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...Can you clear something up for me? I've only worked in fast food, but last month I got a second job at a new store opening in my town. It's a growing company selling jewelry, handbags, shoes, and other accessories at an affordable price in a boutique atmosphere. I've liked it so far, but one thing has bothered me from the first. We were given clear purses, which are the only purses we are allowed to bring into the store when coming in for a shift. Okay, fine. Everytime we leave work, we must be ecorted to the door by a manager (no matter how long we have to wait on them) and have our purses searched. Which is a bit annoying, but whatever. (When not coming in to work, we can bring in whatever purses we like, but must still be checked when leaving.) Our two ASMs have been fine about it, but our GSM (who is not from around here, but relocated to take the job) is a bit of a Nazi. Whenever she has walked me out she has pretty much made me empty out the whole thing. I don't have anything closed in my purse except my flat wallet (which she made me open); everything else is a bunch of receipts, makeup, and two journals I carry with me. She wanted me to "open" all that too. Yea, I'm hiding jewelry in my tampons. So I quit taking a purse in. Today I ran in after a long shift at my first job to fill out another availability sheet (trying to be helpful) since my set schedule had been changed at my first job. She didn't seem pleased about that in the first place (although our district manager who hired me was perfectly aware that my schedule might change at times), then after I gave it to her she walked back toward the office. I was in a hurry, not thinking, and all I had brought in was my little flat wallet/datebook, so I just went on out and hopped in my car. I had barely backed out of my parking spot when my cell rang. She told me, "FYI, in the future you know you must ALWAYS be checked out by a manager. We have to make sure we follow the proper guidelines. We'll just consider this a discussion." She was being pretty snippy so I said, "Do you want me to come back in?" And she's like, "No, but we'll just call this a discussion." Whatever that means? Is it like 3 strikes you're out? Is she really going to jot this down like it was some kind of real problem?
So, to my question : is this normal in retail? I have no idea. I'm more of a "supervisor-without-the-official-title-yet" at my other job and maybe I'm just used to doing my own thing and not being questioned. But honestly I find it a little offensive. I'm no thief, and I'm not too sure I want to work for a company that apparently has no trust in its employees. Sorry for the long vent, bees! :/
*Meant to post in The Lounge not Beehive...Sorry! :)
Girl I have worked in retail for a long time... and yes, I've had my purse inspected on the way out (especially when I worked for a store that sold expensive accessories/clothes), but never, ever to that extent. That person sounds like they are on a total power trip and need to chillax... No advice really, just want you know that that does NOT sound normal to me at all.
That is crazy! I worked a large craft store and they never treated us like that. I'm assuming that the jewelry there is only costume and not diamonds?
I have never worked in retail but this seems REALLY odd!
It is like they trust their employees less than their cliental because I doubt they check customers' purses!?!?!.
Really weird!
That is the policy in some stores.
I worked at Vanity clothing store in college, we could only bring clear purses. And per company policy, we wouldn't even take out the trash unless we were a manager, assistant manager, or accompanied by one of those.
I know Dillards also requires clear purses.
I never had my purse searched working retail though. That would irk me a bit that my boss didn't trust me.
Bag checks are normal, being issued clear plastic purses and having to empty everything out is not.
@MissAsB: Oh yes, it is just costume jewelry. At this point, nothing in the store is more than $50 or so. (That includes handbags. Most of the jewelry is under $30.) They say we are going to get some kind of special collection that includes a $125 necklace, but it's not out yet and I assume it will go in a case. If we were selling diamonds, I could certainly understand a little more lol.
Wow, that seems really intense to me. I've worked in retail (a national department store) for a period of time, but primarily in a variety of pharmacies with (obviously) access to many controlled substances and thousands (or more) of dollars worth of medications, and unless there was some reason to be suspicious, we would never be stopped!
Does your company not have security cameras? If there were cameras, I don't see why you would need to have your purse checked too. I guess I can understand clear purses (although I'm a fan of trusting the people you hire), but having your pursue regularly searched is going too far.
I've worked in retail and had to have my purse checked, but I never had a manager who was very vigilant about it. Probably because it was a bookstore, not a boutique.
I worked in retail a few years ago.. i never had my purse searched at all. Nor did anyone else who worked with me. But there were a lot of security cameras and the few people who did try to steal anything got caught
That is just about the strangest thing I've heard of. I've worked retail for several years and have never heard of being issued clear purses or being searched. Seems to me that they need to take a chill pill and trust the people they hire.
That's pretty extreme. We did bag checks at the end of shifts but it was a quick peek and that's it, no opening of wallets or the like. Also, when we were not working they did not search us, they are not allowed because at that time we're only customers and you can't legally search a customer (or we couldn't, at least). She seems like she's on a power trip for sure.
I did quit a job I had in retail (my manager who I really liked had transferred to another store and I wanted to follow to the new store) the replacement manager had come in and she was apparently just as rude and on a power trip as your manager gave me a PAT DOWN!! Like physically touched my body (this had never occurred with any other management, even district managers) so needless to say, I quit right after that. I was not down with being touched especially since I'd worked there for years, as if I'm going to steal stuff (I bought merchandise almost every shift).
Oh to clarify, we were allowed whatever purses we wished.. they didn't have to be clear (who owns a clear purse anyway? Like I want my tampons visible to the general public!)
wow that is CRAZY!!!!! I have never had to do that at any of my jobs...if the purses are clear there is no reason to search them and if you are not working that day then they dont need to check your bags! they dont check customers so they dont need to check yours!
Wow thanks girls! I don't think there's anything I can do about it (except find a new second job and quit, maybe) but it's a relief to know I'm not crazy for thinking this wasn't normal!
I've worked in retail for the past five years. We do bag checks now and then but nothing like that. But I can say that they always blame the worker before the customer. If everything in the store was stolen, they would blame it on the employee before the customer. So I'm not suprised by the Nazi attitude. She reminds me of someone who wants to move up, so she is probably overdoing it. I've seen a lot of that too. It will get old fast. She probably won't last long anyways. Just remember its just a job and your doing it to pay the bills. Thats the only thing that keeps me going in the retail world.
Yes Yes Yes. It's a growing trend in retail now. Working at Ulta, we weren't allowed to bring in purses at all. They also gave us plastic totes (some would be so small you could fit only a phone and a set of keys in) and assigned us lockers to keep our stuff in. If Loss Prevention or a District Manager came in, we would get written up for keeping personal items left out. If we bought ANYTHING from the store or owned it prior to working there and we wanted to bring it in at any point, they would "green dot" it. Checking out every shift was by a manager only and if you were leaving with an item the store carried and it wasn't green dotted, you could be fired on the spot. I've seen this happen a few times.
This all made it very frustrating as a hair stylist there, carrying my shears and tools in and out...i felt like i spent 20 minutes after every shift every day just getting checked out. they would open my scissor cases, my makeup bags, my apron, my plastic bag and even my COFFEE MUG.
if you weren't checked out by a manager, fired!
it's clearly overbearing, and i'm SO glad that i got out of that.
@MissSawyer: Lol they supplied the clear purses. Good thing too, because there's no way I'd spend my money on those ugly plastic things. And yea, I hate people being able to see my stuff lol. That's another reason I quit carrying it.
while the searching bags on the way out, thats normal. the clear purses... what are you in a inner city public school? do they think you are smuggling crap in and out? seriously wth?
i can understand if the store was open a while and they had an issue with loss management, and brought in the nazi lady to straighten things out but if its a new store, really whats the beef?
for some reason its a bit overkill....
That is insane and your manager sounds like a jerk. Like really, she had to call you to remind you proper procedure. She basically verbally warned you...and you were just stopping in to change your availability. It's not like you were working an entire shift.
I could see if you worked at a big pricey jewelry store or something where you have merch worth thousands, but not a $50 necklace. I could see a quick bag check where you just open your purse quickly...but I would not empty the contents of my purse for them.
I'm curious - if you are paid hourly, do they pay you for the time to have your bag searched (and the time to wait)? If not, that could be a problem - if this is a condition for employment, I think you should be paid for that time.
It would be much more effective for a company to initiate random searches rather than daily searches. They would probably be more effective in finding a true thief that way (and reduce resources by not using managers to check everyone's bags every time).
@kkkatieB12: it's crazy! there are cameras EVERYWHERE in that store and they are watched every day by a manager. this procedure is done with every employee, every day, every store out of almost 400. at the end of the night, even the managers bag was checked by the other closing employee.
man. i don't know...Ulta is going to find me on here and probably sue me for giving out all of this information. lol.
@EvaBostonTerrier: we didn't get paid for that time...and if you are leaving in the middle of the day when every manager is busy with a customer, on the phone, whatever, you'd have to wait. my longest wait was 30 minutes, but usually never lasted more than 15. do you think we were ever paid for this?? ha, NOPE.
@EvaBostonTerrier: No, we aren't paid for it. They are pretty strict about us clocking out right on time or even before, then we go put up our headsets, get our stuff, go back out and wait for a manager to walk us to the door and check our stuff. And yes, I agree about random searches. I've wondered why they didn't do something like that.
@Miss Britt: Yep I know. I couldn't believe she was warning me like that. It's totally new for me. And yea, it doesn't matter if we came in as a customer to shop, if we're coming in for a shift, or we just ran in to check the schedule. You are supposed to be walked to the door and checked everytime.
Yep, Dillards does this too. I worked at Dillards for a year. some manager were very strict about the clear purses, but my boss never made us. They never checked us out though if we had a non clear purse.
@JennHasFeet: Yea, if there is only one manager closing somebody else must check her bag. But I wonder what this one would think if somebody actually put their hands in and started opening all her stuff lol...
I'm not a lawyer, but here is an interesting article I found talking about California labor laws and how it is actually in violation of those laws (illegal) to make employees wait for bag searches without being paid. That just one of the first articles that popped up. You might want to see what labor laws in your states say... Basically, it's a not great situation to be in. 
I used to have to have my purse checked by a manager at a retail job too. the fun part was, we had a 'customer' that repeatedly came in and shoplifted and we couldn't do a thing about it :P.
@jo.lee: Girl I know! We already have 1 or 2 customers that we know for a fact are shoplifting when they come in, but can we search them? Nope.
@EvaBostonTerrier: Thanks for the link! Interesting for sure. I'm looking up Alabama's labor law right now, but I think I've heard it's pretty non-specific so I doubt I'll find anything. I'm also going to check up on the legality of searching us when we are in the store as customers. Doesn't seem right.
Never EVER ever had it to me or heard about anyone in my city with this condition..
I cant even imagine it. crazy.
i dont have any advise, but that boss lady sounds like a total nightmare. :( I worked retail (Staples, lol) and we were never ever searched! And I used a gigantor tote bag as my purse. I would flip if my boss tried to go through my purse or if I had to wait like that...
WoW. I must work for the same company. We have bags, boots, pockets & coats checked out upon exiting. Its really is standard procedure and every employee, including managers, even the president of the company, had to go through it if you enter a store. Most of the time, its just easy to check for bumps and suspicous items.
Good call on leaving the purse out. Its just easier that way, or I clean my purse to make it easier. We also have bag dumps (including managers) every month.
It is standard and yes, sometimes an inconvience to wait for a manager to check you out. I've never had a problem. it is easier to just open everything to show and open when they ask. Trust me, the manager was probably just trying to be extra through to teach you the ropes, to so speak.
I think your "discussion" was just that. Does not sound like a verbal warning.
It gets easier, its their corporate policy, and I'm sure they'll go easier on you when they see you're a good employee.
I've learned that by being the more humble and compliant one, they'll appreciate you.
I worked retail and we had to have our bags searched every night. It wasn't super awkward, though, because the managers had theirs searched, too, by whoever was ending their shift at the same time.
Sorry, longest answer ever:
I worked at a Guess store and this was the policy, but it very much depended on the actual management person whether it was enforced. We didn't have to have clear bags or green dot any merch, but we were supposed to check bags and only mgmt was supposed to take out trash. I think of that as kind of standard in retail. I wouldn't let it get to you so much yet. She will probably settle down and be nicer about it in the future.
As for the waiting...there are lots of jobs where you have to arrive early to clock in or stay later after you clock out. I worked in a bank and after we arrived in the morning, we had to wait for the manager to unlock the door to let us in, go in, turn on the computer, let it load, and then clock in on it. And with my current home health job, we have to arrive, have the client let us in (which can sometimes take a long time for the elderly/disabled to answer the door), greet them, and then call from their phone to clock in. I would consider it part of the job, but if you are constantly waiting more than 15 minutes, I would talk to the manager about not being clocked out until SHE is ready to check your bag. And if thats not possible, decide whether you are willing to accept that as part of the job or not.
I will say that when you first start with a company, you usually have to deal with being low man on the totem pole and work your way up. If you accept these things, are polite to your boss, and sell hard, you will probably be rewarded. Guess has a policy where, if you come in as a sales associate, you have to work there for atleast one year before being promoted to management. I worked there for less than three months when I was "unofficially" given a management role (ie the district manager came in to evaulate my performance and conduct an informal interview and I was given some management duties at that time) and at six months, they officially offered me management. It would have been sooner, but we were in the middle of hiring a new store manager, and that had to be worked out first (or atleast that is what the district manager told me). If this job is important to you and you think you want to do it, then work your butt off and make sure that you are rewarded if you do well. For me, I consistently outsold my sales goals and that of my managers (which are higher) by about $3,000/month.
Gosh, that's freaking insane!! I worked at a jewelry store in a very busy area of Hollywood, and they never pushed a search to that extent. It was more of a quick glance in a co-worker's bag, just to say that it had been done. I would feel completely violated if someone did a search to me like they're doing to you. I've worked more than my fair share of retail jobs.
I would never be able to work at a place that did such extensive bag searches. My only transportation is my motor scooter, and I tend not to leave valuables in it for very long. So if I'm going to be somewhere a while, like work, I end up bringing a decent-sized bag in, and sometimes extra clothing to deal with any possible weather changes for the ride home. It'd take someone ages to go through all my pockets and large bag.
If you are not allowed to leave, you are still on the clock. They cannot force you to stay on your own time. If you are required to be there, they are required to pay you.
I also don't think they are allowed to search you or make you wait to be escorted out when you are there as a customer and not on the clock. Again...if they want to make you wait, they have to pay you.
Macy's makes their employees use a blue bag for their personal items, and I think they do random searches.
I worked for Kay Jeweler, and they NEVER did any searches or made us wait to be escorted from the store. In fact, because they didn't want to pay us for when we weren't actually scheduled, they made us leave when our shift was over. If we were in the store when we weren't scheduled, we were not allowed in the back or behind the counters. If we were checking our schedule, someone who was working had to bring the schedule to us to look at it.
Ok let's see:
Toys R Us- never
Jeffrey Alans- never
New York and Company- random, like the first couple weeks then twice in the next six months. Girl was pretty cool with just a quick glance and if she was busy she'd let us go without.
Fred Myer Jewelers- never, but we counted every piece of merchandise morning and night. If the count was off by one we stayed until we figured out what was going on. This was annoying because our store manager would sometimes forget to log that she sent a piece in for repair; I was there until 11 one night (store closed at 9)because of this and we couldn't get a hold of her.
JC Penneys- Every night, everyone had to clock out and wait on loss prevention to check, but just quick glances and pretty nice about it.
Macy's- Not until about my fifth month and loss prevention checked twice that month. She had a sheet with every name on it and made us line up, would dig through our purses, if we bought anything we had to show her the receipt, and I did hear her get snippy with someone one night.
Edit: No special purses at any of these places.
On the other side of things, my sister went into Claires one day because she wanted information on getting her ears pierced and they had a pair of earrings she really liked. No one would help her, she asked about the kit that's supposed to be part of the deal and the store manager said it's over there, but wouldn't show her where instead she just stared at her the whole time. Finally, my sister got irritated, put the earrings back, and left. The manager followed her out of the store and made her come back and show her where she had put the earrings, all of this rather loudly. I went down there and caused a bit of a loud situation myself and ya know what she told me? "I guarantee if I hadn't been watching her like that ahe would have stolen something." WTH?! I got her district manager's cell number and had that b*tch fired. (This wasn't the first time she'd done this sort of thing, she called mall security all the freaking time)
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