I Quit Blockbuster A Month Ago

[Lightning Flik 0]

Considering I've had a weird bit of recent events, that I thought I'd just throw out there. You know, just see what you guys think and get reactions to it. Most of you won't read this as I'm writing a long story, but meh. Considering everyone posts up stories about their lives, it's only fair to do the same with me.

 

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At the end of June I was given a very solemn promise from my family that we would be in the process of moving by the end of the month. For me, I was quite happy with that fact, and took it as a great thing. I mean, we've been planning on moving for a few years now, and I was looking forward to getting to know a new place.

 

So I decided to mention it to my job as heck. I still want to work for Blockbuster. I mean, I was getting paid a decent amount (took me 3 years to get to that), and I really enjoyed my job. Little stress (besides the idiotic customer) and if a rental's been in the store for more than 21 days from it's release, I rent it free of charge. Besides, I like interactiving with people and this got me to interact with all sorts of people.

 

Well, I mention it to my boss about the whole situation and he was totally cool with it. All I needed to do was give him the address of where I was supposed to be moving to and he'll see that I get a transfer.

 

A week passes and I'm finally notified that it is assured that we were moving and I even knew of the location of where I was moving to. We had everything planned out and I couldn't have been anymore happier. I mention this to my boss and he said he'd take care of it.

 

Of course, I don't bother checking with him as I'm trying to get all packaged up for the big move. I don't really have a lot, but it's the cleaning and stuff that really causes a nasty little bite into ones time.

 

I might want to mention that I'm a little frustrated with Blockbuster as we've got a new policy guideline in place that I'm following a lot better than anyone else was there. My biggest problem with the policy? Guess who's the one who's getting his ass handed to him for the littlest of errs. I understand that they are trying to gain great excution, but I'm not really sure why it was me that was getting treated as such. Add to the fact that they were constantly using me as the "call shift guy" I wasn't able to book some nice time off for myself. Sure, I was only on part time, but I was still being called in far too regularly to be "part time".

 

Well, another week goes by and (start of July 7). And I mention it to my boss that I'm hoping he's got my transfer all in order. He gives me the weirdest look and says "your moving? Since when?" At first I thought he was joking, hell, I even asked if he was jesting me. He told me very seriously that he wasn't and that he hadn't gone through with any sort of transfer. Well, ok. New policy and all, he must've totally forgot. So I leave it at that and continue on trying to make sure that we're ready for the move and continually making sure that I'm totally into how the new policy at work is done.

 

Fast forward to July 14th. I was planning on having a nice relaxing day off and enjoy myself as I had plans. From there I was called into work. Now I had plans and wasn't about to drop them (I had had plans screwed up one to many times because Blockbuster as of late) and I told them I wasn't coming in as I had stuff I wasn't able to correct. Well, I was told by the shift leader these exact words "look I'm not asking you, I'm telling you that you have to come in." I was taken aback and told him flat out "look, I've got plans of my own and I'm not about to scrap them. I'm sorry." Of course, then I was dropped this lovely little line "dude, Kirk's fiance was taken to the hospital. I've got to cover it." I hesitate as my own plans had been set in for quite some time, and I mention that. He replies, "I know it sucks, but even I had my own plans and I'm here tonight as well. You just have to accept it."

 

Now I came in, as I liked Kirk (no matter how much either of us bash each other with insults and words) and figured that hey, I liked his fiance too, so I figured I should do it. So I decided to scrap my plans and go into work.

 

Biggest fucking mistake of my life.

 

When I got there, the assistant manager (the ONLY manager I cared for at this point) told me that my job for that night was simple. Getting the customers out as fast as possible and making sure that all the returns were ran, as I'm soloing it that night on till and no one else can help with returns. Now the AM leaves as his shift is over with and tells encourages me to do my best as that's all he asks. So I'm thinking to myself "great... We've got three other people here, yet I'm stuck doing two jobs that should be done by three people." The three other people were doing various pulling tasks and most would be gone in two to three hours so I really was stuck all alone. Unless you count my shift leader.

 

As he's making sure that he can process the new releases and PEP (Previous Enjoyed Products) out for rental and sales respectively. I'm taking care of returns and lineups of people as best I can, and I must say that I was doing a damn good job. No lineups and the return box was getting less full.

 

But after all the other employees had left, I hit a snag. And it wasn't something that a customer did, nor something I did. My shift leader took it upon himself to say that I was servicing the line too fast and that customers weren't able to understand any thing I was saying to them and thusly, I was hurting my additional sales and helping the customer efficiently. My reaction, "look, we need to get these people out so that we don't end up with a lineup as I'm the only person who can use a till since you are processing." Next thing I know, my shift leader basically kicks me down a couple of pegs when he says "Look. I want you to take your time and make sure that the customer understands everything and so that you don't say it so quickly." ...um, excuse me, I know that when I get excited I speak quite fast, but I never had a customer say that they needed for me to repeat a damned word.

 

So I slow down at his behest. Of course, he has just finished up with the processing and now it's onto mangerial duties (counting tills and such). So I take his advice and slow down with handling of customers.

 

About twenty five minutes later, I have a lineup of about 10 people and I ran into a problem that is taking some time to straighten out as the customer wasn't being quite too helpful and nor was the person that had left a note about the problem on the account. I get a call from the office where my shift leader is and he starts chiding me to hurry it up, which I tell him right back that I was working on my current customer as fast as I could.

 

About five minutes passes and the resolution hadn't been given yet as I was still working to explain to the customer the problem and what was being done about it. Well, my shift leader decides to phone me and so I told him that it would still take some time to straighten out the mess, and he replies that he'll be done in a bit. I continue helping the customer as the problem kept getting worse of a mess to fix up.

 

My shift leader comes down and soon begins to help people at the other till and proceeds to help them get out of the store, to which I was thankful for as this problem wasn't resolved until most of the 10 people had been helped. When I finally solved the said problem with the customer, not only had I managed to resolve it fully without a problem, I actually made the customer walk out of the store tens of times more pleased with me that I went that extra mile to make everything go right. The customer even apologized for taking up so much of my time, and of course, I told him that I was just happy to fix things up. He was so chipper leaving that I was quite pleased with myself.

 

For all of three minutes.

 

I help one more customer and after he leaves, my shift leader comes down on me for doing my job. He then turns around and tells me that I should be getting the customer out fast as possible and not trying to make additional sales. I should be more concerned with making sure that the customer is out of the store asap. Needless to say I was confused and I told him as such but he just said that I want you to get doing your job right. No questions asked.

 

Needless to say, I just about walked out of the store at that very moment. I finished my shift though and went home. I admit that I've been pissed off before, but that erked me to no end. I've never had my credentials for doing my job so scrutinized in my three years working there. I mean, I was just critized over EVERYTHING I did. Why all of the sudden I'm doing so bad didn't make any sense to me. It still doesn't.

 

Well, a couple of days later I'm packing at home when my parents just get calls from all the people who were supposed to be helping us move that they wouldn't be able to. So that means that it's only the intermediate family doing the move. To make matters worse, my boss never did apply my transfers and even though I had repeatedly said I couldn't work the last week, I was told that I would be anyways becuase I never wrote on the "days off sheet" that apparently we had for over a year, but I was injuried lots over the last year and I never used it then so was like "wah?". Also my transfer to my new store was mistakenly given and had to be redone and there was no guarentee that said new store be willing to take me on. Needless to say, I was going to blow.

 

That came on Sunday, July 20, 2003. That night I was called by that same shift leader who bitched his ass off at me. He told me that apparently we had a test that we needed to get through and I was quite certain that I was never told of this test (I was informed but at a "victory BBQ feast" we had for getting the most donations for Children's Miracle Network, they decided that was the best time to tell - I just remembered that today) and of course, I didn't have what we should have studied for.

 

Just so you know, the test was an evalutation of how we were doing with the new policies, and oh yes. Did I mention that although I'm coming in for it, I wasn't getting a dime? No, I'm not kidding. Again, I was losing out on MY time.

 

Of course, I just blew up after I got off the phone. I was told that I had to still take the test. I knew what the test was for at least, so I began trying to recall as much info as I could so I would be able to pass the test. With the amount of shit that got raised about my performances as of late, I figured that I had to pass or I might lose my job. Considering being fired from you job doesn't really look all too impressive on your resume, and it's the place I've been working for the last three years (meaning that my previous jobs are just too old to be of any use on the resume) I decided to make sure I remembered everything I could about the new policy. Well, needless to admit, I was up all night. I probably would've done fine and should've just slept on it, if I wasn't given the impression that I was about to fired.

 

Next day, I called my AM and told him that I had not studied as I didn't have the sheet for what we needed to know. He told me that instead of wasting my time and his that the test will not be taken. With that convo done, I immediately went "fuck this. I spent all night freting that I'm losing my job over this because that's how I've been treated as of late, I'm STILL having to work this weekend even though I've mentioned it time and time again I'm moving, and my transfer is FUCKED. Forget this shit." I went into my Blockbuster (as I had to pick up groceries at the nearby Safeway) and told my AM that I was quitting. Plain and simple and I told him the reason for it. He was sad to hear me go, but could understand. Of course, I have to give a note thing to my boss, but hey. No big deal. Anything to stop this bullshit. I'm at my wits end and I wanted out.

 

With that I bring in my resigning papers and give them to my boss. He tells me he's sorry to see me go and that I was improving with at work. ...yeah, I'm about as clueless with that as you are. But here comes the part that just downright blows me away.

 

"You do know that you won't be able to use us as a reference, have Blockbuster on your resume, or expect to work here again because you quit."

 

I still don't get how he could be straight forward about this. Considering that even thought I quit, I can still use them on my resume if I want. What's to stop them? Well, I was like: fine whatever, I'm just happy it's over. Suprisingly, I felt a lot better after quitting.

 

I've been happily unemployeed for awhile now and just started looking for a new job since I'm now settled into a new place. Well, guess what. Low and behold, my parents returned from a local Blockbuster and guess who was "enthusastically" wanting to meet me? The assistant manager. She was told of what had recently happened to me and could sympathize where I was coming from. Although, she was kind of blown away by all the stuff that happened and then told my parents she would be interested into meeting me. So I was like, ok, fine. Headed down there, resume in hand (meh, might as well, nothing to lose).

 

Let me say that was the weirdest few moments of my life, as I handed my resume in and talked a little bit about the whole situation better. From there I talked shop with her and then was told that I had a guarenteed shot at getting a job.

 

So well, I'm most likely working for Blockbuster once again after just a little under a month of quiting from them. Small world eh?

[Guest MissMattitude]

That really sucks.

 

I thought you could only be refused a reference if you are fired though.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I rarely have the opportunity to quit a job, although I've mastered getting fired, and situations where either I quit, or they'll just fire me.

[Guest Fook]

Wow. I can't believe you put up with so much shit.

 

It's pretty safe to say you have the patience for the ignorant that I lack severely.

 

As for the quitting/reference thing, I don't get it. I've quit two jobs and I still list them both on my resumes and use my supervisors from each as business references. I've had no problems with either one so far.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

I didn't know someone could make a job at friggin' Blockbuster such a big deal or sound so dramatic.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I didn't know someone could make a job at friggin' Blockbuster such a big deal or sound so dramatic.

 

Sorry. *shrugs* When I tell something, I usually end up dramatising a thing or two. Natural storyteller is what I'm told I am.

 

Although, I just told it like it was. That was in a nut shell what I went through.

 

 

Wow.  I can't believe you put up with so much shit.

 

It's pretty safe to say you have the patience for the ignorant that I lack severely.

 

As for the quitting/reference thing, I don't get it.  I've quit two jobs and I still list them both on my resumes and use my supervisors from each as business references.  I've had no problems with either one so far.

 

It's something I don't understand either, but it's a flaw of mine I guess. I'm the type of guy who once gets doing something, wants to do the best of it. Even if I'm getting shitted on.

 

Funny thing about patience and I, I've always been told I don't have much of it. At least by those who know me well. Strange really, but oh well. Happy you think so.

 

The AM at the new store said the same thing. She doesn't understand why he would say that, and was completely baffled at it. I still put it on my resume of course, since it's where I've been working for the last three years.

 

 

I rarely have the opportunity to quit a job, although I've mastered getting fired, and situations where either I quit, or they'll just fire me.

 

*laughs* Heh. I've been on that part myself. Heck, when I was like 10 I had a job at my Grandmother's flower shop and guess what? I got fired. No, not kidding. It didn't happen exactly like that, but I pretty much did.

 

 

That really sucks.

 

I thought you could only be refused a reference if you are fired though.

 

So far as I've been told by the AM, it was bullshit what he said. Her exact words, no less.

[Kaertos 0]

I used to be like that about work, i.e. the whole "come in and cover for someone on your day off" jazz, but I got screwed on it too many times. Trading shifts with people who convienently "forget", getting yelled at by a manager becuase you need to move your days around whene everyone else changes theirs.

 

I finally gave up on it. I work the hours I am scheduled, no more, no less. It isn't worth the loss of what little free time I have for the money.

[Cran Da Maniac 0]

That's nothing really. You just got a job at another Blockbuster. Now if you had quit and then went back and got hired at the same store, then it would have been weird. (Something I've done before.)

[Lightning Flik 0]

That's nothing really. You just got a job at another Blockbuster. Now if you had quit and then went back and got hired at the same store, then it would have been weird. (Something I've done before.)

Uh, I was just told that I couldn't get a job at any Blockbuster. That's what makes it super weird.

 

And yah, GS, I'm just sticking to my shifts from now on. That was bullshit that I went through and I ain't going through it again.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Very amusing. Not enough porn. Work on that.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Very amusing. Not enough porn. Work on that.

Well, geezus. I could've talked about how I'm seducing an employee (work experience at that) and all, but I wasn't in the mood to talk about THAT part of my life.

[Cran Da Maniac 0]

Uh, I was just told that I couldn't get a job at any Blockbuster. That's what makes it super weird.

I took it as meaning that you couldn't work at the store you used to work for.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

I couldn't be bothered to read all that, but I worked at Blockbuster five years ago. The supreme idiocy of the clientele made getting fired a little easier.

[Lightning Flik 0]

The supreme idiocy of the clientele made getting fired a little easier.

Aw, but that's the fun part. Letting them harass you till they feel all superior and then just go "I'll have to get my manager".

 

Big whoopie to them for feeling all big. You still aren't that big in the end.

 

Customer always says he's right, but in the end, his foot will end up in his mouth.

That's how I rephrase what the ol' saying.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Uh, I was just told that I couldn't get a job at any Blockbuster. That's what makes it super weird.

I took it as meaning that you couldn't work at the store you used to work for.

Nope. All blockbusters.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Flik, I don't know how to didn't just blow up on your shift leader when he/she was being a complete ass to you. I came so close to being fired numerous times at Ames because I didn't take shit from anybody, even the manager. I'd yell right back at them. Of course, I was also the first to be laid off when the last thing to liquidate was the employees, but hey...

[Lightning Flik 0]

Flik, I don't know how to didn't just blow up on your shift leader when he/she was being a complete ass to you. I came so close to being fired numerous times at Ames because I didn't take shit from anybody, even the manager. I'd yell right back at them. Of course, I was also the first to be laid off when the last thing to liquidate was the employees, but hey...

Because I was moving my friend. I need the cash to help finance the move. I really think that was my only reason for not quiting. A lot of things fucked up that made it that way.

 

And I didn't blow up, because I've been told by friends and family that I've had a temper problem so I'm trying to curb it. It must be working to some degree.

 

Seriously, not sure why I didn't. Besides, getting fired was probably what the boss and many others wanted I'm figuring. The new staff didn't care much in regards to the old staff.

 

Most of the old staff I worked with left not long after the boss was in charge (ol boss left). So that might've been a hint for me, but I didn't take it.

[Rendclaw 0]

You got pushed around and railroaded, Flik. But you held out until you got pushed to the breaking point. That's commendable.

 

But yes, what your old boss told you was complete bullshit. Its up to the hiring manager whether or not you are to be hired. Its a good thing that you were interviewed by someone with some intelligence and recognizes road apples when she sees them.

 

And you have patience... tons of it, if your exploits in EWR are any indication.

[Lightning Flik 0]

*laughs* Thanks I appreciate the vote of confidence. Though, I think the reason that happened was because my mother and him got into a scuffle (my mom WAS a high profiled customer LONG before I started working) and I didn't think it would brush over and effect his judgement of me.

 

I'm thinking it was wrong.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

My only comment to this is how I hate it when bosses bitch about not getting customers out fast enough, then bitching when you herd them through like cattle to keep the line moving.

 

When I worked as a cashier my policy was to treat others as I wanted to be treated. This of course meant getting people through ASAP. Of course you had those idiot customers that would re-arrange their purses after the purchases. I would just wait on the next customer and that person would shove aside the previous person.

 

Ahhh, memories...

[Lightning Flik 0]

I would just wait on the next customer and that person would shove aside the previous person.

 

Ahhh, memories...

Lucky you. I never got those customers.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Flik...

 

I know exactly where you are coming from...

 

the complete list of oddball stories that has come out of my 4+ year stint at my local Long John Silvers are enough to make some people cry...

[Downhome 0]

I should share some of my experiances from my former job working at an elderly daycare/trasport place sometime.

[Guest stardust]

My only comment to this is how I hate it when bosses bitch about not getting customers out fast enough, then bitching when you herd them through like cattle to keep the line moving.

 

When I worked as a cashier my policy was to treat others as I wanted to be treated. This of course meant getting people through ASAP. Of course you had those idiot customers that would re-arrange their purses after the purchases. I would just wait on the next customer and that person would shove aside the previous person.

 

Ahhh, memories...

That happened to me during my review back in June. One of the Front End Supervisors had told me to speed up my lane and get people out as quickly as possible instead of being friendly ol' me and chatting a little bit. Come review time, however, I'm told (by my GM, mind you) that I sometimes get customers out too fast and that I need to slow down a little bit. I flat out told her that when it's busy and we have lines stretched out all down main street back to men's shop one, I'm not gonna take my time, because those customers do not want to be standing in line for 15 minutes, because when they do have to wait, all it does is make them grumpy and bitchy and give me problems up on the register that normally require a manager's assistance. She told me I had a good point and we moved on from there.

 

But those customers who have to sit there and rearrange their purses and stuff....*rolls eyes*...the customers behind them will seriously give them go to hell looks as I start ringing the next person in line up.

[Rendclaw 0]

::is glad he hasn't had to run a register since 1993::

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

That's the one good thing about industrial labor. No customers to deal with.

[Lightning Flik 0]

That's the one good thing about industrial labor. No customers to deal with.

If I wasn't busted up and a shell of my former self health wise, I'd probably do that.

 

As is, I'm stuck dealing with stupid people.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Another customer line story:

 

When I worked at a theater, we usually had two people to a register at the concession stands during weekends. Well, whenever I was working concession (which SUCKED) I would always have the other person take the order while I put the order together. My reasoning behind this was simple.

 

1) I hate customers.

 

2) The person working with me was usually some high-school kid that I had senority over and I could do what I wanted.

 

3) Since the high-school kids usually only worked weekends my partner had a better chance of getting a myster shopper and making an extra $50.

 

Anyway, my anal manager got on my case one night because he said that I wasn't doing any of the work and that we needed to work as a "team." I responded "Oh, like that?" and pointed over to the register next to us, where both cashiers were working on separate orders, running into each other and voiding each other's order because one would get done with his customer first but the other cashier already had his order rung up on the register.

 

Of course this is the same manager that one afternoon ran a reel of BASEKETBALL instead of the kid's movie MADELINE to a packed house of little kids and their soccer moms...

[Guest Coffey]

I read that whole story and the fucking ending was "small world eh?"

 

You fucking suck at writing.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I read that whole story and the fucking ending was "small world eh?"

 

You fucking suck at writing.

 

...ok... It's not like I'm trying to win a Pultzer here or that.

 

If you think that I'm not that great at writing. You've got your opinion about it. But if you wanna be a jackass about it, because I thought I was making it too damned long as it was, go post elsewhere.

 

I thought this place was called "General Discussion" not "You must write about everything in an over the top dramatic production that will someday be made in a movie starting Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez; that bombs on historic proportions too."