I was a GM for Staples for only 8 months and within those 8 months I have witnessed horrible things. I resigned on Friday after false accusations. On April 4th my district manager had me put all of my key holders on a final for not enforcing the utilization of the PC Selling sheet. None of my key holders had ever been written up before this. I did not know that you can not go straight to a final without HR approval until recently. My operations manager had been with the company for some years now and he seemed to be alright with signing off on the final. Due to my tech supervisor being terminated for theft I had to make last minute adjustments to the schedule (not done in kronos) my team supervisor had forgotten he had to open the store and the store ended up opening a half hour late. My DM called me and told me to terminate my team supervisor. I informed him that I was concerned because at that point I found out that the final I had put them on through his insistence was not best practice and I worried that he would challenge it and because the adjustment hadn't been made in Kronos. My DM said to me, "what else is going on in your store because that is not a valid reason to not terminate him?" I told my team supervisor that we would have a discussion later on and he said to me, "I was put on a wrongful final so I know what the next conversation is going to look like I'm just going to call a lawyer." I told him to contact HR if he had any issues with the final I put him on. He did and I contacted HR as well. I told HR that I was concerned about retaliation and that I have witnessed it on multiple occasions done to other GM's who have spoken up or contacted HR in regards to the DM's behavior. The next week my team supervisor called out sick for all of his shifts yet he also informed me he was seeking out a lawyer. I don't have a sales manager it's only me, and IA and a operations manager at that point. I had to work 14+ hour days just to ensure MOD coverage. On my day off while I was at the doctors my DM called me and made me call my Team Sup on three way to find out when he would be coming back. My team sup said that HR told him to come back the beginning of the following week. I felt really uncomfortable with the fact that my DM would have me call an hourly associate on three way on my day off and his day off as well. I am then accused of suspending the team supervisor which I never did. My DM came to the store and started throwing accusations of me suspending someone when I never had and it was the straw that broke the camel back. DM has been with the company for over 20 years and he knew the process of putting employees on finals yet HE forced me to put all of my keyholders on finals by threatening my job if I didn't do as he said. I handed him my keys and I told him, "there is a reason that all of your seasoned GM's are so comfortable with cheating the metrics and the reason is you."
Things that lead to me leaving:
-I was put on a note to file for all of 2016 for CSAT. I didn't enter that building until October 28th and for the month of November my store was platinum in service.
-My store had been struggling to sell liquid armour I reached out to a sister store who was doing great with that and asked if they could send their top employee to show my store how it's done. The person they sent was discounting liquid armours. I informed my DM and he told me to tell her to stop immediately and to email LP and that he doesn't want cheaters on his team. I told her to stop and she informed me that her GM knows they do that and he is okay with this. I emailed LP and guess what...this girl is now up for a promotion ahahahahahahahahahahaha.
-Screen repairs...my store is a mail in only store yet we are to deliver on screen repairs. Typically we do. However, I have to track down screens from different stores and some of those stores do not want to give me their screens. The week that I had to work 14+ hour days due to coverage and other stores stating they did not have screens I was unable to obtain the screens. My DM said that wasn't a real excuse lol really? am I supposed to build screens in the back if your other GM's are stating they don't have any even though the AS400 is stating they do what the hell do you want me to do? Call you and tell you I need screens? So you can tell me it's my problem and I need to go out and get them or just ignore my calls?
-I told a fellow GM that I was struggling to meet last years conversion numbers because my store has two entrances and the ops manager that was in the store before I got there would keep the entrance to the doors locked and let people enter and exit through the exit door. My jaw dropped and I said, "I'm not doing that. That's cheating."
-Second week in the store my IA scanned a 1.4 in the ZB walk I was asked to meet my DM at his office. He told me, "I fired the previous GM for these numbers."
-I used to have a market manager (the position staples eliminated in the print and marketing department) my market manager informed me that he was given directions by my DM to take sales that were meant for my copy and print center and give them to another store to ensure that they are a million dollar copy center. The during my review I was berated by my DM for missing my copy center sales by 937 dollars.
-My DM making s-xist comments. Asking if I'm baking or selling screen repairs. As if I'm betty freaking crocker and carry a portable oven around with and whip up cupcakes and sh-- instead of working.
I had already been in talks with my previous DM from the company I used to work for before Staples and I'm going back there next Monday as a bench GM. I have never worked for a place that expected me to compromise my integrity and have never worked for a place that rewarded cheating and bad behavior. Oh and this was all in D13 and HR BP was pretty useless then again what was to be expected from a company that rewards cheaters and liars?