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My friend and coworker was fired from work a month ago. The reason she was fired was because she gave customers too many coupons for 20% discounts.
We work at "Americas department store". We are pushing really hard on activating credit accounts. We get written up for not opening enough accounts in a month. So most of us always carries 20% coupons at the register. We used to tell the customers they could have an extra 20% off on top of their normal 15% , if they opened a new account with us.
This was very effective and most of us did it. The managers knew about it. My manager told me straight out " I don't care how you go about getting your credits, as long as you do it!"
I was never really good at this but my friend was amazing. She could activate 4 -5 a day. She was the star of the stor and made an exmple of her all the time in our little morning meetings before the store opened.
Another manager paid this girl 5 bucks out of her own wallet for activating credits for her department, so she could get a bonus. ( all managers get a bonus if their department reach their credit goal ).
A few weeks ago we had a big visit in the store from corporate HQ. And about 1 day later, this girl get called in to the office. They made her write a statement that she lost the store thousands of dollars for using coupons too much. Those coupons are only meant to get used if the customer brings them in, not for us to hand out. They told her that if she did not cooperate she would walk out in hand cuffs!
Does this sound right to you?
My problem is that she was not the only one doing this. Most of us did. And the managers knew about it!
Does this sound right to you?
If the store does not want sales associates handing out the coupons, how did she have them available at the register? If they were made available by the STORE, then why is the store complaining if they are used? If they were reproduced by the sales associate, then I can see the store complaining.
I think your friend's immediate manager(s) should have been disciplined instead, particularly the ones who "made her the star of the show" at meetings and paid her $5 to use coupons. That is who Corporate should have went after. Subordinates do what their managers approve of and tell them to do.
Your friend actually may have a case against the store if she is in a federally protected class and can show negative disparate treatment. Federally protected classes are race, ethnicity, religion/sect, color, national origin, age (over 40), sex, familial status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran. What I mean by "negative disparate treatment" is this. If she is in one or more protected classes, are there other people who are not that also gave customers these coupons, yet were not fired? Are the managers who encouraged her behavior not in one or more of the same protected classes, yet they did not get fired? Federal law says that all must be treated, hired and fired THE SAME.
She can file a complaint for free (which she must do before filing a lawsuit anyway because they have to review the case and then give her clearance to file a lawsuit). If her state does not have its own Equal Employment Opportunity agency, she should file a complaint with the Federal EEOC. She must, however, file within 180 days of the firing.
This may be able to help her get reinstated, back pay, front pay, punitive damages, etc. Even if not, she could get what they call a nuisance amount (generally 4 to 5 figures) settlement because it would be cheaper for the employer than paying all the attorney's fees. She might as well look into it.
Also, are they going to try and deny her Unemployment Insurance because of her alleged misbehavior?
Tell your friend good luck and let us know what is going on. If she has any questions, PM me.
Last edited by I_Love_LI_but; 09-16-2009 at 02:20 PM..
Worked for a major retailer, know all about the coupons, accounts,
and the morning cheerleader meetings. I worked on a commission basis
in a department where customers spent thousands of dollars on orders
placed with manufacturers, sometimes they needed an incentive besides
the percentage off they got for opening the account [ you work retail,
you know what I'm talking about].
We were told the customer needed to present it to get the additional
discount. Often customers pass thru without intentions of a major purchase
but impulse shop, so no coupon.
I always got an approval from a manager on duty and
never got no for an answer, bc of the paper work involved, I always made
notations of approvals, copy for myself and one to the office.
They weren't going to burn my @&& with their coupon BS.
We were told, it could be a reason for termination, up front,
and it is considered theft.
Honestly, she was forwarned not to hand out the coupons, getting
some kudos at morning meeting isn't worth putting your job on the line.
Smart documentation. According to the first post though, was she warned or did she find out when they made her write a statement? It sounds like store management was encouraging it behind corporate's back.
Smart documentation. According to the first post though, was she warned or did she find out when they made her write a statement? It sounds like store management was encouraging it behind corporate's back.
That was exactly what was happening. It is commonplace with this particular retailer. See part of my earlier post repeated below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by diorgirl
I have several friends who work for the same company ("America's department store"), and what your friend experienced is, unfortunately, commonplace with that retailer. It's not isolated to a single store or to a particular region -- the Internet is covered with similar stores about the chain.
The store managers often tell sales associates to achieve these quotas at any cost. They ignore any activity that is outside the bounds of corporate policy -- as long as the numbers make managers look good at the regional and corporate levels.
Eventually, regional and corporate chiefs take a closer look at the individual stores reporting to them. They see someone easily surpassing the quotas in a certain area -- like your friend -- and they take a closer look at how that is happening. Store managers, to save themselves, deny any knowledge of the practices and routinely "throw under the bus" the lowest level person in the situation.
No attempt is made by the store managers to look at the practices themselves during regular reviews -- or to take steps to correct it.
The disconnect between corporate and regional policy -- and the practices in the individual stores -- is very real and also tolerated to a point, as long as money is being made. If a practice becomes too obvious in a particular store, then regional or corporate closes it down.
The post does say, she signed a statement saying she improperly used the coupons.
The improper use of the coupons was how she was able to open more accounts. She gave
the customer the 20% coupon on top of the 15% discount, had the highest
amount of loss, which was why she was targeted. The customers were at a register to
purchase and agreed to open an account for the 15%, Another discounts
unnecessary to persuade the customers decision. So, the coupons
were there for customers not opening accounts. Management gets
incentives, not for the use of coupons, but for opening new accounts,
which have a proven track record of increasing sales.
If employees were not informed of the coupon policy when register
trained or at least made aware of improper use, then she should see an attorney.
This is why retail needs unions, but thats another thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but
Smart documentation. According to the first post though, was she warned or did she find out when they made herwrite a statement? It sounds like store management was encouraging it behind corporate's back.
If she was being feted as a great employee at sales meetings and actually given money by a manager to use these coupons, then how could she know it was wrong?
It seems like she was "warned," made to sign a statement admitting alleged wrongdoing, and fired all on the same day!
These coupons should have stated somewhere in the fine print that they cannot be used in conjunction with coupons for opening new accounts and there should be a block on them in the actually cash register software that prohibits their use when the other discount code is rung at the same time. If they did not, that is the store's problem for sloppy legal work and sloppy programming. I see many department store coupons that implicitly state what merchandise is excluded, how they cannot be combined with other offers, etc.
If others are distributing the coupons to customers too in the same manner and not being fired, that is negative disparate treatment of this woman and she may be federally protected as I said in my previous post, regardless of whether or not she was made aware of the policy on this when being register trained. It is against federal law for someone in a protected class to be fired while others who are not don't get fired for committing the "same offense" at their workplace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by virgode
The post does say, she signed a statement saying she improperly used the coupons.
The improper use of the coupons was how she was able to open more accounts. She gave
the customer the 20% coupon on top of the 15% discount, had the highest
amount of loss, which was why she was targeted. The customers were at a register to
purchase and agreed to open an account for the 15%, Another discounts
unnecessary to persuade the customers decision. So, the coupons
were there for customers not opening accounts. Management gets
incentives, not for the use of coupons, but for opening new accounts,
which have a proven track record of increasing sales.
If employees were not informed of the coupon policy when register
trained or at least made aware of improper use, then she should see an attorney.
This is why retail needs unions, but thats another thread.
She was given the money to open accounts not use coupons. The additional 20% discounts
cuts into the managers bonus, its a loss for the company, but a 35% discount for the customer.
As a consumer, wouldn't you be happy to open an account, get 15% and an additional 20% ?
More than likely the coupon stated as you mentioned, but the employee is responsible for
their register transactions.
She was given the money to open accounts not use coupons. The additional 20% discounts
cuts into the managers bonus, it a loss for the company, but a 35% discount for the customer.
As a consumer, wouldn't you be happy to open an account, get 15% and an additional 20% ?
More than likely the coupon stated as you mentioned, but the employee is responsible for
their register transactions.
The smartest thing for this retailer to do is to set up their cash register software so that when this coupon is scanned or its bar code manually entered, it cannot be combined with any other unless approved by a manager. A lot of stores have the registers set up so that a "key" from a manager is needed to override for certain functions.
PS: I'm not sure who is "America's Department Store" ... somebody PM me and tell me since most of you are in the know!
Many retailers do this. Its the store manager, department manager
or loss prevention to educate their employees to ensure they know
the policy and for their own protection, but why should they give a damn.
The manager got what she wanted, her bonus. They know they can hire and
fill that spot the same day.
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