To Whom It May Concern:
This letter dated January 12, 2002, is meant to serve as my
immediate resignation from Media Play, INC, and also as a way for met to try one
last time to bring things to your attention that need to be fixed.
I have worked at Media Play since approximately September
2001, and I have never dreaded coming to work as much as I do when I know that
I’ll be in the store with the General Manager, Gary. This man makes everyone
in the store feel uncomfortable just by walking near them, manages to be
negative about every aspect of his job nearly 99% of the time, and in general
lowers morale in the store. He expects leads to set good examples, yet doesn’t
do so himself. I’ve heard that he has been caught sleeping in his office by
other employees or looking through adult magazines in the store. These things
are fine on HIS time, not COMPANY time.
Gary also tends to address morning meeting issues in a
negative fashion all the time. Instead of giving ideas on how to bring numbers
up in a positive and ethical manner, we (the associates) tend to hear things
along the lines of “Bring up your numbers or else”. If we tried to explain
that we were trying the best we could, offering Smart Solutions to everyone in
the store, we would basically be told that that wasn’t good enough. Why
isn’t it good enough? We can’t very well force our customers to purchase
something they don’t want. Yes,
the words out of his mouth were “Offer every customer, every time”, but the
attitude and implication is more like “force them to buy it or we will
terminate your employment”.
Other issues arising come from our Lead Maintenance person.
The man seems to walk around with a blank look sucking up hours without
accomplishing anything. He also went so far as to write a note to hardlines
stating that they needed to do a better job of sweeping the drive isle at night
because he didn’t want to start a 10-hour shift by mopping the floor and THEN
finding dirt piles. He’s the LEAD maintenance person for pete’s sake; is he
somehow exempt from maintaining the store’s cleanliness?
The lead maintenance person also seems to think somehow
that being a lead means he can be a jerk to most of the other staff. While
moving things around the store, he’s told me to help him – I wasn’t hired
for maintenance. Be damned if I will help him do his job and neglect mine in the
process; especially since he wouldn’t help me do mine. I don’t mind if
people ASK for help, but if he can take the time to ask if I’m busy, he can
respect the fact that I am indeed busy.
One final issue I will mention (since I’m doubtful any
action will be taken because of this) is that when employees on my level (i.e.,
regular associates) have a problem or concern with the work place, it needs to
be taken seriously and dealt with ASAP. Comments from managers like, ‘For
every gripe you have, I have 10 for each of my employees’ are totally
unacceptable. The saying goes ‘Gripes go up, not down’; that means that
managers need to address any and all concerns their employees have, not ignore
them or come back with smart-alec comments. If YOUR managers don’t listen to
YOU, tough; I can’t change that, but you can. Force them to listen as I am.
You, the managers at Media Play 8111, Fargo, ND, as well as
those in the higher offices leading all the way to the corporation’s president
have a vision to become a world-class company. It starts at store level with
good associate-manager interaction, by listening to your employees. They may
surprise you with honest answers; don’t ignore them! Even if you don’t like
what was said. If you ask for input or criticism, ACCEPT IT!! Don’t blow it
off by turning into a corporate drone or immediately defending your position by
stating the most obvious things. Listen first, don’t just hear the associates
speaking, listen to what they say.
CUSTOMERS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING; SALES ASSOCIATES
ARE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT. Customers buy things; employees stock
shelves, help customers, clean the store, and offer your silly little extras;
the extras are just that: EXTRA. They don’t mean a damn thing without
customers – the very people you drive away if you try to force them into
buying Replays they don’t want, subscribing to a ‘trial’ set of magazines
that continues without their consent or knowledge. It is your duty as
responsible managers to allow sales associates to inform your customers of the
small print so you can avoid problems in the future.
Your thought process in general is in the right place – learn to implement it properly if you wish to become a truly world-class company.
Please note again that this letter serves as my IMMEDIATE
resignation from Media Play, INC. Because this is an ‘At will employment’
state, you should be well aware of the fact that you cannot do anything about my
departure from this company, and that you have a responsibility to give an
honest reference of my performance there.
Sincerely,
Chris Roeszler,
Former Books Associate
PS: Your turn over rate just went up.