farewell

Employee Insights

Updates from the bottom rung

Karin Allen

Cabela’s Outfitter • Gifts & Fudge - Grand Junction • August 22, 2013

Farewell Cabela’s:

After a full year as a Cabela’s Outfitter, I am moving on.  It’s been an eye opening experience working on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.  I tell my friends I’m just learning how not to run my multi-million dollar corporation when the time comes.

The latest round of new hires are coming aboard, full of the core values and indoctrinated into the Cabela’s corporate culture. It’s good stuff, and I was enthusiastic to become part of the team when I first walked out to the floor. There are a lot of great, dedicated Outfitters on the floor, in spite of how we are often treated (or ignored) by management.  

I was taken under the wing of my co-workers on my first day.  I got to watch fudge and nuts being made and learned how to serve it to customers. I had a general tour of the gifts department and it was okay.  When I showed up for my second day, there was no one but me in the department.  I was baffled, but I knew how to dispense fudge and I spent my time dusting and getting familiar with products on the shelves. 

This week, our new hire trumped my experience.  She showed up for her very first shift and there was no one, NO ONE, in her department to welcome her or show her what to do.  I’m embarrassed for Cabela’s and so sorry for our new employee.  I was looking forward to training someone before I left, but I guess the next fudge maker will have to figure out their own fudge “voodoo”.

cha cha cha changes

The revolving door of retail turnover 

Why is Cabela’s shooting itself in the foot?

Employee turnover costs U.S. employers something like 4 billion dollars annually. (It must be true - I saw it somewhere on the internet)

We have had a huge amount of turnover in our little store since I’ve been here. I’ve tried to address some of the issues that contribute to that in past insights, but it seems that every new policy handed down from above just keeps making it worse.

Penny wise and pound foolish:

28 hour work week for part time employees- This new policy makes it just about impossible for part time employees to make a living anywhere and it is becoming the norm across the retail nation.  28 hours is not enough to get by at $9 an hour. And if you are working 28 hours, it is extremely difficult to find or hold down a second job without giving up any chance of  “work / life balance”.  There is not even the carrot of working more hours at Christmas anymore.  Worst of all, the buzz wants us to blame Obamacare for this latest indignity.

Obamacare is trying to make healthcare more affordable and inclusive.  It is corporate greed that is to blame.  Cabela’s could choose to treat it’s employees with the respect they deserve by simply paying us a living wage and including health care in the deal instead of cutting our hours so they don’t have to pay for any potentially mandated insurance.  By restructuring the pay scale and including real health insurance, Cabela’s (or any large retailer) could probably pay for it in reduced employee turnover.  Once employees feel secure with their benefits and are payed more than enough to cover their basic living expenses....they might get to become CONSUMERS again and that is good for business all the way around.