Circle of Trust
So in my last post I mentioned that I was playing with a new toy… Well I’m getting a ‘taste’ of the sales for the new toy. I get 35 cents for each one I sell. However, the day the company rep showed up, the rep mentioned that someone from another store gets 20% for selling it… So when the manager asked me what I was thinking 20 min. later- I told him how to get 20% from him. I said it in a joking tone… as the product sells for 6.99. The manager ASSURED me that I was getting 20% and in fact was getting better then 20% so I should keep my yap shut. I nodded to him as we were on the sales floor… where we might be overheard (no one else is to know about my piece of the action). However since sales tax in Boston is 5%, I know that tax on a $10 item is 50 cents, therefore 20% of 6.99 should be more then 35 cents… esp. as 10% of 6.99 is 69 cents. I did the math and realized he was way off… esp. as I rang an item up and the TAX was 35 cents…. Thus I knew that .35 was about 5% of 6.99
I waited until we weren’t that busy and then I asked to talk man to man. I was upfront with him. I told him I didn’t mind getting 35 cents per item as it beat getting nothing, which is what I usually get; however I did mind him thinking that I wouldn’t figure out that he was flim flaming me. He pointed out that a) he thought that .35 was indeed 20% of 6.99 and then ‘realized’ that the sales rep was talking about 20% of the SALES REP end. Which is to say my company pays about 1.20 to the company that makes the widget, and that I then get 35 cents, which is 20% of 1.20.So either my manager is worse at math then me, or he was trying to scam me. Whatever. I was just happy that I let him know that my math skills don’t suck. I told him that 35 cents per sale beats a kick in the head and I’d rather have it then not, but at the same time please be honest with me.
Not sure if he’ll be honest with me from now on- but glad I let him know, in a nice way that I was sorta on to him, but I’ll play his game- for now.
The next day that I worked, I was all set to sell this product. I knew I’d be making the store a good deal more then me with these ( 6.99- 1.20 - .35= 5.44) but still I was up for it… however the store was Biz-zee. With Star Wars leaving soon and vacations in NH, we had a lot of people… and I was stuck up in the Star Wars store at one point. I told the manager after we closed… that while yes, I personally would’ve made more from selling the widget; I spent more time helping people with Star Wars stuff- esp as the store would make more money if I sold one of the f/x lightsabers( sold for 130).
So I haven’t sold as many widgets as I would like… because I’d like that extra 35 cents a product… but since I know that I’m just pimping myself for ‘the man’( who’s making more on my efforts then me) I’m very much live and let live and will do what is asked of me at work.
Likewise the ‘circle of trust’ between us (hence the title) continued today when I saw a copy of the schedule. I have scheduled an eye appointment for Wednesday, as that’s one of the days I’ve told work I wouldn’t work. I noticed that the manager had scheduled me to work that day… so when he got in I told him that I had put on my availability form that I was unable to work Wednesday. Rather then accept my word on the subject, he wanted to check my availability form. While we went to the back, I explained to him that the reason I had blocked out 3 days is because of how late the schedule comes out. I need to have a regular schedule… so I can plan things. He tells me that he had seen no such schedule and then he finds my current schedule in the book, the one that I had the Ass Manager sign, which states that I can’t work Wednesday. He nodded his head and said that things were ok with him.
Now it bugged me that he didn’t just trust me about asking for Wednesday off… or simply accept the fact that I couldn’t work THIS coming Wednesday as something he could deal with. I’m very happy that I’ve cut my flexibility with the company. If they can’t come out with the schedule on time (a week in advance), then I have to look out for myself to decrease my stress.
So I don’t trust him and not sure how much he trusts me. And we have a meeting on Monday. Joy.
I waited until we weren’t that busy and then I asked to talk man to man. I was upfront with him. I told him I didn’t mind getting 35 cents per item as it beat getting nothing, which is what I usually get; however I did mind him thinking that I wouldn’t figure out that he was flim flaming me. He pointed out that a) he thought that .35 was indeed 20% of 6.99 and then ‘realized’ that the sales rep was talking about 20% of the SALES REP end. Which is to say my company pays about 1.20 to the company that makes the widget, and that I then get 35 cents, which is 20% of 1.20.So either my manager is worse at math then me, or he was trying to scam me. Whatever. I was just happy that I let him know that my math skills don’t suck. I told him that 35 cents per sale beats a kick in the head and I’d rather have it then not, but at the same time please be honest with me.
Not sure if he’ll be honest with me from now on- but glad I let him know, in a nice way that I was sorta on to him, but I’ll play his game- for now.
The next day that I worked, I was all set to sell this product. I knew I’d be making the store a good deal more then me with these ( 6.99- 1.20 - .35= 5.44) but still I was up for it… however the store was Biz-zee. With Star Wars leaving soon and vacations in NH, we had a lot of people… and I was stuck up in the Star Wars store at one point. I told the manager after we closed… that while yes, I personally would’ve made more from selling the widget; I spent more time helping people with Star Wars stuff- esp as the store would make more money if I sold one of the f/x lightsabers( sold for 130).
So I haven’t sold as many widgets as I would like… because I’d like that extra 35 cents a product… but since I know that I’m just pimping myself for ‘the man’( who’s making more on my efforts then me) I’m very much live and let live and will do what is asked of me at work.
Likewise the ‘circle of trust’ between us (hence the title) continued today when I saw a copy of the schedule. I have scheduled an eye appointment for Wednesday, as that’s one of the days I’ve told work I wouldn’t work. I noticed that the manager had scheduled me to work that day… so when he got in I told him that I had put on my availability form that I was unable to work Wednesday. Rather then accept my word on the subject, he wanted to check my availability form. While we went to the back, I explained to him that the reason I had blocked out 3 days is because of how late the schedule comes out. I need to have a regular schedule… so I can plan things. He tells me that he had seen no such schedule and then he finds my current schedule in the book, the one that I had the Ass Manager sign, which states that I can’t work Wednesday. He nodded his head and said that things were ok with him.
Now it bugged me that he didn’t just trust me about asking for Wednesday off… or simply accept the fact that I couldn’t work THIS coming Wednesday as something he could deal with. I’m very happy that I’ve cut my flexibility with the company. If they can’t come out with the schedule on time (a week in advance), then I have to look out for myself to decrease my stress.
So I don’t trust him and not sure how much he trusts me. And we have a meeting on Monday. Joy.
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