Drama Drama Drama

[ashiesg]

I work at AAFES why? well I live in a border town can't get a job in my profession due to not being bilingal.
Anyway Pay sucks! AAFES prices are like that of Dillards, Macys, Spegel,Belks and other high priced dept stores. And yet they pay us like one would make at the dollar store.
They work us twice as hard, don't allow one to move up unless you've been there for sometime regardless of one's educational level.
Here we have a manager who is stubbed nose looks at you like your beneth her and check this out "GED" material I have a masters! dont figure. anyway we also have a store manager who down talks her own supervisiors and calls the others non-management Dingbats!! How lame is this?
I was asked by our store manager about a pair of shoes I had one She asked if I purchased them here, I replied hell no! I bought them at TJMAXX for a 1/3 of what they would cost me here, her reply was I can't state that due to me working at AAFES i returned the gesture by informing her that I won't lie just because I work at AAFES.
i was told that they "Dallas" has a price who investigates prices and charge what she finds, I replied she must only compare to Saks or Dillards.
I seen one day some money was found on the floor, they held this money 1 day then deposited in their petty cash account. This is stealing and fraud..
I also know from working at a shoplet, we have the leave the penny take a penny, sometimes the AIT guys would tell us to keep the change and when busy we forget to put it in the take the penny leave the penny box, well at the end of the day we are to deposit it in the AAFES account again this is fruad. It is not their money
Oh check this one out guys. We had a new boss and she was working us a hour longer then scheduled, of course I was new and didn't release this and when I noticed it brought it to her attention she then started closing earlier but would not give us back pay for the weeks we worked over.
And fellow workers They do not follow the hippa, private information law. Trust me I have overheard them telling everything..

[Disgruntled]

Reading your post gave me a headache.

Rule number one if you want to be taken seriously--don't brag about having a Master's degree if you write like an 8th grade dropout.

Having said that, I am not aware of any rules that preclude bragging about a bargain you got elsewhere. Your exchange should also have a price surveyor who goes out and checks the local stores for prices. You should take those shoes to him or her and suggest a trip to T. J. Maxx. Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter because T.J.'s stock is usually overruns from  the previous system and therefore wouldn't be good for real comparison.

The "keep the change" money is NOT yours, either. You are NOT allowed to pocket that change as a "tip"! To do so would be considered theft by YOU, no matter what the customer's intent. If a security camera catches you pocketing that change from the till, you would be SOL. Generally, it should be treated as having been given to the exchange to help out the next customer.

The found money, however, should have been written up, you should have been issued a slip and the money held for 30 days. If not claimed by then, you should then be given the money. What they did is not direct theft, per se, but conversion.

The working over should be addressed with your HRM. Did you punch a time clock or log in at the Kronos site to document your time? You need to be able to prove you worked the extra or it becomes your word against your manager's and you know how THAT goes.

[NotTelling]

Reading your post gave me a headache.

Rule number one if you want to be taken seriously--don't brag about having a Master's degree if you write like an 8th grade dropout.

Having said that, I am not aware of any rules that preclude bragging about a bargain you got elsewhere. Your exchange should also have a price surveyor who goes out and checks the local stores for prices. You should take those shoes to him or her and suggest a trip to T. J. Maxx. Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter because T.J.'s stock is usually overruns from  the previous system and therefore wouldn't be good for real comparison.

The "keep the change" money is NOT yours, either. You are NOT allowed to pocket that change as a "tip"! To do so would be considered theft by YOU, no matter what the customer's intent. If a security camera catches you pocketing that change from the till, you would be SOL. Generally, it should be treated as having been given to the exchange to help out the next customer.

The found money, however, should have been written up, you should have been issued a slip and the money held for 30 days. If not claimed by then, you should then be given the money. What they did is not direct theft, per se, but conversion.

The working over should be addressed with your HRM. Did you punch a time clock or log in at the Kronos site to document your time? You need to be able to prove you worked the extra or it becomes your word against your manager's and you know how THAT goes.

Disgruntled, I haven't picked up on whether you are an aafes manager or not. Most of your posts I both agree and disagree with. This is one of them.

To the original poster. You may actually have a Master's Degree. Trust me, they are a dime a dozen and are no guarantee of employment. I have two.  The key to education is to choose a discipline in which there are opportunities in the job market. It may be that you have done so, but like many, simply refuse to move to the jobs.  As an example, if you have a Master's Degree in computer programming, don't expect a wealth of jobs in Calexico California. If you aren't willing to move to a large city, or the Silicon Valley, you won't have much opportunity. It is also necessary you market yourself, network and present your resume and yourself properly to get a good job.  AAFES would very likely, readily take you into their management trainee program with your degree.

Now, as for the money you have found. It is aafes policy that you turn the money in, the manager on duty and the cash cage are responsible for informing you that you have to fill out a form. Believe it or not, customer's do show up and ask for lost money. Rare, but it happens.

Although POLICY for aafes, there is no law saying you have to turn the money in to them. Another of their rules, not law. Disgruntled, I don't think aafes wants to openly admit to conversion - legally defined:

The unlawful appropriation of another's property.

Hmm....sounds like a crime to me.

[ashiesg]

to the mystery shopper, I wasn't bragging about having a master's I was merely using it as history to the event and why jobs on a border town are hard to get, which is what lead me to working for AAFES
I finally got a job in my profession lately.
I still claim that AAFES sucks
I personally seen how the branch works. I have seen managers talk about each other like dogs I have heard the store manager curse on several occurances.
I have heard the managers interviewing in one case and turned about and lied about one of the interviews to the General Manager on post about it, claiming she cursed at them saying "kiss my ass" this didn't happen.
Oh, miss mystery shopper, they know you are there and trust me if you listen to the intercom when you walk in you'll hear several sam's being called that you are there.
Why do you think AAFES hires their own myster shoppers?
I can personally vouch that Fort Bliss in the store room has found merchandise that wasn't turned over to the MP's, such as gold rings, high end watches, video cameras.
As for the money I didn't say I pocketed it, I said AAFES put it in their deposit instead of leaving it in the leave a penny take a penny box.

[TheFreud]

How does one get to be a mystery shopper?! How I would LOVE that opportunity!

... still never got that PM from AAFESManager regarding my pop quiz for his store. Makes you wonder, don't it? Hard to volunteer for a test when you know you and your team will come in like athletes from the special olympics at the Super Bowl.

[ashiesg]

to be an aafes mystery shopper you need to go on line aafes.com and you'll see as you scroll down Be a Mystery shopper,
You can not be an employee of aafes though

[TJ]

And did you bother to investigate what opportunities might be available to you, you who supposedly has a master's degree?  I was hired as an INT making just barely more than minimum wage at a Shoppette exactly three weeks after graduating college.  My original intent was just to make some money while I sent my resume out, etc.  When my supervisor found out I had a college degree, I was told to check with HR about the college trainee program - if you have a college degree, they have a program to train you to be a manager (in retail, food or HR).  I applied and was promoted into the program eight months after starting with AAFES.  Although I was lucky that I had a supervisor who had gone through the same program and knew to recommend it to me, you cannot always depend on others to tell you what to do.  Take some initiative and search out ways to better yourself.  I have had issues with AAFES over the years (both as a customer and an employee), but if you didn't seek out job opportunities within AAFES that fit with your experience and education, that's not AAFES' fault.

And on another note, yes people can be promoted to management without a college degree, but not without putting in many years learning the business - in other words, attending the school of experience.  The fact that your manager didn't have a degree doesn't mean anything - his/her experience does.

[Disgruntled]

You got lucky, then, because when I walked into an AAFES HR office, I had a degree, too. I applied for the CT program. Meanwhile I was hired as an INT while waiting for my application to process. However, it turns out that if you start working as an hourly, you must wait to be "recommended" for the CT program via the little box on your PER. Unfortunately, I didn't have supervisors who were willing to recommend ANYONE for ANYTHING that might mean competition for them.

I work with more than a dozen people with degrees who have worked with AAFES for years. Each of them was told when they were hired that there was a CT program and that they could be considered--IF their supervisor recommended them. The only people I saw promoted to management were the ones sleeping with the managers. The rest are still working at their hourly jobs or left years ago.

I am not a manager, but I do OK.

[footballyears.net]

I work at AAFES why? well I live in a border town can't get a job in my profession due to not being bilingal.
Anyway Pay sucks! AAFES prices are like that of Dillards, Macys, Spegel,Belks and other high priced dept stores. And yet they pay us like one would make at the dollar store.
They work us twice as hard, don't allow one to move up unless you've been there for sometime regardless of one's educational level.
Here we have a manager who is stubbed nose looks at you like your beneth her and check this out "GED" material I have a masters! dont figure. anyway we also have a store manager who down talks her own supervisiors and calls the others non-management Dingbats!! How lame is this?
I was asked by our store manager about a pair of shoes I had one She asked if I purchased them here, I replied hell no! I bought them at TJMAXX for a 1/3 of what they would cost me here, her reply was I can't state that due to me working at AAFES i returned the gesture by informing her that I won't lie just because I work at AAFES.
i was told that they "Dallas" has a price who investigates prices and charge what she finds, I replied she must ogreat day to you allnly compare to Saks or Dillards.
I seen one day some money was found on the floor, they held this money 1 day then deposited in their petty cash account. This is stealing and fraud..
I also know from working at a shoplet, we have the leave the penny take a penny, sometimes the AIT guys would tell us to keep the change and when busy we forget to put it in the take the penny leave the penny box, well at the end of the day we are to deposit it in the AAFES account again this is fruad. It is not their money
Oh check this one out guys. We had a new boss and she was working us a hour longer then scheduled, of course I was new and didn't release this and when I noticed it brought it to her attention she then started closing earlier but would not give us back pay for the weeks we worked over.
And fellow workers They do not follow the hippa, private information law. Trust me I have overheard them telling everything..

[TXAAFES]

And did you bother to investigate what opportunities might be available to you, you who supposedly has a master's degree?  I was hired as an INT making just barely more than minimum wage at a Shoppette exactly three weeks after graduating college.  My original intent was just to make some money while I sent my resume out, etc.  When my supervisor found out I had a college degree, I was told to check with HR about the college trainee program - if you have a college degree, they have a program to train you to be a manager (in retail, food or HR).  I applied and was promoted into the program eight months after starting with AAFES.  Although I was lucky that I had a supervisor who had gone through the same program and knew to recommend it to me, you cannot always depend on others to tell you what to do.  Take some initiative and search out ways to better yourself.  I have had issues with AAFES over the years (both as a customer and an employee), but if you didn't seek out job opportunities within AAFES that fit with your experience and education, that's not AAFES' fault.

And on another note, yes people can be promoted to management without a college degree, but not without putting in many years learning the business - in other words, attending the school of experience.  The fact that your manager didn't have a degree doesn't mean anything - his/her experience does.

Nice post TJ!
I don't have an extended education such as a degree however I do have the on the job experience.
When I started working for AAFES 13 years ago the pay I was making was $6.36 an hr as an INT 3 days a week now I make $12.70 as an NF2.
 We are worked pretty hard and are pushed to rush to get the job done having to pull 250 cases an hour as quick as possible.
Promotions are hard to get due to non-mobile managers which leave us floor workers in limbo.
 However 5 or 6 years into my new career I not only was given a supervisor position but 1 year into that I was recommended to the Manager Roster as I was told it was called.
There are several people where I work that have degrees and have not actually had them documented in the OPF(Official Personnel Folder) in HR which don't do them any good unless they do the college trainee program TJ talked about.
 Going that route is the best thing to do if you plan on staying with AAFES. I have seen College trainees come and go and a few of them are still in Dallas at HQ making some good pocket change.
 Excuse the back and forth I have a severe focus problem ADD/ADHD.

At WADC if money or anything is found I'm happy to say its turned in to LP and if it is not claimed who ever turned it in can claim it. Also as TJ stated if your worked over which is anything over 8 hrs is overtime its documented in kronos and is paid, and as for back pay its paid and with interest.
A guy I work with was not given step increases for three years and just recently as of a month ago he was told he would be getting the step increases and the back-pay with interest that he was owed.

If you have a manager who talks down to you this can be reported AAFES has a 1-800 number that can be called and this is all anonymous.
Report it as abuse of authority If you don't it won't get corrected!! 

Thats the problem with alot of AAFES associates they complain but do nothing about it. 
Private information is just that Private! But if co-workers are talking about it then it must not be to private.

The prices I pay are lower than Dillard's and no Macy's around here to compare to Spiegel and belk I don't shop at. However we do have wal-mart and target which are priced so so, But AAFES has a price match program just like target and wal-mart do.

[TheFreud]

The prices I pay are lower than Dillard's and no Macy's around here to compare to Spiegel and belk I don't shop at. However we do have wal-mart and target which are priced so so, But AAFES has a price match program just like target and wal-mart do. [/color]

And how exactly does price matching in the states to Wal-Mart help us poor saps stationed overseas?
They won;t match an online ad... and trying to price match on the economy is a joke given the exchange rate and associates who would rather stand there and argue- making it more a hassle than just buying the item. AAFES is somewhat a surplus in the states... here it is more a necessary evil, and they know they have us pinned.

[mommy34]

I could not even imagine price challenging overseas.  The morons working at the PX here in the states hassle people who price challenge all of the time.  When you challenge within $10.00 they are not supposed to question you. If they do you can go straight to the GM. If the GM is smart he or she will give you a gift card worth more than what you were trying to challenge the product for.  People at this post have received as much as a $100.00 gift card for their trouble with a cashier. 

I actually had a man come into our store one night because the morons at the 24 hour shopette refused to take his change. I called down there to raise some hell.  He was already feeling embarrassed about being broke, they made it worse by refusing to accept  the coins he was trying to pay with.  When working on or around a military base employees need to be ready to receive a mess load of change in between pay days.

[ScottTenorman]

The prices I pay are lower than Dillard's and no Macy's around here to compare to Spiegel and belk I don't shop at. However we do have wal-mart and target which are priced so so, But AAFES has a price match program just like target and wal-mart do. [/color]

And how exactly does price matching in the states to Wal-Mart help us poor saps stationed overseas?
They won;t match an online ad... and trying to price match on the economy is a joke given the exchange rate and associates who would rather stand there and argue- making it more a hassle than just buying the item. AAFES is somewhat a surplus in the states... here it is more a necessary evil, and they know they have us pinned.

Thats exactly it, they have you pinned. I lived in Germany for 3 years and my only options were to get corn-holed by the exchange rate, or to get double corn-holed by shopping at AAFES.

Terrible selection, employees who almost never knew the departments they worked in, really bad hassle if you tried to return something, and the basic inability to keep anything stocked. The beauty for them is, they don't have to be a good company, cause you're gonna shop there anyway! Whoopeeee! I always loved spending $6-$7 for a meal at Taco Bell, because if I didnt pay that exorbitant amount, I wasnt getting Taco Bell.

[Disgruntled]

At WADC if money or anything is found I'm happy to say its turned in to LP and if it is not claimed who ever turned it in can claim it. Also as TJ stated if your worked over which is anything over 8 hrs is overtime its documented in kronos and is paid, and as for back pay its paid and with interest.
A guy I work with was not given step increases for three years and just recently as of a month ago he was told he would be getting the step increases and the back-pay with interest that he was owed.

Our area LP manager says that money turned in belongs to AAFES no matter who found it and under what circumstances.

I know how Kronos works and I know the HQ people who manage it. It does NOT pay the OT unless your LMS operator overrides it with management approval. Kronos is programmed to only pay for the hours in one's schedule. Anything worked outside the schedule without that override and you are SOL.

Back pay? I can guarantee you he didn't get that money out of the goodness of their hearts. I know for a fact it took intervention. In over two decades, I have NEVER seen AAFES give anyone back pay without a fight, several grievances and the threat of a lawsuit. The "interest" part tells me that is what the man had to do.

If you are at Waco, then you should know better.

[mommy34]

When we received a raise earlier this month we were told we would get back pay for the beginning of January.  A few days later they decided we would not receive back pay. I wasn't even shocked. I just knew we would be screwed over yet again.

The few times I have found change and dollar bills on the floor of our store, I brought it to the register and gave it to customers who needed it.  I felt I was there to help soldiers and their families. Not to help AAFES make an extra buck.