The Fall of Communism

Working at ABC Warehouse isn't a bad job. I sell small appliances and electronics, interact with customers, sit around in a climate-controlled environment -and I get paid for all of it. I do have to work with some idiots from time to time, but it's usually not too bad. Today was not a case of "usually." Saturdays always start of with a 50 minute meeting that I really don't need to be included in, but am required to attend.

After the meeting I put the cash in the register, without counting. This was fine, but then a coworker came over and said that she was told to be on register that day (we can only have one person on the register now, because the drawer was never balancing out). It was when she counted the money that it was realized that 20 dollars was missing from it. As I was the person who had counted the deposit last night, I told her check the deposit; that I had probably put one too many twenties in there. She started making accusations of theft toward me, the managers, and the guy who had brought the box of drawer money over. While a manager went to go check the deposit, I asked her if she had counted the drawer twice. To which she responded that she's not an idiot and that she knows how to count. While she started recounting with a calculator, I counted the money in my head. Making small "ok's" and "equals" sounds under my breath. She started yelling at me for not trusting her and for confusing her by saying numbers. Well, it turns out that the 20 dollars was in the deposit. And that would have been the end of my troubles, if this girl weren't impossible to get along with. I should also mention, for future reading that while only one person is allowed to handle the cash, other salespeople can ring up a sale, but they must transfer the money to the person on the register.

My first day on the job, my manager and unbearable coworker told me that while we make small set commissions on each sale, it is the department policy to put a second salesman's name on the deal and to rotate through the salespeople on that shift. And while you might be "writing" the sale, it is possible to not be included on it; if you're not one of the two people who are in line to be on the sale. This was to make things "fair," I was told. It did seem to make things fair, and although I thought not sharing would be a better method, I didn't say anything about it. Until today. The urge had been building for a while. My percentage of warranty sales were at .1% last week and I had really sold several warranties and protection plans, but on deals that weren't under my name. This was upsetting, but I figured it all evened out one way or another.

Today, however, was too much for me to take. It started at 10 o'clock when the store opened. I made the first sale and put it under my name. Then the second sale came and I put it in another male coworker's name. The third sale should have been put in the unbearable one's name, but she had taken smoke break, so she was skipped (as per policy). It instead went under my friend, Colin's, name. He had just come in at the time of the sale. When Unbearable came back, she was furious and started yelling at all of us. We all just ignored her and worked around the department. I eventually went to lunch and came back. I walked in and saw a couple of sales occur, but I wasn't the one writing the deals. A few hours later, when I did write a sale, I followed procedure and, by luck, I was the next person to get a sale in their name. I wrote the sale, but after doing so, Unbearable tells me that she has been jipped out of her sales and that my sale should have been hers. So she redoes the sale under her name. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but sale was for a clearanced item, which we get paid cash for by the general manager (because he wants them out of the store to help our numbers and standings within the company). This irked me, because I had actually helped the customer and she hadn't done a thing to deserve the sale and she wasn't supposed to have it. A few minutes later, I began checking people's sales. I realized that two people had 5 sales, Unbearable had 4, I had one, and third male coworker had one sale. I was upset, especially when I realized that nothing was sold while I was at lunch. So this girl had jipped me out of a sale plus the cash, and apparently, the others weren't being honest about the rotating of deals.

By the end of the day, I had worked 8 hours, while everyone else had worked 4 hours, except unbearable who worked 6 hours. And I made the same amount as the other male coworkers who had been there 4 hours each. And Unbearable made more than everyone. I worked for an hour longer with only one other person and had only made as much as the people who worked for half as long. This made me furious.

I complained to the general manager. This was a terrible way to run a business. I always ask every customer if they need any help when they first enter the department. If they do, I help them. If they don't, I tell them to let me know if they need any help later or if they have questions. I take care of the customer, but the everyone else in the department (except my department manager, the only one with the day off) sits on their butts and don't acknowledge the customers at all. And for all this, I make the same commision, though often less than, everyone else. This was rediculous. The general manager told me that he thought it was stupid and that he had told the department manager not to rotate or share deals. He also said he was going to let her know that it wouldn't be allowed anymore. I finally felt a little vendicated.

I didn't realize, until I was complaining to an office worker that this was communism. Everybody gets the same pay, even though some people work harder, there is no incentive to work harder. And on top of this all, people were cheating the system by ringing up customers I had helped and not following the rotation. I am furious, mostly that I didn't realize that this was communism and that I could have done no work for the same pay. I am also furious at my coworkers except the one honest guy who also only had one sale at the same time as me. I am also happy; I am free to make my own money.

I can see why my manager had this policy of rotating and sharing. It sounds fair. And it may have been at one time. If everyone is helping customers equally and follows the rotation, then it is somewhat fair. Even if it were fair, it isn't smart. It is completely stupid. If we're all making the same anyway, then we should make our own money. The system can, at best, be as efficient as capitalism, but it relies on people working equally and being honest; which, ABC workers are not. I had asked why we did it once, she said it was so that the people who are good at selling aren't the only ones making money. That made sense when I was new and didn't know how to work the register, but it is the dumbest policy a store could have. If everyone is being made equal then there is no incentive. Nor is there any competition. Capitalism thrives on competition. If salesmen aren't a little competitive the store won't make much money. Certainly competition can be managed through professionalism; there's no need to steal customers or to be unfriendly. Capitalism at it's worst is equivalent to communism. And I am glad to see the fall of communism in the small appliances department of ABC Warehouse.