To wonder why I'm bothering?!

[Lj8893]

I work in a fashion/homewear store. We usually run on a store manager, assistant manager, 2 or 3 supervisors and several sales assistants.
I am a supervisor and currently we are fairly short staffed.

Our store manger is on holiday at the moment, (at one of the busiest times of the year) and so the assistant manager is running the store and I have unofficially stepped up to support her and run the store on her days off.

It has been incredibly manic, crazy, busy, and stressful.

Today was the assistant managers day off, and one of the sales assistants didn't turn up for her shift (no notice, phone call etc but that's another story) leaving just two of us all day till later in the afternoon.

I tried calling everyone to get cover and had no luck, so I tried ringing the regional manager to ask advice as it meant we couldn't have our lunch breaks. She didn't reply and didn't respond to my voicemail or email.

Thankfully the member of staff due in the afternoon came in a hour or so early meaning we could take a late lunch but it did not mean the day was any less manic.

I'm 3 weeks away from beginning my maternity leave and am really starting to feel this stress get to me.

The assistant manager has been lovely, saying how grateful she is for my support etc but I just feel really despondent that the regional manager didn't once respond to my calls, but still managed to send us several emails pushing us to sell.

Oh and I get paid minimum wage.

I don't really know what I'm asking you lot for, I guess just am I being silly and moaning about nothing? or any advice you can give me?

[PeriodFeatures]

No. You are not being unreasonable. They are bastards. A massive corporate chain of bastards. The higher up the ladder they go the more bastard they are conditioned to be...
enjoy your maternity leave and forget about them for as long as possible. If it's any consolation working for the NHS is the same.

3 more weeks and you'll be free!

[yegodsandlittlefishes]

Your regional manager should be better than that, ime those above regional manager who seem to be all smarm and no work ethic. The regional manager should be there for you, and your team, not out for themselves and the sales figures. If that is what it boils down to, take the mat. leave and find another (better paid) supervisory job...Cleaning supervisors get better paid than minimum wage!

[yegodsandlittlefishes]

Oh...And in case this is a shop I frequent, thank you for what you do!

[WhereDoAllTheCalculatorsGo]

How are you a supervisor if you get minimum wage? Surely that means either the people who aren't supervisors get less than minimum wage (not likely) or you don't get paid any more than them (in which case, what's in it for you?)

[TimeofChange]

OP: you must be shattered.
Could you reply to her emails first thing in the morning and say something like 'of couse the sales figures would have been far better if we'd not been so short staffed. It is impossible to provide our usual excellent service'.

I suppose the regional manager is under pressure too.

I think maybe you just need to not 'give' quite so much.
Try not to race round, just go steady.
Don't make yourself ill, because I doubt that they would care.

I know someone who works in Debenhams and they are not allowed to say anything negative in their meetings or voice an opinion as to why sales figures might be down.

[Lj8893]

Thank you both. I'm glad to hear that I'm not being unreasonable!

Tbh this has just all confirmed to me that I don't want to go back when my maternity leave finishes, and I can probably find a supervisory or management role in a better ran company.

At the moment I am just clinging on to the fact I have less than 3 weeks left!!! But when its so busy and short staffed I'm running around like a crazy woman and then aching all over at the end of the day. Or finishing half hour to an hour late and knowing I won't be paid for that time is just making these last weeks drag!

[Lj8893]

wheredo I say minimum wage, I actually get paid about 4p more an hour so pretty much the same as minimum wage! I suppose what's in it for a supervisor is the experience and career climb.

Thanks time the RM is actually in the store tomorrow so I might see how brave I feel and tell her how i felt yesterday (in the politest way possible).
Thing is our sales figures are actually really good at the moment!