One from October:
Sometimes after schedules were issued we would receive updates:
Nail your schedule down, people!
And here is the infamous "not to be discussed or termination will result" schedule, as mentioned in this previous post:
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Schedules, We Have Your Schedules (But Not Every Day)
I thought it might be a little interesting to see what some of the district's schedules looked like, back in the day. To view each image in a larger size, right click on the photo and select "View Image". Here's a typical one for the month of January. Long's Drugs I miss you.
One from October:
Sometimes after schedules were issued we would receive updates:
Nail your schedule down, people!
And here is the infamous "not to be discussed or termination will result" schedule, as mentioned in this previous post:
One from October:
Sometimes after schedules were issued we would receive updates:
Nail your schedule down, people!
And here is the infamous "not to be discussed or termination will result" schedule, as mentioned in this previous post:
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Tag You're It! (Part 2)
In one of my old posts I wrote about the tags that RGIS auditors used during inventories. They were long strips of colored paper (most of them were yellow but there were green ones, red ones and blue ones as well) that were used to mark areas of the store that had already been counted. In the comments section at that post someone mentioned that RGIS doesn't use those paper tags anymore and that stickies are used now.
That's too bad because some auditors would have fun using those old paper tags to play a joke on a fellow auditor. Those paper strips would be used to tag someone's car. The tags would be stuck all over the vehicle after an inventory, the idea being to annoy someone when they had finished an inventory for the night. They'd be all tired and just wanting to get out of the store, drive home and collapse into sleep. However, when they would finally be allowed to escape the inventory they would go out into the parking lot and be confronted with the unlovely sight of dozens of tags covering their car. They would then have to spend time picking them all off their car, whimpering with fatigue the whole time.
Writing about tagging is one thing but actually seeing it is quite another. I recently came across a couple of old photos of a vehicle having been tagged with RGIS tags and so without further ado here they are:
Note all the spots that the tags were placed in. Under the windshield wipers of course, but also in the doors, under the hood, in the tire rims, on the door handles, in between the roof and the windshield, in the bumper...no good spot left untagged. Ah the memories.
Update: Several people have remarked in the comments section that their districts still use the paper tags. I'm glad to hear that as that means the possibility of tagging cars will live to see another day.
That's too bad because some auditors would have fun using those old paper tags to play a joke on a fellow auditor. Those paper strips would be used to tag someone's car. The tags would be stuck all over the vehicle after an inventory, the idea being to annoy someone when they had finished an inventory for the night. They'd be all tired and just wanting to get out of the store, drive home and collapse into sleep. However, when they would finally be allowed to escape the inventory they would go out into the parking lot and be confronted with the unlovely sight of dozens of tags covering their car. They would then have to spend time picking them all off their car, whimpering with fatigue the whole time.
Writing about tagging is one thing but actually seeing it is quite another. I recently came across a couple of old photos of a vehicle having been tagged with RGIS tags and so without further ado here they are:
Note all the spots that the tags were placed in. Under the windshield wipers of course, but also in the doors, under the hood, in the tire rims, on the door handles, in between the roof and the windshield, in the bumper...no good spot left untagged. Ah the memories.
Update: Several people have remarked in the comments section that their districts still use the paper tags. I'm glad to hear that as that means the possibility of tagging cars will live to see another day.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Is There Any Loyalty At RGIS?
Mahonri made a comment at my last post regarding an idea for a new post, and I thought it was a good idea. Mahonri mentioned loyalty at RGIS, and how RGIS used to reward loyalty from an employee. That is, how workers who had been with the company for years were treated differently than those who had been with the company for only a short time . But now, according to Mahonri, seniority at RGIS no longer means anything and everyone is treated the same.
I experienced a little of that myself, when I was still working at RGIS, but for a different reason. I started working there right after New Year's Day so at first there was a lot of work available. But as months passed and work slowed down I noticed that some people were still working more than me, even though I had made it clear I was available for work anytime, anywhere. I soon realized that a few auditors were being given more work than us newbies and that was because they were veterans at the company and were getting preferential treatment because of it. I don't remember having too much of a problem with that; it seemed reasonable that those who had been there longer would get the plum stores or just more of them. They had been there longer and had earned it. And as I continued to work at RGIS and improved my accuracy and speed I was given more stores too.
However that changed when my district promoted our AM to DM. That particular person was well-known in our district for chatting up all the new young female employees and once he was made DM he started giving lots more stores to any new girl he was infatuated with, even though she had only been with RGIS for a very short time and hadn't proven herself as a fast or accurate counter. And all because the DM had the hots for her. I remember there being a lot of frustration regarding this, not just from me but from the other veterans as well. It was as though all our time spent trying to improve our speed and accuracy, and spending months and years traveling all over three counties, and finishing one inventory at a store and going straight to another store inventory without going home, meant nothing. Of course, this was a different situation than from what Mahonri had mentioned but the feelings of resentment from the veteran auditors was much the same. What about all the years of hard work and little or no sleep and endless miles of travel that we experienced at RGIS? Did that mean nothing to them?
I'm curious as to how many other RGIS employees have experienced this. Are you a long time RGIS employee and now you find yourself having to compete for store assignments with auditors who have only been with the company for a short time? Do you think this is fair, or do you think that auditors who have been with the company for a longer period of time should be rewarded with the "better" stores or with more work than a newer employee? And if you're a newer employee, do you think it's fair that everyone is treated more or less the same? Or do you think that some employees might be right in expecting more because they've been with the company longer?
And finally, is it different for you and do you feel that loyalty from employees is still being rewarded by RGIS in your district? Also, just to play devil's advocate for a bit: does RGIS deserve any loyalty from their employees? I'll be interested to read your comments.
I experienced a little of that myself, when I was still working at RGIS, but for a different reason. I started working there right after New Year's Day so at first there was a lot of work available. But as months passed and work slowed down I noticed that some people were still working more than me, even though I had made it clear I was available for work anytime, anywhere. I soon realized that a few auditors were being given more work than us newbies and that was because they were veterans at the company and were getting preferential treatment because of it. I don't remember having too much of a problem with that; it seemed reasonable that those who had been there longer would get the plum stores or just more of them. They had been there longer and had earned it. And as I continued to work at RGIS and improved my accuracy and speed I was given more stores too.
However that changed when my district promoted our AM to DM. That particular person was well-known in our district for chatting up all the new young female employees and once he was made DM he started giving lots more stores to any new girl he was infatuated with, even though she had only been with RGIS for a very short time and hadn't proven herself as a fast or accurate counter. And all because the DM had the hots for her. I remember there being a lot of frustration regarding this, not just from me but from the other veterans as well. It was as though all our time spent trying to improve our speed and accuracy, and spending months and years traveling all over three counties, and finishing one inventory at a store and going straight to another store inventory without going home, meant nothing. Of course, this was a different situation than from what Mahonri had mentioned but the feelings of resentment from the veteran auditors was much the same. What about all the years of hard work and little or no sleep and endless miles of travel that we experienced at RGIS? Did that mean nothing to them?
I'm curious as to how many other RGIS employees have experienced this. Are you a long time RGIS employee and now you find yourself having to compete for store assignments with auditors who have only been with the company for a short time? Do you think this is fair, or do you think that auditors who have been with the company for a longer period of time should be rewarded with the "better" stores or with more work than a newer employee? And if you're a newer employee, do you think it's fair that everyone is treated more or less the same? Or do you think that some employees might be right in expecting more because they've been with the company longer?
And finally, is it different for you and do you feel that loyalty from employees is still being rewarded by RGIS in your district? Also, just to play devil's advocate for a bit: does RGIS deserve any loyalty from their employees? I'll be interested to read your comments.
Friday, May 13, 2011
RGIS Sightings, Anyone?
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.
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.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
So Why Do You Still Work For RGIS?
Someone posted this comment on my previous blog entry:
Misfit
Thank you for this blog
Could you please start a new topic - suggestion, how you managed to leave, and recover your sanity. There are good people suffering out there. Try to tell them, it's ok to not suffer, how to leave. thanks!!!
I thought it would be a good start to a new blog entry, for people who have already left RGIS to share their stories on how and why they left, if it's been a good or bad decision for them and if they regret not leaving sooner. Or if they're still with RGIS then why? Is it because of financial difficulties perhaps, needing the job because there's little else available where you live? Or maybe you're that rare individual (winks) who still enjoys working for RGIS in whatever capacity. Whatever the case share your stories here. And of course anything else about RGIS you'd like to post. People have been using this blog as a way to pass on info about the various lawsuits that have been going on vs. RGIS, and also to ask questions about all sorts of things like time sheets, breaks, questions about the equipment, etc. I think it's a great way for people to share and exchange useful information. As I've said before I wish I had found a blog to share my tales of RGIS woe when I was still working for the company; I think it would have helped me a lot to know I wasn't in the only RGIS dist. with problems.
As for my story about leaving RGIS it isn't really that exciting. I just found another job. It took a while but I never stopped looking. And I started looking once I stopped enjoying my job as a RGIS auditor. Because as strange as it may sound to some, for quite a while there I did enjoy it. I found I loved counting things and trying to devise new ways to count sections of things in stores to increase my speed but without sacrificing my accuracy. And for a while the people I worked with were enjoyable as well. But things worsened within my district as the years passed and I stopped enjoying what I was doing and started looking for new work; luckily I was able to find something that paid decently and that I liked doing, or at least that I could stand it better than my RGIS job.
I guess the bottom line is: if you're not happy working for RGIS, if it makes you miserable and you hate every minute of it then start looking for another job NOW. Not exactly the most earth-shattering or revelatory advice, I know. But that company, no company, is worth risking your health, mental and/or physical, over. Most people know about Craigslist as a place to look for jobs. Another couple of websites that people I know have found jobs through are indeed.com and snagajob.com. If your local community college/junior college offers business classes then they're worth checking out as most of these schools have job placement for their students. And all of the old suggestions are worth doing too, things like telling friends and family you're looking for work, pounding the pavement and handing out your resume to businesses even if they have no Help Wanted signs in their window.
There is life after RGIS. And it can be very good indeed.
Misfit
Thank you for this blog
Could you please start a new topic - suggestion, how you managed to leave, and recover your sanity. There are good people suffering out there. Try to tell them, it's ok to not suffer, how to leave. thanks!!!
I thought it would be a good start to a new blog entry, for people who have already left RGIS to share their stories on how and why they left, if it's been a good or bad decision for them and if they regret not leaving sooner. Or if they're still with RGIS then why? Is it because of financial difficulties perhaps, needing the job because there's little else available where you live? Or maybe you're that rare individual (winks) who still enjoys working for RGIS in whatever capacity. Whatever the case share your stories here. And of course anything else about RGIS you'd like to post. People have been using this blog as a way to pass on info about the various lawsuits that have been going on vs. RGIS, and also to ask questions about all sorts of things like time sheets, breaks, questions about the equipment, etc. I think it's a great way for people to share and exchange useful information. As I've said before I wish I had found a blog to share my tales of RGIS woe when I was still working for the company; I think it would have helped me a lot to know I wasn't in the only RGIS dist. with problems.
As for my story about leaving RGIS it isn't really that exciting. I just found another job. It took a while but I never stopped looking. And I started looking once I stopped enjoying my job as a RGIS auditor. Because as strange as it may sound to some, for quite a while there I did enjoy it. I found I loved counting things and trying to devise new ways to count sections of things in stores to increase my speed but without sacrificing my accuracy. And for a while the people I worked with were enjoyable as well. But things worsened within my district as the years passed and I stopped enjoying what I was doing and started looking for new work; luckily I was able to find something that paid decently and that I liked doing, or at least that I could stand it better than my RGIS job.
I guess the bottom line is: if you're not happy working for RGIS, if it makes you miserable and you hate every minute of it then start looking for another job NOW. Not exactly the most earth-shattering or revelatory advice, I know. But that company, no company, is worth risking your health, mental and/or physical, over. Most people know about Craigslist as a place to look for jobs. Another couple of websites that people I know have found jobs through are indeed.com and snagajob.com. If your local community college/junior college offers business classes then they're worth checking out as most of these schools have job placement for their students. And all of the old suggestions are worth doing too, things like telling friends and family you're looking for work, pounding the pavement and handing out your resume to businesses even if they have no Help Wanted signs in their window.
There is life after RGIS. And it can be very good indeed.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Looking For A New Job?
The comments on the previous post were up to 150 in total so I thought it was time to start a new post. I was just taking a look at the official RGIS website and I thought this was funny: on the home page, under the title Looking For A New Job? it reads:
RGIS is always looking for qualified people to fill positions worldwide. From part-time seasonal to life changing careers.
It was the life changing careers part that made me laugh, for some odd reason. Of course, RGIS doesn't indicate whether working for them will change your life for better or for worse. Hmmm...
RGIS is always looking for qualified people to fill positions worldwide. From part-time seasonal to life changing careers.
It was the life changing careers part that made me laugh, for some odd reason. Of course, RGIS doesn't indicate whether working for them will change your life for better or for worse. Hmmm...
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Google RGIS...
...and this blog shows up in the fifth spot! At least it did today when I Googled it. Anyway, nothing really new to report, I just noticed that the comments on the last post had really piled up and I know some people prefer to read comments when they haven't gone too far over one hundred so here we are.
I'm guessing things are pretty quiet right now for RGIS auditors, what with it being the holidays and all. I hope things will pick up for everyone come January and that the new year is better and brighter for everyone. I know it's hard to think that it will given that you may still be employed by RGIS but hey...it's a job, right? Maybe not one that pays a living wage or that gives you good benefits or treats you as though you were a human being or...ahh, never mind. Screw RGIS!
I'm guessing things are pretty quiet right now for RGIS auditors, what with it being the holidays and all. I hope things will pick up for everyone come January and that the new year is better and brighter for everyone. I know it's hard to think that it will given that you may still be employed by RGIS but hey...it's a job, right? Maybe not one that pays a living wage or that gives you good benefits or treats you as though you were a human being or...ahh, never mind. Screw RGIS!
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