Cards
A major part of my job has just become selling credit cards. I know... I'm supposed to be working in a ladies clothing dept. Go figure. I was supposed to be a Christmas temp, just tidying up clothes and watching the fitting room BUT all has now changed.
Firstly they have realised how awesomely amazing I am. To be fair to them, it didn't take long. So they have decided to put my awesome amazingness to good use, and train me up for the tills and the account card. I was quite keen for this, because let's face it, even 4 hours a day tidying clothes gets a bit much. On Mega days I did get to hand out leaflets, but that also is annoying after about 5 seconds.
However, part of me is wondering what I have let myself in for. I now have targets. TARGETS! To open one card per day I work. I don't think we have enough customers for us all to reach that target. More like one a week... In an effort to mobilise the workforce into reaching these lofty aspirations, we are now expected to spend at least half an hour every day "clipping", which basically means we have to walk around the shop with a wadge of application forms on a clipboard and pounce upon our blissfully unaware customers, who happen to be perusing the exciting range of ladieswear we have on offer, and try and convince them that their life will end if they don't open a store card with us.
"Hello madam, how are you this fine day? I was hoping to extol the virtues of our wonderful new reward scheme with you... all you have to do is hand over some very personal information so the bank can run a detailed credit check against you, and soon you could be earning not only more credit-induced debt but also great value reward points that are only valid in our store. And once in a while we will hold an exclusive 20% off day, so you are encouraged to buy loads more things than you really want or need purely because you get a discount on that day. Would one be interested in such an arrangement? Yes? Wonderful, sign your life away here please..."
Ok, so my main problem is that I am morally opposed to pressuring old dears into opening new credit cards during one of the worst economic crisies in history. Sorry, I just think that's wrong. But my managers think that it's because I don't like approaching people on the shop floor. Clearly I don't have an issue with that! So I am having to bite the bullet, put on my fakest smile and chat my way through the LONGEST half hour in the world every day. I have developed a couple of avoidence strategies... being 5/10 minutes late to take on the clipboard is sometimes workable, especially if you are in the middle of a big job and loose track of time; jumping on the till during busy periods is the lesser of 2 evils; helping a customer on a non-account card related issue can kill a lot of time, especially if you have to go down and check for size options in the store; sometimes you are lucky and land one of the sweet old things that wants to talk the hind leg off your donkey - of course you don't want to be rude, do you?!
At the end of the day, I don't need to agree with everything in order to do the job. Especially when I'm just after some short term cash, not looking to build a managerial career. But it makes me wonder where you draw the line on such a question...
Firstly they have realised how awesomely amazing I am. To be fair to them, it didn't take long. So they have decided to put my awesome amazingness to good use, and train me up for the tills and the account card. I was quite keen for this, because let's face it, even 4 hours a day tidying clothes gets a bit much. On Mega days I did get to hand out leaflets, but that also is annoying after about 5 seconds.
However, part of me is wondering what I have let myself in for. I now have targets. TARGETS! To open one card per day I work. I don't think we have enough customers for us all to reach that target. More like one a week... In an effort to mobilise the workforce into reaching these lofty aspirations, we are now expected to spend at least half an hour every day "clipping", which basically means we have to walk around the shop with a wadge of application forms on a clipboard and pounce upon our blissfully unaware customers, who happen to be perusing the exciting range of ladieswear we have on offer, and try and convince them that their life will end if they don't open a store card with us.
"Hello madam, how are you this fine day? I was hoping to extol the virtues of our wonderful new reward scheme with you... all you have to do is hand over some very personal information so the bank can run a detailed credit check against you, and soon you could be earning not only more credit-induced debt but also great value reward points that are only valid in our store. And once in a while we will hold an exclusive 20% off day, so you are encouraged to buy loads more things than you really want or need purely because you get a discount on that day. Would one be interested in such an arrangement? Yes? Wonderful, sign your life away here please..."
Ok, so my main problem is that I am morally opposed to pressuring old dears into opening new credit cards during one of the worst economic crisies in history. Sorry, I just think that's wrong. But my managers think that it's because I don't like approaching people on the shop floor. Clearly I don't have an issue with that! So I am having to bite the bullet, put on my fakest smile and chat my way through the LONGEST half hour in the world every day. I have developed a couple of avoidence strategies... being 5/10 minutes late to take on the clipboard is sometimes workable, especially if you are in the middle of a big job and loose track of time; jumping on the till during busy periods is the lesser of 2 evils; helping a customer on a non-account card related issue can kill a lot of time, especially if you have to go down and check for size options in the store; sometimes you are lucky and land one of the sweet old things that wants to talk the hind leg off your donkey - of course you don't want to be rude, do you?!
At the end of the day, I don't need to agree with everything in order to do the job. Especially when I'm just after some short term cash, not looking to build a managerial career. But it makes me wonder where you draw the line on such a question...
posted by Susie at
4:51 AM
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