There was a Kmart located at 1920 West Broadway Road, Mesa, AZ that closed on January 18, 2009, leaving numerous employees out of a job. Some depressed, some finding new jobs, some moving to unemployment...but all of them SCREWED... Kmart, once known as the top retailer in the United States is now falling on its backside and taking down every employee with it.
I was an employee at this Kmart. I was hired with several years of experience to work in Loss Prevention. My employment started in September of 2008. I was looking forward to a couple of years at making some extra money. My goal was to work with fellow management staff and create a better shopping environment by creating a safe one and doing my part to eliminate theft. I did my job. I caught numerous shoplifters. With the assistance of my partner (who we'll call T-Bone), we caught employees stealing in the thousands. Was any of it worth it...(a very big) NOPE!
I found out a month after starting that I will be out of a job sometime around the middle of January. I was introduced to the liquidator and he became my new boss. Rarely did I hear from my District Manager. He was no help anyway. He wasn't a bad guy, he just couldn't put company policy aside and help out his team. He was only concerned with himself.
"I can't make any promises," he would say. "you have to be laid off and then you need to re-apply at another store with an open position."
Kmart has already failed their customers. Now, they're failing their employees by giving them the shaft. Try to imagine this scenario (I'm speaking for the long-time employees)...
You've been working at Kmart since you were a teenager. Now it's 20 or 30 years later and they approach you and say...
"The store is closing in two months. We're not transferring you to another store. You're simply going to be out of a job. Your time with Kmart means nothing. Best of luck!"
I want to hear your story on this blog. I want to know how Kmart screwed you over. Tell your story and vent. I will make sure this blog gets to the people who deserve to know they've adversely affected some longtime employees of what was once a U.S. retail superpower and is now a fading footprint on the American business frontier.
I'm sure Sebastian Kresge would be proud!!
I still don't go to K-Mart. I can't believe they're still in business in this area. They still never have many cars in the parking lot. Unfortunately, you're in a very big club. I never worked there, but it's the same pretty much all over. Big business - CEOs making big bucks - to hell with the "little people" - the people who actually work. Sad. Very sad. I used to work for (local) government and even that's the same. Nobody cares if you do your best. My attitude toward productivity went south a long time ago. It just doesn't seem to matter. This is the message the "big guns" are giving their employees. And when employees are unhappy, productivity suffers.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary... I'll give you an example of how they don't take care of their employees. I started working Loss Prevention. That's typically a higher paying position in retail. I was only working part-time, so they started me out decent at $11/hr. I spoke with several employees who had been there for 20 years or more that were making the same amount that I was making, and I had only been there for a month or two. There are associates working there for more than 30 years making about $13/hr. That's horrible. I've worked retail for Walmart at $15.50/hr. Home Depot for more than $16/hr. Kmart is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIt was people like Chuck Conoway and Mark Schwartz that stole from the company and helped to bring it down. Urrgggg!!
lets see i work there from 2003-2007 hired by an awesome lpm, i busted more people than anyone in the western u.s. i was lpa our yrs in a row, i was started out at 14$ an hr after fours yrs i had a dollar raise total lol, i did happen however to meet a very knowledgable lpm who is now a dear friend to me, i busted my ass for four yrs and all it led me to was a stroke, no respect from anyone, all there was was demanding, broken promises, and a corporate team that all brown nosed there way to the top
ReplyDeleteDonnie!! I knew you would find your way to this blog. We met once when you came in the store. We had a long conversation about the corporate bullshit we have to put up with at Kmart. But, I know you're in better hands now.
ReplyDeleteI hope all is well.
Later - Jared
T-Bone very funny, Get this I heard from a little bird that those 3 managers who put so much into their job and had also been with the company for many years were treated rudly thier last day. Don't you think its funny that those corporate big shots will soon be losing their jobs and will be in the same place that they had forced us to be.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that a good manager, with talent and dedication wasn't relocated. It is Kmarts' loss.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt you T-bone. I think they knew they had it coming to them. If they actually thought their district manager would treat them with respect, they had a lot to learn. I think C, J, and K all worked hard to get that store going again. J will be able to retire, but K and C are in for a lot of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI think only one thought that the district manager would treat them with respect. I just hope the best for all the good and hard working people who worked for that store.
ReplyDelete