Just wondering if my fellow SSMs (formerly known as ovm...mtm/ops/visual) are as stressed as we are at my store.
Do your cxms help you with markdowns or merchandising? They don't at my store, which leaves everything to us as usual. Except now we have no merchant's to help put the goods away. Every day is just a race to throw stuff any where or in stockrooms just to get the equipment back to the truck. The floors are a mess, nothing is merchandised to standards, we're lucky if they can get the same brands put out on the table (and most times they don't) I don't know how much longer we can survive!
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SMM here. I can’t even begin to tell you how overwhelmed and burned out I am. I refuse to work 12hr days 6 days a week because I shouldn’t have to. My peer SMM is on LOA until December and I get zero support from anyone. The store manager is always in her office, the OOM is useless, and the CXMs can manage their own workload. They simply can’t walk and chew gum at the same time so I can’t expect them to help out with anything merchandising or pricing related. I am ready to throw in the towel. This is just not sustainable in the long term. We’re super behind on H22 set ups, floors and stockrooms busting at the seams, and now these crazy markdowns they decided to throw in last minute? And then Regional/Division people can’t understand why you can’t get everything done. Like what is this company thinking? This is a thankless job and the SMM is the person in the store carrying all the heavy load. You have to think for everyone all the time and on top do all the physical work to make up for the lack of speed and initiative of the generalist population being assigned to do these tasks. Crazy…
Yes I'm a SMM and I'm stressed, am working open to close, but all the other managers are overworked and stressed, too. Our MBA looks like they are going to drop dead any day, trying to hire and no one showing up and being berated for jobs not filled. CXM's working 6-7 days a week, OOM already dealing with shortages of packing materials and new hires causing issues with BOPS orders not being done right or on time. This stress is overwhelming and no one can really help the other right now.
@1fhg. Good job. Instead of whining and complaining you took control of your future. Good luck and continued success.
SSM here
We have the same issues at my store and I feel the same. If you don’t work 12 hour days 6 days a week you are written off and frowned upon. It had gotten to the point of I was sick physically and my mental health wasn’t the best. Very depressed, exhausted and sad. I shut down professionally and personally
Then I knew it was time to move on: my last days are next week. I’m in week 1 of my 2 week notice.
To tell you a thousand pound weight was lifted off my back is an understatement. The physical stress symptoms have gone away and I’m smiling again also feeling like myself again slowly.
I was with company 15+
Thought it was my forever home, sad it is not.
I beg of you to see what is out there you’ll be surprised someone else will value you 10x what this company currently does. I won’t let the ISM experiment ruin my feelings on the company, I remember what it used to be like and have great memories. It’s bittersweet.
I am glad I got out
To the comment below, I completely understand and get it. We're all stretched thin. When we voiced our concerns about not being able to run generalists in the ho-e store to do markdowns and merchandise we were told we wouldn't be doing it alone, each manager in their area would be helping us manage the process. Now we're all smart people we knew that would never happen, they have to much going on already they can't keep up with. Maybe 20 years ago when there were 5 managers just in men's this would work great, but not now with only one covering 2 floors an entire day.
As a CSX I help as much as I possibly can. With the floor staffing and the continuous problem customers I feel like most of my day is running from one fire to another, or jumping in to help ring, cleaning out fitting rooms and doing go-backs, all while doing functional schedules, driving loyalty and CX and the endless meetings that keep us off the floor. I want to help do more but never seem to be able to stay in one place for more than a few minutes at a time.
Edit* SMM Style Merchandise Manager (stupid phone auto corrected)