Thread regarding Macy's Inc. layoffs

No one is being forced to do anything... we are now an INTEGRATED work force... everyone does eveything... that was the plan when we came back

I'm a former stock/support associate for the Bay Area Union Square store and I remember back in 2017 there was already talks about support people having to help out with register and sales helping out with morning shipment. Both parties didn't like the idea of having to do something they weren't trained for and many were deciding on quitting if it happened. Fortunately for the past years this stupid idea didn't take place and support continued doing their jobs and sales continued doing theirs. The current state right now I'm not sure if the store is still trying to enforce it especially when a great majority of employees have been laid off or quit. Either way the higher ups shows no sign of intelligence in their decision making on how to better the store just however they can continue to line up their pockets and treat those who work under them as peasants.

Both sides are right right. And this is our downfall. I really hope Jeff is reading this Sh–t. So much is graded on how much productivity from our support team, why should they ring up? So much is graded on credit and sales, why the Helll should salespeople backstock a Z rack? There must be unity to cut this divide. Especially if we want our company to survive during these tragic times.

If you think it’s bad now wait till the massive cuts and hours cut coming

I totally agree with you. Oh trust me, I’ve contemplated on how I can get on the loa wagon. But I can’t do that to my store manager. Macy’s, I’m not loving, but my boss and my peers, can’t do it to them.

But agree, we are nothing to the company.

"I’m exhausted. I’m an MBA who’s been ringing basically all day, 6 days a week. I have absolutely no time to do my responsibilities. And we have executives on loa and even more already on a small executive team already."

Im sorry for what you're going through, this seems to be every location. If you can't beat them join them (On an LOA) your an MBA and have executive short term. This is not worth your life and not only your physical health but your mental health. They do not care about you or what you're going through personally or professionally. We all have become a number and are disposable and replaceable. Im sure we will be come February. Especially those of us that are in the know, tenured, and have been vocal about their lack of ethics.

Former ASR Supervisor here. About 5 or 6 years ago, the “latest” fad was the integrated workforce. Company requires all support except Receiving to be register trained. Supposedly all support colleagues would have to option of getting extra hours on the sales floor in addition to being register trained for big days and all hands on deck were needed. Then it was said eventually all hours would be under one bucket —no separate 8010 sales or 8030 support. Then you never heard anything else about it. Then a few weeks ago, I noticed register training had been added to receiving onboarding. I don’t know when this even happened because I only looked because the executive team was asking about using support to ring and they wanted to include receiving. I told them receiving doesn’t get register trained. Well now they are supposed to.

So I don’t know. I understand both sides but apparently the company doesn’t care either way. I’m exhausted. I’m an MBA who’s been ringing basically all day, 6 days a week. I have absolutely no time to do my responsibilities. And we have executives on loa and even more already on a small executive team already.

There’s more going on but won’t get fixed if I vent here. I’m so over this company.

Lol. To the poster below. They always say we’re one team! But sale never helps support. They are stretched to thin. If your store is helping support well thank you! Sadly this is not happening in most stores

So I guess I shouldn’t go in the dock, roll out a z bar full of merchandise in my department and place them and merchandise them when it’s a slow day? No? Or in stock room and pull out a hamper full of pillows and filling the floor at night when there is no customer? No?

Like you said it’s support job right? Why should I help with your support team workloads? Maybe I should whine too! I’m a sale associate and I’m force to do placing , merchandising and something even help with markdown oh lord!!!

I've been working support for 3 years and it seems I'm on a register more and more. I mean I don't mind helping on the register during the holidays but now it's like on a regular day I'm stuck at a register because management have 1 person on the 1st floor and 6 on the second. When I call a manager to send some help nobody comes and the manager shows up after the line is short. It's bad when it's on a markdown day or placing because I waisted 2hrs maybe more of what I have to get done in 1 shift then I get the speach of how we only have a certain amount of time to have things done. On signing days I try my best not to be on a register there's only 5 people signing the whole store. The sad thing is when it's brought to store manager attention I hear we all a team and we helping each other but it don't seem that way.

Oh and for the person who said their store manager helps ring customers.....LUCKY YOU! My store manager has NEVER rung not one customer. She comes out of her office just to stand on the sales floor to intimidate and LORD over people but get on a register?!?! No she’s to good for that. Our store has laid off a lot of our sales associates and on Black Friday we had lines that were super long. All our store manager did was come out of her office and direct customers to other registers who had lines just as long as the ones they were already standing in.

I agree with the person who said sales is not a part of support! Other than the computer training most of the support colleagues do not have hands on experience on the registers which is why upper management is requiring that support colleagues are registered trained at this moment. When I first started working for my store they did not require me to work on a register and often times were upset if I helped customers because they felt as though it took time away from what I had to do from a support stand point. A lot of what support does is time sensitive like markdowns. When you have three days to meet compliance for over 60,000 units or if you have placement and there are rods of clothes everywhere with only three of you working or if you have to signing the whole store and there are only 4 signing employees and you have a huge three level store, but instead you are constantly helping customers or on a register ringing then it takes away time from what you need to be doing and then you look up and half of the day is gone and the store manager comes down from off of their high horse and scolds you for not having the store signed or why there’s still placement on the floor meanwhile they expect for you to do your job, the sales associates job, sometimes even their job and be Superman/superwoman in the process. I’m sorry but I’m not doing all of that. They don’t pay me enough which is why I continue to do my job and my job only. If it’s a slow day and I don’t have much to do then I may help customers but it’s on my terms. No one is just putting me on a register. One thing I’ve learned about working at Macy’s or at least working at my Macy’s is that if you are valued and you know your worth they respect you more and don’t treat you like a slave.

It's a shame that we have to grumble about this on this site... C'mon peeps. The customers can't differentiate sales from support. If they need help, they will ask whoever has a name tag on. It's everyones job to be able to answer questions or ring up sales. In the end, it's the customer who pays our checks.

We had all support trained on the register and expected to check people out over two years ago. If it’s basic like a payment or a return why can’t you do it? Are the associates really that much more valuable? Because in the future I doubt they will even have separate support staff.

The customer does not care what your job description is, what you are currently working on, and how you have been personally victimized by the CEO and every single manager who has ever been in contact with you. They just want to pay and leave. As far as they’re concerned you’re just another lazy retail worker ignoring them. Ring them up and let them go. This thread is so sad. I work in a great store where it’s not unusual to see even the store manager ring out a customer. Banish “not my job” from your professional vocabulary, nobody wants to hear it and you might become someone that people want on their team.

Running a register is NOT part of support.

Some of the merchandisers know how to ring because they used to be sales associates. I've seen them at my store jump on the register if there is a customer who wants to check out and the sales person is MIA (which is A LOT). But I've never learned how to ring and I've not been asked. I come from visual and since coming back in July, I also do merchandising, receiving, fulfillment, markdowns, signing (I'll even grab fitting racks and put stuff away if time allows and the racks are piling up).

But if I am ever asked to train on the register, I'm peace-ing out.

True we rep the face of the company and so does the ceo and the board of Pirates ransacking this company for cash on the backs of people who don’t care.

How ironic. Here you are on this message board which is all about bashing the way the company is run when you refuse to do the one basic thing that this whole mess revolves around. We have someone who wants to give us money and you won’t take it. The next time you want to post about how this company is a sinking ship, look in the mirror. You represent this company poorly right to the customers face. Get over yourself.

I agree. I know some people in my store don’t want to work register either because of covid. You deal with way more customers like that. There has to be some middle ground here. It’s true they say we’re one team but sales associates never help support. I hope the shiv saying is I don’t feel comfortable working register because of catching covid risk. If not Macy’s is gonna lose some really good support colleagues

It’s easy to see what’s happening. When the fire all the leads and captains they need people on the floor to cover the pending ghost town that’s coming in January. You’re being put in the floor to take someone else place in future. They are trying to get you used to it.

That’s not true. I have worked at Macy’s for over 8 years. When I was hired I was strictly back of the house support. Nowadays they want some of our support to work register too. It was not in my job title to do that. I work on the dock and am asked to come out covered in tape particles and looking rough because I dressed for my job. It’s embarrassing to be in the sales floor like that.

What a whiner. You are Sales Support. Running a register is part of the job. Read the fine print in your "total" job descriptions. They all have verbage buried in there that says things like you can be assigned to other responsibilities or tasks or other areas etc. It's boiler plate stuff. They may be just training you for back up duty. I was store support in other retailers and I was trained to run a register and did so when they got in a pinch. Look at it as an opportunity to expand your skills. You will also become more valuable to your current or future employer.

Almost all support jobs require register training and you may be asked to work on a register when needed on busy days. So I like it? No. Do I do it when I'm told to? Yes. Does it happen often? Just this time of year.