Ohhhhhhh sooooo many ... 1st on a store level.
1. Breaks - as a store employee, if you work an 8 hr shift or more, you have the option of taking two 10 minute breaks or, one 20 minute break or, clocking out for a 1/2 hr, the 1/2 hr is deducted from the 8 hr day. If an employee works between 4 hrs and 7 hrs and 59 minutes, the break time received is 10 minutes.
2. The break room. There isn't a break room, there is a "break" table with 2 folding chairs and a step stool. The employees must take their break amongst the left shoes (we'll get to the left shoe a little later). Sometimes the employees have to share the "break" table covered with left shoes.
3. Since there is not an actual break room (at least in the store where I worked) this means that the company did not provide a refrigerator, microwave, or coffee maker. The store manager had to personally buy the refrigerator and microwave. The DM provided the store with a fax machine by donating his/her own fax machine.
4. The bathroom. The hot water is turned off (unbelievable!) I live in a state that during most winters, is freezing cold and the employees must wash their hands in ice-cold water. I wondered if the store manager had to personally buy the toilet paper and paper towels too.
5. If the store manager wants the store windows washed, he/she must either wash them his/herself, have a store employee wash them, or hire an outside source to wash them and pay for the service out of his/her personal money.
6. The left shoe. The left shoe of higher-priced shoes, or certain brands are put into the back room. They are grouped by brands, then by style, but not by size. The ends of the aisles aren't labeled, so you're running up and down the back room aisles trying to find the brand, then style, and then size.
7. Leaving the customer to wait, wait, and more waiting while running to the backroom to hunt down the left shoe, 1st by brand, then by style, and then searching for the correct size.
8. Dial-up internet, again, making the customer wait. The customer usually thinks there is something wrong with their credit/debit card because dial-up is sooooooooooo slow!
9. The company expects the store manager and key holders to approach suspected shoplifters while the person under suspicion is still in the store. The company also wants management to chase them down outside. #1 management is not trained in law enforcement and #2 the Shoe Show's pay is incredibly low, especially in trying to apprehend a thief.
10. Often the stores are staffed with one employee in the store, so while the one employee is in the backroom tracking down the left shoe or washing their hands in freezing cold water, the store could easily be ripped-off, because there a plenty of shoes in the store with both mates.
11. No bathrooms for the customer to use, causing a potential sale to leave the store and go elsewhere.
12. Also, no direct deposit.
On a personal level.
1. The store manager, after an approximate 30 second introduction to my spouse, a week later, made fun of my spouse twice to my co-worker and in front of me, and out in the store. If it was the manager's intent to get me to quit, he/she was successful.
