I'm not a manager. I have no interest for reasons I don't have time to post right now. A lot of managers get a bonus every quarter and a big one each year. However, there's certain things out of your control that for some stupid reason can hurt the bonus. I feel it's unfair and just one of many reasons I wouldn't want to be a manager. For example, another employee may get a bad review from a secret shopper. Because of that, you'll be punished when bonus time comes around. Why??? The power goes out for 20 hours. The company has no back up generators. You lose a lot of product. It hurts the gross. That hurts your bonus. Not your fault. Can't this be inventoried separately and not counted against you? All your hard work down the toilet.
If this has hapened to you or someone you know, what do you think about it?
Bonus? hahahahahahahahahahahaha! That's hilarious, Leon. We used to get a turkey for Christmas. We don't even get that anymore. At one time it was theoretically possible for the manager to get a bonus, but the company once had a particularly good quarter, everyone made their bonus, so management raised the bar to the point where it is absolutely impossible--and no one even tries for them now.
I agree, as soon as your team reaches a level in sales and performance, another stumbling block is imposed to restrict your bonus potential. They usually just reduce our labor percentage if we make to much gain share.
I'm not a manager. I have no interest for reasons I don't have time to post right now. A lot of managers get a bonus every quarter and a big one each year. However, there's certain things out of your control that for some stupid reason can hurt the bonus. I feel it's unfair and just one of many reasons I wouldn't want to be a manager. For example, another employee may get a bad review from a secret shopper. Because of that, you'll be punished when bonus time comes around. Why??? The power goes out for 20 hours. The company has no back up generators. You lose a lot of product. It hurts the gross. That hurts your bonus. Not your fault. Can't this be inventoried separately and not counted against you? All your hard work down the toilet.
If this has hapened to you or someone you know, what do you think about it?
Well, it's just a fact of life in the business world, that management comes with more responsibility than authority. It was true for me when I was a meat manager and it's true for me in my second career. Several factors of my bonus depend on the general health of the business in areas I have no control over. I have no quarrel with that though.
I'm not a manager. I have no interest for reasons I don't have time to post right now. A lot of managers get a bonus every quarter and a big one each year. However, there's certain things out of your control that for some stupid reason can hurt the bonus. I feel it's unfair and just one of many reasons I wouldn't want to be a manager. For example, another employee may get a bad review from a secret shopper. Because of that, you'll be punished when bonus time comes around. Why??? The power goes out for 20 hours. The company has no back up generators. You lose a lot of product. It hurts the gross. That hurts your bonus. Not your fault. Can't this be inventoried separately and not counted against you? All your hard work down the toilet.
If this has hapened to you or someone you know, what do you think about it?
Well, it's just a fact of life in the business world, that management comes with more responsibility than authority. It was true for me when I was a meat manager and it's true for me in my second career. Several factors of my bonus depend on the general health of the business in areas I have no control over. I have no quarrel with that though.
Jim
But you might have a quarrel with it if I worked for you and I got a bad review from a secret shopper and it cost you a lot of your bonus. I know a former Safeway meat manager who (according to him, why would he lie?) this happened to. No, I wasn't the guy who got the bad review.
Is it possible that as a manager he is expected to set an example and if one of the people who works under him has a bad attitude then he is responsible either for not setting a good example on how to behave as a professional or for not reprimanding the employee with a bad attitude in a timely manner before a customer secret shopper or otherwise was offended?
One company I worked for years ago explained at the hiring that if business is good and there is extra money then a bonus will be given. If business has not been so good and there isn't so much extra money then a bonus will not be given. That makes sense to me. If the power is out for 20 hours; sure it isn't anyone's fault but it hurts the company financially so the extra money may not be there to give the full bonus. So it may be eliminated or reduced. Again that makes sense to me.
Now on secret shoppers. Years ago I was working the late shift at Giant and it was 11 PM and my job was to break down all the shelves on our 48 foot Triple decker and wash them by myself. (I am sure i don't have to remind you all of how thin we were spread). Well its late and I am exhausted and I have a ton of work to do and this ninny of a secret shopper picks that moment to come in and push my buttons. She came in with a clip board and came right to the section I had broken down and started asking me to run back in and bring out multiple items just so she could look at them. I am talking about smoked hams and picnics. Things nobody in their right mind buys at 11 at night. She was clearly testing me. I don't remember exactly what I said but at some point I lost my cool and I probably said :Just F*** off or something along those lines.
So out comes her note pad and she starts writing something down then she picks up her cell phone and calls the night manager up front to come back so she can make her complaints. The manager just stood there going "okay okay" and never said a word to me then walked away and I never heard anything about it from anyone. I think that complaint just went in the garbage.
-- Edited by fdarn on Sunday 23rd of February 2014 12:59:18 AM
the retail grocery business is a whore's business-sometimes a race to the bottom on prices and give-aways (think of selling thanksgiving turkeys far below cost)
because of walmart, and other huge box stores, everyones margins are thinner,,we are all struggling just to maintain steady sales..
the corporate management like to say they give bonus's for a few good reasons, the first is- the incentive/reward system- better attitudes to achieve better results, the second is,,,your base pay can be lower but potential for bonus's can make up for this- takes some pressure off payrolls.
I've helped set up many meat department goals and bonus's - not just for meat managers, but for the whole crew .. and sometimes this works out great- but here's a catch - I always like to set goals on the meat departments regardless of other departments,,, how they do,,,why should the meat dept. get penalized if you have a poor deli manager or bakery manager??
but most bonus's are contingent of total store bottom line margin- and, unfortunately, many companys wont give just a bonus to one department- all departments or none- which isnt right,,, but other departments complain- they are working with more part timers, and lower paid employees, meat dept personnel should have a higher commitment level being more full time with better benefits.. etc,
the other arguement against bonus's are/is .....say for the year 2011, your bonus was contingent on growing sales by 5% and margins by 2% - say you did this and got a bonus -
but in 2012, and 2013, your dept lost 5% in sales each yr and your margins fell by 4% this could be by increased competition, or this could be by poor management...store-wide or meat dept. and now your payroll % jumped by 3% because of loss sales..
does anyone's pay get cut?? to compensate for poor performance?? ( this is managements arguement for bonus's-its great when the business is making money, but what if the business loses money- do we also adjust payrolls??
while in a heated discussion with one of my bosses about bonus's yrs ago.., he asked a question- if the meat department does 25% of the business, should you also be responsible for 25% of total store expenses???? (utilities/insurances/lease/real estate expenses/equipment/advertising/taxes, etc....then he did just that applied 25% of total expense to the meat department,,,and my higher margin, i was so proud of,,, was reduced to almost nothing
-- Edited by Mainemeatman on Sunday 23rd of February 2014 07:04:29 AM
