Thread regarding Sears layoffs

We had black mold and were told not to report it or they wold close our store.

Careful. If you report potential building, health, safety or fire violations, corporate might just find it cheaper and easier just to close your store. It's a sad reality, but Eddie doesn't want to spend ANY money rehabilitating the stores.

Our store failed a routine fire inspection due to the outdated sprinkler system and some electrical issues. SHC was 100 percent responsible because they owned the building and no landlord was involved. Two weeks after we were served with an official notice of violation, we were announced for closure. In between that time, our QMT basically lived at the store and had a few contractor people going up in the ceiling, on the roof and in the warehouse.

Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm doubtful. Sears Holdings is pretty sleazy. I wouldn't doubt for a second they closed us because they didn't want to pony up for the repairs.

I bet it went down like this: the store manager faxed the notice to legal, legal got on the phone with the head facilities manager, the head facilities manager got in touch with contractors to get an estimate on what it would cost to fix, the contractors issued their quotes and some bigshot thought it was too much to pay out and said, "screw it. Close the store".

@1tgh - The lack of a sink in a breakroom can be a building code violation in some communities. When our breakroom hot water heater failed the store was too cheap to replace it, so we had only cold water for a couple of years. Then the drain line for the sink failed and again the store said it was too costly to fix, so they just covered the sink up. However, someone reported this situation to the city building inspector. The building inspector informed the store manger that it was a code violation not to have a working sink with hot water in a breakroom and the store would be cited if the problem was not resolved. Lo and behold, we had a working sink with hot water in short order!

Sinks waste water and employee time washing hands. Just shake it off, wipe it on the pants and get back to work/

I could live without a vending machine. There isn't even a SINK in some breakrooms!

Removal of the vending machines is part of SHC healthcare initiative. If you don't eat as much junk food then you will not get sick and use the healthcare. If you don't get fat and sick you can work harder and longer. Just like getting your hours cut gives you more time to relax and recover. No raises keep you out of finanical trouble because you cant go buy a bunch of stuff you dont need.

Think of it as part of your benefit package.

Our breakroom used to have a full kitchen with a menu until the early 1990's.....operated by a vendor.The kitchen was then torn out and replaced with vending machines with fresh sandwiches....which was then replaced with generic soda and chips machines.

For several years, the breakroom had a TV with a remote until problems developed with the cable line that ran from D/57 to the breakroom.

Rather than fix the cable, they removed the TV.

The breakroom nowadays is a depressing place to eat ......Signwriter signs are posted on the walls reminding associates to clean up after themselves....

Many associates in our store sit in their cars to eat or drive to local fast food joints.

First and foremost I don't even know why people buy stuff in the vending machine (unless you have no option). Everything on those machines is overpriced from chips, candy bars, granolas bars, sodas etc. In all my years that I been working for the company I never once bought anything from the vending machine. Its not because I didn't have money its because I felt they ripped you off big time. On a business perspective I think its a good way to make extra $$$ with those vending machines I mean they do sell the products overpriced. Also to add those machines always eat the money from my co workers another reason I don't even want to put a dime on those rip off machines!

@TfbYMUY-ikg I don't know why you feel bad. Lots of my co workers when pay day comes they start to blow up their money and go buy food in the food court or go out to eat. The following week I hear some complaining they are hungry, but they have no money because they blew it all up! You have to budget! Its so much cheaper to buy food from the grocery store and make a sandwich that can last you a whole week bread/slices of cheese/meat/etc (rotate what you eat). You go buy a meal at a food court you can spend easily $3 to $8 dollars on one sitting.

Working at Sears you can't have that luxury of going out to eat and buying food at the food court its just pricey. If you want something better you either leave or have to find a second job because the hours at pay a Sears are horrible (especially with all this changes).

I've seen many employees eat nothing but chips, a candy bar or a granola bar for a lunch. It's really sad and makes me feel kind of guilty for bringing in a lunch or buying something at the food court. I eat my meals in my car, which I don't like to do, but I also don't like eating a big spread in front of someone who can't afford food.

If I have something extra that I am not going to eat or can spare a few dollars, I offer it to someone.