Working In Retail With Little AC On (employee, degrees, degree)
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Sorry if this has been posted before, I searched and nothing came up. I work in a retail store and it gets really hot inside because they don't have the AC on high enough. The summers are brutal here, anywhere from 90 to over 100 degrees some days. I have been getting headaches and tired on the job because it is so hot in the store. The other day, I got lightheaded after a 5 hour shift because of no break and not enough AC. The other co-workers get very hot too and sweat at times. Customers keep complaining how hot the store is. I've had customers come up to the register with sweat running down their face. Who wants to shop in a hot store during the summer?
Management's reasoning is it cost too much money. That's why they don't have the AC on higher. I go into other retail stores and they have the AC on full blast. Why should I have to suffer in the heat for a minimum wage job? Do you think calling corporate to complain will help any? I think corporate controls the AC levels too. I've had customers complain that their going to call corporate because it is too hot. What can I do? Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks
You shouldn't have to put up with those temperatures for minimum wage. Demand a wage increase (since they're obviously saving so much on the energy bill) or get another job.
Sorry if this has been posted before, I searched and nothing came up. I work in a retail store and it gets really hot inside because they don't have the AC on high enough. The summers are brutal here, anywhere from 90 to over 100 degrees some days. I have been getting headaches and tired on the job because it is so hot in the store. The other day, I got lightheaded after a 5 hour shift because of no break and not enough AC. The other co-workers get very hot too and sweat at times. Customers keep complaining how hot the store is. I've had customers come up to the register with sweat running down their face. Who wants to shop in a hot store during the summer?
Management's reasoning is it cost too much money. That's why they don't have the AC on higher. I go into other retail stores and they have the AC on full blast. Why should I have to suffer in the heat for a minimum wage job? Do you think calling corporate to complain will help any? I think corporate controls the AC levels too. I've had customers complain that their going to call corporate because it is too hot. What can I do? Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks
Politely ask that they do. Let them know that you or your coworkers have tried, but as corporate is not hearing from customers, they think things are actually ok. This keeps the customer from feeling like you are being a disgruntled employee and will likely get them to call. I have done it before. I have also been in stores where we were supposed to keep the doors open, closed, whatever and the minute a customer makes a comment, I make it as comfortable as I would want it, as saying "a customer complained" is enough reason to get corporate to agree to just about anything.
Also, and not to defend corporate, they deal with a lot of people who are on their first jobs who complain the minute something doesn't go their way (I am sure there are coworkers who come to mind who fit this) so an employee complaint doesn't always carry the weight of a customer complaint for that reason. Fair? No. Reality? Often,
You shouldn't have to put up with those temperatures for minimum wage. Demand a wage increase (since they're obviously saving so much on the energy bill) or get another job.
They won't give me a wage increase until review time. I joined before the cutoff date last year and got a 5 cent raise. When they don't make payroll all the minimum wage employees get their hours get cut. Yet management gets to keep their hours because they're salaried employees. You know what really sucks is when management gives you a 3 hour shift. I love it when they add an extra 30 minutes to it. Why make me waste my time and gas to drive 8 miles 1 way for 3 hours? I've been searching to find a full-time job that pays more.
Most retail stores have some kind of guidelines written up on environmental conditions including temperature.
I used to work in a very hot store until someone from corporate made a surprise visit and pointed out the temp was not within guidelines. Made my life much easier.
They won't give me a wage increase until review time. I joined before the cutoff date last year and got a 5 cent raise. When they don't make payroll all the minimum wage employees get their hours get cut. Yet management gets to keep their hours because they're salaried employees. You know what really sucks is when management gives you a 3 hour shift. I love it when they add an extra 30 minutes to it. Why make me waste my time and gas to drive 8 miles 1 way for 3 hours? I've been searching to find a full-time job that pays more.
They also keep their hours because they are full time and were hired with an hourly guarantee, and that guarantee is usually 40. I know I have worked in retail management, and the hourly pay rate I am given is equal to a certain salary if I am working 40 hours. Companies, and the stores themselves, can get into trouble when the full time employees are not getting their guaranteed hours. So, while you want to make this about them cutting part time and not management hours, it really has nothing to do with your issue. And the 3 hour shifts are usually a corporate directive, as you don;t have to give a break or a lunch with a 3 hour shift. Trust me, at least in my own personal experience, if I didn;t have corporate or a DM or RM standing over my head (AND looking at my schedules) I wouldn't have given those shifts either. It's retail. Management actually isn;t a bad job, but sales associates have it rough.
How did this thread move so quickly from a complaint about the inadequacy of A/C to a complaint about wages? And how does minimum wage relate to the temperature in the workplace? Must be one of the fastest forum shifts recorded!
They are driving their customers away! If there were any way to get them to realize this, it would help you. I remember Montgomery Ward doing this. Now I've noticed it at Sears and JC Penney as well. It sucks.
Write in to corporate pretending you are a customer. Create numerous emails and use fictitious names. Use a different style of writing for each email.
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