I just need to vent . . . this will be a LONG Boring blog so don't feel bad if you decide to move on . . .I work at the service desk for a retail store. . . Ilike the actual job, it's the drama created by bosses. I am so frustrated I could scream! I get paid just barely over minimum wage and have to constantly "put out fires" without any support from my immediate boss, department managers and rarely from my coworkers. The others have lost the main focus -we are all (suppose) to be on the same team: and the customer, . . . I have a great example that happened yesterday. The store opens at 9am, I am doing what I always do to set up the store. A customer called at 8:55 am and asked to speak with the electronics department, I knew there were 3 managers in the store that could take care of the customer, so I paged over the intercom for electronics to take the call . . . my boss immediately called me and said "you know we aren't open yet, right?" . .DUH, dumb a**, of course I do!!! I calmly stated I was aware of that and what should I tell the customer? to call back in 5 minutes"???? and my boss replied "yes" . . What the F***???? Somehow the caller on hold disappearedand I suspect someone (my boss) picked up the call to handle it . . .soooo, why call me just to be a jerk??? I have to field a lot of personal calls, husbands, wives, boyfriends, etc – which often takes me away from our customers. One day, my boss' wife called and so, as normal, I paged him,he did not pick up the call, so it kept ringing back to the service desk. I called his phone direct and he immediately picked up the phone, I explained his wife was on the phone, he fumbled around . . .so I asked him to take her call. A few minutes later, he mysteriously appeared walking in the front door from the parking lot, with an embarrassed/ashamed look on his face. It isn't my business and I honestly don't care what he is doing in his personal life, but how dare he put me in the middle? It has been happening quite often that his wife calls but he can't be found, even though I had seen him in the store a short while earlier. It really makes me uncomfortable that I have to tell her he isn't picking up the phone, when she knows he is suppose to be at work. Another problem I encounter on a regular basis . . .there has been so much conflict created by another department manager (I will call her V), she has had no problem speaking rudely to me every chance she gets, often in front of the customers. Many customers have commented to me about V's poor attitude – they often ask who V is and I tell them she is one of the store supervisors, the customers are dumbfounded and have said V should have handled the situation as I do, with courtesy and focus on taking care of the problem, not placing blame on others. The last customer that experience V's wrath asked for her name and told me she would be calling my boss the next day to explain how rude V was, and also to say how wonderful I was . . .So . . . I had an interview yesterday for the customer service supervisor position. I interviewed with my immediate boss and his boss. All of the questions were about how I deal with conflict and they asked for specific examples . . . soooo . . . I gave the examples, gave no names, and tried to be as vague as possible, addressed their questions professionally, I focused on explaining how I had successfully "put out the fires". After about 10 minutes, I noticed my boss appeared to be sinking lower into his chair . .his boss was quite intrigued with a look that appeared to say, OH MY, what the heck is going on in my store when I'm not here and this girl is putting out fires that should not be her problem; he asked for me to elaborate on a couple of the examples I provided. After the interview was over I left the room and immediately heard the office door shut behind me. I am quite sure my boss was chewed a new one. . .30 minutes later, I saw V walk thru the store in absolute tears, this probably had to do with one of the examples I had given during my interview. I am quite sure one of 2 things will happen: 1) I defintely will not get the promotion (big woop!); or 2)  My boss will be promtly replaced . . by me. On the positive side, I should find out in a few days if I will be staring a new job, a Lead position for a new retailer in town, higher pay, full time and better health benefits.

If you have made it thru my horribly long, boring, drawn out blog, bless you for sticking thru it and thank you for listening. Gosh I feel so much better getting it out!