The comments on the last blog post had reached over 100 comments so I thought a new post was in order. I saw RGIS recently at a local store. They were just finishing up there; the suitcases were being pulled out to the van. That's the first thing that I noticed, those suitcases on wheels. When I was still working for RGIS we had these soft-sided brown vinyl suitcases to hold machines, lasers, paper tags, etc. They had two handles and nothing else, and we would have to lug those suckers, one in each hand, out to the company van while the AM or DM was busy schmoozing up the store manager one last time. The polyester burgundy short-sleeved shirts were still in evidence, and the black pants as well. Ah, nostalgia.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see them in action; I would have been curious to see the latest versions of the audit machines; do they still even call them that? I also got a chance to see WIS in their natural habitat as well, on a different day. Their blue shirts look a lot better than those tacky vests they used to wear a long time ago. They were using those all-in-one audit machines, with the laser built in, it looked like. I guess RGIS probably has those too, huh? It's been a long time. But not too long. :-)
It made me wonder though. Have any other ex-auditors ever encountered RGIS doing an inventory while you were out shopping? What was it like to bump into your former co-workers? Pleasant? Awkward? Hostile? Nauseating? Post your experiences (and anything else RGIS-related) here.
233 comments:
1 – 200 of 233 Newer› Newest»The machines are called RM-1's now. I wish I could post a pic for you. The laser is in the machine but also there is a plug in laser that has a cord that goes to your hand and the laser attaches to your finger. It's actually way more efficient that way, but some still hold the machine in their hand and use the laser on the machine.
The ones you describe are used to carry printers
I've posted a few times anonymously, but have never introduced myself. I'ma former WIS auditor, who is currently a Specialist with RGIS. I work with a travel team that is located 2 hours away from the district office, which means in the 8 plus years I have worked with RGIS I've seen the office 3 maybe 4 times. Also I don't even see the DM very often, because most of the stores I go to are ran by the AM, who is very old school in her approach, and is probably an anomaly in the company, since she is genuine, and well liked by all. Even, based on what I've read here, the DM, is more professional, and and nice, in comparison.
Because of where I live I regularly travel to 3 different states, usually in the company van, or rental. The main reason I work for RGIS is because the job market here sucks, a lot of my friends have been looking for work for over a year, with no luck. Is RGIS the best job around, not by a long shot, but it's better than nothing at all. I'll post some amusing stories, but this is enough for now.
Sometimes they don't have enough finger lasers for everyone, so the slower counters must use the built-in lasers. Slows you down a bit, especially in tight corners.
RE/high gas prices--yes, everyone is being hurt. Few can afford electric cars or the tiny new subcompacts. We see a few more auditors using motorcycles though. Like someone said earlier, I've noticed more auditors trying to borrow gas money. Of course, when you lend them the money, do realize the chance of being repaid is about 2%. Often you never see them again.
Apart from this, I like my job most of the time. You get used to it and every day is different. I don't like working in cubicles. Meet some interesting people. Goes bad one day, the next day could be just fine. 'Nuff said.
Misfit, here's a link to a photo I found through google.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y4K5_2l0VkA/SxNlTUfBzDI/AAAAAAAAAGA/XNpMViQ3QNI/s1600/RM-1.bmp
As you can probably tell, the Pieces key (or K key) is in the bottom right now. After a long time of auditors complaining about the position, they put a fix that allows you to switch the pieces key and the minus key, which is in the top right.
It is a touchscreen.
Instead of "running the boards", you have to initialize the machine and then download it, usually wirelessly through the access point.
Auditor screens are blue. If you are put in supervisor mode, it will turn green. That can only be done through the portable.
It's been almost two years now since I've actually used them, so I may have forgot some of the other intricacies.
Thanks StewieGriffin for that photo. Those look so different from the old audit machines. More impressive-looking. You mentioned it has a touchscreen; do auditors still key by touch? When I saw WIS in their inventory they held their machines in one hand and keyed with the other, so I'm guessing RGIS does the same. No more 8 pound audit machine hanging from your belt. :-)
The RM-1s aren't much lighter, and the touchscreen is mainly used to get the area total, and to light up the screen so you can read what's on the screen. I know I prefer the finger laser, but some districts, claim that they are faster, although I don't see how especially when trying to get the machine in between clothing on overstocked racks. The things that surprised me about it when I first worked with them was how well they fit in the hand. As well, as how the buttons are placed for ease of 10 key IMO.
Also the new machines have at the bottom of the screen you APH, but this is usually not accurate, the one time that I've been given the supposedly quarterly review, the official APH was always higher than what the machine said while in store. So it's funny when the DM is around, and wants to look at my machine, because she somehow thinks its accurate, even when I've just rebooted the machine for the third time that store. BTW that tends to happen a lot, and it takes several minutes for it to reboot, which of course lowers your APH, or it randomly reboots on its own while your in middle of counting, which makes you have to search back just to find where you were. They are better than when they first came out, but not as reliable, in that regard as the old ones
Misfit, most still wear the machines on a belt. I've seen the machines WIS uses and they are much smaller than the RM. The rm has enough weight to it, and holding it all day in your hand can be tiring. The internal laser is actually faster but because the machine is not really small, it is difficult to hold it, pull tags to scan, and actually fit it into tight fixtures. I do a lot of financial inventories and you still have to learn to key in order to do them. They actually are not much smaller than the old audits, but just a different shape.
You can't use the touchscreen to key anything but Alpha or for the menus, and totals. For those of us who have been around for years, that changing of the K key to the bottom was difficult to adjust to but you can reverse it with the minus key, and that reach is more like the old k key. Once you reverse it though, your pieces key becomes your minus key and you have to get used to not using it at all except to minus out. The old audits had a pieces key and a k key. These have one key that does both.
The RMs still attach to your belt. But with the relocation of the K key, it takes a little getting used to.
The touchscreen is more for transmitting and searching. Most still use the finger laser, provided there are enough.
Like others have said, you can hold in one hand and use the built-in laser on the top. But the machines aren't that light and it's still a little too wide to hold in your hand for 5-8 hour stores.
Also, forgot to mention in the last post: the keys can be a little stickier, so before grabbing a machine, you have to test the keys to see how loose they are.
the machine still hangs from our belt if that is how we choose to use it. I keep it on my hip and type upside down, and have a finger laser on a finger on my other hand to scan the item. But like I said before some still choose to hold the machine in their hand and key with the other. I don't know about shortages of finger laser, in our district there is at least one for every auditor with many more to spare if one glitches or doesn't work properly.
Ah, okay, thanks guys. Yeah I hear you about the sticky keys thing. That's one thing at least that hasn't changed! I remember going through several audit machines before an inventory, selecting the one that didn't have 'loose' keys but rather one that had keys with a nice 'tight' bounce to them (I don't know how else to describe it, lol).
Speaking of blue shirts, I still have one of the light blue dress looking shirts with the blue and silver RGIS logo, from early on in the first time I worked for them. I don't remember how far in they went with the maroon polos, but I remember well using that blue shirt, which I liked better.
The CAAP adder role as explained to me, is just for top guns to train experts and specialist to count faster to move up, that are very close to moving up.
Now all the training needed to get someone to move up is count piecer shit.
Sure come over count what i am counting for you can scrape your way up to a top gun. Sure i can count it twice as fast and actually type in something close to what is on the shelf. But don't worry we will get your average just above...So when we run a store we will have no chance of hitting since we have a ton of pretend tg's and experts..like we do this quarter.
Even if my average is "protected" by a CAAP adder role...which it really has no chance of dropping to expert anyway since it is so far above regardless.
The main point i would be training a not even close as experienced person to me and making less money. Where else would the person training be getting payed less than the person being trained?
(in response to the last blog)
I was working in a store today...Customer comes up to me and sees me banging away on my machine. says "You can pretty much type anything you want in there and no one checks it huh?" My response "pretty much"...and i was so telling the truth. In that particular store nothing is checked. You can get away with almost anything...Sad thing is people get so carried away. One person last month scanned one product and blew in a number just using that one product(so like 10,000's of this one product was in thier inventory and they did notice that when there numbers came in and hundred of missing items.) My district was going to fire him but he is one of our best batcher cheating counters. So to make up for his lapse of judgement he no showed for half his stores. a couple weeks later.
We finally got caught there was this clothing store which had very limited quantity...The average for the store was like 800 i think. We were doing like over a 1000...We had a few counters over 2500-3000. We had like 3-7 counters counting the whole time quantity. There would be a stack of clothing 25-50 pieces high. We just took the 1st piece and scanned it for the whole stack, color, sizes, styles, who cares? We did a whole year of that store that way and half way through 2nd they finally said something. Nothing happened. We just stopped cheating that bad.
I remember people typing in this blog they batch sku's by scanning the same one a few times...I remember reading those and thinking If they only knew what i meant by blowing in Shit here in my district. We were not hitting number like 3000 multi scanning a few. I can't tell you the stores name since i might still go back to the store but without the quantity BS its just not quite as much fun.
Here is the first of the stories, that, at least, I find amusing. We were counting a fabric store, which about 90% of the store was weighing individual bolts of fabrics. As a specialist my EAPH was 1200 an hour. So I was pulling down the large bolts of fabric and weighing them on the scale. When I hear one of the other workers asking the Am "How am I supposed to make my APH in this store." I look over in time to see her shake her head as she walked away, chuckling, saying "It's not going to happen, there is no way." Okay I thought it was funny.
To the one person who said they would prefer working at RGIS than working in a cubicle, well there are way more negatives working for RGIS.
I use to be a TL, and it was easily the most mentally and physically stressful job I have ever had. I was a top gun, missed one store in 4 years and consistently had the highest store APH in my region and I made merely $26,000 annually which included several months where I had worked 90 hour weeks. I now make $40,000 annually with a few peaks and yes I work in a cubicle, I send faxes, answer phone calls, make phone calls and email. I make tough decisions which will positively or negatively affect a group of roughly 30 people per day and lately I've been pushing 50 hour weeks, plus after hours support at home. I would not trade back this job even if I were to make $45,000 a year at RGIS.
I don't regret working at RGIS as being a TL stiffened me into the hard and durable worker I am today. If you don't need to make all that much money or simply want a part time job than RGIS is fine.
This job is not bad for a 1st time job. If you can connect with some people to get the right areas. And have no moral objections to cutting some corners along the way. You can basically get a 1.50 raise pretty quick. But there are going to be the people chosen over and over again to do the shit work. Where there is very little chance for advancement past specialist.
Its really over paying people for limited work experience. But i am really never jealous of anyone making money. So if someone is willing to pay it, take it.
If i was going to complain of anyone being overpaid it would be the "desk sitters" that are clueless of what goes on in the field. But insist on making up stupid rules for us to abide by (which we do are best to work around)
There is this national store account where i have to enter in area,quantities and skus into my laptop computer to do rechecks. Not in the RM (that would be way too efficient). Now i am supposed to check the areas that i put into the laptop but i assume this nonsense would at least take 2-3hours to do. I say assume since i found a loop hole around their stupid design and did not do it. But i certainly would not have the time to actually check anything in the 3 hour long store. I had like 5.3 hours in the store and 6.0 hours working on 908 hours for it.
"They" changed the time clock so "we" can only add time to the clock and not subtract. So if i accidentally put someone in for the wrong day since it is after midnight and i did not notice the computer switch the date...The person is locked in for a 22 hour shift...Which i guess they can change at the office in the "oracle" system. But it is a pain in the ass. Also we can't even change a vehicle number. So if your in veh 1 and you know that veh 21 is staying behind to pull tags or something just punch out under 21 then you get paid till the last person in 21 leaves. It probably wont even be noticed or forgotten about by the time it gets back to the office. But what really will happen is idiots will punch out in the wrong car especially if they go home in a different car.
Also i have ways to manipulate the time clock anyway it just more B.S to get around. I NEVER MESS WITH ANY EMPLOYEES TIME JUST MY OWN. IF I AM GOING TO RIP OFF ANYONE IT IS GOING TO BE RGIS...i add time to employees time when ever i can.
An actual message people might be interested in...
Checks i hear are going to be delayed to like August..another 60-90 day delay. My source is hearsay but i grilled the person enough (2 days while i should of been working lol) to feel pretty confident that it rings of truth. I am to lazy to confirm it. Basically the last hearing was march 25th..So i was expecting 60 days later checks would be going out. But i guess its about 60-90 days from now till they get all the logistics and legal things worked out. It is quite an ordeal sending out 30,000+ checks.
Its going to cost over 200k to just send out the checks. Don't feel sorry for the lawyers they are getting about 14 million out of the 27 million settlement...about 1 million in cost and 13 million in fees. 13million left for "us" divided by 30k about 433.33 on average. Obvious some of us are getting 1000's while other will be getting $25 to $50...
The RM's can now do much more then an audit ever did. I started out with an A2 with the batteries in a battery pack that wasn't in the machine. I long coiled wire attached the A2 to the C-Cell batteries. That wire was always coming out in Grocery stores with people passing you.
You wrote the total down on your work sheet, you only had the grand total to give to the store. The work sheets went back to the office where the secretary entered them into the PC by code numbers (hence Grocery stores you have codes like 601 Front End) to get the subtotals. I remember phone calls because the secretary couldn't read handwriting and totals didn't balance. Those were the days.
Now with the RM can be put into customer mode. They can go to an area and scan an item to see if it is listed in the area. The store can uses the machine to count and the laptop will compare the two counts for UPC mismatches.
You can send text messages to one person or an area section or to everyone.
The average on the machine is only good if it never reboots, remember your true average is from when you punched in your RM doesn't know that time.
RM can do much more but that's for a later post.
Speaking of the old Blue Shirts, the pocket protectors that said "Supervisor", I had an even older shirt. RGIS on the sleeves with orbits around the RGIS like it was a nuclear atom or something. They were also of a lighter blue.
Rectal, from what I've been told, in the last several stores, I get the impression that no changes can be made, to the times. So there have been a lot of reminders to clock back in from lunch. Also in the last few travel stores we haven't been putting in vehicles, but still getting the travel pay.
Anon 5:05:
RGIS isn't the only company that has a machine that can do that.
PICS uses Titans, which are very similar to the old Audits. Those Titans can also transmit wirelessly and only use one access point, instead of 5-6 that rgis needs in a bigger store.
They also have a system where store managers can use a machine to check counts and UPCs.
Not sure if Washington has a system like that, but it would be surprising if they didn't, since that seems to be the technological trend.
Also, in the Detroit area, a longtime RGIS AM (used to be a DM, but was demoted when districts merged) was fired after getting mouthy with a new hire, who called HR on her.
i got in on the tail end of writing down totals on a store. I just did it once that i recall.
I also waited to become a supervisor till after they got rid of the stand alone modems. And just did a little of calling to confirm the totals. "a" "p" 8888's...
I heard if the batteries (on some of the early audits) that were on the outside of the audits became disconnected you lost all the info.
To any current RGIS employees:
When transmitting a store to HQ, do you still have to send the transmissions first and then send the actual inventory file?
If there is a beginning or ending punch time...we can add in a punch...If you don't punch in a vehicle number a "0" comes up as your vehicle and a zero is the only veh number that can be changed...So they don't trust you guys to punch in correctly so they are doing it themselves...
Rectal, you are bringing back memories.
The ACP modem where you plugged the handset into this big square. We would wrap jackets around it to get good connections. I've been out on the street with a long extension cord to transmit at a pay phone(Pay phone, what's that?).
Store we were told to insert the work sheet into the keys and line the Audits on the floor since transmitting was going so slow and sign out.
Yes the A2 if the cord came out and you didn't restart properly you would loose data. It wasn't a 100% restart all data would be there. Audit would call you and throw out the tranmittion because the data was corrupt. You would call Audit to do range checks and to insert area numbers.
Those were the days.
Stewie
Yes. Still must transmit 2x to HQ.
Burbank DM fired after 24 yrs. No details
Stewie, Yes you still have to send your 8888's before you can transmit unless it is a port fin inventory.
As far as the new TCA program.. this sucks... cause if you make a mistake and it causes you to have to take time off you CAN NOT fix it unless your time punch is still open. I am arguing with my DM about an inventory I did on Saturday that my time is incorrect on and she is telling me she can not fix it. Oh so lets just not pay our employee;s correctly now whats that all about?
Yes you still have to send your 8888's before transmitting to HQ unless it is a port fin inventory.
As far as the new TCA it sucks... If you have to take time off of your tca you can not do it if the clock out time has been entered. I am currently trying to get my time corrected for and inventory I did on Saturday, I am being told that my time can not be fixed. So what its lets not pay our employee's time now? We already have to clock out for a meal break and still deal with the customer as a supervisor if the wrap up is taking too long just so we can hit our Calculated APH. It takes close to 30 min to download my store and machines for one of my accounts and I am being told that my 908 time is too much. My district seems to find every way they can to not pay you. Travel to one store is paid and to count the store across the street it is not paid? go figure. I am actively looking to find another job and I cant wait till someone calls me so I can tell my DM off !
I've never actually run into any RGIS workers, but every once in a while I see RGIS tags on a store shelf and totally flash back.
It wasn't a horrible job, but I'm talking 20 years ago. I liked my coworkers, and the job was a good one when my son was very young since I could pick and choose my hours.
But I too now work in a cubicle for way more, with benefits, than I made at RGIS with way WAY less stress.
i went to a store and batched my way to 1600pcs+...this was one of those stores that thinks if we auto scan everything. It will be more accurate...Yea right...If i pulled off all the stuff off the shelf and actually auto scanned it. I would be lucky to hit 800pcs.
Dana
With the new time clock thing...You can always add hours, you just can't take away...So if it can't be fixed (which is a lie) than you are being over paid...You can extend time to any punch.
As to too much time on your 908...LMAO i just put on my 908 6 hours for a store i was only in on the time sheet 5.6...
Either they pay you in the store or some where else, but if they are not going to pay you...just report their happy ass. My bosses are scared shitless that i would turn them in.
Have you never missed a calc store? I miss them all the time...who cares...Put your actual time on the timesheet. If they don't want to pay you on a 908...
If they have someone better to do a store and can hit a calc or are willing to rob themselves of pay to do so. Then let them have fun.
I am willing to help out my bosses but not at my paychecks expense.
If you miss a CALC store does your boss have a surplus of teamleaders just waiting to fill your spot..Sure the hell not in my case...My bosses on occasion will say please hit this store you can't miss...That just means slide hours else where to me...
Our office won't pay more than 5 minutes 908 to download or send a store. Anytime more than 10 minutes has to have a Manager signature on the day.
Don't forget the $1 you get if you are the scheduled supervisor of the billing district to cover your phone usage, and they take tax out of that $1.
As far as fixing time after you clock out, SCREW EM, just punch in again and edit that time out for the missing time. If they overpay you oh well, I'm only worried about being underpaid.
We travel more than an hour and we NEVER use vehicle numbers, they enter the travel in the office. I've sat outside the finished inventory in the Van for over 90 minutes waiting for the last person to get in. Never ever get that time the person shows up as my punch out time.
No matter the changes to the TCA they will still rob you blind.
Sounds like the changes to the TCA is another lawsuit waiting to happen.
That's funny, Team Buddy. I too have gone into stores after an inventory and find yellow tags still on the shelves that RGIS didn't pick up.
Heck, I've gone into stores the next year and still found tags from the previous year, most of the time in the backroom, but occassionally on the sales floor too.
I've gone into stores, and found area tickets, that I had filled out a couple of years previous, as well as really dusty yellow tags, of undeterminate age.
In response to this..
Our office won't pay more than 5 minutes 908 to download or send a store. Anytime more than 10 minutes has to have a Manager signature on the day.
If this was the case...I would call my manger up at 3am (1159pm)...What ever time was most unwelcome and the same day. Ok i need a signature on my 908 it took me 11 minutes to transmit. Also i am going to need approval for all "other" time for making this phone call and the time you requiring me to wait till i get this signature. If i got no response i would write an e-mail and put on my 908 under "paperwork" the time it took to write the email. (or other)
tell his bosses and move up the food chain till you get a response...report to state if not resolution.
In response too...
They take tax from the $1 phone?
...i don't think so...That is to reimbursement, not income. My bosses don't get my cell number so they give me a $1 for nothing anyway...My boss wanted me to reimburse this money...My response was "fuck you, sue me...and i will counter sue for all the time you don't pay me for reading your dumb emails." i usually only put about 1% of these on a 908 unless they annoy me...
In response to this..
...we NEVER use vehicle numbers...
I've sat outside the finished inventory in the Van for over 90 minutes waiting for the last person to get in.
1st i would send an email to your dist and your DM asking why are we not using Veh #'s That you want to paid correctly(see how they respond)..If you feel this would get your hours cut or other punishment...Then go to human resources or the ethics hotline and let them know. No satisfaction? state labor board(number should be posted by law in your office...once 1k-10k PER violations start rolling in...Watch their happy asses move...
90 minute wait (not paid)...Send emails (so you have proof)...You would of got paid the travel wage while sitting there if the driver filled out a proper travel log...And the unusual long travel back would prove this...
Oh are they not even paying you any travel over an hour at all?...i would report their happy asses after i sent them some emails...
Google
RGIS human resources
to file complaints
Also their is a promotional video that shows the audit that people were inquiring about...you can see it in action...(looks like a k-mart)
Basically almost every person in that video seems to be using poor technique...The store was probably over staffed(since they have time for interviews). 2 people in a k-mart Rx? 4 people to a side in grocery (looks like a specialist too). They interview 4 specialist and some corporate clueless people. Others were not wearing their badge(you know like in most districts great for a promotional vid NOT). You can see how easy it is to move up to specialist watching these guys scan.
You find yellow tags in stores? We don't use tags in most of our stores(none of mine)...Pulling tags cost man hours...only in grocery stores...
My district calc hit % 14 out of 40 among the 3 most used Tl's. I think that is 35%...This is passing... 50% is green or what they want 25% is red. This put us near the top of our division.
They set up a goal like in baseball if you're at a 250 batting average your doing fine...Now if your doing over 50% thats like hitting 500 in baseball...unheard of and you should make million to do so. Don't give them so much until they pay you more.
RGIS on the sleeves with orbits around the RGIS. I wore this shirt when I work for RGIS in the 1970's. It use to get some of the small stores in West Texas nervous.
Anybody get their settlement check yet?
Does anyone else out there have trouble with the RMs working? The finger laser will be working fine, then it will stop, hit alt 5 and it says there's no laser, keep hitting alt 5 until it finally starts working, work for awhile until it stops again, start all over again with the alt 5. Constantly all freaking day. WTH?????
Do you mean something like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Vtg-RGIS-Uniform-Embroidered-Cloth-PATCH-/120736006917?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1c6d4305#ht_1166wt_1139
I was told that problems that you describe with the lasers, was caused by a software upgrade to the RMs, and that they were "working on fixing it." We'll see eh.
To Mahonri, that is exactly the patch that was on the shoulder of the shirts. One on each side.
As to the finger lasers not working, just don't do Alt-5, uplug the laser, alt-5 to built in, plug it back in and alt-5 to external laser should get you to have it working LONGER. I said longer not always. Be glad you even have a laser, our office has so many out for repair I'm down to 3 and that includes the one I carry on my person not the ones I give out.
B,
sometimes it can be your battery being low. It can also be the friction and static that you get from moving around. Make sure there is nothing in your pocket on the side you have the RM and also if you put a dryer sheet in that pocket that sometimes helps.
@Wed Jun 15, 11:27:00 AM 2011
My district's lasers are frequently half-busted, making you have to pop them out and re-Alt5 'em to life every couple of minutes or have to hit the scan button up to five times for it to start scanning. If you can see the cottony looking material (or even better, the actual undoubtedly frayed wires) where the wire meets the plug or the scanner unit, you're going to be in for a fun inventory. And God knows that 9 times out of 10 you're gonna get a busted up finger laser.
Settlement checks wont be coming out till August is my best guess now.
IN my district some RM's do have problems with connecting with lasers. But it usually the same OLD people that quite can't figure how to work in the laser just right.
I am going on my extended vacation so i wont have the most up to date info on RGIS. But i still have plenty of stuff about RGIS
We fired another teamleader...I celebrated by...Showing up late for every store i was scheduled for and just no showing for a store. You have to train your bosses on what is acceptable. I am still trying to find the bottom...lol
RE/the lasers: so many of them have bent or broken tynes that they don't work well. You really have to push them in hard to get them to work. I spend 5% of my time doing the alt 5 thing--downtime! Also, when you move around, as to bend or kneel down to count a lower shelf, that could disconnect the laser. Hadn't heard about the software problem.
Re/the settlement check. Rust tells us that it will be mailed no later than June 30th. I'll believe it when I hold it in my hand. These settlement delays are beyond frustrating. Some people literally have no money to buy gas. It is infuriating. The lawyers were paid weeks ago!
I have been reading the comments on here a lot of them are true. I come from a district that was investigated for time sheet discrepancies. The VP came down ithe Human Resources and the employees that originally complained would not sign any paperwork stating the issues. Nothing happened. Human Resources is not on side for hourly or salary people. I ave worked on both ends and if you think you get treated bad as hourly employees, you get treated even worse when you are salary.
Here is what RGIS thinks of us. It is hangung in HQ.
achievementdemotivationalposter
(picture of pyrmids)
ACHIEVEMENT
You ca do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination and an endless supply of expendable labor.
In response too...
Rust tells us that it will be mailed no later than June 30th. I'll believe it when I hold it in my hand. These settlement delays are beyond frustrating. Some people literally have no money to buy gas. It is infuriating. The lawyers were paid weeks ago!
If your depending on money from a settlement check to pay for normal spending needs like gas in your car, there is a problem with your budget. I bet those same people have money for their cable bill/iphones and other elective electronics and cigs/pot. You will get your money maybe not by june but you will get it.
You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination and an endless supply of expendable labor.
In my district that endless supply of people is just not there. In my local main district i get either 6 or 7 days a week. I tell my bosses what i WANT to do and they have little options but to conform to my demands. I am late 90% of the time and i no show every so often. Which is far better than what most of the Tl/topguns that no show much more often in my district.
In another part of my district it is a void of any real TL's. The main part of our district has to go 1-4 hours away many times staying in hotels/overnight (all week) to run stores that they just can't do.
RGIS has changed their longevity program. I think you use to get $2500 if you could make it 25 years here. Now after 15 years you get to choose from a catalog of gifts and every 5 years after. Now what these gifts are were not disclosed.
Also the geniuses that make the decisions in one district (and probably many more)have decided to close a satellite office. They want employees to go to Starbucks or other places to download big files if a supervisor can't download the biggest of files at home. REALLY? They either want employees to buy stuff to download files or just sneak in and leach of another companies Online connections.
Rectal, you're right about the number of people being available. I don't know how it is in other districts, and areas, but very few people stick around for long. What with the down times, and the work itself. I think the main reason they keep me around, is that they can call me at the last minute, and I show up, and give them solid numbers, if not the fastest around.
Once again, Rust Consulting procrastinates. They were saying end of June for the checks until a few days ago (before that they said end of May). Now, when you call them, they say no checks until late July! Of course, the lawyers were paid weeks ago. And regarding the last poster, some people really need this money. Try living on $10 an hour in the high cost states. Maybe it works in North Dakota and Iowa, but not New York, Massachusetts, California etc. That settlement money is needed!
"Try living on $10 an hour in New York, Massachusetts, California etc..." I do live in one of those states.
Some of the cost of living near NYC, Boston, Baltimore, is crazy high not state wide though. California does have higher gas prices, but my point is you can't use abnormal income (settlement money) to pay for regular expenses like gas.
Court processes take time and yes the lawyers get paid 1st. That is just how it works.
IMPORTANT INFO
Judge Joseph Spero in his Court decision as ordered dated June 20, 2011:
"WHEREAS settlement class members are guaranteed at least $12,599,452.37 of the settlement amount; WHEREAS individual settlement awards will likely be distributed by July 22, 2011;"
$10 an hour, is that the base pay? It's only $9 here. It does make sense that it would be different in different parts of the country.
Great point, Rectal.
For anyone to be relying on settlement money to pay regular everyday expenses doesn't know how to budget properly.
Another way to look at it: did you not have gas money in July 2010 since there was no settlement money? Will you have no money in July 2012 since the settlement will be long done by then?
I have heard, but can't verify this.
But I've heard of an RGIS manager in Michigan who clocks people out within an hour of the end of the store, if they have hit their APH goals.
They say it is so they don't drop below their APH goal. And it is made up with the bonus for that store.
If I still worked there, I'd be bitching up a storm about working for free. But thankfully I don't work there anymore.
I'm also not sure if it's the whole district or just the one manager (who likely still has a job only because they are fairly low paid as a manager).
Hey guys,
I'm thinking about working for RGIS but I have a few questions I wanted to run by you guys before my interview to see if its even worth going to.
1. How much per hour do they start you out at?
2. How much travel is involved on a daily basis? If alot, is there a company car they let you use?
3. Is the dress code strict? Can you wear hats when you work, ect.?
Thanks for any info you can provide
Anon,
Starting pay varies depending on your district sometimes. My old district, you started at 8.50/hour. Top guns made $11.25.
As far as travel, you could drive anywhere from 5-30 miles, depending on store location.
After 30 miles, they will usually set up a meet spot to car pool. You could travel as much as two hours away (maybe further in some districts).
Only managers have a company car.
Pretty normal dress code. Dress pants, RGIS polo shirt. You can wear sweatshirts or sweaters underneath the polo.
Of course you can't wear a hat.
Travel depends on your district, but more than likely, yes there is lots of travel and very minimal pay for it.
Dress Code: Black pants with black shoes and a maroon uniform shirt. No hats, no facial piercings(though I wear mine all the time, no one seems to notice.
Base pay depends on the district: anywhere from from $9-$10
I work for the Home Depot team and make $13 an hour for being a top gun.
Also, if you are going for the interview then you are hired. My advice, don't go, it truly is not worth it unless you are absolutely desperate for work.
Bonus money was paid out at about 1/3 so if you cut yourself an hour at 9.00HR you might get 3.00 back. THAT IS IF YOU DON'T GET A NEGATIVE BONUS STORE DURING THAT TWO WEEK PAY PERIOD that will wipe that bonus out. SO FUCK NO DON'T GO ALONG WITH THAT SHIT.
I'm thinking about working for RGIS
Have you tried other things like going around collecting broken bottles with your asshole for deposit money? (that would be more fun and you might make more)
well if you insist...
1. How much per hour do they start you out at? (8.50-9.00 is what i have heard) depends on district...
2. How much travel is involved on a daily basis? If alot, is there a company car they let you use? For newbies there is a lot of travel out of 5 or 6 days expect at least three. Anything over an hour usually A company vehicle. different districts have different mileage rules over 20-60 miles (one way) i have heard.
3. Is the dress code strict? Can you wear hats when you work, ect.?
(there is a dress code but that is different based on district too. Um hat really are not allowed, but my district had two bad ass fast top guns and they wore skull cap knit hats all the time.)
I have one employee i will call her "the zombie" looks like someone dug her up that wears nasty jogging pants. but SHE has a pretty good BEARD growing and a smell so the pant are the least of the concerns. Expect to be sitting right next to her on the van ride to your 1st store. Or she will be driving and falling asleep at the wheel. Another is wearing jegging type pants material real thin. At least that girl looks half decent.
Regarding prospective employee considering workig for RGIS:
1. "How much pay per hour". Expect to start at $17, working up to $25 per hour. Also full medical and 401K plan, which company matches your contributions. Plus two weeks paid vacation.
2. "How much travel--company car?" expect to travel no more than 10 miles to a job. The company will provide you with a company car, a BMW or Mercedes, or will send a limo driven by Jeeves to pick you up. The limo has TVs and DVDs, and wifi.
3."Dress code strict? can I wear a hat". Oh, very relaxed. Fridays are casual. Bermuda shorts OK. Hats are fine, They especially like big cowboy hats and ski masks.
Hope this was helpful! Dan'l. ;)
Where do you guys work??
Our Top Gun Pay is $11 an hour.
Top Gun Supervisor is Small $12.50, Med. $13.50 and Large $14.50...
I think our starting pay is $8.50 and this is the Long Island/NYC area.
response to Sat 07-09 @ 9:32AM
I WANT TO TRANSFER TO THIS DISTRICT
From the other side...I gotta ask...why are you guys so mean? LoL I work for a big retail company that uses RGIS and we just dread you guys coming in. Maybe it's because we go behind and count every single fixture behind you guys. I mean, come on! We always feed the teams that come in. Whenever I ask someone to recheck a fixture, it's like I just spit in their cereal or something.
Also, when SKU checked is called and I get there in less than thirty seconds, it's too late. They close the area ticket and move on...are you guys that pressed for time? Seems worse this year. We just had inventory earlier this week and we are still recovering...and finding those yellow pieces of paper everywhere...
Most of you guys are great, but there are some real grouchy people. Is it lack of sleep?
IN RESPONSE TOO
Where do you guys work??
Our Top Gun Pay is $11 an hour.
Top Gun Supervisor is Small $12.50, Med. $13.50 and Large $14.50...
I think our starting pay is $8.50 and this is the Long Island/NYC area.
---------------------------------
base pay sets the other tiers of pay
if base 8.00 auditor
+0.50 8.50 specialist
+1.50 9.50 expert
+3.00 11.00 TG
(have to be team leader and expert or top gun for pay below)
+4.50 12.50 small store
+5.50 13.50 medium store
+6.50 14.50 large stores
now if your base was 9.00 you would add a 1.00 to every level.
So if your only making 11.00 as TG you base pay is 8.00. You must be in a poor part of long island/NYC. Where there is an ample supply of workers.
As to settlement checks i would expect people to start getting them Monday the 25th. Since they should be mailed out the 22nd.
I would love to hear what everyone gets. Now don't be surprised if it does not match exactly what they ESTIMATED you would get. But i would expect it to be within 10%. So if it said 5000.00 i would not be disappointed with 4578.99...but would expect something like 4857.94.....OK I AM BABBLING NOW
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS GET FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!
I work for the Home Depot team, pay is a dollar more an hour than traditional districts around us.
Anon, the reason we don't wait for sku checks is because we have to make a certain average pieces an hour APH in a store, and we are told to not wait. As to when you ask someone to recheck a fixture, there are usually certain people who do that, so the person you're asking is probably stressing over making their APH, and are probably a little confused about why you haven't contacted the person running the store, or the flow leader, usually a gray shirt. It could be sleep, or some people are just grouchy, naturally.
In response to why RGIS counters are so mean:
Because they *are* pressed for time--their pay depends on how fast they count.
Yes, they don't like rechecking fixtures, because they are usually right and you are usually wrong. I stopped doing Victoria's Secrets because of the retail clerks lack of counting skills. (One, two, four...oh I have a text message, seven, eight, hey Brittney, did you hear that Debbi has herpes?, thirteen, fourteen).
I also recall a hellish Children's Company inventory where I was made to recount a 200+ piece table of toddler clothing three times, getting the same count each time. The girl assigned to recount after me got different counts each time. I finally resorted to putting notes with the count for each pile on top of said pile, and created a diagram for each pile, row, shelf and mannequin. Turns out the girl was failing to count the mannequin. Sigh.
They get irritated at multiple SKU checks because as I mentioned up top, they are paid by how fast they count, and multiple SKU checks mean a store that is badly prepped.
And, honeybun? They are not there to make friends with you. They are there to make their money and get the fuck out, which is what I liked about the job. As much as I like not having to get up at the buttcrack of dawn anymore, I do miss the simplicity of going to my assigned section and counting til it was time to go home. No customer service, no making small talk with irritating co-workers, no trying to find things to do in an already spotless but customerless store.
I sense you are young. Here's a life tip (or three) for you. Don't go around expecting people to care about you and your petty shit. Don't expect your co-workers to be your new BFFs. And for God's sake, don't voice every single thought that floats through your head. Most thoughts are thinking thoughts, not saying out loud thoughts.
And another--don't confuse business and goal oriented with mean. Most RGIS workers are perfectly nice *when they are not concentrating on a task*. If you are getting all butthurt because strangers aren't all lovey-dovey with you while they are working, that means you are soft, not that the other people are mean.
You NYers coming down to help us Jersey assholes are decent workers but you pretty much all have shit attitudes. I love working with you guys, but I hear a lot of complaints around me.
My district is balking on giving out the next batch of schedules, claiming "system issues," but word is they're trying to take on too many damned inventories again. Hooray for running short-staffed (with half the inventory being fresh meat), with both the store management and district management on our asses for not being accurate and/or fast enough (face it, we ain't gonna be doing well in either department with all the double/triple shifts coming down the pipe).
Here's to hoping all our schedules aren't a page and a half long unless we really need it. Stay safe and awake at the wheel out there!
"Even if my average is "protected" by a CAAP adder role...which it really has no chance of dropping to expert anyway since it is so far above regardless. "
Congratulations you sound like your real proud of your ability to make 12.50 an hour.
If you need to take time off you can totally make it happen. In the timesheet highlight the person who needs changing by clicking on the left where the arrow is. This should highlight the name in black . Then u belive you choose update badge # . Put thebadge number and update. Deletes the pncges and you just put new punches in. cheers.
To the store employee who wonders why RGIS auditors are "mean" and don't wait around for sku checks before completing an area. Because we are TOLD not to wait around for sku checks, since it cuts into our productivity. If we wait around, we will be downgraded in rank and our pay will be cut. GET IT?
I recently received an e-mail that reads in part "Effective immediately, this form must be submitted at least two weeks in advance for ANY days off that you would like. If this form is not in your file, when you receive your schedule, you will be expected to work ALL stores on that schedule. This is a company-wide policy, and they are now requiring that their employees request days off in advance." Is this really a company wide requirement?
Everytime HR or whoever comes up with new ways to keep us from doing things (ie: subtracting time) we come up with ways around it. I don't know why they bother anymore, probably cause they think we're all mindless morons.
We don't wait for SKU checks, we used to just scan another item but now they are cracking down on that. It's called "Batching" and now Management has added reports that show how many consecutive (same) SKU's there are.
Stores are going back to the fixtures and checking.
RGIS has lost a few accounts because of Batching, they have given credit (Dollars off the bill) to stores for batching and redone stores FREE for batching with full refund.
This coming weekend Men/Women's store with three "e"'s in the name the report will print even with two same SKU's in a row. Wasting a lot of trees.
Of course I just scan another item for the missing ticket that is a few pieces away from it >G<.
So I see that we are gonna be losing Borders.....how does this affect Rgis? I always wondered, how can you make a profit running a book store when you let the customers read the books for free?All you had to do was buy a latte' and you could sit and read books all day long. I know cause i used to do it!
When our new hires have to drive to a store one hour away(and back home) on their own dime, w/gas at $3.64 a gallon, they don't come back. These people are already broke, so they borrow money to make it until payday. And then when payday rolls around they pay all their money out and start all over again. Rgis, you can do more for your employees, they need your help!
Anon 1: When it comes to batching, in clothing stores, in quite a few stores, its the store employees that find the item that you scan again. In some stores I never or rarely have to call for sku checks, because I know where the sku number can be found on the merchandise when there isn't a tag to scan. I realize that this isn't the case in all stores, but that's been my experience.
Anon 2: I'd imagine that in the case of a Border's, which doesn't have a lot of stores in this area, that they probably make as much, if not more from selling the latte's as they do from selling books
Our office has been using the vacation form a few months now.
Every day I've put down so far I've been scheduled to work. They tell me they didn't get the form that vacation is not approved until they confirm back to me "in writing" that I have the day off.
I listed 6 months of dates on one form.... I just don't go to the dates I have on the form. Please fire me so I can sue them for wrongful termination. I submitted the form via Fax with confirmation!!
IN RESPONSE TOO...
"Even if my average is "protected" by a CAAP adder role...which it really has no chance of dropping to expert anyway since it is so far above regardless. "
Congratulations you sound like your real proud of your ability to make 12.50 an hour.
----------------------------------
Even though this comment above seems to have a mocking tone, i will answer it seriously.
I am really not proud of what i make(it make no difference). I am quite pleased that i make more than enough money to take long extended vacations (like the one i am currently on) and do what ever i want though.
In response too...
This is a company-wide policy, and they are now requiring that their employees request days off in advance." Is this really a company wide requirement?
-----------------------------------
It has always been company policy (and almost any company wants to know in advanced when you need time off.) I don't see the problem. But in reality...RGIS has no problem changing my schedule last minute. So i have no problem telling them go to hell. But the more notice you can give the better.
-----------------------------------
when you receive your schedule, you will be expected to work ALL stores on that schedule...
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Personally since i am paid differently based on the store and location ect. When RGIS offers me a schedule i decide then if i accept their offer to work. I have NO CONTRACT with rgis. But since i have no contract they can stop offering me work at any time. So if one takes this route you have to accept this.
To the store employee who wonders why RGIS auditors are "mean"...
Well i use to be nice. But rgis does not pay me to be nice anymore. I only get payed to put pieces into the machine. Any recount issues you have with rgis have to be taken up with the supervisor of the inventory. The counters use not to be rated on their pieces,so in the past use to be able take the time to correct a mistake. Now they are paid not to give a shit. ITS NOT THE EMPLOYEES FAULT OR SUPERVISORS...ITS THE CORPORATE POLICIES THAT RGIS HAS PUT INTO PLACE AND UNTIL CUSTOMERS THAT HIRE RGIS FORCE THEM NOT TO RATE RGIS EMPLOYEES EXCLUSIVELY ON WHAT THEY COUNT. THEY WILL GET INACCURATE NON CARING INVENTORIES!!!
Sku checks in most stores are supposed to be taken away and put into an area to be counted at the end. So their is no downtime for the counter.
As to losing borders...it does not effect rgis employees that much. Its probably only a few stores in most districts. As to rgis bottom line it might take a good chunk but most employees wont notice or care. Core employees like myself laugh.
To the person who said Borders won't effect us, I just got 4 Border inventories LOL, guess they are liquidation inventories. I don't mind since it is a Large Store supervisor at $14.50 and if we are doing it for the liquidator then it is a Man Hour job!!!
Anyone remember Caldors when they went out?? Boy did I clean up on those inventories. I love man hour inventories... Stand around and do nothing. All supervisors on recounts not actually counting.
Let the milk run!!
Rust now says the settlement checks will be mailed July 27th. Finally a date! I need that money!
I just got back from doing a Waldenbooks, one of the stores owned by Borders, that is being closed. I was called in, to go to the store, like an hour and a half before I had to go to the store. The funny thing is that while I was counting, I over heard the manager, talking to another manager, and he was saying that he had heard about the closure from the news, and not from the company.
"Misfit", are you getting a settlement check? Everyone who worked for RGIS since 2005 (in CA) will get a check.
@Anon, 07/24/11: I left RGIS before 2005 so I'm not eligible for this settlement check. But I was eligible for the one that was done in CA a few years ago and I got around $9,000. :-)
well......the checks went out yesterday, according to rust.
let's use the money wisely.
best wishes to everyone.
Well,the RGIS check finally came today.My award was just under $4,000 dollars with a net of almost $3,400 after witholding taxes.
well......the checks went out yesterday, according to rust.
are they sending them pony express?
(probably bulk mail)
--------------------------------
let's use the money wisely.
I am throwing a big party...hookers and cocaine for everyone. Police will be housing anyone who wants to(or not) stay overnight for free at their place :-P
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I am starting to mailbox watch. Not that i need the money, but just for i can write how much i got compared to what they said.
Maybe misfit can start a new blog and tell us about his lawsuit and how he got 9k....and ask us to comment our checks when we get them...Or something along those lines.
$4471.78 after taxes
hoooooray
Got the check Saturday 7/30 for $370 after taxes. Love the W2 and 1099 that is included, hope I don't lose that >G<
Found Money!
I like to smoke weed. Am I going to be drug tested?
Yay! I may never have to do another Albertson's ever again. The only 2 within a hundred miles are going out of business. One of them will be converted into an HEB, and as I am on the HEB dedicated team that means a net gain in hours.
Hmm, there might still be a closing inventory. Hopefully that will be after they have officially closed, so we won't have to deal with them claiming a discrepancy on the rare occasions when a customer actually wanders in and makes a purchase.
As for the new timeclock restrictions, we had a TL who would play games with the clock in order to hit in stores. In one travel store, another TL caught him punching everyone out under a different vehicle number, even though everyone was in the same van. I know that incident got escalated to HR.
So now you are making your APH, so they are looking at DOWN TIME.
Top Gun counts and exceeds the required APH and takes it easy for the last 1.5 hours of the store.
Now beloved management is looking at Downtime (non count time). Top Gun exceeding required APH but has 40% downtime.
More and more BS!!
To Anonymous about down time: Oh, yes!! Their new issue to harrass us about!! Everytime we run a store, they call wanting to know why a certain person had .5 of down time when I only gave one break and that equals .2. Am I allowing people to take more than 10 minutes?? I am NOT the break police. This is what you expect of me while running a store. You expect me to run the store, address issues with store management, and count at least 50 percent or more of my average. You give me 13 people in a store that requires 18. You shortstaff me in every store I run and expect me be out in your precious 'time limit' for the store. If we are in stores for 7 or more hours, then yes, people will have more than .2 of downtime even if they are not slowing down. They are not robots. They have to walk from area to area. They have to use the bathrooms. But, beware of this new down time issue, topguns!!
It appears they are now going to hire all year and try to run this company with auditors or specialists. If the lower ASET levels count or exceed their averages, then they can move up to a higher level and get a 'raise' which they can take away after 7 weeks if they put you in crap areas to count and you didn't meet the average for your new ASET level. So, your pay goes up and down, depending on their whims. But, if you go down to a lower average because of what you were assigned, then for the next 7 weeks they may be getting Expert levels at specialist pay. It is a game. Who in this country has ever worked for a company that lowers or raises your pay every 7 weeks?? Now, I'm going to talk about meal breaks. Every state in this country has labor laws that may differ according to state. However, they all address meal breaks. These laws were written to protect YOU as a worker, and NOT the company you work for. Meal waivers should only protect them if meal breaks are actually offered and you refuse them. How many of you have been in stores for 7 or more hours, with no meal break even offered, and had a meal waiver stuck in your face to sign on your way out the door?? This is how they use the meal waiver. To protect their butts from further lawsuits. And, if you should report the issue to the Labor Departments for not being given meal breaks, they have your meal waiver in their corner. Every time you sign a meal waiver where no break was even offered, you are protecting them so in the future they can hassle you abour .5 of down time in a store that went 7 hours. Maybe, we as supervisors, should start giving the meal breaks. If we are being shortstaffed and trying to still meet a time line for the store, then if we gave the break, we would exceed their 'time line' commitment and we have the Labor Laws to protect us. Topguns beware!! This new down time issue is geared to take a look at you. You may be far exceeding your average in stores, then slow down, and I can't blame you. You have zero place to go. You have reached your max in wages. So, now they are going to start looking at your down time. If you had what they feel is excessive downtime, they will feel you could have counted more, the store could have been done earlier, and THEY could have made more money off of you. Maybe the topguns should start insisting on their meal breaks. That would definitely slow down the store and the law would cover them. When they start addressing .3 or .4 of extra down time in a store, they could be opening up a lot of issues where the Labor Laws protect us and not them.
I don't know about anyone else, but a lot of my down time, tends to be waiting for the darn machine to reboot, whenever it freezes, or just randomly reboots. Just what exactly are the Tl's expected to do about that?
Also gotta brag, one of the real treats of working for RGIS, is coming up, the annual Yellowstone stores run.
Questions about "downtime":
1. Sometimes I am asked to stay after the count is done and verify areas, pick up yellows, etc. ISN'T THIS ALL "DOWNTIME", and doesn't it lower my APH? Should I refuse this work?
2. How about all the "downtime" when your audit reboots (happens a lot), or you have a faulty laser and you keep having to hit ALT 5 to get the dang thing to work?
3. How about all the "downtime" waiting for the pre-inventory meeting to end, waiting for the last customers to leave, and be placed in areas?
4. How about all the "downtime" waiting for sku checks?
5. How about all the "downtime" waiting for your audit to transmit data because they haven't set up the antennas correctly, and then you have to find a memory stick to transmit?
ETC ETC ETC ETC!!!!!!!!
@Mahonri: I'm not familiar with Yellowstone stores. What kind of store is it? Do you like to do them because they're easy to count, or is it because you have a nice long list of them to do so you know there's steady work there?
Yellowstone, as in Yellowstone National Park. There are about a dozen stores scattered throughout the park, and once a year, we usually do three over night trips, and count three or four each time. Because the stores are scattered, a good deal of those days is riding in the company van, from one store to another, but the park is so beautiful, it makes the ride nice. Also on one of the trips some of go up a little earlier the day of leave time, and get to look around the park.
Also the stores in Yellowstone are pretty easy to count, because when we do them, they are closed for the season, and over half the stock has been moved to the warehouse.
As far as downtime is concerned: Sorry, RGIS, you're the one who put a dollar figure on APH. If you declare that in a particular store 2500 pieces per hour is worth $11 to you, and further declare that you will never pay me more than $11 per hour, I would be pretty stupid to give you more than 2500 pieces. Maybe you need to put an IQ cap in your hiring guidelines if you don't want employees smart enough to figure that out.
One task that will give a person a tremendous amount of "downtime"--besides being the sucker who ends up pulling the yellows--is counting an area one-on-one with a store person.When you do this you are spending very little time keying, since you are waiting for the store person to count or handle the merchandise for you.This non keying time will show up as "downtime".Never volunteer to count one-on-one unless you want to be sent home early.I've been in many stores where the poor slob who had to count with the store person got sent home first either for low APH or too much "downtime",despite he/she having no control of either.
@Mahonri: Oh in Yellowstone Park, okay. Ha ha, I thought it was a chain of department stores or something like that. That sounds so cool, getting to work some inventories in a beautiful setting like that.
@Anon and Countess: This whole "downtime" business just sounds so unfair and unreasonable. I thought RGIS was bad when I worked for them but it sounds just worse now.
Misfit, the downtime is their new way of checking up on everyone. They are looking at no more than 2 minutes between areas. The supervisors are getting reports from HDQ to the district and back to us. It shows the national average downtime for the account. If the average is 10 percent downtime, and your store falls over that, then they are taking a very close look. However, they are not in the stores to see the real issues. With this report, they can zone in on every auditor in the store, see what areas they were assigned to count (one on One) etc. If you have someone with excessive downtime, they take a closer look. However, with their 2 minute average between areas, if they take a look at someone who had let's say an hour or more of downtime, but they zone in and see that person counted 25 areas, then they will leave it alone. But, if they zone in on 60 minutes of downtime and the person counted 10 areas with 2 minutes between, then they are looking for answers as to why all the downtime.
And, yes, the tag pullers have more downtime, and so do the supervisors but nothing in their system shows that the person pulling tags was doing that. But, if they question that person's downtime, then the supervisor can certainly point that out. Where it really sucks is if you have 2 people who may be counting under the same ID number. It happens. Someone keys in their number and then changes machine and does not close it out. Someone else comes in and picks up the machine. They should notice they didn't have to key in their ID numbers, but they are not all the brightest bulbs. Until the supervisor catches it on the productivity report and makes the person change machines, that person may be counting like the wind and shows downtime because they are on your clock but not showing any counting in the time they were using a machine with someone else's ID and there is nothing in the system to account for that. I've had that happen several times lately when someone counted with someone's ID, and they were showing 2 hours of downtime. Of course, their system does not account for their faulty equipment either and having to change lasers sometimes several times before you find one that your machine will actually recognize. Or if you are in a large store and the bathroom is a mile from the area you are counting. Nope. Just their report with everyone's downtime listed matters. Nothing else.
@Anon 09/10/11: Thanks! for the explanation about 'downtime'. That helped me to understand it much better. It also helps me think that as much as I complained about when I was working for RGIS, you guys that are working for them now sound like you have it so much worse. I also can't help but think that at least 3/4 of my dist. would have to answer for their huge amounts of downtime.
Misfit, it's been a couple years now, but I'd guess it's still the same.
Down time gets accrued anytime the auditor is not keying or scanning. And it starts from the minute you log on to the machine to the minute you log off.
This may have changed, but managers would expect some down time, up to a half hour (walking to next area, up and down ladders, breaks if you get one, etc).
Tag pullers did not accumulate down time, since their machine would be logged off.
They'll lose APH, especially if they are top guns. But then they don't want top guns pulling tags.
Say an expert counted to their level, but didn't quite get over the top gun level in the store, they could still pull tags for an hour or two and still get their expert points in a store. So it wouldn't hurt that pay rate.
I forget how often they reevaluated the pay rates now. But if you were a top gun, you didn't have to hit top gun level in EVERY store to keep top gun. You had to hit it in about 3/4 of your stores.
To figure the ASET levels, each store had APH goals for each level. If you hit top gun you got say 6 points, expert 5 points, specialist 3 and auditor 2.
Then at the end of the evaluation period, they had a formula and averaged it to see where you fit for that next pay period.
The whole concept is stupid and not a good business model, but then, then it's RGIS.
But hopefully that helps you understand the newer procedures.
Again, a lot of that is two years old, so I'm not sure how much they've tweaked that since then.
Thanks Stewie, that info does help. This 'reevaluating pay rates' thing sounds like the worst. As bad as some of us had it years ago, at least we never had our pay dropped to a lower rate for any reason. A lot of people may not have gotten very many (or any) raises but their rate never fell below what they started out with. I'd be interested to know if other inventory services do what RGIS is doing, pay rate-wise.
>>And it starts from the minute you log on to the machine to the minute you log off.<<
Slight correction, time is counted from the minute you sign into the TCA (time keeping Audit) to the minute you sign out of the TCA, not you machine.
The APH shown on the machine is an estimate, you should always ask for the productivity report from the Portable (gee I'm dating myself) the Laptop. The APH on the machine has been shown to be faulty, one reboot and its off.
If there is no productivity report as some stores they do not timestamp your scans. Then have them look up totals you counted by your name and divide that by hours on the timesheet.
There is also a column on the report that tells you how long until your first scan. Just waiting for them to crack down on that.
In terms of pay rate, from what I've been told, there are supposed to be quarterly reviews, where the person sits down with an AM or Dm, given a paper copy of how they did, to go over the numbers, and discuss where you want to be and be given pointers on how to achieve it. However that's not how it works, half the time I don't even get a paper copy. One of my co workers, didn't learn he was a top gun, until he was in a sore, and the store runner, said something to the effect, you can't put him there he's a top gun.
One thing I find funny, is that quite a bit of the time the people running stores will inflate the expected APH, I'm not complaining, because the inflated number actually ensures that I make the rate for my pay. I'm a specialist, and could probably bump up to expert if I wanted to, but experts and above are almost expected to get way more involved, than I'd like, after all it's only a job. I'm only there to earn a paycheck, probably have a bad attitude, but that's the reality.
Actually your downtime and aph start from the time you clock in to the time you clock out, doesn't matter whether you log in to your machine or not. Logging on means nothing, just assigning your name to the machine and calculating your aph. Many think I'm wrong on this, but corporate actually came to our district and explained about how the new machines worked with our aph's and stuff when the new machines came out. So when your pulling tags and clocked in, that is adding to your down time, when your waiting for the others in your travel van to clock out and leave, you are accruing down time. When you are clocked in at the beginning of the count day and just helping the supervisor set up for the store, you are accruing downtime.
That's right, Anon. It is time punch to time punch. It's been awhile.
Also, good point about the APH report. Exactly right about machine only being an estimate. It also doesn't take into account lunches and breaks like the TCA does.
As far as quarterly reviews, I had none in the year or so that I dealt with the TCA. They'd post the district ASET report and that was it.
Misfit, as far as other inventory companies, I have heard PICS does give raises. They also start you out a little higher if you have inventory experience. If you prove some ability, you can get a quick raise after 30-60 days.
Not sure about Washington, though.
I can tell you for sure that downtime starts from punch into the TCA to time out on the TCA.
Running stores, I can see on the productivity report how people who pull tags are accumulating downtime and their averages are also going down even if their audit is logged out. And there is no way to reflect that anywhere to save that person's ASET level. it would be really easy for them to write in an event, or non paying adder role for tag pullers where their average is protected. They do it for RX counters. There are RX counter adder roles that do not pay extra but protect the person doing RX from having their average go down. They redo ASET levels after week 7 of a quarter and after week 13, so that is twice a quarter. They do average all your stores for the 7 week period. The reason for the RX adder role is because most of those people count in half or full, or in tenths. So, the adder role flags hdq that they were in the RX and when they figure out new averages, they do not include those stores. They could easily do the same for tag pullers. Make it an adder role and let those stores not count in the 7 week reviews. I've had some people in my stores who tell me they don't mind pulling tags if they can sign out first. They would rather pull tags for 15 minutes for free than have their ASET level go down, their pay go down for 7 weeks, and downtime held against them.
Man-hour stores, flat-rate stores do not count in ASET ratings though. At least they didn't two years ago.
Do financial stores count? I thought someone had posted that they don't count anymore.
As far as tag pulling, if say you hit expert range for a particular store, for the most part, your average won't fall in to specialist range if you pull tags for a half hour. Now if you barely hit that expert range for the store, you could drop.
Also, if you are a Top Gun, you don't need to hit Top Gun in every store to keep it. You really need to only hit top gun in about 75 percent of your stores.
Now, the whole ASET thing is a poor business model. Putting speed and quantity in place of quality, but then that's what you get when have a non-inventory company buy you.
I've been working for RGIS since June of this year. When I started, I really enjoyed it. But lately, it's getting to be bull shit. Everyone sleeps together. They smoke weed in company vans. They're 20 minutes to a half hour late to meet sites (when we have to take the company van to a store). I haven't stopped looking for a job since I started at RGIS. It is the most ridiculous excuse for a company that I have ever seen.. and I used to work at Family Dollar! LoL
Okay, maybe someone can help me understand this. I get my schedule by e-mail, I send an e-mail back confirming the stores, making sure to cc in my Am. Then a day or two latter, I get another e-mail, with the exact same stores I just confirmed, with the exact same info I just confirmed. I could understand it if something changed like a leave time, or something, but when nothing changed. What's the deal?
Mahonri,
Something did change just not what you are scheduled for. It is easier to resend the schedule to everyone in the district then to the people who had the changes.
Man hour stores are still not supposed to be rated. The top 600 is now only 300. They talk about ratings in the top 300 and run reports against the top 300 but your review will be all stores.
They have also stopped pushing the bonus program since they don't add any stores to it.
When it first came out the bonus program was sold like every store would be picked up on it.
Haha, more lies from Blackstone.
Mahonri, it could be there was a store added during the week for the district. And you weren't selected to work the store.
And your district management just sent the new sked out district-wide, instead of selecting just those who's sked had changed.
Speaking of confirming skeds, when I was there, I never did that. They emailed it to me and since I never responded just assumed I would be there.
I rarely called off, but I also wasn't going to take the time to reply either.
Even better, in the schedule situation, my AM called yesterday and asked me to go to a Kohl's this morning. I get back from doing the store, and check my e-mail, and there is an e-mail sent while I was working, asking me to confirm that I would be at the store I just got back from.
Last week was a fun filled RGIS adventure, and this isn't so much complaining as to just tell about what happened. So I hope you get some amusement from it.
Wednesday wasn't very eventful, we just drove up to West Yellowstone, well to be honest I rode. I did go to McDonald's that just reminded me why I bring food with me, on these Yellowstone trips, the restaurants in West Yellowstone are just insanely expensive.
Thursday, we had our breakfast, and the AM was having a meeting, to let us know what the plan was for the day and the rest of the week. While she was doing this, a little asian woman from the room next to the breakfast area knocks on one of the doors leading to where we were, making a gesture like laying her head on a pillow, saying "sleep, sleep." The Am had a totally confused look on her face, so I say that I thought that the lady was saying we were being too loud. She finished up the meeting, and as we are walking out, the lady from earlier starts pounding on the wall.
Then we load up the equipment and go meet the store people, at their warehouse just inside the park entrance at 6 Am, grab our sack lunches (the store management provides us with a sack lunches, since there aren't a lot of options in the park, which I think is nice.) We had 4 stores going at once, so we divide up into our teams and get on our way.
The first store of the day for me was an hour away from the warehouse, and we get there a little after 7, since I've gone to the park stores for the last couple of years, I had done this store before, and since most of the crew was there, it only took a couple of hours. While the AM was waiting for the store(s) manager to complete the evaluation, the AM took a group photo, and then we wandered over to Lake Yellowstone which was right by the store, and took in the scenery.
When we left we had to stop at one of the other stores, to make sure that they had enough paper to print reports. For some reason the people that had been at the store I was at were there, so you had 8 people doing audits, and sku checks, for a store being counted by 2 people. The AM thought that the store manager, was going to follow us to the next store to unlock it for us, but he thought we were just going to wait there until the store was done. We arrive at the next store, but of course couldn't get in, since none of the store people there. After awhile a vehicle of store people arrived, but of course none of them had a key so we had to wait some more. We probably waited an hour, before the manager arrived and let us in. Nobody was happy about all the waiting.
During the course of this store the store people doing the audits, had a lot of issues, because the manager was having us scan random items, when there he answered sku checks. Finally we left the store, we had to stop on the way home at one of the meet spots, to wait for the AM who left after us, and take her home. I finally got home at about 8:30PM. All the way back I had a horrible tooth ache, and had to borrow some ibuprofen from one of my co workers.
SO I had dinner, did some laundry, and went to bed. Some time between going to bed and getting up I developed a large abscess on my tooth.
Friday, the TL who I usually ride with, picked me up at 4:AM, to go to a financial c store, that was 4 hours away. This store was small, only 3 areas, and only only took a little over 2.5 hours to complete. We had the AM's company van, and the original plan was to pick her up at her house, and she would drive us back to town. As a result we had to go the long way back. When we get to her house, she took paperwork, and told the TL to keep the van.
There were multiple stores going on that day, on the Reservation, and this was the first time these stores were being done as scan store, so they were having a nightmare day. We were sent to one of the stores to help out there. I was only there about an hour and a half, but when we left the TL was saying that he was told that the program had been fixed, for the store the next day (you can probably imagine what happens next.) I finally get home around 6:30. After I got home I ended up going up to the hospital, to have the abscess lanced and get antibiotics.
Saturday, luckily I didn't have to be ready until, 6AM, I clocked in a little before 7, we went to the store. I started my first area, and the very first item I scanned wouldn't go in, and it really didn't get much. Something like 2/3 of the bar codes wouldn't scan, and since it was a c store, hardly any of the items I had to over ride had prices, so I spent more time going to the counter getting prices, than I did counting. Near the end of the store I got a peak at the over ride report, which in a small C store with 5 areas, was 14 pages long.
There was also an external auditor there, and he was trying to get the TL, running the store (my usual ride) to do things, that wasn't in the contract, like recounting random sections.
Towards the end of the store, the AM called, and told us she had another project for us. While I helped the TL the rest of the crew went to the what was next.
I guess the day before, the crew that had done the Clothes Horse, didn't count some things, citing not enough man power to do it. So we were sent to hand count the items that hadn't been counted. When we got there we sent the others home, and even though they did some of the items, me and the TL, ended up spending a couple of hours hand counting boxes bins, and bags of jewelery, rocks, moccasins and beads. No machines, no prices, just a piece count. Because this wasn't part of the contract, and she was humoring the store manager, she was calling often, to see if we were done. Finally the TL got all the numbers combined into one number to give to the manager, and we clocked out at 1:40.
I realize that this is a loooong story, and there are probably worse things that go on, but that was my week.
Oops, on Sat we went to the store, then I clocked in a little before 7
Mahonri...regarding the rebooting of your machine. Our district had the same problem until someone discovered that if you dry your clothes with fabric softener (bounce works best), the problem is eliminated. I started using bounce a couple years ago and never have that problem anymore. Hope you get this message.
I dry my clothes with bounce and still have rebooting problems. I think its just the machines. I'll be glad when corporate finally releases the new RM. You also have to make sure you have no electronic devices in your pockets cuz that will only exacerbate the problem.
I'm allergic to most fabric softeners. The rash just would not be worth it have a machine that doesn't reboot.
One thing I have noticed is that in a lot of RMs, the battery is loose and that can cause rebooting. Just turn the machine over and smack the battery as hard as you can. After that, you shouldn't have any problems, and it relieves a little stress.
Re: new RMs
In testing
Trying to do away with area tickets
I've been hearing rumors of a new RM. So there is a new one coming out?
Supposedly, but you know how long it takes RGIS to come out with anything, we'll be lucky if we see it in our lifetime, lol
i worked there in the 1990s. no real breaks. worked like dogs to sit in an astro van for 3 hours like sardines. no thanks.
There will be a new RM. Salaried have a contest to name it, hourlies are excluded from the contest. Winner goes to Lost Wages for the company meeting.
The new RM will be tied into this new thing that they are allowing the customer to look at what we are counting in real time. All portables/notebooks have to be updated by Nov. 1 because of this.
Not only will big brother be watching but big sister the customer too. Catching BATCHING in real time!
I wouldn't be suprised if the new RM is made in India too,like the current model.So don't everyone get your hopes up that it will be a high quality,trouble-free,kickass showcase of inventory equipment.More likely,it will be another piece of shit,that will piss everyone off......
The question I have is. Will the client be able to tell the difference between batching, and a counter that's just gotten into a good rhythm? I personally don't batch, unless I'm told to, and that doesn't happen very often. Having said that, it does seem to be a logical development that the store people be given "real time" numbers. On the other hand that just likely means, lugging even more equipment into stores, so that the store people can have machines.
Hmm, could have some fun with the new RMs. Near the end of an area, scan the same item 6 times or so. Delete the extras and transmit. When accused of batching, deny it, and request that they show you proof on the printout. Get enough people doing that and the results should be hilarious.
Have not been here in a while...will respond to a few things...
The new audits were supposed to come out in november or at the end of the year (no way in hell it does). Just like all stores are supposed to be bonus...They can spy on us with this new upload. If they piss me off, i will NOT set up my access points and just collect people by data sticks...
I am hearing different things on if finacial stores count on APH. The last i heard is they were disallowed because everyone cheated in them. But i also heard other TL'S say all stores count. Since i only get a "employee efficancy assignment" rating sheet once evrey blue moon i don't know for sure. I have no finacial store on mine. from 4/6/2011
Speaking of downtime. I do Target and the genius running it put me on checkouts...the goal is 2900 for TG's they post 4400ish i do 5k-7500...i kinda snuck off to clothing sometimes because i just want too. So my average can drop to 4-5k...They come up to me and say you have to do 10k in checkouts...I am like am i being payed as a NEO? I think that is the semi-secretive rank above TG they have for a few select people in the company. I did 10k once but but really why would i want too?
Well have another Target wonder if i will get checkouts again...Really don't care i will hit 2900 easily. My goal is to have the biggest downtime. If i dont get 4 break in i had a bad night. I think they like me up front for they can keep an eye on me for i am not sneaking off...
As a team leader i get the downtime report and they want TG and experts to have less downtime. They want the most expensive poeple to have less down time. But since we just fired more TL's and TG's or quit...i am not to worried...Which means i don't give a shit.
I run the stores i do piss poor now. Guess what? now i have new stores i get to screw up. Oh i just taught myself the RMV after 4 or 5 RMV stores. I figure i might want to figure how to use it...88 corrections excepted 6 rejected...OOOPS i did not mean to to reject anything oh well cant figure how to accept those...
Pulling tags for free...WTF? hey tell people just drop down a level and stay there longer and work slower. Take breaks...hell break out a cell phone and play "angry birds" or what ever you can on those...At toys R us i played a playstation3 2 years ago, for almost 30mins...Those people running the inventory to me are just like "angry bosses" they come all grumpy and you just have to fly away...
I was fired from Rgis last year, Actually they just stopped calling me for stores, i had a bad habit of not showing up at the back-to-back stores. You guys have me cracking up laughing.....
1. New RM's/Getting rid of area tickets. How are they gonna do that? How will they know if any areas are missed? That system just won't work!
2.Store people watching a screen and catching batchers. In large dept. stores you could have 75 to 100 people counting at the same time. Their eyes will go cross-eyed trying to do that!That won't work. Just another tool to trick the customer.
3. Bonus Program. They don't push it anymore because it was bogus right from the get-go and they knew it. And now everyone knows it.
4. Asset Ratings/Aph Reports/Quarterly Reviews: Listen Rgis just pay your workers a decent wage for a honest day's (or hours) worked and stop all the shenanigans and tom-foolery. It makes you look cheap, small-time and snarkey!
At RGIS Ottawa one girl slept her way to the top, the manager got her pregnant! She was only with us for a few months and then got promoted before the required promotion period was reached. Not fair to the rest of us trying to get a promotion. So do you have to sleep with the management in order to get promoted?
Just close your eye's.Hold your nose and do it! Maybe you can sleep your all way to be an Area Manager!
The Am, for where I live is retiring next year, and the person who would be the best choice to replace her, has already said that she doesn't want the job, and I don't blame her, one bit. Just from watching the Am from a distance, and one would have to be crazy to want the job. In the case of this area, with the characters here, AM doesn't stand for Area Manager, it's Area Mother. My usual ride, and one of the TLS, wants the job, and he's a nice guy, but seems to be a bit frazzled, running a store. Let alone handle getting calls at all hours of the night, because someone isn't at the meet site, or calling in sick, last minute, refereeing arguments between team members in a store, team members complaining about something that someone else is doing, juggling people between vehicles or hotel rooms to keep team members who don't get long separated, and having the DM breathing down his throat either on the phone or in person. Another person who wants the position, is the cause of a lot of the drama that occurs. So I seriously think that when the current AM retires, this area is going to go to shit, and I'll have to find another job, probably a good thing.
Oh fincial stores do count...i recieved "employee efficancy assignment" It only had 8 stores on it but one was finacial...As a teamleader i do run a lot of stores. But i know i was in more then 8 stores...i was trying to get a 7.5 or something...7.0 is topgun. The stupid thing says 9.5+ was my score...
Damn if i did any less in some of the stores i am in, i would be dead.
sleep with the boss to be promoted...What? Well in my district all you have to be is not be brain dead and show up on time..until you get your grey shirt then even that becomes optional...
From what i know (or heard) about the new software update and the new machines. There will always be a few minutes of lag time. So batch away...
ISS scorecard i was 1 for 4 on stores made. I only made the small store a 400.00 sale. missed 3 stores for $2500.00 together...The store i actually made i have a 0.00% push the flow score in another 51%. The next lowest is like 56%...I must of cheated so bad in that store i made, that we had time to goof off in that one...
Now my district and others have to go on biweekly calls for the higher up can drone on about these nonsense stats...
So here is how that goes...i call the number...say my name mute the phone and go back to bed...We had to do these two years ago before management morons decided it was a complete waste of time. But when you have to justify your bloated salary, it obvious that it does not matter if you are clueless as long as you can pretend you are useful.
I bet these morons are getting raises since they raked in more money for rgis at the expense of thier workers and thier custumers. Who get far less qualified people or outright cheating and fraud like inventories. I know DM's and AM's are qualified to get raises...And they still might get a real bonus unlike us...
I know I just posted, but this is odd, and I'm not complaining. I ended up with some OT, and since it was a mixture of store time and travel time, the amount that I was paid at, clearly was neither at the store rate, or the travel rate, I did some math, and it's almost like they chose a random number between the store rate, and travel rate, and just went with it. Okay they probably have a formula, but still made me laugh at the apparent randomness of it.
"Area Mother" standing for AM. Ha! Only for my district I might have to amend that to "Area Mother...fucker".
ISS scorecard i was 1 for 4 on stores made. I only made the small store a 400.00 sale. missed 3 stores for $2500.00 together...The store i actually made i have a 0.00% push the flow score in another 51%. The next lowest is like 56%...I must of cheated so bad in that store i made, that we had time to goof off in that one...
are u talking about bonuses or what?
Doing the calls for half a year now. Latest is they are threatening that if you have 4 stores in the red in a quarter you will not run stores anymore.
Of course the AM's are all in the red, what will happen to them?
Four stores not making it, you will run out of supervisors very quick come January.
Four stores in the red in a quarter huh? It's called cracking the whip! That's how they keep the ass-kissers jumpin'.
Just a note to the ass-kissers. One day they will come for you too!!!
Just out of curiosity, for those who still work with RGIS. What do you do during November and December, when the number of inventories, dwindle to almost none?
@Mahonri: I know that when I was still working for RGIS a lot of people filed for unemployment during those months. I'd be interested to read if anyone at RGIS does that now.
As to Nov/Dec RGIS is a part time job for me so I just grin and bear it. I know the special crews like the Walmart Team they do file for unemployment. Home Depot will do inventories in Nov so I don't know if that crew will file in Dec.
RGIS used to fight unemployment claims heavily, I don't know if they do that anymore.
I file for unemployment every year, and also help out with other districts when I can.
HOLIDAY DOLDRUMS
When it slows down file your claim for unemployment. Unless this too has been reclassified, we are hired as PERMANENT PART-TIME. That said, we are NOT seasonal or temporary workers.
In CA(don't know about the rest of you all), an unemployment claim lasts for one year. Each year you must file and there is a waiting period(one week?). This claim is renewed during the year when you have temporary slowdowns-maybe during the summer or whenever. The year is reviewed and the highest quarter is selected as the base for the unemployment claim. Please remember that we are classified as PERMANENT PARTTIME, not seasonal or temporary workers. Do you expect to return? Y. When? Dec. 26. Have you looked for work? Y.
Did anyone get a check as settlement? Part of that was considered wages and goes to that quarter's income-an unexpected boost to a particular quarter.
I usually try to inform the September hires of this because they don't have a clue. As long as they have their ninty days in, they are also eligible.
This is a benefit you are entitles to, so FILE!!!!!!!
I tell all the newbies to file for unemployment (i do that as if it were my job)...I want to just have the time off...I am going to claim this year maybe just for shits and giggles...
The ISS scorecard and all those stats i posted earlier is a teamleader thing, no bonus pay...LMAO...just a threat score card...
Miss 4 stores and demoted LMAO... i am 3 out of 7 and after i miss a store this week i will be 3 out of 8...Oh wait i am supposed to care...So this will be my 5th store i missed this quarter already...I bet almost anything i am still running stores...
I am a dedicated teamleader to a lot of the accounts. I would blow up 3 major accounts in my dist if they did (meaning i would unload all the BS about RGIS) to them.
Had my 1st friday on call meeting (guess i missed the one two weeks ago)...they bitch about lasers (28 out 50 could only be found in one dist LMAO)...and equip/supplies missing...Mentioned the ISS score card saying some clueless idiot higher up recomended two teamleader not run stores anymore...Basically they said you are supposed to care about the company equipment while we threaten you and offer you no raises...THE DUMBASSES AT CORPORATE DON'T SEE ANY HOLE IN THAT...Oh i lost a laser last week oops...Meaning the 4 idiots they just hired lost one and i would get blamed if they knew...
Some kiss ass on the conversation just promoted to AM. Said we will not miss one store here...So i guess they have thier cheating down pat.
The peeps near NYC i guess got a district wide 1.00 raise...They were only making 8.00 to begin with.
OVERTIME IS CALCULATED BY THE NUMBER OF HOURS/PAY and is weighted...if you work 35hrs at 10.00hr and 10hrs travel pay min wage 7.25 Your overtime would be 9.00(ish) (times 1.5)x 5 hours...
With me getting paid 15.00,14.00,13.00,12.50,12.00,11.50and 7.25 depending on the store i am in an the adder. I would have to take 30mins just to figure out my pay...And i am pretty sure that is how rgis likes it...One day i might do the math and if it is wrong NEW LAWSUIT :-p
I would highly doubt the settlement money would count as part of a quarter of pay toward unemployment...
As for what do you do during the Nov/Dec down times, Do what i do:
1. Buy a tent and pitch it in a friends back yard. It gets a little chilly but you'll get used to it.
2. Buy a case of pork and beans,4 cases of beer and a pack of lighters.
3. Somehow, get a set of keys to the office and the company van (you'll use this as your back-up shelter when it's forty below and startin' to snow.)
4.If the cops catch you in there and arrest you...instant shelter! You should be released from jail just before Christmas and the stores start again.
4. Always wear your badge. People will think you are employed. This will come in handy when you go into stores to shoplift, i mean...gather supplies.
5. And last, but not least, buy a 24 pack of toilet paper. You know why!
Well, there you go! See you at the first store on the 26th of December!
I'm not worried about housing and what not. I was just curious about what others do.
Latest from the Suits, do not use USB drives to transmit. You need AM Approval to do so. Doesn't matter if machine will not connect, recount the areas do not use USB.
Account has a lockout after 3 areas, does not matter, walk back and transmit no USB Stick, No USB Stick to an RM to transmit.
Makes total sense to be so efficient.
So you're not supposed to have down time, but in stores where they have trouble setting up a network, or can't get a signal, no sticks. What exactly do they think that will do to down time? You got to love a company, that uses that kind of logic.
Yeah i guess if i use a memory stick my DM has to explain why i did. So he just send some BS answer off to corporate or whomever he has too. He so use to BS(ing) custumers, employees, not hard to BS his dumb bosses.
I listened to his bosses during the 2-3 converence calls he has to be on a day...
Ok "corporate" position, higher than DM...They think they can keep the heard of people that quit after januray and feb after they do thier mass hiring if they just train them better...
They think most of the people quit because they don't get how to do the job well and get frustated and quit...Not the shity hours,pay,..and complete lack of respect from corporate. Yes i am sure there is a small % that quit because of poor training. But those employee even if they got world class training, once you are only getting 10 hours a week, you start looking for better consistant pay.
Now a AM in the district has to be a trainer (with some stupid title i did not want to waste brain cells to remember)...Basically a few district that lose the most people will get invited to be yelled at on a conference call.
The conference call is rgis corporate go to move and waste so many man hours it is crazy. This is a way for the clueless out of touch idiots that have racked up 100+ lawsuits can constantly pass the buck downward.
RGIS INSPIRES ME...to do the least amount i can get away with.
Missed my 5th store this quarter (3 for 8) I think i have 2 more next week...I think i will make one and miss the other...They are both the same store but i don't want to over achieve. I want to under achieve just above the absolute bottom.
uh.....no USB allowed to transmit has been in play for the last two years....at least on the east coast.
Comments on the USB Issue:
1. In some stores you can't even get a signal, or if you do, it takes minutes and multiple attempts to get the data to transmit. Sometimes you have to wander around to get a signal. In the meantime, your APH is going down and the downtime is going up. Why can't they tell the managers that they must use the USB "memory sticks" since the network doesn't work? What differnce does it make if the data is sent via the network or USB?
2. How much of the network problems is due to faulty or old equipment, or someone not setting up the equipment correctly?
Anonymous, I'd guess the difference, is that since increasingly, store people are being given machines, that can see what's been counted. They want to get the information to the store people faster, so they aren't waiting around for flow leaders to get memory sticks back to the store runner.
I never thought about the equipment being a factor, even though Ive been in several stores, where everyone around me is able to transmit, and I have to walk all the way to the back to use a stick.
Mahonri...the reason you see weird hours/pay on your time sheet is because of the federal law for paying those who have different wages during the week. I was concerned my district was going to pay me overtime on my travel and not my in-store (after 40 hours) that I looked up the law.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs23.pdf
Look at this link, read the last paragraph on page 1.
Email sent to us said it is because the company doesn't want the costly AP units to be wasted. Since they paid so much for them they want them used.
I'm glad they are finally looking at downtime. I get tired of TG getting paid a buck more than me for getting their APH and then going slow or standing around because they get the High Quantity Areas and have met their APH. I work my ass off and it pisses me off when I see TG's get paid more than me and be lazy. This is especially irritating in stores that I run. For me, it isn't about the APH, but how fast I can get out of the store so I can go home. Especially working 60-70 hour weeks and/or long weekends. I'm sorry this is their only job and need the hours, but if you are going to be in my store, I want you to work as hard as I do at counting. If not, ask not to be put in my stores.
In response...
I'm glad they are finally looking at downtime. I get tired of TG getting paid a buck more than me for getting their APH and then going slow or standing around because they get the High Quantity Areas and have met their APH. I work my ass off and it pisses me off when I see TG's get paid more than me and be lazy. This is especially irritating in stores that I run. For me, it isn't about the APH, but how fast I can get out of the store so I can go home. Especially working 60-70 hour weeks and/or long weekends. I'm sorry this is their only job and need the hours, but if you are going to be in my store, I want you to work as hard as I do at counting. If not, ask not to be put in my stores.
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You say to bad to others if its thier only job and need hours...(so you don't care about others hours) But then you cry that you get 60-70 combined from another job and just want to go home...Why the fuck should anyone care about your situtation if you dont care for thiers!!!
You are too dumb to figure out how to get to TG and i am supposed to care? When you start looking with empathy at others i might care about your problems. Otherwise piss-off. Do you get tired of tg's getting paid a buck more than you? well its a 1.50 so you can be 50% more tired of it.
Actually in the too dumb to be TG thought line, i ran a major store and did not put my adder role in. So me busting my ass (not) i did like 5 pieces an hour. That 5pcs an hour for 10 hours counts against my average since i did not click supervisor. So the rgis system can't correct the adder role issue so my "rating" after me basically be on the clock for 10 hours doing nothing. I am just under top gun status. So i could of been doing nothing for two 4 hour stores and still be a TG in a slow quarter, where i am mostly running stores.
I am rated like a 6.9 and need to be a 7.5. This is a slow quarter so it might be hard for me to raise back up. I am going to RECTAL cheat my average in 5 minutes my next store. 20k+ will be my average and i WONT break a sweat for sure...
The nonsense i will pull if i am demoted to an expert will be sick. This will include 15min brks every hour and i will still hit TG numbers.
As I think, i will work one day a month, run 3 stores, which will be at full pay and one calc store i will just blast in numbers for a couple hours and stand around for 3 more...
I don't come to this blog and bitch about my problems for me, since in this system i don't do that bad. Also to all experts i am not pissing on you unless you think your problems are the only ones that matter. I am mostly mad for the people that put 20+ years into a company no benefits and then the company want to slash your pay because you dont move as fast as you once did or got hurt. To all the newbies that get up at 3am to travel only not to be payed for 2 hours (1 hour each way)...And a system that is slanted to reward the cheaters.
Evreytime i bone RGIS (in spirit) i do it for the others that have been screwed by rgis...that includes custumers too.
Since rgis is getting squeeezed by big stores like Walgreens,Walmart,target, ect for price rate cuts. They are passing those on to local stores in districts where they are asking for price hikes to small local stores that have been hurt by the economy.
I wish i could tell you guys the things that are going to happen in my area, I might be able to tell in 3 years. If i told now, good people could get in trouble. I will be in the middle of it of coarse helping. You can bet your ass it wont be good for rgis,It wont crush them but every bit of hurt i put on them makes me happy
As to AP's (access points) and memory sticks...
the 4 anteneas on the AP cost 5 bucks a piece. I have broke like 6...I am caring for them a bit better now. Until rgis pisses me off. They start spying on me and asking anything about my store i will break them all off...
RGIS corporate policy for a couple of years has always been its faster to transmit through the air...Even in one person stores (where clearly a stick is a faster better option unless you are corporate know it all that knows very little) they wanted you to use an access point for you could learn to set up and get use to using an access point.
I have been using sticks (on the east coast) til up to the last few weeks. Many of my fellow TL's would never use a AP in a small store or a time clock...
Wow, Rectal, good to see you still here you old bastard, lol. I haven't been here in maybe a year, just dropped in to say F rgis ... I am STILL here, I am STILL TG ... people might say "why don't you leave?"< F you, you leave, where I go ... I stay ... where I live, I own ...anywho,
Its not my district but I found out that after turning Richmond into One district from two, that they moved the office from a west end location to Laburnum Ave. What ! The only thing on Laburnum Ave. is a Churches Fried Chicken and the State Fairgrounds. It's the armpit of the city ... you don't put a business on Laburnum unless you want it to get broken into ... what a loser move and everyone in the city knows it. Now everyone in the dist has to drive 25 miles to get to the office and you don't want to be there after dark. To save a couple bucks a month rent RGIS has to make itself look like shit in Richmond. No class and No style go along with a 27 million dollar lawsuite for F'ing its employees ... that's RGIS for ya ... or should I say the owners of RGIS ... Blackstone.
Anyway, I'm Pop the Top and I've got my nest feathered in an undisclosed district ... bringin in the new age ... a new heaven and a new earth ... peace yall !!!
I bet at least half the "downtime" for most auditors is not the fault of auditors. Instead, it is due to one of the following:
1. Problems/delays with transmiting the data with the AP (wireless) system. Sometimes this can take 10 minutes if the wireless isn't working and no memory sticks are available.
2. Problems with the lasers, constantly having to hit "alt5" to get the dang things to work, even after scanning the portable.
3. Spontaneous rebooting of the audit computers for whatever reason, which can take minutes to complete.
If you are unlucky enough to have a bad audit or laser, this can give you heavy downtime even if you are prompt in going from area to area and keep your breaks to 10 minutes and lunches to 30 minutes, and avoid restroom or other off the clock breaks.
I'm sure the AMs and DMs are reporting these reasons for downtime to higher management, so they understand the real basis of downtime and lower than expected APHs. I think most auditors work hard and want to do a good job. I do!
All this said, I still enjoy working for RGIS. It is a paycheck in these hard times.
How much would it cost Rgis/Blackstone, to give each of its employees a $25.00 Walmart gift card for Thanksgiving to buy a turkey? Would that be asking too much? We bring in millions to this company. It's a small gesture that would mean a lot, to many people....whether they admit it or not!
The lower paid "inventory specialist" at Rgis are hurting bad right now. No, they won't admit it because their pride won't let them. But i know some of them (including myself). Everyday things are so expensive. I can't afford to buy things in most of the stores i work. Look, all i'm saying to these guys is....at least act like you care!
I don't think that they do care, while it's not a bad company to work for, trust me, I traveled with a circus for a few days, and that was a nightmare. A few things were better, back in the day like raises, but overall, very little has changed in the company since the first time I worked in the mid 90's.
Whether it's dollars per hour, or APH, they have always been demanding of performance, and those who are faster always has gotten more money, and more hours. While what anon suggests would be nice, that they show some appreciation for our willingness to work the God aweful hours, they demand of us. HQ wouldn't do this, but occasionally the AM, might do something nice for us, like buy pizza, during a long inventory, but a gift card for thanksgiving or eve Christmas, is a real stretch.
8 of 14 IT server admins have been let go in the past 3 weeks. I knew these people. They were good admins, put in the extra mile. When their departments were cut in half - they found ways to make it work. They worked harder/ longer hours just to keep their jobs. Now RGIS expects too much. absolutely.
They combined jobs that 4 people struggled to do into one job. They don't care about quality or if someone desparate for any job gets hurt by RGIS's bad behavior
RGIS fires people every day. find somewhere else to work.
I think it would be great if RGIS offered a savings (401K) plan for all employees, not just managers. They could match the first 2 or 3% of employee contibutions. It would help retain employees and therefore reduce training costs, and help employees build savings. Why not? Training costs and newbie counting errors are a big expense, so RGIS could actually save money.
There was a situation about a month ago, that involved the IT people from HQ. We were counting the ski resort stores, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In the first store I was in we had to hand key and over ride at least half of the UPCs. When I got to the second tore, it turns out that there was an issue with the program, and our AM was trying to get it fixed. So we stood around, for about 2 hours waiting for the program to get fixed. When it finally got fixed, we finished that store, and come to find out, I had to go back to the first store, and we had to recount the entire store. All told we were there at least double the time it should have taken to do these stores. Also because of that we didn't get to the hotel, for the Yellowstone stores, that were the next day, until about 9pm.
So basically, if that had happened now, it would have been worse, because of the lack of IT people? Makes me glad I don't run any stores.
RGIS has over 40,000 different inventory programs. The customer sends a UPC validation file to RGIS IT to verify the program works with the UPCs prior to the program being made available for download to the portable.
When the program doesn't work after it's been released to the field, ALL HECK breaks loose at FSC/HQ. InvSupCTR/Control Center contacts the programmers and the testers and the customer acct reps to fix it as fast as possible. The cuts in IT the past few years have cut the wrong people. IMO not always but mostly.
40,000 total, or at any given time? Does that number fluctuate? Does that include stores that change over from financial to UPC?
It's not always the FSC fault, we had a DM setup a customer and she left off the check digit drop request for the program.
Hence nothing scanned, but would key punch. Guess what they wanted us to do...
I fought 4 hours (doing the backroom) to get them to reschedule. FSC was paging the programmer who wasn't answering.
In the end we did do the sales floor the next day but over 40,000 units keypunched auto-one from the backroom.
I was about to go to an interview tomorrow morning with NO clue as to any of these experiences and the lawsuit. I'm glad I google'd RGIS and found your blog and the info. Thanks for the awesome time and insight you put into this blog. <3 antiherochick
p.s. Oh, and I will NOT be going to the interview. fuck that.
hmm, that would be over 40000 customer programs active customers.
Lets say one account has 3 different inventories that it runs. each inventory has its own program. not individual stores, individual inventory types. how things are counted, reported back to the account via that account's customer (inventory type). input, processed, output. When I started working there, we had about 20 inventory types, due to the IT changes - things got messy. :-)sorry about that. I couldn't stop them, and didn't know how bad it had gotten.
Can anyone tell those of us out here scrapping by during this downtime what you are doing to get by. I can usually find something in retail or food service this time of the year, but not this year. Things are tough here in NE Ohio.
Is it true that Rgis has a program to find work for people during this time of the year? My cousin has offered me some work with him, assemblying bicycles at Target. Really, no rgis work untill December 26th? really?....... How do you guys get through this?
I have never heard of a program that helps find a job during the slow spells. I have heard that in some parts of the country that RGIS also runs a temp agency, kinda like S.O.S or Express. Maybe that's what you are talking about. As for me I just make do with less.
There used to be some accts that RGIS had which hired temp holiday workers (for those slow regular inventory times)
Check with your division office or HR.
Others on here say they go on unemployment. Sometimes there's just no work for all that want it.
The division offices always have a backup plan! I hope you find something soon!
Anon 1:50:
I've never heard of a RGIS program helping others look for work in slow time.
Really, you just file for unemployment. You are essentially laid off due to lack of work. Also tell the unemployment office that you have a back to work date.
When I was at RGIS, it was pretty slow in December, but I never went the entire month without work.
Oh and not to be the bearer of bad news, but RGIS is about to lose the Giant Eagle account in Ohio/PA.
Everyone---stop the whining! No one forces you to work for RGIS or any other company. If you don't like it, quit, and others will be glad to have your job. Times are hard, and RGIS is there for those willing to work. Sure it could be better, but so could everything.
I knew it would catch up with them sooner or later. Rgis has been stealing money from Giant Eagle for years. We were told to get them done in 4 hours. Yeah, Right! Well come to find out the trick to it is just give the manager last years numbers (plus or minus 10% of course.)
The smart, experienced managers knew we were gaming them, but there was nothing he could do about it. As long as the numbers were close to what he wanted (or expected) he was cool with it. Rgis on the other hand, was not so willing to pay top dollar for our acting jobs. They were paid for 6-man hours times 30 auditors.But we were only working 4 to 5 hours with 20 to 25 auditors, can u say 'cuttin corners'? Many times we sent people home after 3 hours...sux to be u!
I know there will be posters that will deny this stuff is true. Oh yeah , well you tell me why we would (if true) be losing this cash cow? They finally woke up, damn!
One more thing: If a so-called top gun can recount a 24 foot section in 3 minutes.....why the hell do they need the rest of there for? If they were really counting 4real, they could count that whole store in 1 hour! Can you deny that? It's a sham , a head fake, it's not real. Rgis is running out of fools!
I don't see the conversation here being any different than what you might see in the break room of a lot of companies, or in the van on a 3 hour ride to or from a store. People always complain about the company for, and I see this blog, as sort of an online watercooler. In the case of RGIS even though there are those van rides, most of the time there really isn't an outlet for those who work to "vent" as it were. Which is why I like this blog.
The reason why this is different than most complaints about a company from my view is...RGIS set up a system were the company profits from cheating but tries to claim integrity.
How would you like it if the tax guy doing your taxes got paid on how quickly he did your taxes. Regardless if he did them right or not...If the guy in the next state was doing twice as many just making up numbers and your guy, his pay was going down because he was not keeping up?
I would not consider that oh that the same old company shit...
Do you not think that would deserve some public light? I DO
The good honest employees are going to leave and what you left with is cheaters and people that can't do anything else...Its like sifting for the worse employees you can find...Maybe a few good diehards that really like the job or are loyal stay too.
So those cheaters...hey guess what they are not reliable...Who would of guessed you can't trust the most dishonest people you come accross to show up when they are scheduled...
When you play with people paychecks...You are creating incentive for bad results.
Not many low paying jobs have such strict rigid pay targets...
Do i think it is immoral for someone make 2 million as a ceo. fudging audit result to make a bigger bonus...yes
Do i find someone making $15,000 a year fudging numbers to wal-mart on an audit for they don't drop down to 13,500...not so much...especially if they have kids...i think it would be more immoral to deprive the kids
I blame the RGIS higher ups...RGIS crap product should be shown to all and custumer should demand employees of rgis be paid set pay or get crap results...
With RGIS "true count" coming out it will take most of us in most stores only days to start to figure out how to cheat stores...Don't believe the BS true count hype...
After i blew in my 20k pieces in that one store i have not done another. I only ran stores. I am like 5 for 11 for hitting stores...You don't want to be the worst person if i was 0-11, i would not be a TL but just under 500 is like perfect...as long as there are people 0-3 0-4 1-3 0-1...5-11 looks pretty damn good. I am locked in on under perform just like rgis pays me!!! The Crappy attitude i throw in for free
As to 401k matching...You must be smoking something
free turkeys...That would be nice and all. But would hurt thier bottom line. Its more likely they figure ways to grind up auditors and sell them as turkeys is more likely.
Pay not changing based on things out of an employee control is more resonable. Asking wal-mart to put pressure on RGIS to give RGIS employees turkeys is not a easy sell. But giving some stability in the auditors pay for they don't have incentive to play with the inventory results seem like a easier sell.
Latest Poop--
re: T. J. Maxx accts.
RGIS requiring background checks. On page 3 (more than 1 page???), includes release for a credit check also.
How many will survive?
re: Vega 360 coming soon
Vega--brightest star in galaxy.
360--360 degrees representing a comlete turnaround.
They supposedly are lighter, brighter and, of course, BETTER!!!
Anon 10:40:
RGIS lost about 30 percent of the Giant Eagle stores. So not as bad as it could have been, but still a sign that Giant Eagle got smart.
I heard PICS will be doing those stores now. Think they are mainly in the Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas.
Giant Eagle probably would have given more to PICS, but likely is starting out slow with them.
1. i think this a very important rgis web site. The poeple i work with in my district are beat-down, non-thinking, scared, drones. I come to this web site to read what the thinkers in this company have to say! Current employees and ex-employees!I knew you were out here somewhere. You guys running this site are doing a good job. Keep up the good work.
2. To you guys who come to the site just to read the blogs. go ahead and post some questions. The old timers on this site will be more than happy to answer your questions.You need to know what you are up aginst. You need the truth. I have learned so much since i found this site. Nobody in your district office will give you this info!
3. What kind of inventory is a "financial" anyway? (Giant Eagle) It's not a real inventory ,now is it? We were told it's a "No Touch" inventory....as in don't touch the product, only count with your eyes! So it's not really a accurate inventory....it's guessing. It's a best guess-ta-mate. Is that what they are paying for? Look, i know you can't pull all the cans and stuff off the shelves, that would take days. And of course we do these "inventories" while the store is open and customers are all in your way. So the question i have is what are we really doing there?
4. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope your 2012 is better than your 2011 was. Hang in there, things have to get better!
Vega 360, sounds like more like a bad car name, than the name of an inventory counting machine. Although, it makes life interesting seeing if the new machines can live up to their hhype. Of course there's always the ton's of fun, to look forward to, of using them, while they try and work out all the bugs, that there will surely be in them. At least you can't say that RGIS isn't trying to stay ahead of, or at least keep pace with current technology.
Anon
1 All I can say about this is I agree.
2. In my District there are those who will tell you this stuff, just not on the record. Also listening to some of the grey shirts, talk among themselves in the van, is the best way of getting the behind the scenes stuff.
3. I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic when you say you don't know what a financial inventory is, but in case you're not. There are very few pure financial inventories left. What I mean by pure financial, is one where you don't use a laser to scan bar codes, but 10 key inventories, where the only fields are area, section, dep, price and quantity. The point, was to allow the store, to compare section and area totals to the amount of $s in the previous inventory.
When I first started, there were more of those than there was scan inventories. If my memory is correct, back then it hadn't been all that long before that the hand held lasers had been issued, and it wasn't too long before we were fighting over a limited number of the finger lasers.
Finally I'd also like to wish everyone Happy Holidays, and a happy new year. Although I'll be glad in a way, when Christmas is done, only because that means I'll be earning money again.
I'm a newbie. They tell me not to touch the product. But how can you accurately count something without touching it, when stuff is hidden. For example, a bin with hundreds of things in it, like bubble gum or something. Don't you have to pull them out and count them one by one to get an accurate count? Or cans of soup, whatever. We should have pride that are numbers are 100% accurate, isn't that what they want?
Financial Inventory, have to remember where RGIS started Retail Grocery Inventory Service. Back then it was all Financial, we had a program called "1.5" or One Point Five, it took the memory away from the audit. You could not look up what you had keyed in but it allowed the audit to do department totals. Talk about not looking >G<.
We would do GAP by keying in the sku and size. Then they came up with "Wands" or a light pen that you would wave over the bar code. Don't press down on the bar code or it would smear and you would have to key it in.
Any one do AAFES? Army & Air Force Exchange Service , that was financial and you counted every area twice and had to be within 1%. Now we scan bar codes but report back just the dollars per area (like TJ Max/Marshals).
Next Subject....
How many of you turned down the background/financial check? What RGIS need a credit report on me for?
The Giant Eagles are going to be scan now. Well at least the ones that PICS does.
Not sure if that's going to be the RGIS ones too.
Background cheeck, credit report, when hired? Or more recent? If when hired, I don't remember being asked, since I worked before, my interview was basically, the AM calling and saying if I wanted to work, be at the store in the morning. If more recent, I haven't heard anything yet. Is this part of the TJ Maxx thing? If so there aren't that many, and I think I've only been to the local one once, so wouldn't affect me much.
I have worked for RGIS, part time, for over 20 years. I always tell newbies that this is not a job to take care of a family on, or even to sustain yourself. Do not expect a whole lot and do not invest a lot of yourself into the company. It actually used to be better in terms of pay. There was a bonus if you worked over 100 hours in a quarter and pay raises were based on being dependable, and doing a good job for the company. The APH is a way for RGIS to not have to justify raises for anyone. Anybody can quickly pick up the fact that accuracy is the least important thing to the company. I occassionally feel bad for the client, but oh well, if the let RGIS get by with doing a poor job, then what's it to me. All I can say is don't expect much and don't believe the propaganda.
Regarding anonymous Dec 13th,who asked about how to count the bins of little stuff.This is the way it usually works out:
Auditors: they haven't been around long enough and don't know any better,and usually end up counting the entire bin one by one.They get weird looks and wisecracks from the other counters.
Specialists:They usually are thinking:"Why do I keep getting this crap to count?" They maybe count half the bin,look at their running count,and double( or batch) the rest of the items.
Experts:They are thinking that there's got to be better stuff to count than this:"Where's the new people;they should be counting this shit." They will maybe count a quarter of the bin at most, and estimate the rest;or,just batch the hell out of it.
Top guns: They are thinking that they are too good to even touch,never mind count, this stuff.One glance, and it's counted."Looks like 156 in this one,about 214 in that bin,probably about 325 in the next one,etc,etc." They'll be in and out in that area in no time at all.(Got to keep their APH up.)
And, the really amazing thing is that the person who gets his area audited or printed out will most likely be the auditor who did the most meticulous counting!And naturally, the store will find a few minor mistakes in the count,and the the auditor or specialist will get reprimanded.Meanwhile, the top guns will be slamming totals into their machines left and right with impunity.
RGIS always has had designated top gun types that would go around and slam in totals in areas with bins of low value stuff,especially areas of candy,trial sizes, and nuts and bolts,etc.They would have to be caught red-handed "plugging" the totals by a persistant hardass of a store manager for there to be a printout.Even if caught and dismissed,the suspect top gun would be back counting the same stuff at the next inventory.The DM's or AM's running stores are experts at BSing store managers and offering printouts from from the good counters,while hiding the transgressions from the offending counters.It's become almost an art form,the way the whole act is choreographed and performed.
If you want get more honest reliable audits, employees that care. You have to give them some security in thier job.
You can't switch people pay around based on audits.
This can include a slower raises in an auditors pay. When you start to lower employees pay, you are just asking for bad results. Reward something other than speed.
Re: TJ Maxx background checks.
I heard my old district was having trouble with people passing the checks or even getting enough people to allow them to do the background checks.
As far as financial inventories, you didn't have to be 100 percent accurate with those. It was more of a good guess of how much was in the store. Stores didn't want you dumping their displays, etc.
Inventory companies push for scan inventories because they can charge more, since it's more labor intensive.
Although scanning them does make it more accurate, because it pulls in the department and price automatically.
I have not recieved a w2 from the company in 3 years every time i call head office they say they r sending them out what do i do thanks
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