Did your store manager say anything about the looming bankruptcy?
Our store didn’t have morning meeting yesterday or today
Do you think management knows something and are just told not to say anything?
It would be nice if management wd let us know as they hear stuff but I’m sure they are afraid that everyone will leave before the doors are locked for good
They have to keep everyone in the dark, because of legal requirements that mean it is business as usual right up until the filing is accepted. They are also working all weekend and probably all night as well trying to resolve the funding issue, which won't be announced until the filing is completed. Then there are operational changes to be implemented, such as identifying which stores to close, how logistics changes, notifying affected workers, arranging liquidators, etc. This next few months is going to be a crush.
@owh Sorry to differ with you but they didn't let our store know until about two hours before the store opened. Our manager was on vacation and they had to track him down first. Our DM was not called the night before either. This is per the representatives from Seritage since we were a Seritage store.
They always call the night before to let them know the store is closing. Expect calls Sunday night Iif Monday is the day.
Our manager told the truth. That the company is looking to shut down and that he understood if people needed to quit to find a new job. Everyone appreciated his honesty and almost all stayed. If they keep lying to people and telling them that it is a media vendetta against SHC then when the truth comes out everyone will walk at one time
It makes sense why they are not telling anybody. They want to keep what they can open as long as they can to try to make money where they can. If they tell managers that they are filing for bankruptcy, people will start to worry if they are going to get paid for the work they have done and if they will get paid for the work they are scheduled to do. It is hard to motivate yourself to work when you don't know if you're going to get paid and you have to worry about paying your own bills.
I am a manager and we had a morning meeting as usual. Our sgm was off yesterday, so our zs did the meeting. Right now it’s business as usual, and store managers know just as much as the rest of us. Leave everyone out of the loop until the last possible minute. Only changes in the interim: no 3rd party GCs, RRC and DDC trucks could be delayed (FLS mail told us to contact the DC directly and not to pebble—sounds like controlling the spin of the story to me), and Simmons/Serta has a “temporary supply disruption” meaning we can’t sell 50% of the mattresses on the floor. I wonder why that could be. I’m trying to be optimistic, but I know the writing’s on the wall. I really don’t know what to tell my people. It’s ridiculous the way they keep everyone in the dark. I’ve only been with the company for five years, but some of the people that I work with and even the people that work under me have been with the company longer than I’ve been alive. I hate this.
I'm a Manager at a Sears Store and the SGM was very straight about what he knew. He was very honest with all the employees. He knows what I know so I can confirm that he was straight up with them. Unlike other stores nearby, no sick calls or employee job reference calls received at our store yet. Not skirting around the obvious works best!
My wife is a store manager. She knows nothing. She was told business as usual, metrics, focus on customer and no third party gift cards.
As I said in the thread already posted about that WQED thing, https://www.thelayoff.com/t/VBLGI4C ...
I doubt a PBS station in Pennsylvania knows anything more than the rest of the country. There are no public finalized plans yet, only regurgitated speculation getting passed around the news media, 'some experts think Sears might do this' stuff.
TV show on wqed Friday night said they will file bankruptcy Sunday night.nightly business report.
Wed tv show nightly business report said they are to file Sunday night bankruptcy
They don't know anything more than we do. Only the top execs are involved in this, and they're keeping things quiet for as long as possible while the plans are still up in the air till the last minute. Telling hundreds of store managers would inevitably get out.