.

But I think in general one of the "cures" rotund is to shop local as much as possible. Did you know that every dollar spent locally generates about another 7 dollars in spin off sales as it circulates around local businesses? Big boxes like Walmart don't even keep the money in a local bank. Anything you spend there leaves your community immediately and permanently.

[trud]

158. Med Admin

You are right about that. Yet another reason to shop local. Luckily we have a good local tiny chain, Dave's Market. Much better food, a good staff. And there are farmers' markets.

[aquart]

7. Every store I went into the other day had a Help Wanted sign up.

It's just weird.

[gkhouston]

9. I can't remember the last time I saw a Help Wanted sign. n/t

[aquart]

56. Me, either. And to see so many?

You know, they have raised fares and rents to the point that people might not be able to travel to low income jobs.

[gkhouston]

68. Or maybe there have been so many complaints about understaffing

that they put the signs up to deflect criticism, but never actually hire anyone.

[NNN0LHI]

15. There were no Help Wanted signs in either of these places because I checked on the way out

Nada.

[zalinda]

54. But, I've found most are looking for part time workers

And, the workers must be available for all shifts on a moment's notice. With bus rides now costing $1.00 each way, that's $4.00 out of a person's pay, right off the top.

These conditions will knock out a lot of people to get that job.

zalinda

[jmowreader]

87. That's the major reason they're always looking for workers

"We offer flexible hours" means they're going to staff according to THEIR needs, not the employee's. I can understand that--they are running a business, after all--but it translates into "you have to be married to someone with a full-time job to afford to work here" because you're going to get part-time hours and part-time benefits (usually NO benefits) but you have to be available around the clock.

[onehandle]

8. About the only retail store that I see fully staffed these days are Apple Stores.

But Apple has been rated tops in customer service and satisfaction for years, so that's no surprise.

[RockaFowler]

21. Publix (FL) is always fully staffed

The people are beyond helpful whenever you go in. And you may have 1 person in front of you when checking out. I pay a little more, but damn is much better than Wal-Fart

[onehandle]

37. You're right. Publix here in Georgia is usually fully staffed.

Kroger, their biggest competition here, is horrible customer service-wise.

However I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, which is also well staffed.

Sorry you don't have Trader Joe's down there. My wife and I miss it when we are on vacation in Florida.

This article explains why Florida doesn't have them:
http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/05/no-traderjoes-for-florida-ever.html

[bluevoter4life]

99. No we're not

My store (and the entire district for that matter) is consistently becoming the victim of hour cuts which means lines are longer and customer service suffers. I haven't had a full staff in months.

[eilen]

51. I stopped at my local Apple store and there were so many people

there and tons of help. I thought they would really make out if they opened a soda fountain-- no one would leave.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

109. Folks here simply shop at the wrong stores...

Luxury retailers doing well despite wobbly economy

"Luxury retailers were the big winners last month as Tiffany & Co., Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus reported increased sales while the nation still struggles with a high unemployment rate and an uncertain economy..."

http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2011_0605luxury_retailersdoing_well_despitewobbly_economy/

[socialist_n_TN]

10. Easy answer. It's all part of the overall class war

Devaluing labor is a big cultural part of that.

[CrispyQ]

52. And the elite have been very effective at it, too.

I can't believe then number of worker bees that will defend management's decisions no matter what. The wealth adoration in this country is a disease. It keeps people from seeing reality.

[NeedleCast]

11. Crazy, Isn't It?

My fiance works for one of the only large, luxary hotels in Baltimore (Intercontinental Harbor Court). The InterCon in Baltimore is fairly small, about 250 rooms, but one of the most expensive hotels in town. This particular hotel is owned by a holding company that owns several hundred properties worldwide. The holding company recently decided to sell between 50 and 75 of their properties and told the Intercon Harbor Court that they will recive no money for refurbishing or other maintinance until they decide if that property will be sold. They have also essentially initiated a hiring freeze at the hotel except for essential (read: managerial) staff.

The property is very nice but starting to show it's age. Furniture is dinged up. Upholstry is starting to wear. Wallpaper pealing here and there. They have no money from their corporate masters to fix it. They are also radically understaffed. The sales and catering staff have been parking cars because the hotel won't hire new doormen. Their wedding planner recently quit (and was escorted off the property as soon as she gave notice) and instead of replacing here, they piled her workload onto the director of catering. They recently fired their concierge and have not replaced him.

Last year a 4-star Hilton opened up to compete with the Intercon for high end business and has be crushing them because they are a larger, newer, fully staffed property. Next year a Four Seasons opens and two of the Intercon staff (the former director of catering and the recently departed wedding coordinator) have already bailed for positions at Four Seasons.

This is the jobless recovery. The people who run the corporate side of things at the Harbor Court Intercon have decided they can make more money by using one peson where there used to be two throughout the hotel. It'll eventually drive the property out of business as it now faces real luxary competition in Baltimore. Corporate doesn't care. They will milk the property for every dollar of profit they can and then dump it when it ceases to be profitable.

[monmouth]

13. Very interesting post and comments. I'm going to start looking at this...n/t

[HughBeaumont]

14. Skeleton Crew, tidy profit!

What more can the insufficiently taxed Corporations ask for? It's HEAVEN!

And while there's no demand because there's no hiring because there's no demand (skip) because there's no hiring because there's no demand (skip) they in turn get to beg for what? Anyone? Anyone? MORE TAX CUTS!!!

GAAAAAAAHHHH!

Corporate America is Sabotaging American Progress!!

[Recursion]

16. Pretty easy to explain, no?

The two explain one another. Businesses are willing to cut quality to keep payroll down because they anticipate lower demand in the future. Gotta love vicious cycles...

[HopeHoops]

18. One of our last two family-owned grocery chains ALWAYS has enough people - the Giant?

Oh no. Giant put in those stupid self-checkout things that take people longer to get through than a line with a human because they keep fucking up. It is just down the street, but I rarely go in there unless it is an emergency (like dinner is in progress and "oh fuck, we're out of..."). I've been there when the ONLY person working a register during a fairly busy time was six deep with full carts and the only other person doing anything was the one frantically running from person to person at the self-checkouts trying to figure out what they fucked up. I finally decided it was quicker to drive ten minutes to another store, get my items from a register with a human in short order, and drive ten minutes back.

Giant is owned by Ahold. I call it A-Hole.

On Edit: One of our K-Marts had those self-checkouts for a few months and then they vanished. One day I asked about it and the clerk told me they were losing too much merchandise to people who would put things in the bags without scanning them and it took more people to monitor the self-checkouts than it did to just run registers - so they pulled them out and went back to staffed registers. THAT's positive!

As for the family owned chain, it is called Karns and I spoke with the daughter of the owner when calling with a suggestion. Their prices are regularly lower than what Giant advertises and you need a fucking "loyalty card" to even GET the advertised price at Giant. Screw that. Everyone pays the same price at Karns, and that's how it should be. I laugh when I see people lined up six deep at the Giant gas station to save 5 cents or less per gallon over the UniMart around the corner that rarely if ever has a line. Ten minutes of idling your SUV is worth your time to save a buck? It's even dumber in a four-banger that barely holds ten gallons. But hey, people think FOX is a news channel so what can you expect?

[trud]

160. you know, speaking of Fox

or not, I was stuck in a waiting room the other day and Pat Robertson's program was on. If I'm alone in a waiting room, I will turn the tv off, I hate tvs, but there were others there. So I was stuck. He and the newscaster lied their heads off. I mean, not slanted, but plain out lies. No wonder people who listen to this stuff have their heads on backwards.

[HopeHoops]

166. I don't care what's on the tube, if I'm alone or there are few enough in the room to ask, It's off.

When I'm out somewhere like a bar or restaurant where they are always on and FOX is on, I ALWAYS ask them to switch it to a "NEWS" channel. Most places will comply. Those that don't won't see my money again.

[Starry Messenger]

19. "Reserve Army of Labor"

"Big industry constantly requires a reserve army of unemployed workers for times of overproduction. The main purpose of the bourgeois in relation to the worker is, of course, to have the commodity labour as cheaply as possible, which is only possible when the supply of this commodity is as large as possible in relation to the demand for it, i.e., when the overpopulation is the greatest. Overpopulation is therefore in the interest of the bourgeoisie, and it gives the workers good advice which it knows to be impossible to carry out. Since capital only increases when it employs workers, the increase of capital involves an increase of the proletariat, and, as we have seen, according to the nature of the relation of capital and labour, the increase of the proletariat must proceed relatively even faster. The... theory... which is also expressed as a law of nature, that population grows faster than the means of subsistence, is the more welcome to the bourgeois as it silences his conscience, makes hard-heartedness into a moral duty and the consequences of society into the consequences of nature, and finally gives him the opportunity to watch the destruction of the proletariat by starvation as calmly as other natural event without bestirring himself, and, on the other hand, to regard the misery of the proletariat as its own fault and to punish it. To be sure, the proletarian can restrain his natural instinct by reason, and so, by moral supervision, halt the law of nature in its injurious course of development." - Karl Marx, Wages, December 1847<2>

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/12/31.htm

Translation: lots of people with no jobs keeps down wages. Lower wages increase profits and the high pool of people without jobs give the people *with* jobs incentive to keep their mouths shut about it.

[socialist_n_TN]

24. Yep. A tactic in the class war...^^^^^^

I just WISH that more people would SEE this for what it is.

[Starry Messenger]

48. Well, most people rank reading Marx with making ice cream out of kittens.

He's been well-demonized in this country. God forbid people should read clear explanations of what is going on and why. They might get ideas.

[leftstreet]

194. +1

[femrap]

20. Yes, I notice it all the time....

the reason why they're not hiring is to keep their PROFIT MARGINS UP. And I think these corporations KNOW that we are heading into a major economic collapse so they don't want to be stuck paying unemployment.

COO...with shoes, you have to look inside the shoe....they are getting very good at hiding the 'Made in China' with shoes. I've been looking at COO since 1989...Tienammen (sp?) Square. I doubt you could find a pair of shoes at Kohl's that is not made in China. Maybe an occasional Vietnam, but it's very tough.

I buy Chinese only when absolutely forced to do so. There are shoes still being made in Brazil and Spain...but you have to search and they're usually more expensive....but much higher quality.

Good luck.

[NNN0LHI]

25. Believe me we looked inside the shoe. There was no COO label

I don't know how they get away with it? The brand name was Croft&Barrow.

Take my word on this, we both looked good.

Don

[femrap]

83. That is Kohl's brand....

You should see me looking for the COO on a handbag. You know how they are filled with all that paper? I have to take it all out and there somewhere on a side seam at the bottom of the purse is a tiny tag that I have to pull out of the purse, along w/ the lining, to see 'Made in China.' Then I have to stuff all the paper back in. I don't leave a mess.

But to my huge surprise about a month ago, I found some beautiful leather handbags that were made in India. They were all being clearanced out...and the new ones were made in China. The leather of the Indian bags had to have been 5 times thicker than the Chinese bags.

So I lucked out....

I remember when shoes and handbags were imported from Italy....what beauty. I guess now, the Chinese won't let us import from Italy. Pretty soon short Chinese men are going to be telling us what to do.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/12/31/1472023/chinese-company-eyes-boise.html#ixzz1OsmkcGcM

What do you think of that?

edit for typos.

[handmade34]

136. some New Balance shoes

made in USA...

[femrap]

182. Yes, sometimes you

can OLD New Balance shoes that were made in the US. But I believe today they are made in China today. But I haven't bought any sneakers for a couple of years.

I bought 5 pair when I noticed that the new ones were coming from China. Mine were made in Vietnam and Indonesia.

I should do an 'Investigative Sneaker' search at the local Kohl's. And maybe I'll find that the COO is not on the shoe! Maybe that law was dropped 'quietly.'

[Bluenorthwest]

159. Really they are still making shoes in Brazil and Spain?!?!?!?

Here is one list of American shoe makers. This is not exhaustive by any means. http://www.americansworking.com/shoes.html

[NNN0LHI]

197. Thank you for that link

Didn't realize we even made stuff like that here anymore.

Definitely be able to find what I am looking for there.

Don

[disillusioned73]

22. Yes, and I work for a "manufacturer" with these same issues..

we have a backlog and have been shipping orders late, yet we are still operating only four days a week in order to save on labor costs. I quote the word manufacturer because 70-80 percent of what we sell comes from China.. do the math. I was discussing the companies noticeable trajectory with another employee that is also barely hanging on at this point... and our conclusion is that eventually our manufacturing will be non-existent ( a few exceptions) and we will essentially be a China warehouse with a skeleton crew... scratch that, I say that as if we aren't already there...

Scary times ahead, I am very concerned.

[Carolina]

32. OMG, you really summed it up

"we will essentially be a China warehouse with a skeleton crew... if we aren't already there."

[Gin]

36. Home depot had so many employees in the early spring that it

was irritating being asked if they could help every few steps....it was around the time when it was in the news that jobs were increasing....now it's back to usual....have to search for someone to help you...

[itsrobert]

26. Did you write Kohl's or the restuarant letters?

Or asked to speak to management? It maybe a little thing, but maybe the more people complain, the companies will wake up and start hiring?

[NNN0LHI]

29. I'm worried they will just pin the blame on the few workers they do have for not working hard enough

Don't want to cause any problems for them.

Don

[socialist_n_TN]

33. Of course they will. That's ANOTHER tactic in the class war

being waged on us every hour of every day. If the worker's can't handle the workload it's ALWAY their fault.

[trud]

163. yes I email kohls to complain

they mailed me yet another coupon even though I had said I'd never shop there again.

[Shagbark Hickory]

28. Kohls is hit or miss. Try a dept store with commissioned sales, they'll be crawling up your ass.

nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

35. Good Italian shoes: go to Neiman-Marcus.

I used to buy all my work/dress shoes there.
You can get 'em resoled and re-heeled. They're soft.
Bruno Maglis, Amalfis and Ferragamos.

I got some black suede Ferragamo sneakers once.

[Shagbark Hickory]

41. Yeah. Go to Neiman Marcus or Sax 5th Avenue. Maybe they'll accept the $10 coupon from kohls

:silly: :sarcasm:

[Hippo_Tron]

105. I went to Needless Markup once, didn't buy a thing and don't understand why anyone would

There's no reason to spend $500 on an off the rack shirt or $2000 on an off the rack suit. If you can blow that much on clothes, then get them custom made rather than buying something that looks no different than if you bought it at Macy's but has a fancy label on it.

I admit I never made it over to the shoe section, so maybe their shoes might be more of a worthwhile investment.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

184. Cheap dress shoes are poor economy.

I'm not talking sneakers, I'm talking good leather dress shoes. Good shoes and purses last a long time if you take care of them. That's what shoe repair shops are for.

I would never spend that kind of money on clothes. I could make my own out of better quality fabric (RAYON IS EVIL).

You can get good shoes if you go to a thrift store in a rich neighborhood. However I am a retired bum so I can wear a $3 t shirt and shorts most of the year in Texas.

It's been around 100 degrees for a couple of weeks now here in Texas. The other day it was 102 in Houston and 102 in Minneapolis.

What global warming, duuuude???

[Fuddnik]

142. Only if Nieman Marcus runs a thrift store.

My wife found me a pair of like new Bruno Magli's, and I mean like new, for five bucks.

[pipi_k]

30. I've been seeing it for a while really...

I mean, it just seems to be in the nature of business to try and get the most it can from the fewest numbers of people it has to pay.

Back when the economy didn't suck, they didn't get away with it a whole lot.

But they really seem to be taking unfair advantage of things now.

Anyway, I think people might want to write to these businesses and let them know that they won't be back because of shitty (or no) service.


PS...one of my favorite targets is a Burger King down in the Big City. I don't eat there a whole lot, but I do stop in sometimes to use their bathrooms. I've sent complaints twice to their Corporate offices complaining about the filthy conditions.

What gets me sort of steamed up is that there's a sign in the ladies room that says if the cleanliness is not up to par, people should notify the restaurant manager. WTF??????? Employees don't use the rest room during the day? They can't tell if there are wet paper towels on the floor or that it looks like someone washed a mud-covered pig in the sinks? They gotta have someone TELL them their bathrooms are disgusting???

Anyway.

Let them know why you're not going back.

[msongs]

44. gee maybe if actually BOUGHT something there they could hire a person to clean up after YOU nt

[pipi_k]

61. WTF? hahaaahahahhahaha!!!!!

OK, dear, this is the way it is...

I live 20 miles from the place. I don't go to that city that often. Maybe four times a month at the most. I actually only use that restroom one time per month, if that.

Oh...let's see...if I bought something there once a month, that would be maybe $10.00. Ten whole dollars a month!!!! Wow. I'll bet they could hire, like, two people to clean the bathrooms!


Also...I always put my trash in the receptacle. I often put other people's trash in the receptacle. I don't wash pigs in the sink, and I always flush. In short, I treat the bathrooms of others...even public bathrooms...like my own.

Now excuse me while I go off to talk with the adults...

:7

[Codeine]

69. Public restrooms go from zero to filthy in about five minutes.

Keeping up with the disgusting hygiene and toilet practices of your average filthy American fatass is difficult, to say the least. A single person can make a clean bathroom a Superfund zone in one short visit.

[pipi_k]

75. Well, after the first time I complained...

said Burger King managed to keep the bathroom acceptably clean.

For a while.

Then things went downhill again.

And after the second time...the one where the sink was literally black with dirt and there were paper towels all over the floor and toilet paper (and a dead fly or two) in one of the stalls...I did happen to be in the area a day or two later (actually bought something there that time).

The sink had not been cleaned.

It only got cleaned after I took a photo and emailed it to BK Corporate offices.


Oh, and I sometimes use the ladies room in that city's Town Hall. Very public place. Their bathroom has never looked as filthy as the one at BK.

I understand that public bathrooms can get messy very quickly, but for one to stay dirty more than one day is outrageous.

[Serve The Servants]

143. Word

I used to manage a movie theater back in the day. We did bathroom checks every 30 minutes and they always had to be cleaned and restocked. I would frequently participate in the clean up duties - a lead by example kinda thing, plus I hated bossing people around. I once found someone's shit soiled undies left on top of the commode in additon to the collateral damage to the bathroom one would expect. I'll never forget that.

[pipi_k]

167. Well at least you guys did bathroom checks...

I can see going in the bathroom and finding a mess and then an hour later finding a whole different kind of mess.

But not a day later and the same mess is still there...

that's just disgusting.


Then...especially in eating establishments...when there's no soap or paper towels...ewwww....

If employees are supposed to be washing their hands after visiting the restrooms, are they really?

Do people really want to be eating in places like that?

:puke:

[justabob]

187. it is stunning

I have worked in full service type restaurants for years in well heeled neighborhoods.... the bathroom NEVER ceases to amaze me. I guess the soiled underwear and associated carnage is more common than I would have thought. The same thing happened at a place I worked at a couple of years ago. Mercifully it was in the men's room, so I didn't have to interact with it, but everyone heard about it. :puke:

[Zambero]

31. If large businesses inceased their staffing by 10% across the board...

A couple of things would happen:

1. Added employment would pump up the economy, increase sales and services, and result in added profits that would more than offset the hiring cost.
2. Increased service and customer satisfaction would also result, also incrasing sales from repeat customers.

However, the new corporatism has a tendency to cannibalize itself. For short term gains, policies are put in place that contribute to an atrophied economy and eventual recession on a large scale, crippling the very businesses that sought to maximize profits by adding to unemployment.

[Overseas]

183. Well said. K&R.

[iris27]

34. Easily explained - the businesses are too scared/cheap to start

hiring again. They would rather squeeze everything they can out of the people they still have on payroll.

During the height of the recession 3 years ago, my store made all non-salaried full-time people start working less than 40 hrs/wk (cut to different levels depending on your position). They still haven't brought us back to 40 yet, despite the fact that we beat our sales budget for the last fiscal year by quite a bit.

[Ian David]

38. They open up a new line at the register when there are too many customers waiting in a line.

They don't open up a new register when the business owner gets a tax cut.

Demand drives business.

[AC_Mem]

39. Looking for a job?

My company is looking for people right now! And we are so stressed because people are being expected to do double their jobs because we are understaffed.

If someone is looking for a position in telecommunications, PM ME. My company is HIRING.

Annette

[larwdem]

104. are they

I worked for a company that was always looking for help but never hired any one. many people applied thy weren't really looking to hire any one. :puke:

[Javaman]

40. Life as the bottom line.

What we are now experiencing is the "fast fooding" of retail.

I know, my GF works in retail.

They hire less people and those whom they keep have more tasks piled on top of them. Saves money and puts more in the CEO's pocket.

But then there is the reverse. Corps fire the most experienced higher paid long term employees thinking they will save money but in the process destroying customer service.
What is left is under trained, under experienced workers who are basically filling a space and learning on the fly.

Corporations don't want workers who are knowledgeable. They want legos to slot in and slot out. Who will do job X nothing else. This way if the new guy or gal has an ounce of brains and sees the bullshit that goes on at a particular job, they fire him or her over some bullshit reason and get next nameless body in to do the same job at less pay with no brains or experience to ask questions.

I call it the "modular" work force.

In the book "Fast Food Nation" (not the crappy movie), the author writes about how McDonalds basically developed a system of training where any and all new workers learn nothing and develop no real jobs skills. They just push buttons and flip burgers.

This way if (once upon a time) student A is not working out, they get in student B to do the same job with no training or experience required. Slot in Slot out. Sadly, however, those once student type jobs have replaced the lost full time jobs for bread winners.

That same principle has spread to other types of businesses. Not just retail.

The day is coming very soon, when you will walk into a store and there will be zero staff. Everything will be automated. And the only humans will be the ones stocking shelves and cleaning up after hours.

We are becoming the faceless workforce of the corporations.

This is the route to the complete destruction of the last remaining union workers. And our basic worker rights.

We are dying.

[CrispyQ]

73. Breadwinners working for McJob wages.

No wonder repubs are working to weaken/eliminate child worker laws in many states. They know that soon, families will have to send the kids to work to make ends meet, & it will be an opportunity to lower wages even more. We are on a very bad path.

[justabob]

112. Everything will be automated

It is true. I hate it. It makes me ill to think about it. I loathe self-checkout and bagging, I hate pumping my own gas.... I hate having to look something up on the intertubes via a damned kiosk in the middle of a huge store rather than speaking to a trained salesperson. It is infuriating.

I used to think that at least working in restaurants (other than fast food) was fairly safe as far as automation goes... I am a waitress. Then, recently, I was talking to a friend about this very subject and she talked about having touch screens on the table tops and people ordering their own food, brought out by a food runner drone (human or robotic), or whatever delivery means. It became very real and vivid and frightening for me (even though I am well aware of its happening in so many other areas). What is so ridiculous about that is waiters only cost a couple of bucks an hour most places, half of minimum other places. The restaurant in the OP saved no money by not having an extra waiter or two on. The kitchen is where labor costs are.... one line cook equals four or five waiters cost-wise.

[cameozalaznick]

42. You know what's fun?

When you go into a box store and can't find anyone to help. Just stand in the middle of the store and shout, "Does anyone work here?" really loudly four or five times. Trust me. They get someone to help you pretty quickly.

[pipi_k]

63. Hah! That's a good one! I've actually thought of...

lighting a bonfire in the middle of the store to attract attention, but I really think your way is much better.

:7

[justabob]

114. lol, I did a variation of that at Kroger once :)

DO YOU WANT ME TO PAY FOR THIS BASKET OF FOOD?! I COULD JUST WALK RIGHT ON OUT WITH IT....hahaha

[philly_bob]

43. Yesterday's CVS Pharmacy: 1 clerk, 4 pharmacists, long line. (nt)

[valerief]

45. It's called slave labor. Now the norm. nt

[ItNerd4life]

65. Slave labor? Why do people always downplay the atrocities of slavery?

These people are paid and have a choice to go work somewhere else. They are free!

[valerief]

78. Yeah, they've got it made. As long as it's better than Afghanistan, it's A-OK! nt

[larwdem]

108. slave wages

Yes many people are in this boat they have the choice to quit and starve. slaves were given a shack and some food SO they can keep them working. whats the difference people are paid barely enough to rent a shack and maybe get some thing to eat.Yes You can quit but at what price.:(

[MedicalAdmin]

145. Poverty = slavery.

Think a poor single mother on the edge of homelessness has much choice when the boss wants a bj?

[AngryOldDem]

175. Broaden and update your definition of the word.

It isn't as simple as you make it out to be, especially if you have preexisting medical conditions (insurance is not portable) or certain financial obligations -- like taking care of a family -- that your current wage maintains. If you can't find something remotely comparable, just how "free" are you to swtich jobs? Why would you want to basically start over at most likely lower pay and risk being the first one out the door when the cuts inevitably come? For too many, as it concerns employment, the devil they know is better than the one they don't.

If you feel tied to your job with no seeming way out because of your circumstances, then what do you call that?

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Brigid]

80. And what would have happened . . .

In that restaurant if the manager had seen customers going to the bar to get their own drinks? Of course, the hapless staff would have been in trouble. The trouble is understaffing and nothing more.

[lunatica]

86. Customers can always go to the bar. customers order at bars all the time

Any manager worth their salt would be pitching in. On the other hand it seems the manager can't fire anyone else without having to do all the work him or herself.

[dkf]

57. Someone just posted that there was no cashier at the store they were at.

They were directed to the self service checkout. Weird.

Though I guess this is the way gas stations went...from full service to no service.

[damntexdem]

60. It explains itself: programmed understaffing is one reason unemployment is high.

Deconstructing of jobs is one of the long-term initiatives of American capital.

[eilen]

62. It's like that in the hospitals

people leave and their positions are "lagged". Every time I work I get 3-4 emails begging qualified nurses to work overtime shifts in different areas.

I've volunteered for the training (charge, ACLS (not the actual cert, just their brand of qualification) so I could help pitch in when we have overflow but the way in which the budget is divided up precludes me from doing so unless I sign on full time to a particular unit that would be willing to pay the training cost. If I sign on full-time to a unit, then I am required to work on that particular unit for 40 hrs/week and would have to give up my current position and would likely be too tired to work the overtime slots they sorely need filled. If there are no positions open -- no dice--and there are no posted openings -- so it is a Catch 22. I have over 12 years of charge experience but have to be qualed for that particular institution.

It is exasperating. Plus they pay you another $15/hr (premium pay) on top of overtime pay to fill those slots-- Instead of just hiring more nurses or instituting a float pool.

Of course the floors are pretty understaffed of experienced personnel. They just hired their associated school's grads so there are lots of newbies so it looks like there is more staff than usual. However, many jump ship and life will continue with a small proportion of longtime employes and a high ratio of new (1-2 yrs experience) employees.

Never get sick enough to go to the hospital in July.

[CrossChris]

64. If everybody's understaffed, then it won't cost businesses to understaff.

You're not going to take your dollars to the store that has adequate help, b/c they don't exist.

Welcome to the future.

[Codeine]

70. We're a little understaffed because profits are down.

The grocery industry runs on unbelievably tight margins, and even a small dropoff in business can cut into the financial health and viability of a store. And since the largest expense for a grocer is labor, our only choice is to cut back on staff when necessary.

[jillan]

71. YES! Everywhere I go. Good luck finding someone if you have a question.

[PhillySane]

72. Downsizing

payroll is such a huge expense

[bvar22]

74. Its the New Normal for America's Working Class.

Have you tried Saks in New York,
or
Tiffany & Co. on Rodeo Drive?

"The worst enemy of humanity is U.S. capitalism. That is what provokes uprisings like our own, a rebellion against a system, against a neoliberal model, which is the representation of a savage capitalism. If the entire world doesn't acknowledge this reality, that nation states are not providing even minimally for health, education and nourishment, then each day the most fundamental human rights are being violated."
----Bolivian Reform President Evo Morales

FDR said much the same thing in 1944 with his Economic Bill of Rights.
Bolivian President Evo Morales sounds more like FDR than anyone in the current Democratic Party Leadership.



"By their WORKS you will know them."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

82. Yeah, they're probably making people work harder and longer. n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

84. Had to double-check to be sure I rec'd this.

Yep, I did. :)

Businesses didn't start "downsizing" staff anytime recently -- for decades now, they've been cutting staffing levels to the lowest they can get away with, all in the name of "remaining competitive". If people can't be bothered to set foot in your store because the service sucks, how is that "remaining competitive"?

[spanone]

85. squeezing every cheap minute out of the current employees

npr reported this am that businesses are sitting on roughly 3 trillion dollars.....not hiring...not expanding

[tavalon]

90. Fear

The powers that be know that we're about to hit the second dip.

[sarcasmo]

91. I thought the same thing in Target this morning, two cashers and two long lines.

[MrMickeysMom]

93. I've noticed a steady reduction for a good 5 plus years...

... In particular, all stores, with exception of peak times at places like Home Depot.

This is an economizing of human resources that doesn't have far to go to get to the "bottom" bare bones.

Same in health care... any of THAT should make you shudder.

[lunatica]

94. So it's OK with you that those employees lose their jobs too?

But, by all means continue your boycott of any business that doesn't give you perfect service because there aren't enough employees to suit you.

Unrec'd.

Your beef is valid, but your actions only hurt people who need to make a living.

[Canuckistanian]

95. "Doing more with less" is a lie

You can't. Modern business practices have honed efficiencies to a sharp edge.

This is all about maximizing profits at the expense of efficient service.

It's a trade-off they're willing to make.

[Maraya1969]

96. I just made the same comment about Rick Scott's office. On hold for 4 and then 3 minutes listening

what seemed like a bad connection but my phone was find in other phone calls.

I told the man who answered finally that Scott could help job growth but just hiring more staff at his office.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

97. What I notice is

There is no bakery in our town; but there are 3 different drugstores and 6 different bank branches. The town where my son works has 3 large grocery stores within walking distance of each other.
Businesses no longer exist to serve the community as their prime function. Their objective is to put the other businesses out of business.

[sknabt]

98. What about Walmart?

I heard a survey this week of the top 5 and bottom 5 companies regarding customer service. Huge surprise Walmart was in the bottom 5.

[Sherman A1]

137. Yup!

Wal Mart was in the bottom 5 and surprisingly Apple Stores were in the top.

I went to a 3000 square foot Apple store yesterday and there were 24 staff members on the sales floor helping customers. I knew what I needed and was in and out in about 3 minutes, but the folks that were working there all seemed very upbeat and genuinely happy to be of assistance. I don't know what they pay, don't know about benefits, but these folks were at least enjoying themselves at work.

Now, people may like Apple or hate Apple for their own reasons, but I urge everyone to take 15 minutes and just watch the operation at one if they can do so.

[Sherman A1]

139. Here is the link to the survey

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-american-customers-fed-up-with-bad-customer-service-survey-says-20110607,0,1981701.story


Americans are fed up with poor customer service, with 64 percent walking out of stores due to poor assistance and 67 percent hanging up on a call before their problems are even addressed, according to a new survey.

[joanbarnes]

101. Yes, everywhere, for quite some time........

[lonestarnot]

107. It's just a policy of slave labor. The working people have to work 5X harder.

[penndragon69]

110. Republicons are economic TERRORISTS.

They are FASCISTS, plain and simple.

[Major Hogwash]

115. Cuz you're supposed to get used to having crappy service from every company from now on.

And NO union members need apply!!

Union members are the new pariah.

[Hugabear]

116. Why do you think corporate America is doing so well in this Depression?

Hint: It's not because they're spending a lot of money on personnel. Whatever personnel they can outsource, they've done so. That which they can't outsource, they keep at a bare minimum.

[JDPriestly]

118. Yes. It is terrible, and when you want to ask a question, the person

to whom you want to address it doesn't speak English well enough for you to understand it.

[orleans]

121. jewel and dominicks grocery stores are terrible

keeping enough people working.

and the banks? they're "letting go" of employees and expecting the lucky ones who get to stay to do their job and the job of the person they dumped.

[Renew Deal]

123. Disemployment

"Disemployment. The good news is we're still creating jobs. But the bad news isn't just that we're not creating enough of them to go around — but that we're mostly creating McJobs (sorry, McDonalds, I don't mean to offend you, but the truth is that you offend me). Mere recovery probably won't do much to derail this trend, because the rise of McJobs has deeper causes: offshoring, skills gaps, undereducation, regulatory deficits, our own bottomless appetite for McStuff."

http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2011/06/seven_problems_a_recovery_wont.html

[glinda]

124. My parents said the same thing about Baker's Square. Not enough help. We noticed that at alot

of places. Why are businesses doing this?

[pnwmom]

126. My brother has been working a ton of overtime.

He can use the money, so he's not complaining. But everyone there is doing it and it's because they don't want to hire the staff they need.

[AllyCat]

130. We have one grocery store in our town and a co-op grocery.

At the "big" grocery store, you can be guaranteed to wait 4-5 customers deep at about 5 or 6 checkout lines after church on a Sunday morning. There are about 18 cash registers, but few of the lines are actually open.

My job at a busy hospital includes cutting positions even though the number of patients served is increasing. It's getting really tough to continue to meet all the service expectations and safety goals for each patient when we don't have enough staff.

I try to avoid big box stores whenever possible, but it seems that no matter where we go, there are too few people there to help the customer base. Small businesses are usually able to help me right away, but there are few people in the stores. Better service and less waiting at the little indy stores folks!!

[trud]

164. I don't fault the hospitals

they are hanging on by their fingernails due to lousy insurance payments and being required to serve the uninsured, which they should, but the money to do so shouldn't come out of their hide.

[AllyCat]

192. They are still turning a TIDY profit for a non-profit.

[trud]

195. AllyCat

Not so. The hospitals in my state are on the verge of bankruptcy.

[AllyCat]

199. Those in our region are doing quite well.

We are all asked to make cuts to our pay to pay for projects while they post double digit millions in profits (and mine is a non-"profit") hospital.

[progrocktv]

132. One of our vendors just kissed a million dollar contract goodbye...

I work at a major premium cable movie channel (I'll retract the name just in case) however it is our standard policy to receive dubs (or copies) of the films we show, and due to the amount of work we give them we require to have an account rep who works exclusively for us (we could actually keep 2 busy but we're lenient). One of our "dub houses" laid off about 50 employees, so our account rep was assigned to 7 different accounts including ours. We thought this was at first a necessary move, however after a month we realized they won't be hiring any additional staff (probably to see if they could save the $$ and get away with it) After several missed deadlines because this rep was so busy trying to handle all accounts, we reiterated we needed an exclusive account representative to handle our needs. No such luck. After we missed a major (and I mean MAJOR) deadline we threatened to pull our contract (which was worth a million+ dollars). After a lengthy excuse of "blah, blah, blah, we can't justify an exclusive rep even though we're making MORE money then before the layoffs bull crap" we pulled the contract. Of course they came begging on their knees to get us back, however we already signed a contract with a company who was more willing to fulfill our needs. 2 days ago the original dub house announced they were closing their doors after 25 years. Unfortunate? Yes. However in my personal opinion they deserved it if they weren't willing to serve their customers needs. If we are willing to give you money you better damned well be ready to do what it takes to earn it!

[Sherman A1]

138. I would urge you to email Kohl's and tell them of your

experience. Tell them you will not return for the reasons cited. I would tell the restaurant owner the same and frankly you have a great LTTE that you could write from this and I urge you to do so. There is a saying in retail "you can never make up lost sales." Remind them of that, because while they are doing the "more with less" game to an art form, they don't want to lose sales and in this case that is what THEIR decision has accomplished. Make some noise.... it may help.

[Sherman A1]

140. A recent survey with link on the same subject

Americans are fed up with poor customer service, with 64 percent walking out of stores due to poor assistance and 67 percent hanging up on a call before their problems are even addressed, according to a new survey.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-american-customers-fed-up-with-bad-customer-service-survey-says-20110607,0,1981701.story

[Serve The Servants]

141. No, I haven't noticed.

As I haven't had any money to go shopping or out ot eat in quite a while, but I'll take your word for it.

[mmonk]

147. We're operating under supply side economics. Demand is low

while wages fall and unemployment remains high.

[ck4829]

148. K&R

[madokie]

149. Can't be having a colored man return to the White House now can they

If he looks good it might encourage the people to vote for another off white male President in the future.

Thats where they\ problem lies. The business owners where what you said is true are racist and reptilliCONs.

rec

[Vinca]

150. Gee, maybe it's the "uncertainty."

:banghead:

[RB TexLa]

152. And I bet none of the posters run their personal finances the way they expect businesses to

"Still don't know what's going to happen with the economy, better spend every bit of cash I have!" :crazy:

[Fumesucker]

193. Some of != every bit of.

That's a strawcorpse if I've ever seen one.

[pipi_k]

165. Maybe. Maybe not...

There's a local hardware chain that's always been understaffed, as long as I can remember. Mid 1990s at the very least. When things weren't so uncertain.


And supermarkets? Forget it.

During the 70s....80s.... checkout lines would be ten or more long

[ElsewheresDaughter]

151. especially the ER rooms and hospitals..."but every business we go into is understaffed."

[LibDemAlways]

181. Our local ER is terrible. Took my elderly mother there one day

after urgent care diagnosed the flu and told me to get her to the hospital. Waited 8 hours for any kind of treatment. She was coughing her head off and short of breath, but it was impossible to get any medical help for many hours. One nurse and doctor on duty and an overflowing waiting room. However, there were three people at the billing station taking insurance info and $$. Easy to see where their priorities lie.

[pipi_k]

189. Well, according to stories I've heard from a couple of family members...

one sure way to get in fast is to say you're having actual chest pain.

They don't play around with that stuff.

Usually.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

191. I had a similar experience with my son when he broke his hand.....

the ER had 10/12 treatment rooms with 1 nurse and 1 Dr but, they had 5 fully staffed rolling billing stations on the floor that went from bed to bed taking info for payment....and finally after 5/6 hrs waiting in the exam room and 3 x-rays later, they informed me that they DON"T set or cast broken bones anymore and that I would have to take my son to an Orthopedic doctor within 2 days to have his bones set and his hand cast.

why didn't they tell me this when I first got there and before they started to ....ahem....pretend to treat and then really x-ray his hand 3 times.....oh never mind, silly me, we all know the answer....the hospital policy is sssssh get the $$$$$ first, then send them away.

Thank the gods that it was still early enough in the afternoon for me to get an appiontment with his Orthropic and have it set and cast....so I get double billed.

grrrrr

[pipi_k]

196. That's outrageous!!!

Around here they're starting to open up Urgent Care centers for things like that.

The wait times are usually way shorter, and in most of them they can set broken bones, etc.

Screw the hospitals!

[Warrior Dash]

153. It's called uncertainty....

[trud]

154. Kohls, never going there again

There's a new one near where I live and I get coupons in the mail periodically. So I went in. The lingerie was a big jumble with all sizes mixed together, so no idea if what I wanted was there. Maybe two employees far far away at the checkout counter.

Here's a clue, Kohls: Instead of $10 coupons, hire staff.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

190. Kohl's is one of the worst...Lowes the best for help

[badtoworse]

161. It's very simple - businesses don't hire unless they have to.

The operative word here is "business". They only hire when not having additional help costs them more than a new employee(s). Over the last three years, a lot of businesses have learned to get by with fewer people and have a high threshold to meet before they opt for more staff.

[RBInMaine]

162. Walmart makes billions in profits and yet is almost ALWAYS short of staff. ROTTEN !

[snagglepuss]

170. I went into a large Sears to look for window blinds. When I asked someone

in another dept a questions she took me to a phone set up for customers who had similar questions to call the blind company. I walked out, I said could have done that at home. Another Sears store didn't have a single sales person on the entire floor of home furnishings when I went there one evening. There were no other customers that I could see. I was really shocking.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

171. This has been the trend for years

I recall shopping in Macy's in New Haven ca. 1979 and realizing that I could have shoplifted an entire department because there were no employees in it.

The business school gospel is that employees are those pesky things that you have to minimize to increase profits for the shareholders. The large corporations are the worst in this respect.

[Zax2me]

173. Uh, this isn't new.

See any retail complaint dept for the last 40 years.

[liberal N proud]

174. Companies are forcing those who have jobs to do more with less

Those who have the jobs work harder because they know they will be on the street if their performance does not meet the expectations of the boss.

The days of sweat shops are not far from a return if this trend continues.

[GTurck]

177. A young woman...

I know manages an Ann Taylor Loft in suburban Chicago. She is so over-worked and nearly exhausted from 60-70 hour weeks. The company won't let her hire anyone, not even an assistant manager and now they want her to paint the store to spiff it up. Not hire painters but paint it herself. She has several hours on a Master's in Education but that doesn't even give her perks or options.
This amounts to slave labor at whatever level. The workers and their managers are trying to balance customers and corporate demands so my advice is to write letters, en masse, to corporate headquarters and not vent on the workers you meet.

[crikkett]

178. We haven't had a full-employment policy since Carter's administration n/t

[kestrel91316]

179. I own a small business. I am not making enough money to hire more people.

My fixed, non-payroll expenses are very high in my line of work.I'd have to be making a LOT more to justify any increase in payroll.

Just because a business's doors are open doesn't mean they are raking in huge PROFITS.

[felix_numinous]

180. Working conditions are terrible everywhere,

it is very noticeable to see people straining to put on a 'happy face' because they are being monitored no doubt on camera the whole time too.

Unionization has to happen to give people a voice against all of these abuses.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

188. Yeah

Wal-Mart, banks, etc. Rows and rows of checkout lanes going unmanned creating ridiculously long lines and wait times (time that might be better spent elsewhere) What gives????

:wtf: