• As Target leaves Canada, Sears is Offering Jobs and Honoring Discounts to former Employees
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[img]http://www.cp24.com/polopoly_fs/1.1947484.1421455248!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg[/img] [quote]Sears Canada is reaching out to workers affected by the exit of American retailer Target from the Canadian market. Target announced on Thursday that it will close 133 stores across the country by early June, with 17,600 employees losing their jobs. Sears says it's extending a special offer to Target Canada employees and is encouraging those interested in job opportunities at Sears to visit its website.[/quote] [quote] In a statement on Friday, Sears says there will also be an open invitation to Target Canada head office employees for a meet-and-greet with Sears executives and human resources experts on Jan. 21 in Toronto. The retailer also says it will offer affected Target Canada employees the Sears Canada employee discount for a period of 16 weeks, beginning on Jan. 21. [/quote] [url=http://www.cp24.com/news/sears-offering-jobs-discounts-to-workers-affected-by-target-closures-1.2193116]**SOURCE**[/url] [img]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-frogbon.gif[/img]
But Sears is on the verge of collapse as well...
I can't honestly imagine Sears lasting for another 10 years. Walking into any Sears store is such a pitiful, depressing experience... it needs a dose of corporate euthanasia to put it out of its misery.
[QUOTE=Snowmew;46953799]I can't honestly imagine Sears lasting for another 10 years. Walking into any Sears store is such a pitiful, depressing experience... it needs a dose of corporate euthanasia to put it out of its misery.[/QUOTE] It seems like their jewelry department does better than any other section, at least from what I have noticed at the one I go to. No idea how it actually is doing, though.
i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] Its like that at Staples. My official title is Technology and Mobility (cell phones) Sales Associate. I am an insurance salesman before all else, a cellphone salesman, a computer technician, a stock boy, a customer service representative, and a cashier. All of this for $9.50 an hour. Im grateful to have the job, but Im so spread thin in my understaffed store that its hard to get anything done.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] this sounds like my last job at The Bay. We as stockroom workers, we're literally responsible for everything. And much like you're saying with unloading trucks, we were regularly asked to ignore safety procedures like "Team lifts" and just get the trucks emptied as quick as possible. In my time working there, which was about 5 months, 1 woman in the backroom lost her toe due to it getting crushed under the lift gate for the trucks, 1 of my friends seriously injured his back, and I personally lost a fingernail due to having to 1 man pull stacks of mattresses off of the truck. I quit that job because I was regularly asked to work overtime, but not for extra pay, just for my regular hourly pay. I was regularly asked to ignore my own safety to get the job done, and I was constantly berated for not working hard enough when I was the hardest working stockroom guy for the entire time I worked there. We were also in charge of organizing all the various backrooms hidden across the store. Those backrooms apparently, have never been organized or they're run by morons as the second you open some of those doors, shit will come falling out as they've not been organized or even stacked properly. And some of the backrooms where huge, to accomadate the seasonal fixtures that they use for the store. When christmas came around and we had to set up all that stuff, we were given only a few hours to be able to get everything we needed out of a room that we'd have to organize just to get to the stuff to pull out. Needless to say, one of the workers I was friends with was fired over complaining that there was no safe way to do this in the time allotted to us.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] HAH. Try Loblaws photo studio - allow me to give you the duties 1) Print photo's 2) Take photo's for families & babies (This is extremely hard.) 3) Edit Photo's 4) Maintenance all machines (There is no technician to do it.) 5) Make sure all stock prices are updated, printed every day. You had to go up 2 floors to an office to do so. 6) Be customer service for all things tech related, meaning people yelling, or getting angry at you. This can include photo mistakes (which wasn't your fault in the first place) and etc. 7) Make schedules and appointments for taking photo's 8) Order custom products 9) Order print cartridges, paper and new products. 10) Run the cash for all things tech 11) Fix old camera's and develop film 12) Handle online ordering, including providing IT support to people having trouble with online. 13) Stock shelf's 14) Unload and load new products for tech from the back of the store. (They were usually massive printers.) 15) Train new employee's (no small feat for all the things above and below.) 16) Help older people learn about auto-printing from Kodak machines 17) Clean studio everyday (No janitors to do it!) 18) Take passport photos and print them, package and either mail through a phone service or package them for pickup 15-10 minutes later, had to do telephone pickup with custom orders as well. 19) Lock-up, track all customers and what photo's were printed 20) Back-up all photo's onto CD's and write down by hand every file in there (roughly 100-200) 21) Any time you have left is to be spent designing a new set for photo's for the new season, every employee had to do at least 1. 22) Finally, turn off all machines, clean them by hand, and then leave. Minimum wage, 2 people at max working at a time, around 100 customers per day, machines broke down every hour, no manager for this particular section (We called one daily from another section to ask what the hell to do.) Have to stay up to 1 hour after shift if you are closing, without pay. It doesn't help that people will do 1000-2000 photo jobs so you might end up staying 2-3 hours after, still no pay. When you were too overwhelmed with stuff to do there was nobody to call because there was virtually nobody working there, so people will get angry with you when you couldn't meet their needs in time. Let's make it better - The store was under renovation, so every day the workers would work at night and change or unplug something, which would inevitably break something in the studio that had to be fixed. They had to hire new people roughly every week, because people would get instantly overwhelmed by the information. It didn't help one of the employee's working their, if you got a shift with her she would stay in the backroom doing nothing the whole time, and only come out to tell you if you did something wrong. Managers never did anything about it. I was wondering why they hired me on the spot, without even looking at my resume. Did I mention this was my first job? I thought this is what every employee went through until I talked to one of my friends. Yeah, two months of my life utterly wasted. I spent every day worrying about going to that place and what crazy shit would happen next. Front-end retail sucks balls, I got a job at a thrift store afterwords, virtually did nothing except shake a sign and pick up clothes. FOR THE EXACT SAME PAY, with 100-200 dollars bonuses every month if you went over target for sales, and we did every month. Loblaws wasn't dangerous like some of the other stories.. but jesus it made you stressed out. That's my experience! tl;dr NEVER WORK IN A LOBLAWS PHOTOLAB. You are literally the manager and required to do all the duties a manager does. For minimum fucking wage!
Jeez, you all make Wal-Mart sound like an easygoing place.
Also, wasn't target only here for like, a year? A store nearby only opened up 1 year ago. [editline]a[/editline] [url]http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/target-s-launch-into-canada-a-multifaceted-failure-1.2901789[/url] Oh. Yeah, I never went there. They had nothing that walmart didn't have and it costed more. Amazing.
Correction. Sears did not offer jobs, they just said "hey, you can still shop here!". Canadian Tire was the company that said they would offer jobs to former Target employees.
[QUOTE=UserNotFound;46955617]Correction. Sears did not offer jobs, they just said "hey, you can still shop here!". Canadian Tire was the company that said they would offer jobs to former Target employees.[/QUOTE] isn't Canadian Tire like some weird tire business that turned into a real store? I remember seeing deals on Xbox Ones there a while ago and thinking to myself why on earth would a tire shop be selling video games
[QUOTE=altern;46955761]isn't Canadian Tire like some weird tire business that turned into a real store? I remember seeing deals on Xbox Ones there a while ago and thinking to myself why on earth would a tire shop be selling video games[/QUOTE] it's a hardware store
[QUOTE=Untouch;46955994]it's a hardware store[/QUOTE] They also mint their own currency.
[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;46956086]They also mint their own currency.[/QUOTE] Paper currency, mind you. And it's only usable at Canadian Tire stores in place of actual Canadian currency.
I hope Wal-Mart leaves Canada
[QUOTE=Cronos Dage;46956160]I hope Wal-Mart leaves Canada[/QUOTE] Nooo. We don't have Zellers anymore (the one here where I live closed up and now we have an L.A. Fitness in its spot), why would we get rid of Wal-mart?
[QUOTE=UserNotFound;46956112]Paper currency, mind you. And it's only usable at Canadian Tire stores in place of actual Canadian currency.[/QUOTE] Still makes you feel like a rich motherfucker. [t]http://www.dontspendithoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IMG_3695.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=UserNotFound;46956173]Nooo. We don't have Zellers anymore (the one here where I live closed up and now we have an L.A. Fitness in its spot), why would we get rid of Wal-mart?[/QUOTE] (where I live = Niagara Falls. I'm pissed at Valve because "Niagara Falls" is not a viable city option for your Steam profile when you select "Ontario, Canada", but it is if you select "New York, United States". I've bugged Valve about this as they're also missing neighboring cities such as Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland and St Catharines but they haven't been added yet) The Target we have is in the building that used to be our Wal-Mart. Our Wal-Mart moved to the other side of the damn city near Niagara Square (our mall). With Target closing and liquidating its assets (similar to what Zellers did when they "closed", they just stayed open and lowered prices on everything to try to get rid of their remaining stock) who knows what they're going to put in that building. [QUOTE=pentium;46956202]Still makes you feel like a rich motherfucker. [t]http://www.dontspendithoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IMG_3695.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] Yup! I've got like $200 in Canadian Tire money. I feel rich! Just don't try to use it at strip clubs, you'll get kicked out for doing so.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] I've figured that around the world it's like that at a lot of low-paid jobs. I've worked one like that. It's just a case of overworking expendable people and then replacing them when they leave, as it's cheaper than simply hiring multiple people to keep it easier.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] Damn, I have the same responsibilities at my job. We're technically "minimum" wage but we have a base salary and if we make less than minimum wage with it the company pays the difference. Still, you make more than the difference it's a nice bonus. Also, I don't know if it's just my supervisor that's sane but even though we're 5 people on rotation running the store I wouldn't say that we're overworked or anything. Pretty much the only job I've ever had where I actually feel satisfied what I'd done during my shift. Days go by pretty damn quickly. It help that we're a TV and Audio system shop and that we have tv on all day. :v: As long as we don't slack or it doesn't stop us from doing our job, pretty much all of us watch tv all day long. Also, helps that the store is pretty small and that we don't have a bathroom for customers. I really should consider myself lucky. Like, I can actually kind of dig this job.
[QUOTE=Blueridge;46954215]i worked at sears this summer as a backroom associate. they told me in the job description that i would commonly have to lift 30+ lbs, but it ended up being more like commonly lifting 60-70 lbs. my boss would get angry if we tried unloading the truck in parts(for instance, if there was a microwave on top of a refrigerator, he'd expect us to take both the microwave and refrigerator down in 1 action) and since i couldn't take the truck load in one instance like he could he would constantly make jokes towards me. but that wasn't the tipping point for me. the tipping point was that, as backroom associates, we were responsible for: 1)unloading 2)unpacking 3)merchandise pickup 4)returns/repairs 5)cleaning the bathrooms 6)putting clothes on hangars 7)assembly of grills/baby cribs/whatever the fuck someone wanted we basically kept the store running on all fronts but the checkout area, only for $8.50/hr. now i don't know if it's different at other minimum wage jobs because it was my first one, but i would expect that at that hourly wage the stuff we had to do was bullshit. especially considering that the cashiers there were also paid $8.50 - the only difference being that their job was on the line if they didn't meet a credit card quota.[/QUOTE] I've worked in both receiving and the cashier roles at Wal-Mart. In receiving, we didn't have to do things like cleaning bathrooms and hanging clothes, but we did the other stuff. That you guys are getting paid so little is practically criminal given all the stuff you have to do, though it was minimum wage for us, too. As for the cashiers having to sell credit cards, don't even get me started on that shit. Good luck working in a big box store and trying to sell a customer shit they don't want to buy. The fact that it puts your job in jeopardy if you can't push that shit on people is retarded.
Hearing about all these low paying hard working jobs is not right. I didn't know that wages were so bad in the US, I get paid $20 an hour to do reception work. [editline]19th January 2015[/editline] Also Target is my favourite place to buy clothes from so I'm glad they are still kicking in Australia.
[QUOTE=Snowmew;46953799]I can't honestly imagine Sears lasting for another 10 years. Walking into any Sears store is such a pitiful, depressing experience... it needs a dose of corporate euthanasia to put it out of its misery.[/QUOTE] Sears isn't that bad in Canada though, just as Target US is way better than in Canada.
[QUOTE=Untouch;46955994]it's a hardware store[/QUOTE] It has other stuff and branches into things most hardware stores don't sell. Sells tires, automotive products, outdoor furniture, hunting rifles, tools, toys, sporting equipment, etc. Not your every day home depot [editline]19th January 2015[/editline] If you need to buy a gun, a badminton kit, a tent and a super soaker all in one trip then Canadian Tire is your store
[QUOTE=Pat.Lithium;46962549]Hearing about all these low paying hard working jobs is not right. I didn't know that wages were so bad in the US, I get paid $20 an hour to do reception work. [editline]19th January 2015[/editline] Also Target is my favourite place to buy clothes from so I'm glad they are still kicking in Australia.[/QUOTE] But in Australia, you guys pay upwards to $100 for ONE video game. Your prices of things are way different. I worked retail at Party City for a month or so as a temp, making $7.25/hr and I literally, no joke, had about 2 days off that entire month. I found myself walking into the store on my days off to try to get them to make me clock in. But, that was because I loved the job. It was decent work too -- stocking shelves, helping customers, climbing the tall ass ladders, cleaning up the stock room, running Halloween costumes out to customers, it was actually a tough job but I still loved it. Now, I'm a server at a bowling alley and I, luckily, make $5/hr + tips. But, since I only work 3 days a week, I only average about $200-$250 a week in tips so it all balances out. Whereas, our top server will make at least $1,000+ in 2 weeks. But he's been there for 5 years. And that job is NOT easy. I'm responsible for cleaning everything except the kitchen, bartending when we don't have a tender, retrieving balls/pins stuck in lanes, ALL events... Doing this while trying to maintain a smile is very difficult and its really hard on my (already broken) body. Been there for 6 months now and I'm just now getting used to it after fucking up over and over again. Luckily, I've known ALL the management since I was about 13/14 years old, so they give me more second chances than they should.
[QUOTE=NoobieWafer223;46967225]But in Australia, you guys pay upwards to $100 for ONE video game. Your prices of things are way different. I worked retail at Party City for a month or so as a temp, making $7.25/hr and I literally, no joke, had about 2 days off that entire month. I found myself walking into the store on my days off to try to get them to make me clock in. But, that was because I loved the job. It was decent work too -- stocking shelves, helping customers, climbing the tall ass ladders, cleaning up the stock room, running Halloween costumes out to customers, it was actually a tough job but I still loved it. Now, I'm a server at a bowling alley and I, luckily, make $5/hr + tips. But, since I only work 3 days a week, I only average about $200-$250 a week in tips so it all balances out. Whereas, our top server will make at least $1,000+ in 2 weeks. But he's been there for 5 years. And that job is NOT easy. I'm responsible for cleaning everything except the kitchen, bartending when we don't have a tender, retrieving balls/pins stuck in lanes, ALL events... Doing this while trying to maintain a smile is very difficult and its really hard on my (already broken) body. Been there for 6 months now and I'm just now getting used to it after fucking up over and over again. Luckily, I've known ALL the management since I was about 13/14 years old, so they give me more second chances than they should.[/QUOTE] The price of living in my city is only around 35% higher than it would be if I were living in say Arizona. I've never worked in retail or fast food, because I have avoided it. People who work in those areas deserve respect for working hard for minimum wage. And the price of games may be set at $100 RRP but the last time I bought a game for that price was a long time ago. In fact Target is where I buy most of my games because they sell them for $59 on release day. Every year I buy call of duty for around $40-50 from Target. Is Sears a similar department store to Target?
[QUOTE=Pat.Lithium;46968704]The price of living in my city is only around 35% higher than it would be if I were living in say Arizona. I've never worked in retail or fast food, because I have avoided it. People who work in those areas deserve respect for working hard for minimum wage. And the price of games may be set at $100 RRP but the last time I bought a game for that price was a long time ago. In fact Target is where I buy most of my games because they sell them for $59 on release day. Every year I buy call of duty for around $40-50 from Target. Is Sears a similar department store to Target?[/QUOTE] Which city do you live in? I work retail in Sydney and I needed to do a bunch of hours until I could get student welfare - on average about 30 hours a week plus full time university on the side. Mostly because the price of rent in Sydney is absolutely ridiculous unless you want to live like an hour out west in some of the most racist districts in Australia
[QUOTE=killerteacup;46968804]Which city do you live in? I work retail in Sydney and I needed to do a bunch of hours until I could get student welfare - on average about 30 hours a week plus full time university on the side. Mostly because the price of rent in Sydney is absolutely ridiculous unless you want to live like an hour out west in some of the most racist districts in Australia[/QUOTE] I live in Brisbane, rent is about $175 with utilities a week living with friends. [editline]20th January 2015[/editline] to be fair though I think rent prices in the US are on average a lot lower than living in a major city in Australia
I know as an ex-seasonal of target our discount was done via little card they print off an seal, wonder if thats how the discount with sears works? also as ex-seasonal I wonder if I count?
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