Seriously, have these people only just realised that the vast majority of, if not all, retailers use bully-boy tatics as suppossed to rewarding their staff to achieve their goals?

Tasking and works loads increase on a daily basis, targets are stretcheed to almost impossible heights with most companies forcing their staff to work unpaid hours to reach these targates? The constant threat of being 'replaced' if one doesn't tow the line and so on.
Honestly, the way retailers are allowed to treat their main body of staff, ala those on the shop floor, is absolutely disgusting. What's needed is some legislation being put in place to stop retailers from treating their staff so poorly, not a handful of surveys and pointless charts.

I total agree. I used to be a store manager for premier UK video game retailer GAME. The treatment of their staff is appaling, and at managent level, believe it or not, its even worse. The amount of hours one is suppossed to work to achieve GAMES ridiculous tasks outside of legislated working hours is quite ridiculous. How do GAME get around this? In the management contract their is a section where they 'require' you to sign an agreement to wave you're rights to the agreed working hours as stated by law. I didn't sign mine, my regional manager returned it asking why I hadn't signed it, making it clear to me that without my signature my management position would not be pushed through. GAME, of course, will deny that they practice these tatics but I know for fact that I'm not the only GAME manager to have been treated as such.

Within the year I decided that such underhand tatics was unaccpetable, it was a constant nag in the back of my mind, that combined with GAMES appaling treatment of their staff,I quit.

Best decision I ever made.

So they pratically forced your hand? Utterly outrageous. I'd of taken the ba*tards to court for such treatment.

I totally agree, its basically a form of 'constructive dismissal'.

I experienced the exact same thing at a west-end branch of HMV.

As far as I'm aware, from talking to friends who still work there, nothing has changed.

I just posted comment no: 4 and to avoid confusion, my comment was in response to the first post but my experience was in regards to the last part of comment no:2.

Hope that makes sense?!

Dont want HMV's lawyers banging on my door.

yeah BLOCKBUSTERS bully there staff as well,workloads increase by the day ****ually have impossible targets,and there r not enought staff hours or staff to do these.
dont reach ur targets u get a Record Of Meeting (a warning,3 of these an you have near enough lost ur job,also sum Managers give these out4 totally stupid reasons) so staff have 2 deal with this on a daily basis and all this for only £5.52 a hour

At last, a bit of recognition for those at store level. Although the job can be great fun, the pressure can sometimes be unreal. There aren't many jobs where you get paid so little and are expected to do so much, often without overtime or any kind of decent bonus for your efforts. I slugged my guts out for 2 years at HMV and can't say I was surprised at the huge staff turnover and declining morale, the store really did rely on peoples' love of the product to keep them there. It's a shame the staff aren't appreciated as they should be, there's only so much you can take for £5.50 an hour.

The sad thing is, retailers will be quick to brush this all under the carpet. They know that they're taking advantage of their staff. They know that their low rates of pay doesn't reflect the workload. The know that because of the good they do the ecconomy the Governement will do nothing to stand in their way.

I remember when I was a kid, retailers weren't open everysingle day of the year, families could spend time together over Christmas, during the east Hols etc, but as time went by the retails chains got their own way and look where its ended up. You may scoff, but in not to short a time retailers will be open everywhere on Christmas Day, they've managed to stay open every other day of the year and you can bet they're already petitioning for Christmas Day hours.

The antichrist has been here a long time, and he means business.

It is good to see this debate has triggered some responses.....having just worked the busiest Xmas I have ever experienced in many years of retail in the leading Video Games shop as a Store Manager, I have to say both myself and my staff have got to the point where we question if its worth it. The only way to achieve the expected standards and sales targets is to work excessive hours and collapse when you get home. This year the toll it took on our families was simply not worth it, and had made me want to get out of retail, depsite my love for the industry and the product. If you are not above company average, bonuses do not get paid, so you can work your butt off and get little reward.
Then its over.........but its not, its returns time!!
Then its sale time
Then its removing the sale
Then the new year starts and its time for targets and daily meetings and I can guarantee everyone who works in the same industry as Me just wants a week off to recover.
Long queues, irate customers, stock issues, and unachievable expectations.......
The big question...............why am I still doing this when others get paid more for doing less??
The love of a product can only last so long....
I think I'm going to find an answer to my own question...

It is good to see this debate has triggered some responses.....having just worked the busiest Xmas I have ever experienced in many years of retail in the leading Video Games shop as a Store Manager, I have to say both myself and my staff have got to the point where we question if its worth it. The only way to achieve the expected standards and sales targets is to work excessive hours and collapse when you get home. This year the toll it took on our families was simply not worth it, and had made me want to get out of retail, depsite my love for the industry and the product. If you are not above company average, bonuses do not get paid, so you can work your butt off and get little reward.
Then its over.........but its not, its returns time!!
Then its sale time
Then its removing the sale
Then the new year starts and its time for targets and daily meetings and I can guarantee everyone who works in the same industry as Me just wants a week off to recover.
Long queues, irate customers, stock issues, and unachievable expectations.......
The big question...............why am I still doing this when others get paid more for doing less??
The love of a product can only last so long....
I think I'm going to find an answer to my own question...

It is good to see this debate has triggered some responses.....having just worked the busiest Xmas I have ever experienced in many years of retail in the leading Video Games shop as a Store Manager, I have to say both myself and my staff have got to the point where we question if its worth it. The only way to achieve the expected standards and sales targets is to work excessive hours and collapse when you get home. This year the toll it took on our families was simply not worth it, and had made me want to get out of retail, depsite my love for the industry and the product. If you are not above company average, bonuses do not get paid, so you can work your butt off and get little reward.
Then its over.........but its not, its returns time!!
Then its sale time
Then its removing the sale
Then the new year starts and its time for targets and daily meetings and I can guarantee everyone who works in the same industry as Me just wants a week off to recover.
Long queues, irate customers, stock issues, and unachievable expectations.......
The big question...............why am I still doing this when others get paid more for doing less??
The love of a product can only last so long....
I think I'm going to find an answer to my own question...

Sorry to keep posting that!!
I kept refreshing to see if there was a response and it listed it again!
I live and learn

The only reason I'm still at game is because I get discount on the games. Thats it. Since day one the deputy manager has been a complete (use your Imagination) to me for god knows what reason and the sad thing is theirs only myself and another employee have stayed for more than 2 years the rest have quit because of him!! and now he's leaving aswell. I tried to make a formal complaint about him (deputy manager) but he wouldn't put it through to the manager. And the reason why, I didn't have enough evidence!!! >_< I'm just looking forward to moving to the states.

stop whining! as someone who is unemployed and jealous of polish workers getting all the work round here, i would LOVE to be bullied at work!

The only reason the 'polish' have jobs is because they do the jobs that you don't want to do. Get off your lazy backside for once and stop bla*****veryone else.

I used to work on the shop floor at GAME a few years ago, and the deputy manager one day told me off for not being able to stock the pre-owned shelves fast enough, at xmas time, when there were only 3 of us working there, and I was the only one on the shop floor (being constantly asked by customers for help). I told him that it was unfair to have a go at me for not doing the task in an hour (over 200 boxes had to stickered and put into order) whilst the shop was full of customers. He had it in for me from day one, to which I never knew why. If that is taught as standard management skills for how to treat the staff, then no wonder this reporrs figures are so high.

to the comment above....i look for work every day of the year and have don emany courses, voluntary work and extra work in the hope of getting a job...the polish people get the jobs because the local tesco etc have targets for ethnic minoritys...thats why when i applied to tesco 3 times in a month and had no response, i wasnt suprised to hear from a mate that works in tesco that they had paid for polish workers to come over and work for them AND pay a percentage of their rents in local houses...so dont talk **** and **** me off for no reason...my point was merely that far too many british people moan about work, go on strike etc. when there are literally millions of us who would gladly have their job instead and not complain. (and yes i have worked in a game store previously and it wasnt that bad!)

I use to work at Game, there pretty naff to be honest. All they care about is sales and the hard sell. When i worked there i offered amazing customer service and so many customers came in store to talk and would only buy from me. Game failed to see how this benefited there company so i left, and set up my own business.... wooohooooooo now im a millionaire hahahahahaha

But Santa....Don't you give away presents? Is that a good way to run a business?

I would love to know how you make money. Do all those elves play the stock market for you?

retailing is a hard business nowadays, lots of difficulties and such, it makes sense that we try to work hard. I think it's down to a particular manager as to how you achieve what you aim for, and by the sounds of it some DMs/managers are going about it the wrong way. We regularly do well in our shop, and not because i bully my staff, but because we all understand what needs to be done. And it can be fun, and it sucks when you dont hit what you're aiming for, but i find it harsh that people let it get to them so much.

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