Hours, hours, hours.... - Cashier Cabela's Employee Review

Terrible schedule system... I was told upon being hired the schedules would be released three weeks in advance. Not so. Most of the times the new schedule is released six days before the new week starts. So one cannot plan around a second work schedule if you have one, or plan for shift swaps for upcoming personal reasons. poor hourly pay for amount of work and hours... I am one of the hardest working cashiers at my store apart from two others, and there is only one full time cashier to save on benefits costs and what not (bogus, and only two full timers per department are allowed). Most cashiers get worked like horses at the front end, as are the customer service outfitters, yet we get paid $10 an hour, most of us getting between 18 to 25 hours a week. Since my work ethic is so strong and I need hours besides, I get between 28 to 35 hours a week. There have been many times when I work overtime, and I never get paid past the hours I'm scheduled, like HR and switchboard look at my lunch in times and don't talk to my leads and front end manager about how I'm picking up someone else's hours or working overtime to compensate for the lack of cashier workers. It's bad. customers manipulate employees. Apart from my hardworking camping employees, you won't find any outfitter being run to the ground more than a cashier or customer service outfitter. Cabela's has become not only the world's foremost outfitter but a scape goat. Customers hear that we have something on sale, that we are all about the customer, and then they take that to their advantage. We basically cannot ever say no to the customer unless something is extreme. We end up bartering with them for a decent price. I have had customers be persnickety and scoff at me when I tell them that no, this $129.99 pair of boots is not on sale for $49.99. And then they're like "this is Cabela's, you can't say no to me." I've had more than a few people sneer as I modify a price that "oh you Cabela's outfitters, us customers have you like a puppet in our hand". I was super mad but what can a cute cashier do but smile? It's all about the customer, that's what we are trained to be: a slave. And as a cashier, we get so many of those grumpy customers who want a bargain. Hey, you want a bargain, go to a sport store or WalMart. This is Cabela's and we sell quality items, not cheap products. Quality over cheapness. That's what I'm about. This leads to the break and lunch system. A the front end on Sundays we only get half hour lunches when all of us work 7 to 9 hour shifts. That's ridiculous, considering how Sundays are our busiest days apart from door busters, Saturdays and other sale days. We NEED that hour to recharge from the customers mean spirited natures and dicount commands. They COMMAND discounts. All the time. You ring up a customer and they're like " military discount", and you can't do that til before you toatal the transaction, and they will yammer at you, "is that with the military discount?" While you ring up items. Old vets are the worst. If you're a young outfitter yet know your department and what you're selling, old people or extremists will test you. It's no joke. My boyfriend in camping is an extreme camper, and knows his stuff, yet a customer was like "haha, you wouldn't know a thing about wood chips, you're wasting my time", yet hung around him to bug him. Excuse me? You waste the outfitters time by asking a question and then assuming they don't know their job. There is a reason Why they were put in the department they are in, and camping is NO exception. Seriously. Come to Tulalip Cabela's for camping excellence and I can guarantee the five outfitters there will get you your product and all the information you need. Period. Management picks favorites. And the favorites can do no wrong. Get on the favorites good side or you're doomed. Phone capture. On the front end you're graded with asking for a customers phone number for " demographics", so corporate knows where to build other Cabela's stores. Most customers hate giving out personal information and will either give you a "no", laugh in your face very evily (no kidding, it hurts when men do it), say " I don't have one", or think the phone number is attached to a Cabela's account (it isn't attached, you have to go to the club bootb and get a temporary card if you forgot your club or rewards card). If a cashier gets over 85% for phone capture that day you're good, between 85% and 75% you're in the yellow zone, under 75% and you're given a sit down talking to and written up. It is not an outfitters fault for getting nos froma a customer unless they are intentionally skipping past the phone capture in fear of being told "no" all the time, or if they are punching false numbers. It's messed up, and why a phone number for demographics if cell phones don't really help? Cabela's, lets use a zip code!!!!! Black Friday. It's bad. Some say its fun, but as a cashier you are in a red zone. Everyone sticks a flyer In your face saying X product is this price and its not, and you can't call a lead because all the leads are busy. Oh! And you never get your breaks or lunch scheduled that day or the two following days after, you're put on a tap out system. So a cashier may tap you out an hour into your shift giving you a break, you come back fifteen minutes later, and then a half hour later you're on your HALF HOUR lunch, come back, and work six hours until you're tapped out for your next break. It's messed up. Ammo. We have to type ina birthday for the customers ammo. The old people and vets hate it like heck. It'd be better if all they had to do was show ID for the cameras and that's it. But no. All the cashiers need to type in a birthday log when gunpowder or ammo is rung, before the pop up on the register POS screen disappears. Front end managent is on you for getting club cards, when club asks customers so many times that by the time you ask the customer at the register, the customer is ticked off having been asked by 7 other outfitters already. And we get graded on how many club cards we get too. Super unfair. No opportunities to move up in the company. Management is greedy and just leaves you in your department. Management is guilty of wage theft.