Learning

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Oops, I’m enjoying working at Macy’s. It’s a very different experience from mine at Home Depot. Both roles are somewhat hands-off, while also sales-oriented. At HD, working in Hardware, I unlocked bins, removed tools, and carried them while escorting customers to the checkout counters. I pulled stock to refill shelves, put away returned merchandise, and encouraged customers to open HD charge accounts. At Macy’s, working at a cash register, I check out purchases and encourage customers to open a Mary’s charge account. I assist in restocking new or unwanted merchandise.

Those sales models are similar. My HD sales experiences make Macy’s routines familiar and absorbable. My biggest new learning is operating correctly the store’s cash registers. What’s refreshing is experiencing a management model with women in charge. They’re not a drop less capable of running an organization, but the softer style feels welcome.

Nonetheless, Macy’s employees must perform. Macy’s assigns us daily sales quotas that my working companions say must be achieved. These days as a seasonal employee, I’m unworried about quotas. Often, I see the store’s manager and other higher-level employees circulating, and their feedback has me sensing their keen awareness of how sales folks are performing.

At the bottom line, at Macy’s, I feel important. At HD, I was just another part-timer, and too old for its young managers to consider promoting to some role of significance. At Macy’s, feeling more needed, I’m working happier.

Dear Friends: I do miss HD, a fine organization, with nice capable managers. Diana