Thread regarding Verizon Wireless layoffs

This will be a very rough situation! In our store we have 4 inside area mats on the floor. I was told only 1 customer can stand in the 6 foot matt so thats only 4 people in the store,the other's will have too wait outside we are a store in Nj and we can get very busy. The capacity is 22 including reps i dont know were they got that number from? !our Sms have been disregarding safety since September.they are totally ineffective in creating a safe work environment mainly because of the survey.So I think if we get very busy the customers will leave and won't wait we have 5 plexiglass work stations ( I've been told the plexiglass doesn't help its only there for psychological purposes) I feel 22 people in the store of our size is excessive and that combined with very little 6 foot distancing. We are having an aggressive trade in promo with the iPhone 12 so yesterday we were extremely busy.i can see problems on the horizon if this continues! Again,its a bad situation were the frontline loses in many ways.

Our district in the northeast is trying to get together and boycott black friday

Lets not go to work

This is life for everyone now. Not a Verizon issue or Apple issue. How dare they? They should be the first retailer to say screw it and forget launches and etc... We all need to cope or understand this is normal better. Verizon has been at the forefront of retail safety. Most retailers are back to normal besides masks. We are lucky. Some people will never get that and always complain.

I’m just grateful to have a job. So many people are hurting right now. From a safety perspective, how at risk are we? If you have underlying health issues, you should definitely be more cautious. But I don’t feel unsafe in the stores.

I’m way less stressed over Apple launch than I am Black Friday. Apple launch has been mainly digital for years, the people that used to camp outside of stores are also smart enough to preorder online now. We aren’t extending hours, which is the smartest thing we’ve done in years. Apple launch used to be the smoothest day of the year, the way it was prepared for and triaged. If we actually utilize all the policies/tools, and managers properly triage the door, it could be just as smooth.

BUT WHY ARE WE EXTENDING BLACK FRIDAY HOURS?! Heck, why are we even open? Black Friday is the last thing America needs right now. Walmart’s closing for thanksgiving, Home Depot cancelled Black Friday all together, offering deals all month instead. No one needs to encourage mass amounts of shoppers in one place at one time right now. It’s socially irresponsible.

Make Black Friday digital only, save the overtime and holiday worked pay by keeping store employees at home Friday. Curbside pickup, appointment, and digital only all weekend through cyber Monday.

I mentioned Black Friday to a woman the other day and her eyes got all wide and confused, like she forgot all about Black Friday and didn’t want anything to do with it once she thought about it. I think that’s a lot of people’s reactions to Black Friday shopping this year. The CDC even lists “Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving” as a high risk holiday activity, and suggests a low risk activity such as “shopping online rather than in person on the day after thanksgiving or the next Monday” instead.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html

Now, should you decide to be socially responsible, you need to move NOW. Reps should be talking about it to people in store, sending my links, and making sure anyone that wants to take advantage of specials knows how to do so. Emails can be sent out informing customers of our policies that weekend, with instructional video and step by step instructions on how to place an online order. Can also send a link to set up an appointment in a store so a rep can show you should you need further instruction, then that rep can send their mylink to get credit. Would also be helpful to send them some more info on tech coach for setup and link to appointments for that as well.

Not only is it the socially responsible thing to do, but it’s a great test run for your new model and may actually expedite your customers comfort with digital if handled properly.

I’m definitely posting my way out of a job long term, but I believe in progress and this is how it should be handled if we want to attain the overall goals of increasing digital, less overhead in brick and mortar, maintaining customer experience, being socially responsible, and giving good employee experience.

While we’re at it, the stores need to be closed by 7, but that’s a rant for another day.

Yes

I'm not saying everything shut down. But it cannot be business as usual. We are not essential by any means.

Did you know that if I customer demands to come in without a mask all they have to do is sign a form and they let them in. Its happened a few times at my store.

As far as plexiglass. There is not enough stations for all of us.

We need to be more vigilant with who and why we're letting them in. Idgaf about RIS atm. But management is too hell bent on it when it should not even be a thing right now. I will refuse to put a screen protector on your grody dirty phone, but since I pulled their account they'll complain and I lose money. I have to decide if I want to put mine and my families safety at risk for money and some dumb Karen. I actively try to avoid pulling accounts. I am a top performer in everything, but I've let off the gas until this is all resolved.

My GM is in their office most of the day on calls or whatever. My one SM is decent about stuff and the other barely gives you time to clean anything let alone breath. When you complain you get a tough sh*t attitude. I've counted 20 people in the store with only 5 employees. They're saying 1 rep per account and families seem to want to have their extended family with them to upgrade grandpas flip phone.

I wanted to retire with Verizon, but im at the point where I've updated my resume and am looking for other work opportunities, but since we're in the middle of a pandemic. Not much is out there.

And as far as people losing income and their homes and such. I know I took a $25k cut starting in August. Then the want to up the RIS goals. Im on a covid relief with my mortgage and car payments because of taking such a huge hit.

Verizon needs to learn that it's employees are an asset not a liability. We are the face of Verizon. When people think about Verizon and who/what they are they don't think about their social media, banking, candy crush or any of the stuff on their devices. They think about when they got their new device and how helpful or unhelpful the person was when they got it. People remember life experiences not stuff. I ask all of you about growing up as kids. Do you really remember the stuff you got for Christmas or birthday or whatever. You remember how you felt when you got that thing you wanted. You remember the disappointment when you didn't get what you wanted. You remember your parents helping you setup your new toy. You remember the excitement of going to the store to get the new thing that went with your gift.

At one point in my life I would have thought to contact a union, but seems that CWA is our only option and they're a useless spinless union that rolls over instead of helping its members. Ive seen what bad deals they've given AT&T and others over the years.

Enough ranting. Just want to end this with. VERIZON. Treat us better and pay us for our contributions.
END RANT.

We are safe but I get where you are coming from. Yes the bottom dollar is more important to the company and the share holders, now as for your leaders no they actually care. I don’t think we need to be open till 7 we are dead from 530 ish on go back to closing at 6. Also want to save money learn how to do shipping get multiple boxes with one or two things in it, put it in the box with lots of things in it with room for that case in a box by its self.

I get it but we all can’t shut down the country anymore. I was afraid and couldn’t even leave my house, it caused real mental health issues. We have to just be as safe as possible. Closing down everything means more people will be at a loss and more people will go hungry, loose their house, their cars, go without needed things because of shuts downs. More people will die if the country stays closed. Wear your mask and you have a right to ask your customer to wear one too. Stay behind the plexiglass and tell your manager to go f@$! Themselves if they ask you to not have those basic requirements. At the moment we are lucky to have these jobs until they move us all over to indirect....

OP here. Than*