Still Mad at Costco

It's been a couple weeks now since I was fired from my job at Costco after only a couple months. And while I know it's for the better (the schedule of approximately 3 am to 1130 was wearing on me, particularly with having to go to school right after), I'm still a bit mad at being let go like I was, for a couple reasons.

The first reason is that my manager, the one who signed my termination paperwork, wasn't even there to do the actual firing. She had someone else do her dirty work. If you're going to be a manager, grow a backbone. 

Second, they let me work a whole shift and then fired me. That's just a giant waste of my time. If you're going to fire someone, do it at the beginning of the day, before they have a chance to do that much more socializing with their coworkers. And more importantly, before they give that much more time of their life to you. 

Third, I missed quite a lot of work days due to being sick in my first couple months there. Which is uncharacteristic of me, but the timing for me getting real sick was just not in my favor. However, that wasn't the reason they fired me. They expressed it as a concern, but it was not the actual reason. Had that been the reason, I'd be less mad. I can understand firing someone for that reason. 

Fourth, the actual reason that I wasn't being productive enough. And this is where I call bullshit. I was just as productive as many of the others that started around the same time I did. I know this because I could see them working in the rows across from me and we were all moving along at about the same pace. Throw in the fact that, being a bigger guy, I was many times asked to help someone move heavier items or gets stuff from/to hard to reach places, and I'd dare say I was working at a better pace that some of my coworkers (not to say I couldn't be faster, but that was something I assumed would come over time). And for being unproductive, I will note that I lost fifteen pounds in two months of working there. That's with missing two weeks of work due to being sick and without changing anything else in my lifestyle. Day in and day out in that place I came home sweaty and I just don't feel like that would've been the case had I not been productive in my work (for that line of work, which was stocking for those that don't know).

Fifth, and this relates to the fourth, for all my manager's complaints about my productivity, not once did she have any advice as to how I could speed up. Not once did she seem to watch what I was doing to see if there were any steps I could add or cut out in order to stock quicker. My training, which was two days as opposed to the week the employee handbook says it should be, was done by an 18 year old kid that had only worked there a month himself, didn't give a shit about the job, and just wanted to talk about girls. Don't get me wrong, I don't think a job like stocking needs a whole week of training, but a decent trainer shouldn't be too much to ask for (for anyone for any job). My manager knew this, but did nothing to try and correct it. 

Finally, one of the things my manager mentioned at my 30 day review is that I was good with customers (in fact I'm usually pretty great with customers) and was knowledgeable about the store and all of that. But instead of offering me a chance to work in a different department (something I'd already expressed interest in), I was fired. I know no one really expects great customer service for Costco. You go in to get a bunch of stuff in bulk and then, after waiting in line for an hour, you get out. However, good customer service can, and often is, the difference between a customer getting all they can from their shopping list or not getting a couple items because they can't find them. Multiply that by however many customers do that (which I know for fact to be a lot) and that's a lot of money not made. 

Anyways, as I said to start, it's probably for the best I didn't keep that job. I'm not so mad that I'll never have a Costco membership again; chances are once I finally get my GI Bill money I'll be getting another membership and buying large bottles of liquor again. But that doesn't mean I'll ever quit looking upon working there as a bitter experience. 

If nothing else, it was another experience in the civilian world that makes me wonder if leaving active duty wasn't one of the biggest mistakes of my life.