Current Events > Companies need to stop this trend of short staffing

(+) Yeah! (+)

For those who arent familiar with the word, it means that a company has plenty of people on the payroll, but intentionally puts a skeleton crew on the floor in order to save from having to write more paychecks.

-This is abusive to the worker because it forces one person to do the work of 3-4, all for the same pay.
-This creates a bad experience for the customer because they have to wait in longer lines or have to scan the groceries themselves.
-This creates an unsafe work environment for the workers because someone is more likely to rob a store with fewer employees on the floor.

There are people begging for hours, but corporate doesnt want to write any more minimum wage checks than they have to. The workers suffer, the customers suffer, and the corporation or business makes more profit. This isnt working out. Give people more hours if youre dead set on paying people the lowest wage that the law will let you pay them.

The only thing customers see is longer wait times and poorly stocked stores. They assume that people are lazy and dont want to work, while the workers are begging to get put on the floor. Cheap ass corporations need to be penalized for this type of thing.

Oh, youre quite wrong: it works out wonderfully for shareholders and executives. They will not fix the problem, because it is not a problem for them, and fixing it may cause them to make slightly less money, and then how will they afford their space yachts?

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Payzmaykr posted...

workers are begging to get put on the floor

i thought nobody wanted to work

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They do this for one main reason: to have spares in case someone calls in sick/quits on the spot

just start stealing shit. once they start losing more money through the theft than they are saving by shortstaffing, the problem will work itself out.

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That doesn't sound very pro free capatalism from you.

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PatrickMahomes posted...

i thought nobody wanted to work

Common misconception. These places have fifteen or twenty people on payroll. They will staff three people when there should be eight or nine.

Fast food restaurants, for example, cannot operate in lunch rushes with one person up front dealing with the window, the lobby, expediting the orders, taking payments, and running to the back to restock. That is sadistic. Like I said, the customer suffers, the worker suffers, and the rest of the staff who doesnt get scheduled suffers. Its not the GMs decision; corporate will not let them fully staff the stores.

See, your mistake was thinking they gave a single fuck for the customers or workers, and not only 100% concerned with shareholders/people at the top.

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Funkydog posted...

See, your mistake was thinking they gave a single fuck for the customers or workers, and not only 100% concerned with shareholders/people at the top.

Partially why Im boycotting them. Not giving my money to fast food. Why would I want to wait 15 minutes for a $7 hamburger? Let their shareholders take a hit when everyone gets fed up with the wait times and poor quality of service.

Naysaspace posted...

just start stealing shit. once they start losing more money through the theft than they are saving by shortstaffing, the problem will work itself out.

Genius.

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Naysaspace posted...

just start stealing shit. once they start losing more money through the theft than they are saving by shortstaffing, the problem will work itself out.

Sometimes its hard to not accidentally steal at the self checkout. Theres nowhere near enough bag space and most of us arent trained to check stuff out. Whose fault is it? Whoever decided to not staff the checkout aisles properly.

Personally, I think they increase their margin for acceptable losses as they cut down on employees and force customers to scan their own stuff. They wont pay someone to check you out or stock the store, but theres someone following me around in the store.

Payzmaykr posted...

Common misconception. These places have fifteen or twenty people on payroll. They will staff three people when there should be eight or nine.

Fast food restaurants, for example, cannot operate in lunch rushes with one person up front dealing with the window, the lobby, expediting the orders, taking payments, and running to the back to restock. That is sadistic. Like I said, the customer suffers, the worker suffers, and the rest of the staff who doesnt get scheduled suffers. Its not the GMs decision; corporate will not let them fully staff the stores.

which fast food place is actually having one person do all that during lunch?

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^ Id like to know that answer too

PatrickMahomes posted...

i thought nobody wanted to work

Thats whats going on around me. Fast food places are closing good for good and QTs havent had people working the kitchen part in weeks so I cant even get my mac and cheese or pizza.

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thronedfire2 posted...

which fast food place is actually having one person do all that during lunch?

Literally every store in my town. Definitely Burger King. Theyre probably the most toxic and abusive fast food restaurant that exists.

Payzmaykr posted...

Literally every store in my town. Definitely Burger King. Theyre probably the most toxic and abusive fast food restaurant that exists.

sounds more like no one in your town wants to work those jobs if its all of them.

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thronedfire2 posted...

sounds more like no one in your town wants to work those jobs if its all of them.

I explained this in the first post. Theyve got plenty workers, but they refuse to put them on the floor. This is a business trend.

My town is packed with people on every street corner with need work signs. It definitely isnt that nobody wants to work.

It's a major problem in pharmacy. At this point we actively tell people to go somewhere else because we're not allowed to have enough people on shift to actually count and sell prescriptions. Who knows what you're getting in your pill bottle because nobody has enough time to count and check what you're getting. You're a complete fool if you get drugs from any chain pharmacy.

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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

QTs havent had people working the kitchen part in weeks

ok this worker thing has officially become a problem if fuckin QT kitchens cant operate

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PatrickMahomes posted...

ok this worker thing has officially become a problem if fuckin QT kitchens cant operate

It sucks, dude. And they have all the lights off so its kinda creepy and depressing looking. Ill try to snag a picture tomorrow.

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Exploiting their workforce is the only way theyve made profit so now that they cant exploit their workforce trying to find ways to guilt people in the working these businesses never really worked always been a faade

Walgreens has got to be one of the biggest culprits of this. Theyve always been short-staffed at the locations Ive shopped at.

Naysaspace posted...

just start stealing shit. once they start losing more money through the theft than they are saving by shortstaffing, the problem will work itself out.

Or they just close the store

https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/Out-of-control-Organized-crime-drives-S-F-16175755.php

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Gakk86 posted...

It's a major problem in pharmacy. At this point we actively tell people to go somewhere else because we're not allowed to have enough people on shift to actually count and sell prescriptions. Who knows what you're getting in your pill bottle because nobody has enough time to count and check what you're getting. You're a complete fool if you get drugs from any chain pharmacy.

Thats absolutely ridiculous. Ive noticed it, myself, going into Walgreens. I also heard that pharmacy technicians are only paid $15/hr at most.

So we have a VERY essential service short staffing and overworking its workers. Perfect example of how the customer and the worker suffers, but the CEO gets a new Tesla every three months.

"This creates an unsafe work environment for the workers because someone is more likely to rob a store with fewer employees on the floor."

I mean I guess sorta but it's far more relevant to health for other reasons

1. Rushed stressed workers trying to do too much are more prone to accidents, safety oversights/violations undercooking food etc.
2. Chronic stress is demonstrably extremely detrimental to health. Not just mental but physical.
3. Angry unsatifised customers are more likely to cause an incident or complaint possibly a violent one that could result in injury, job loss etc.
4. A dysfunctional retsurant is more likely to close resulting in job losses. Loss of income can cause a death spiral(sometimes literally) for those already struggling.

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COVID pretty much opened up everyone's eyes. Now, if only these companies actually listened and made changes, but that would cost them too much money (not much money at all in the grand scheme of things, but they don't want to lose any money).

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pikachupwnage posted...

"This creates an unsafe work environment for the workers because someone is more likely to rob a store with fewer employees on the floor."

I mean I guess sorta but it's far more relevant to health for other reasons

1. Rushed stressed workers trying to do too much are more prone to accidents, safety oversights/violations undercooking food etc.
2. Chronic stress is demonstrably extremely detrimental to health. Not just mental but physical.
3. Angry unsatifised customers are more likely to cause an incident or complaint possibly a violent one that could result in injury, job loss etc.
4. A dysfunctional retsurant is more likely to close resulting in job losses. Loss of income can cause a death spiral(sometimes literally) for those already struggling.

Very true. I actually got the thing about being robbed from an article about how short staffing is causing Dollar General employees to walk away. Not that I would ever do this, but if I was planning to rob a store, I would rather rob one with the fewest employees. Thats why gas stations get robbed more than Target.

Boss: whyre we so back up?!?!?!?!?!
Me: we used to be a 5 man department and niw we're a 2 mab department. Waddya expect?
Boss: i cant go upstairs with that!
Me: sucks to be you
*boss tells big boss we are fine*
*big boss runs numbers and finds iut we're not fine*
Boss: guys youre killing me here!!!!
Me: we need more people we dont have enough hands or time
Boss: then maaaaaaake tiiiiiiiiiiime!!!!!
-_-
Boss:

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Naysaspace posted...

just start stealing shit. once they start losing more money through the theft than they are saving by shortstaffing, the problem will work itself out.

Nah it really won't. Big retail chains have a shrink budget and you know what happens when shrink exceeds the budget. They raise the budget next year

Theft literally means nothing to the big retail stores. They put on a show but it really doesn't matter to them in the least

I for one cant wait to see corporate America crumble

When that happens, the employees need to do the right thing and fucking sandbag.

DONT do the work of 5 people. Do the work of 1 person. If a customer bitches at you, tell them the honest uncensored truth about how short staffed you are and how you are not going to do the job of multiple people unless you are getting multiple checks. If they complain to the boss, tell them the same thing.

Dont kill yourself by working like a slave to protect profits.

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go look up "just-in-time scheduling"

This is what happens when you let corporations dictate America

Middle hope posted...

When that happens, the employees need to do the right thing and fucking sandbag.

DONT do the work of 5 people. Do the work of 1 person. If a customer bitches at you, tell them the honest uncensored truth about how short staffed you are and how you are not going to do the job of multiple people unless you are getting multiple checks. If they complain to the boss, tell them the same thing.

Dont kill yourself by working like a slave to protect profits.

Excellent post.

Axiom posted...

Nah it really won't. Big retail chains have a shrink budget and you know what happens when shrink exceeds the budget. They raise the budget next year

Theft literally means nothing to the big retail stores. They put on a show but it really doesn't matter to them in the least

In grocery stores, they throw so much meat, produce, etc in the garbage on a daily basis. If you stole every piece of produce or meat you wanted, you would most likely be stealing stuff that was going in the trash anyway.

Im not advocating theft, just saying that I dont fault anyone from stealing from a monopolized chain store. Especially if you cant afford the insane price.

I think one of the measures they could take is, when someone calls in, their hourly cut is split between fellow workers for the day.

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Middle hope posted...

If a customer bitches at you, tell them the honest uncensored truth about how short staffed you are and how you are not going to do the job of multiple people unless you are getting multiple checks. If they complain to the boss, tell them the same thing.

Youve never worked at a restaurant or retail have you before? Customers dont give a fuck and your boss doesnt give two shits about you, its 100% all the customer.

Seriously this topic is pretty hilarious.

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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Youve never worked at a restaurant or retail have you before? Customers dont give a fuck and your boss doesnt give two shits about you, its 100% all the customer.

Seriously this topic is pretty hilarious.

I was a multi level restaurant manager for 11 years. I never slaved my employees out for the good of the company. Bad managers do that shit. If one of my stores had 7 people call in or quit and and only a skeleton crew, i would either have them shut down for the day or run just a drive thru window at very low volume. While i worked on trying to get more people on the staff for another location or attempt to call in people.

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Yeah, thats the scumbag known as capitalism

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Bad_Mojo posted...

Yeah, thats the scumbag known as capitalism

Yeah, but things are getting exponentially worse. Capitalism existed for the boomer generation and they made bank from doing the same jobs that pay $15/hr now. We are the generation where capitalism started falling, though.

Payzmaykr posted...

Yeah, but things are getting exponentially worse. Capitalism existed for the boomer generation and they made bank from doing the same jobs that pay $15/hr now. We are the generation where capitalism started falling, though.

I agree

But it's not just the Corps that are to blame, it's the every day worker as well. Not many people in America are willing to take a pay cut in order to make other people's lives better.

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Payzmaykr posted...

Capitalism existed for the boomer generation and they made bank from doing the same jobs that pay $15/hr now.

That was when United States and Canada were the only countries not actively on fire from WW2.

We are the generation where capitalism started falling, though.

Gen-X watched this happen. The only reason Gen-X conservatives even exist is because some of us figured out why. Incidentally, that's also the reason Gen-X liberals exist.

This is why I could never have the heart to be mean to anyone in retail. I feel for them.

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The only time I've ever seen a happy retail worker is when it's their first week.

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Payzmaykr posted...

Capitalism existed for the boomer generation and they made bank from doing the same jobs that pay $15/hr now. We are the generation where capitalism started falling, though.

Capitalism isnt failing. Its doing what its designed to do. You probably just haver a different expectation of what thats supposed to be.

Capitalism is how you can have a badass IPhone in your pocket, which has access to the internet and works as a multimedia platform, on top of making phone calls. Capitalism is also how we can have movies like the Avengers that blow our minds and employ hundreds of employees or companies like Amazon that can deliver. overnight just about whatever you need or want on a whim. Capitalism makes it possible so many choices of foods inside our markets that the decision of what to get for dinner can feel overwhelming.

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Looking at what fast food is going thru with having employees at the moment, its not exactly surprising. The average low pay American worker is exceedingly entitled and myopic - if youre going out for low pay minimal intellectual effort work, then youre gonna get just thatwho knew.

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