Injured on the job

When you are as klutzy as I am accidents are bound to happen. I happen to hurt myself all the time. The most rediculous accidents happen at work. Even though there hasnt been anything too bad it was still a little rediculous.

One incredibly slow saturday I wore my jeans and blue Abercrombie tank top and my blue flip flops and set to work in the basement of Abercrombie finding clothes in the back stock shelves that needed to be stocked upstairs. I pulled a large pile of clothes out of the shelves and gathered them up and took them upstairs. When I got up the stairs and started to pull open the large heavy door, the door rolled over my foot breaking off half of my toe nail and scratching part of my foot.
At first it didnt seem that bad, and because of all of the clothes in my hand I couldnt really see the damage. I dropped the clothes off in the "prep room" and went back downstairs. Then I saw the damage.
my toe was gushing blood, and although it didnt tear all the way off the nail might as well have not been there.
after looking in both bathrooms for a bandaid I found one of the managers to ask him what I should do. He pulled a tiny bandage from a filing cabinent and ran out of the room at the sight of my bleeding toe. I attempted to bandaid my nail back onto the toe but because it wasnt actually attached it hurt a lot. and the amount of blood didnt make the little bandage I had very effective. I got home and told my mom what happened. of course her first reaction was to sue. My reaction was to pull the rest of my nail off. Which I did. Eventually my nail grew back and everything was fine.

Months later at another abercrombie, where the backstock bays are literally from floor to ceiling I was once again gathering clothes to put out on the floor. I had seen some of the other employees climb up on the bays to reach clothes on the top shelves. So as I glared up at the dark blue polo shirts that I needed to get down I grabbed the pole and bottom of the shelves and started climbing. When I got the shirt down I dropped it on to the floor and started climbing down. At this point about two shelves up I underestimated the height between the shelf I was standing on and the floor. So I jump down. unable to land on my feet I landed on my hands and knees some how. I stayed in that position when I was on the ground for a minute or two thinking about what had just happened and catching my breath. I was okay but I am terrorfied of those shelves now.


Next time on Clothing Store Crisises: Pretty enough for a model

Timeing

In Abercrombie every store is given a certain amount of hours for each week. These hours must be filled by the end of the stores week. In order to do this certain things have to be taken into account and or assumed. 1. employees scheduled wont call off at the last minute. 2. employees not scheduled will be available to fill the time. These last minute employees are "Call-ins" they are on call if someone calls off or if the managers need to divided hours wrong and need to fill the required time.
When someone is given a call in shift he/she is supposed to call no later than one hour before their scheduled time.
The amount of work needed to be completed has no factor what so ever in the number of employees working on any given day.
One sunday morning I checked my work schedule and saw that I had a call-in shift at noon. Since it was still fairly early in the morning my mom and I decided we would have enough time to go to breakfast before I found out if I would have to call to find out if I needed to work or not.
Regardless of the amount of time I had I called at 10:30 to find out if I had to work. Ususally this is enough time. This time it wasnt. the employee who answered the phone was unsure of whether or not the store would need me to come in or not and asked me to call back in an hour.
One hour later, half an hour before I was scheduled to work I called back. The employee was still unsure. He asked me to call again in another hour.
When I got home from breakfast I called again. This time a different employee answered the phone. This employee was sure. I needed to come in.
When I got to the store. everything was in perfect order. all of the shipment was done, Backstock was folded neatly on the shelves. There was very little that I could do for the next 5 hours. I was there to fill time.

On the opposite side of this there are other days when boxes and boxes of clothes come in, so many that it is impossible to get into the stock room. These boxes need to be stored and the clothes inside them need to be prepped. Then a few days to weeks later all of the clothes need to be put out on to the floor, the old clothes need to be moved and everything in the stock room needs to be reorganized. All of these are very big tasks. However if the store is going over on hours or if there is a possibility that it may go over on hours the 3-4 people working are stuck doing all of the work for that day themselves.

Next Time on Clothing store Crisises: Injured on the job

Learning to Fold

When you work on "the Impact team" its rare that you ever leave the back room which at the Abercrombie I was working at was the basement of the building. Theres no outdoor light obviously and when you walk down the stairs and over to where all of the back stock is stored it starts to feel a lot like walking into a cave.

In this cave on my very first day of work, I walked in with the impression that somehow I would make friends so quickly that everyone is so friendly in retail that all of the employees would automatically notice that I was new and introduce themselves and talk to me. That didn't happen.

Instead I was practically ignored no one talked to me unless they happened to notice that a shirt was folded the wrong way or a sensor was put on the wrong side. Then one of the guys (because where I worked only men worked on Impact) would pull the shirt or skirt out of the neatly layed out pile I had just made, tell me I did it wrong and say "it goes like this" and folded the item of clothing like it was origami --as if it was something they were taught when they were infants. Right after they learned to walk-- and then lay it back down on the counter. "the right stack" and my very "wrong stack."

My first day in retail and I couldnt fold clothes. Every item of clothing I folded was supposed to be folded a different way and I was just supposed to know. And my idea that I would make friends was very wrong. Infact, the only person that talked to me that day, that even attempted to start a conversation with me that day, told me he didn't get his job as a cop because "they found out he took speed by accident." I found out later that this person was a manager in training, but never found out-- or attempted to ask-- if this comment was a joke or not.

Needless to say my first official day in the retail world was terrifying and disarming on many levels. Although I learned how to fold clothes, which came as an amazing accomplishment, the lack of involvement with other employees and other strange events continued for many weeks.

Next time in Clothing Store Crisises: Keeping time down. Or up.

The ins and outs of Abercrombie

After my first retail interview, where its is aparently incredibly common to do interviews in a big group and let the applicants answer the questions in "conversation form." I was terrified to continue to apply. This process is a way of finding out who is the most outgoing in the group and in retail those are the people stores want. The ones who will approach customers and be helpful and friendly. Not that I am not that person, but I am not good at that kind of interview either.

When I got to my Abercrombie interview I was terrified, only to find out that it wasnt that way at all. It was in a group but the manager went around the circle asking each person to answer the question. The "models" had one set of questions and the "impacters" had another set. And because the day before I applied I looked up the descriptions of the two and didnt understand the difference between the two I applied to be on Impact which is basically stock room duties. The models are what is sounds, they are the sales associates who stand on the floor and model the Abercrombie clothes while assisting customers as well. They are not the people in the Abercrombie advertisment posters and on shopping bags-- although it seems that is a very common mis conception.

I got home from my interview that night only to receive a call from the manager I interviewed with. I was hired. Orientation was the next week.

The Rules

"abercrombie associates must look natural"

• Makeup should only be worn to accentuate natural features.
• No black. Anything. ( shoes, eye makeup, shirts, underwear etc.)
• No purple.
• Because Abercrombie does not do external marketing, associates should represent Abercrombie at all times
• Abercrombie dress code: No black or purple. Abercrombie does not sell these colors. They should not be worn in any form. Jeans, jean skirts jean shorts are acceptable. Anything Abercrombie.

When this was said, one of the new employees at my orientation asked if we were required to buy Abercrombie clothes. Following this question it was stressed several times that we are not required to wear Abercrombie clothes according to Abercrombie corporate policy. However, it is the only way to really be sure that we are dressed appropriately. But its not required.

As far as shoes, according to Abercrombie dress code flip flops or Converse shoes are acceptable. no tennis shoes should be worn, no dress shoes, boots, etc.

It should be noted that Abercrombie does not sell Converse shoes in their stores. Why this brand of shoes was chosen as the alternate shoe choice to flip flops is still a mystery to me.

In association with employees needing to look natural. our nails and toes could not be painted unless it was clear, for fingers or very light pink for toes.

(midway through the summer Abercrombie Corporate adjusted this rule to allow pinks and reds on toes. Finger nail polish is still unacceptable though).

Next time in Clothing store crisis: Learning to fold and working in the Dungeon.

I'll end the post with a link to the Abercrombie casting video that was sent to all of the Abercrombie stores over the summer. http://www.abercrombie.com/anf/lifestyles/html/casting.html

About this blog

Last year I decided to join the ranks of thousands all over the world and apply for a job in retail. after many applications, and a few interviews I was finally hired at Abercrombie n' Fitch near my hometown. Getting into retail was an experience on its own but once I was in I found out very quickly that there were many experiences to come.

From minor injuries, employee relations, company policies, and many other issues I will be discussing all of them for the next few weeks.