You can definitely tell it's my "weekend" off. The moment I clock out at work, on my last day prior to two consecutive days off, my body starts to shut down. I become quite exhausted and "cruise" on auto pilot until I managed to crawl in bed, quite some time after I get home from work.
I walked in the door, yesterday, to Katie and a barrage of "let's go do this" stuff...hadn't even put down my bag or kicked my shoes off. I finally looked her in the eye and said "remember the conversation we had the other day about how I need a few minutes to adjust from all the noise??" "Yeah??" "I'd like those now, please." and I walked into my bedroom to change my clothes.
The quiet lasted approximately 10 minutes, at best.
I get she's bored & lonely hanging out all by herself at home. Really. I GET IT. What she doesn't get is the fact that I spend my day talking, and that I have to be "on" for everyone. By the time I'm done with the day, I want SILENCE. Never happens though. Sigh......
Katie starts her "job" today...she's a junior counselor at our day camp. It's a volunteer job (READ: non-paying due to her age), but it will be good for her. She'll be outside and active 6+ hours a day, 5 days a week, for the next 6 weeks. WOO HOO!!!
And, now...work.
Rita took what I said to heart for approximately two days, maybe three. And only on certain things. Can you see me rolling my eyes?? I get she's ADHD...poster child, in fact. So, I guess, she needs a note to remind her what she is to be working on. Tina helped her with her makeup one day and she looked FABULOUS. But, back to the crappy old way she was doing her makeup ever since. She did really well with her clothing (at least her tops) for three days, then, she's wearing both top and pants that have bleach marks on them....her own doing, since she flings color everywhere.
Then, there's the damn cell phone. It was in her pocket, AGAIN, yesterday. "Oops..I forgot to take it out". Uh-huh...I've also discovered that she truly is ignorant. She reads absolutely NOTHING, so her education is very limited, and not just her work related education. There are words she does NOT know, has never heard of, because she doesn't read anything. It's just like working with a kid. Stella isn't much better. Neither of them knew what the word "continuity" meant. No lie. Neither of them could picture the word in their heads to see the word "continue" within the word. This is what I get for presuming that people are exposed to the same things that I am, or have been.
She also has taken my comments (directly from the policy manual) about conflict of interest LITERALLY. Tina also has a part time job working at a beauty distributor that is open to the public, so she'll make comments once in a while about it. Not a big deal, really, and clearly, Becky didn't think it was an issue, so I've let that one ride. Not Rita. With her, conflict is conflict. For someone who operates within the perimeters of "grey areas", this is the one she chooses to be "black and white" about.
And how was your week??
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
I did it....
So, Rita and Stella finally pushed me over the edge the other day. I came in, on my day off, mind you, with a pan of birthday brownies for Tina (who turned 21). Rita and Stella started in on me the moment I walked in the door. Stella has given her notice (no great loss, really, other than the need to replace her), and Rita has decided to completely nitpick my job. Every time I come in when I'm not scheduled, she's got the manager's manual out, looking for ways to trip me up. Hasn't happened yet. I'm not perfect, and don't pretend to be. Just knock it off, really.
Anyway....I got with Walmart management to borrow some space from them (as we have no private space for conversations like this) so I could have a "sit down" with her. Made her trot along side me all the way out back. (not a nice person. At 5'2 1/2", I tower over Rita's 4'11"...not to mention the fact she's got at least 100 lbs on me). We sat down, I gave her what she's done for numbers so far (not bad, considering we have nothing to go by), and then, I let her have it. I didn't yell. I didn't cuss. I laid it all out for her.
Some of what I touched on, she had no idea, or very little idea that what she was doing was wrong. For example, soliciting a customer to come to her home so she could pierce their ear, as we don't offer that service. Had Tammy been there and witnessed that, she would have been fired, ON THE SPOT. Her cell phone usage. I had asked her if she'd actually read our policy manual. "I've been going through it". So, I read passages from it. Specifically, about cell phone usage. She is to leave her cell phone in her purse. It is to be OFF. The only time she can use her cell phone is when she is clocked out for a lunch break, PERIOD. Whether or not she's obeying this one remains to be seen. I'll trip her up...it's a matter of time.
Her dress code. How I addressed it is this: If you look the part, the clients will come. If you want the clients that actually tip and tip well, you can't come in to work looking like you got dressed with whatever was laying on the floor. It's great you've got clients already, but, they're all your friends. Who don't necessarily tip. Something to consider. So, your hair is done, your face is done, and your clothing improves. Period. She was there yesterday, dressed nicer than I've seen her, EVER, with her makeup DONE. (Tina helped with this. She looked MUCH better than what she usually does).
Your attendance. I get that you don't drive, so you're relying on others to get you where you need to go. However. 8:45 means 8:45. You can get here at 8:40, 8:41, 8:42, 8:43, 8:44, or 8:45. NOT 8:52, 8:53, 8:57, 8:59. This includes stopping at Dunkin' Donuts before you go into the salon.
The only thing Rita started to argue with me about was the cell phone usage. And I shot her down, immediately. She agreed. I was surprised, really, because I figured she'd put up one helluva fight. I also touched on the fact that it's MY job, as manager, to fix and help with haircuts. Not hers. This is one thing that I'm going to have to keep harping on, as she steps in on Stella's haircuts, quite regularly. I'll cure that ailment, yet!!
Stella, on the other hand, has been both very nice, and very snotty, usually in the same sentence. Thankfully, she'll be leaving, SOON. Truly, she's dragging the whole place down, and that needs to stop. While hairdressing may be what she's always wanted to do, she certainly doesn't show it. She's not methodical, she's just slow. When she gets a haircut that she has no clue about, she doesn't always ask for help, she'll just try to muddle through. There is truly no talent there, either natural or man-made. What a waste of money for her to have gone to school. So, now, I'm off on the search to find a new hairdresser!!
Anyway....I got with Walmart management to borrow some space from them (as we have no private space for conversations like this) so I could have a "sit down" with her. Made her trot along side me all the way out back. (not a nice person. At 5'2 1/2", I tower over Rita's 4'11"...not to mention the fact she's got at least 100 lbs on me). We sat down, I gave her what she's done for numbers so far (not bad, considering we have nothing to go by), and then, I let her have it. I didn't yell. I didn't cuss. I laid it all out for her.
Some of what I touched on, she had no idea, or very little idea that what she was doing was wrong. For example, soliciting a customer to come to her home so she could pierce their ear, as we don't offer that service. Had Tammy been there and witnessed that, she would have been fired, ON THE SPOT. Her cell phone usage. I had asked her if she'd actually read our policy manual. "I've been going through it". So, I read passages from it. Specifically, about cell phone usage. She is to leave her cell phone in her purse. It is to be OFF. The only time she can use her cell phone is when she is clocked out for a lunch break, PERIOD. Whether or not she's obeying this one remains to be seen. I'll trip her up...it's a matter of time.
Her dress code. How I addressed it is this: If you look the part, the clients will come. If you want the clients that actually tip and tip well, you can't come in to work looking like you got dressed with whatever was laying on the floor. It's great you've got clients already, but, they're all your friends. Who don't necessarily tip. Something to consider. So, your hair is done, your face is done, and your clothing improves. Period. She was there yesterday, dressed nicer than I've seen her, EVER, with her makeup DONE. (Tina helped with this. She looked MUCH better than what she usually does).
Your attendance. I get that you don't drive, so you're relying on others to get you where you need to go. However. 8:45 means 8:45. You can get here at 8:40, 8:41, 8:42, 8:43, 8:44, or 8:45. NOT 8:52, 8:53, 8:57, 8:59. This includes stopping at Dunkin' Donuts before you go into the salon.
The only thing Rita started to argue with me about was the cell phone usage. And I shot her down, immediately. She agreed. I was surprised, really, because I figured she'd put up one helluva fight. I also touched on the fact that it's MY job, as manager, to fix and help with haircuts. Not hers. This is one thing that I'm going to have to keep harping on, as she steps in on Stella's haircuts, quite regularly. I'll cure that ailment, yet!!
Stella, on the other hand, has been both very nice, and very snotty, usually in the same sentence. Thankfully, she'll be leaving, SOON. Truly, she's dragging the whole place down, and that needs to stop. While hairdressing may be what she's always wanted to do, she certainly doesn't show it. She's not methodical, she's just slow. When she gets a haircut that she has no clue about, she doesn't always ask for help, she'll just try to muddle through. There is truly no talent there, either natural or man-made. What a waste of money for her to have gone to school. So, now, I'm off on the search to find a new hairdresser!!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Reviews.....
So, it's my goal to have reviews for everyone. And, I've been gathering the information from the computer at work. In order to print this information, it requires using up a LOT of register tape, which I hate wasting. And, since I had time yesterday, I went ahead and started collecting this information. To which some of my co-workers were wanting to know what I was doing. Now, my friend, Lisa, came up with the best answer (which I didn't happen to think of), which was "My Job." Instead, I told them "gathering information so everyone can have a review". The answer I got was "Oh". Guess who was asking??
Tammy is coming next week, alledgedly on Tuesday. I didn't tell the ladies when she was coming, just that she was coming. Suddenly, everyone is cleaning things. Quite entertaining to watch, really. I let the ladies know if they had any questions for Tammy, to write them down in the communication log and I'll pull them together to ask her when she comes. Should be interesting.
Friday night, Stephie was handling a return...an exchange, really, since the customer didn't have her receipt. She was working through the procedure just fine when Rita had to stick her big beak into it, again, acting all manager-like, because, gosh, she's done a return before. The end result?? The drawer appeared to be almost $30 short. Coincidentaly, the return (which was done incorrectly, mind you) was almost $30. Can you see me rolling my eyes??
I hear issues like this all the time. And, it's time to deal with them. ALL of them. They all center around Rita, too. Good times, they are ahead of me!!
Tammy is coming next week, alledgedly on Tuesday. I didn't tell the ladies when she was coming, just that she was coming. Suddenly, everyone is cleaning things. Quite entertaining to watch, really. I let the ladies know if they had any questions for Tammy, to write them down in the communication log and I'll pull them together to ask her when she comes. Should be interesting.
Friday night, Stephie was handling a return...an exchange, really, since the customer didn't have her receipt. She was working through the procedure just fine when Rita had to stick her big beak into it, again, acting all manager-like, because, gosh, she's done a return before. The end result?? The drawer appeared to be almost $30 short. Coincidentaly, the return (which was done incorrectly, mind you) was almost $30. Can you see me rolling my eyes??
I hear issues like this all the time. And, it's time to deal with them. ALL of them. They all center around Rita, too. Good times, they are ahead of me!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
First day as "The Boss"
Well, yesterday was relatively uneventful. Only one disgruntled customer, from the day before, even. Someone who works for Walmart and didn't like the fact that he was charged $15.95, less his Walmart 20% discount for a haircut that lasted approximately (according to him) 5-7 minutes when he can get it for less elsewhere. These are the frustrating things we hear about, quite regularly...even when I worked at a salon that charged more, we heard this. Unfortunately, for people who don't have a whole lot of hair (for a variety of reasons), we don't charge by the strand, or by the minute. Sigh....So, I get to talk to him later (I used to work with him), and offer up the 1-800 number for him to call to voice his complaint. The fun part?? He did receive a 20% discount for his haircut. And he paid for it, without protest, until after the fact. Can you see me rolling my eyes??
Stella actually asked me quite a few questions last night, from how to handle irate customers (which we don't get very often, really...you know the kind, verbally abusive, flipping out...) to what kind of haircut that requires little to no effort for her grown daughter to wear. She did suggest, and I'm inclined to agree, that a salon meeting should be done on either a Sunday (not at closing, though...I have no interest in staying late on a Sunday) or a Monday morning. So, I'll be looking at the calendar, deciding when to do this. I feel it's important, and I need to set the tone for everything. I need to let them all know that I'm watching, I'm aware, and that they need to come to me for help. I wasn't willing before because I didn't have official permission, and I'm not about to step into things on my own. (have done that before to disastrous results). Okay, wait a minute....what it really was is that I would see things and not step in and say something, as I felt it wasn't my place. I guess that's unwilling??
Anyway...it should be interesting how things go. I already had to get after Rita for having her cellphone on the floor. Going to have to establish the rules about that one, which are clearly stated in the Regis manual. And I'm going to have to be clear on the fact that while my delivery on some things may be on the more "playful" side, I'm serious when I'm speaking to you about these things. Good times, they are a'comin'!
Stella actually asked me quite a few questions last night, from how to handle irate customers (which we don't get very often, really...you know the kind, verbally abusive, flipping out...) to what kind of haircut that requires little to no effort for her grown daughter to wear. She did suggest, and I'm inclined to agree, that a salon meeting should be done on either a Sunday (not at closing, though...I have no interest in staying late on a Sunday) or a Monday morning. So, I'll be looking at the calendar, deciding when to do this. I feel it's important, and I need to set the tone for everything. I need to let them all know that I'm watching, I'm aware, and that they need to come to me for help. I wasn't willing before because I didn't have official permission, and I'm not about to step into things on my own. (have done that before to disastrous results). Okay, wait a minute....what it really was is that I would see things and not step in and say something, as I felt it wasn't my place. I guess that's unwilling??
Anyway...it should be interesting how things go. I already had to get after Rita for having her cellphone on the floor. Going to have to establish the rules about that one, which are clearly stated in the Regis manual. And I'm going to have to be clear on the fact that while my delivery on some things may be on the more "playful" side, I'm serious when I'm speaking to you about these things. Good times, they are a'comin'!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Separating the positive from the negative
So, after a long talk yesterday, Tammy made me acting salon manager. The way the money works is interesting, as that's where they "get" you. I will receive managers pay as long as I make commission. If I don't make commission, I don't receive manager's pay. Get to do the work, but don't get to have the pay. So, this may be only a temporary thing for me. We'll see. We did only just open slightly less than two months ago, so we're still building our client base. I also found out, from doing a small amount of digging in Facebook, that Becky got done with SmartStyles May 31st. So, when we saw her right before that, she was on her way out. Explains the "look" she gave me when I got all smarty pants on her and introduced myself to her.
Tammy and I talked about quite a few things, mainly the issues we're having with Rita & Stella. And, there's a LOT. With Rita, it's a lot of petty little things, from dress code, the constant sitting, her family/friends hanging around the salon...stupid things, really. Professionally (in terms of how she does her job), she needs to work on her finish of a haircut....cross checking to make sure the haircut is even, blended, things like that. We also discussed how to handle what happened on Sunday. Which won't be happening again. Partly because Stella and Rita are being separated in the schedule. I will wind up working two Sunday's in a row and one of them will have two Sunday's off in a row to straighten that part out. Teaching her how to conduct herself "professionally" will be a separate issue that may never be learned, on her part. Sigh...
Stella: She was the last one hired and may be the first one to go. She's prompt, punctual (as far as getting to work on time) and patient with children. A bonus in our salon, since we see a LOT of little kids (and I have almost no patience with them!!). From what I understand, she has almost no experience with anything. Her haircuts leave a lot to be desired, apparently, her color applications aren't the greatest. And, she's still under her 60 days probationary period. Which may be my saving grace when it comes to keeping her.
Tammy and I talked about quite a few things, mainly the issues we're having with Rita & Stella. And, there's a LOT. With Rita, it's a lot of petty little things, from dress code, the constant sitting, her family/friends hanging around the salon...stupid things, really. Professionally (in terms of how she does her job), she needs to work on her finish of a haircut....cross checking to make sure the haircut is even, blended, things like that. We also discussed how to handle what happened on Sunday. Which won't be happening again. Partly because Stella and Rita are being separated in the schedule. I will wind up working two Sunday's in a row and one of them will have two Sunday's off in a row to straighten that part out. Teaching her how to conduct herself "professionally" will be a separate issue that may never be learned, on her part. Sigh...
Stella: She was the last one hired and may be the first one to go. She's prompt, punctual (as far as getting to work on time) and patient with children. A bonus in our salon, since we see a LOT of little kids (and I have almost no patience with them!!). From what I understand, she has almost no experience with anything. Her haircuts leave a lot to be desired, apparently, her color applications aren't the greatest. And, she's still under her 60 days probationary period. Which may be my saving grace when it comes to keeping her.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Bulletins as they happen...
Tammy, the Regional Manager, called yesterday, and I actually got to talk to her, briefly. She let me know that she'd received Rita's messages. (which I found out what one of them was a tad later) She also wanted to know how things were going, which I said "Fine...it's a little quiet right now, but it's good" She also wanted to know if our direct deposit stuff had been dealt with, which it has not. So, she wants us to get all of our stuff together. I asked if she was coming down to take care of it, and she replied that we were pretty far away for her to just come here (she's up in Maine somewhere). She also asked who was taking care of some of the manager stuff, such as ordering and schedules. "I am", I replied. She seemed slightly surprised and yet pleased by my answer. At least, that's how I'm taking it!!
Shortly after I got off the phone with Tammy, Tina came in to work (scheduled) and promptly told me about the shenanigans that went on Sunday. The Rita and Stella show was at it, again. Stella needed her regrowth touched up. She's a full head of color, due to her hair being WHITE. So, she's had a level 5 all over with fairly heavy highlights through the top. What she now has is a hot mess. Rita had asked me what should she do about adding an extra color to Stella's mix...she saw some highs & lows in a book that had red involved. Seriously, I don't even remember what I told her, however, Rita knew she didn't do whatever I'd said, which is why Stella's hair is a mess.
Stella currently has very HOT roots (because the formula didn't have any N in it to accommodate for the white), and the bleach that was used a) wasn't left on long enough, and b) didn't have a strong enough developer involved. So, her highlighted areas are ORANGE. And, I refused to step in to help her fix this mess. Why?? Well, here's what happened Sunday.
Tina came in on time, for 9:45. Rita was due in around the same time. She was an hour late, with no phone call. Stella came in when she was supposed to. It was quiet for a bit, so Rita and Stella decided to do Stella's hair. Problem number 1: the rule book states you can't do each other's hair during busy times. While it wasn't busy at this particular moment, Sunday is one of our busier days. Problem number 2: Stella stayed "on the clock" to get her hair done. If she was getting a shampoo/blow dry, or maybe a wax, this wouldn't be such a big deal. But, she wasn't. Problem number 3: This hair color project (because that's what it turned into) lasted ALL DAY because frick and frack do NOT know what they are doing.
Tina was smart enough to continually feed haircuts to Rita all day long, keeping the bigger processes to herself. Stella wound up doing a whopping 4 clients to Rita's 8 and Tina's 6. Tina was quite upset (angry, really) while telling me this story. So, I suggested she call Tammy and leave her a message about it. At first, she didn't want to "tattle" on the girls. Then, I pointed out how much was wrong with the whole thing. That's when she called Tammy. What Tammy will do about it, I'm not sure. I'm hoping she calls back today, so we can get some stuff straightened out.
Sigh.....
Shortly after I got off the phone with Tammy, Tina came in to work (scheduled) and promptly told me about the shenanigans that went on Sunday. The Rita and Stella show was at it, again. Stella needed her regrowth touched up. She's a full head of color, due to her hair being WHITE. So, she's had a level 5 all over with fairly heavy highlights through the top. What she now has is a hot mess. Rita had asked me what should she do about adding an extra color to Stella's mix...she saw some highs & lows in a book that had red involved. Seriously, I don't even remember what I told her, however, Rita knew she didn't do whatever I'd said, which is why Stella's hair is a mess.
Stella currently has very HOT roots (because the formula didn't have any N in it to accommodate for the white), and the bleach that was used a) wasn't left on long enough, and b) didn't have a strong enough developer involved. So, her highlighted areas are ORANGE. And, I refused to step in to help her fix this mess. Why?? Well, here's what happened Sunday.
Tina came in on time, for 9:45. Rita was due in around the same time. She was an hour late, with no phone call. Stella came in when she was supposed to. It was quiet for a bit, so Rita and Stella decided to do Stella's hair. Problem number 1: the rule book states you can't do each other's hair during busy times. While it wasn't busy at this particular moment, Sunday is one of our busier days. Problem number 2: Stella stayed "on the clock" to get her hair done. If she was getting a shampoo/blow dry, or maybe a wax, this wouldn't be such a big deal. But, she wasn't. Problem number 3: This hair color project (because that's what it turned into) lasted ALL DAY because frick and frack do NOT know what they are doing.
Tina was smart enough to continually feed haircuts to Rita all day long, keeping the bigger processes to herself. Stella wound up doing a whopping 4 clients to Rita's 8 and Tina's 6. Tina was quite upset (angry, really) while telling me this story. So, I suggested she call Tammy and leave her a message about it. At first, she didn't want to "tattle" on the girls. Then, I pointed out how much was wrong with the whole thing. That's when she called Tammy. What Tammy will do about it, I'm not sure. I'm hoping she calls back today, so we can get some stuff straightened out.
Sigh.....
Friday, June 3, 2011
What a fabulous red!!
Yesterday was an incredibly busy day for me! Started out small, then built to the point I was busy all night!! WOOT WOOT!! What was funny was most of the time that I was hopping, others were, well, NOT. If the rest of this week stays on trend, I could hit commission this week!! (3rd time in 7 weeks!!) Not only was I hopping, I had request clients...YAY me!!!
My last client of the night was a new client. She's been coloring her hair red at home, and having irritating results because A) she's using permanent color every time, and B) Red fades. Her color closest to the root was this great deep red copper....not a natural shade of red, mind you, but a fabulous shade, none the less. When I brought out the swatches to get a match, she was mostly 6RC(red copper) on top, but, she was 8CG(copper gold) on the ends. Normally, I stay away from the R's because they tend to look purpley. This time, however, it's what the client wanted. So, I used 6RC, 6CG, with a titch of 7R. What a vibrant, vivid red!!
She came in just before 8pm. I got to her just after 8pm. After the consultation, (including price) I mixed color and started applying at 8:15pm. While her hair wasn't terribly long, she has a LOT of hair (and. thankfully, medium texture, too), so it took me a good 20 minutes and one remix to get her hair covered. Popped the cap on her head and let her process for 20 minutes. Rinsed her, shampooed her, conditioned her...BEAUTIFUL color!!! Got her back to my chair and gave her the cut she asked for...long layers, shagged out with the razor. I over quoted her on the price, so I adjusted it accordingly, and got a big, fat tip for my efforts because she loved the whole thing!! WOOT WOOT!!
I really do love my job.
My last client of the night was a new client. She's been coloring her hair red at home, and having irritating results because A) she's using permanent color every time, and B) Red fades. Her color closest to the root was this great deep red copper....not a natural shade of red, mind you, but a fabulous shade, none the less. When I brought out the swatches to get a match, she was mostly 6RC(red copper) on top, but, she was 8CG(copper gold) on the ends. Normally, I stay away from the R's because they tend to look purpley. This time, however, it's what the client wanted. So, I used 6RC, 6CG, with a titch of 7R. What a vibrant, vivid red!!
She came in just before 8pm. I got to her just after 8pm. After the consultation, (including price) I mixed color and started applying at 8:15pm. While her hair wasn't terribly long, she has a LOT of hair (and. thankfully, medium texture, too), so it took me a good 20 minutes and one remix to get her hair covered. Popped the cap on her head and let her process for 20 minutes. Rinsed her, shampooed her, conditioned her...BEAUTIFUL color!!! Got her back to my chair and gave her the cut she asked for...long layers, shagged out with the razor. I over quoted her on the price, so I adjusted it accordingly, and got a big, fat tip for my efforts because she loved the whole thing!! WOOT WOOT!!
I really do love my job.
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