Hatrack River Forum: Why I am leaving my job as soon as reasonably possible.

This is topic Why I am leaving my job as soon as reasonably possible. in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

I work on commission, selling suits at JCPenney. I have an issue that comes up once in a while regarding my sales, and today I was told that the way we normally resolve it, adding the check together, will no longer be done, effectively screwing me out of my commission.

You see we don't get commission on a lot of thins unless we sell what they call a "qualifying item": a suit, sports coat, or dress pant. So if I sell $200 of Dockers, I get nothing...but if they by one pair of dress pants I get commission on all of it.

Sometimes people split things up because they aren't all paying for it together, or want it on a separate receipt. The standard before was as long as they didn't use two different credit cards we could have the office combine them, so that the qualifying item would affect the whole sale, allowing us our commission on the whole price, not just the single item on the separate check.

They won't do that anymore. They say it is inefficient for the office people to have to redo the orders, and that the customers get confused when they see their bill...which probably is true.

But it doesn't change the fact that I am getting screwed out of pay.

I was so angry I almost quit, although I can't afford to quit at this point, not without some sort of other steady income.

Three cheers for corporate American, huh? They make millions, and quibble with their employees over $2.50 commission a sale.

[Frown]

[ April 26, 2005, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]

Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :

That just sucks.

Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :

That totally bites. What pissants.

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :

I hate retail. Ugh. My sister works at JC Penney right now and I used to work at Sears...and it really does suck. [Frown]

I hope you can find something new really soon.

Posted by Bean Counter (Member # 6001) on :

Try to form a Union based on poor treatment, generate lots of publicity and get fired, then sue, you can spend a couple years writing a book!

BC

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

Have you considered working for a smaller, more specialized store?

For instance, locally we have JR Stallsmith, which is very nice (albeit expensive), and treats its employees quite well afaict: http://jrstallsmith.com/ . Especially as its the only truly high end men's clothing store in a town with lots of college professors and businessmen (very good business school, including for MBAs), it does a rousing business.

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

You can't sue for termination in MA, it is what they call an "at will employment" state.

Don't think I haven't thought about it....they would probably just fire my dad after 39 years of working for them in retaliation, 3 months before he si due to retire....

I think I am cutting down to 4 days a week, mostly nights, to work on the mortgage business some more. It looks very intersting, and there is definatly money to be made in it. The only problem is that it is 100% commission, so it starts out slow.

Still, I have two friends doing it, one for less than a year and the other for just over a year, and they both doubled my yearly wage already. One of them almost tripled it. [Big Grin]

Posted by scottneb (Member # 676) on :

I want that job!

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

Keep in mind I didn't mention a specific figure....

3 X a very tiny amount still isn't much... [Wink]

They made good money last year, particularily since they were new. It takes about 2-3 months to get going, but once you do referrals keep you busy. Also, the mortgage broker I work for generates leads for you as well, although they don't pay as well as leads you generate yourself of course. Most places don;t do much of that for you, they expect you do to that for them. [Big Grin]

Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

Kwea, it sucks, but you are moving in a different direction, anyway, so maybe this will give you a boost.

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

Kwea: you can sue for termination, just its much harder and there are fewer eligible reasons.

But being fired for union organizing is one of those eligible reasons, I do believe.

Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :

Yes, termination for attempting to organize is actionable. I have no idea what the elements are, but that's federal. And I'd expect MA to have even stronger protection.

Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :

Death to the capitalist exploiters of the working class!

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

I left three different sales jobs when the management of each announced new pay plans that would benefit everyone, and were in reallity cuts in pay.

Sales is not an easy life.

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

This is AFTER they cut the commission pay plan from 7% to 3%, and before there were no qualifying sales needed....anything in our section was commisionable. Now more items are commission items, but only if you sell a qualifying item.

In other words, it was a huge pay cut.

Kwea

Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :

Wow, that's worse than what they do to my mom... she's at Penney's too as a house-to-house decorator (on commission). They pull all sorts of little stunts like they do to you, it's awful.

I hope you can find something better, and soon :-/

Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :

Kwea, get out of that crappy job. If you're a good salesman, the world is your oyster.

Being someone who hates selling things and couldn't sell popsicles in the desert, I can only envy your ability. [Mad]

Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :

Wow, it really does sound as if they're screwing you over. I hope the mortgage business soon picks up to the point where you can leave Penney's behind.