I was looking for a job in the Philadelphia area as I was relocating from Chicago.
I found this company on HotJobs and responded to a posting for a public relations job.
I got a phone call from and Alex. I asked if he could give me some information on the company as I had been applying for many job and lost track. He said they're a promotional company that organizes charity events.
This sounded right up my alley as about half my resume is volunteer work. I've organized many cancer walks in my time as well as extensive experience with Rotary International.
They asked if I could come in for an interview before the holidays. (This was late December) I explained that I was living in Chicago but was moving right after the first of the year, but if they really wanted to do an interview before the holidays, I could fly in for a day of two. I would've loved to have had a job set in stone before moving.
He said it wasn't necessary to fly in and to just schedule an interview for when I'd be there.
I told them I was moving January 4th and scheduled and interview for The following Wednesday.
I got a reminder/conformation phone call the morning of the interview. The lady who called said to dress professionally, we are a professional office. Huh? Do they really need to tell people to dress up for an interview? I thought that was a bit odd, but I brushed it off since I'm sure there are people out there that don't have the common sense to not go to a job interview dressed like a slob.
She also told me to bring a copy of my resume. I explained that I had just moved and haven't had a chance to unpack my computer yet, so I would not be able to print out a copy. She that's that was okay since they had my resume on file. Again, huh? If they have it on file, why did they just ask me to bring another?
So I get to the office, which is in a strip building with no sign. I walked in and there were two ladies at the receptionist desk. They both introduced themselves and shook my hand. I was then handed a clipboard with an application and was told to fill it out and attach my resume. I explained again that I didn't have a copy with me because I couldn't print it off my computer that wasn't unpacked yet. Again, they said that was fine, they had one on file.
While in the waiting area, I overheard the receptionist making call after call, setting up interviews. I was wondering how many people they were interviewing.
The office itself seemed bit run down. I was later told that this was because they had just moved in. The company is nation wide, but this office was a brand new location. Supposedly, top management had all just moved from the Pittsburgh and New Jersey offices to set up, which explains why they're setting up so many interviews.
Turns out they're constantly hiring because there so much turn over.in my two months there. Only 2 non-management people were there the whole time. Other came and went. Some would last a week or two, others only a day or two.
What's funny is I found another report on this site dated over a year ago. So I'm curious now as to how brand new this location is.
But getting back on track.
I was called in to the boss' office, where I was again, asked about a copy of my resume. He had logos all over his office of big name charities, including NBA Cares. Being a huge basketball fan, I was totally excited about the idea of working with that.
He gave me a rundown about how the company works with not-for-profits, who hire them to provide the man power for events, which keeps the organizations from having to take away from their task at hand to do fundraising.
We had a brief discussion about my extensive experience with charity and fundraising events.
He then asked: can you survive on $400 a week while you're training?
He said everything sounded good and asked if I could come in to spend a full day with them at an event and based on my evaluation, I'd be asked in for a third and final interview where we'd discuss pay and benefits.
I figured they just wanted to see how I interact with the public, make sure I'm not one of those people that suddenly freezes and becomes shy when put on the spot.
I showed up at 10:30 the next morning, signed some paperwork saying I understood this day was a unpaid and not to expect any compensation for my time today.
There were about 5 other people there for their second round interview. I was introduced to Sai and Tommy. Sai was an assistant manager and Tommy was on day 3. The president, Abe, told me to feel free to ask them any questions about the job, but to save any questions about money for when and if I get to the third interview.
We got into Sai's car and took off. Sai asked me if I had a copy of my resume. Here we go again.
We get to a grocery store and get out of the car. Sai tells me the first thing we do is going in and check in with the manager of the store. We walk in and he tells the manager we're with C.P.E.A. The manager asks you're not-for-profit right? He says yes and the manger gives the go ahead to set up.
We go back to the car and he explains that we're representing this children's organization today and that the proceeds raised fund billboards and amber alerts for missing children. And that we'd be providing free fingerprinting for kids emergency IDs.
Then, he opens the trunk and starts unloading a bunch of toys. When I asked what that was for, he tells me that since 9-11 and hurricane Katrina, so many fraudulent charities have sprung up and pocket donations. Therefore, we're no longer allowed to take a straight cash donation. So now, we have to match the money brought in with the price of a piece of merchandise, that's how they keep track.
Now this sound really odd to me.in all my years of working with charities, the rule had always be the exact opposite. We were not allowed to sell anything. Any merchandise that changed hands had to be labeled a gift and any money that changed hands had to a donation, but the two couldn't be connected.
I thought, maybe the laws are just different in Pennsylvania.
We hung out in front of the store he told me to just greet people ad let him and Tommy do all the talking.
He told me he was impressed with how friendly I was and that he's had people that get so shy out there, they can't even say I to people.
When I started asking questions about the job itself, and how I thought I was applying for a public relations job, not a sales job. He insisted they were not looking to hire sales people, but were looking to hire someone to manage. That I was only out there so that I could understand what they do.
So I'm thinking my job would be to organize these events with the store managers, etc. Okay, that sounds good.
At lunch, I asked about the schedule, and he basically told me that wed be back to the office around 5:00, Monday through Friday, and that Saturdays were optional.
I told him Saturdays were not an option fro me as I'm Seventh Day Adventist and I go to church on Saturdays and will not work on the Sabbath. He said that was fine, Saturdays were totally optional, just a chance for people who want to work an extra day to make some extra money.
About half way through the day, the manager of the store came out and asked about the toys for sale, saying he thought this was a not-for-profit, so why were selling stiff.
Sai gave him the same bit about how selling product was the only we to keep track of the donations since all the fraud charities pocket cash. The manager told us we had to pack up and leave as we could not be soliciting sale.
We finished the last few hours of the day at another store. Sai told me these miscommunications happen from time to time.
Note, this is January and I was in ladies dress shoes with pantyhose. My toes were totally numb.
We got back to the office and I filled out a questionnaire about how my day went.
I went in to talk to Abe and he said that normally, he'd send my evaluation to be reviewed by management, but Sai told him not to do that, he wanted me to start right away. He asked if I could start tomorrow.
He told me I would be working in the field for a few days while I got a feel for how it worked, then I would take over managing it.
I asked how far from the office do will I have to drive. He said within 30 minutes.
With that I accepted the job and went home to excitedly call my family back in Chicago to tell them the good news. I told them I got the job and was starting at $400 a week.
It wasn't until about 4 days after I started that I was told this job was commission only and that I only got paid based on what I sell. That $400 a week that I was quoted at the interview was the average of what I SHOULD be earning.
I first full week went pretty good. Didn't get anywhere near the $400 I was quoted.
Now remember my observation day when he told me the hours we were out there were typical? LIE!
Only observation days finish up by 5:00. Unless we have a second round interview, we're expected to stay out there until 7:00pm.
So a typical day was getting to the office at 8:30 am for morning meeting, then spending 8 hours in the field.
I commented that the hours seems excessive. I mean, do they really expect us to work 14 hour days? I was told hat just because I'm away from home for 14 hours, doesn't mean I'm working 14 hours. They don't consider morning meeting or travel time as on the clock.
On a side note. After a few days, you get old that these events are your own personal business, there for you must invest in it. I get old that I have to go out and buy a tablecloth, cashbox or money ouch, ink pads for the fingerprinting, etc. Some people go all out and have shelved for their tablee to make their displays look more professional.
Isn't that red flag # 1? Be wary of any job that requires you to pay out of pocket to get started.
When I said just that, I got a nice bit of you have to spend money to make money blah blah blah.
I told them I was not going to invest out of my own pocket for anything before I;ve even gotten my first paycheck.
Suddenly, they happen to have extras of everything in the back and provided me with everything they just told me I had to buy for myself.
So if anyone here get a job there, stand your ground when they try and tell you that you need to provide your own supplies.
After about two weeks, I was questioned about the fact that I never come in on weekends. I told them it was a religious issue and that I made that clear during the interview that I will not work on the Sabbath.
Apparently, they only let it go the first week because I had just moved and they figured I needed to unpack. But after that, it was expected that we work six days a week.
Things went downhill from there.
After week two, I was singled out.
I was sent out by myself, no partner, for 4 weeks straight. No one else in that office got sent on solo assignments anywhere near that much. I was accused of not having as much dedication and work ethic as everyone else because I won't work Saturday. That if I wanted to earn the $400 week I was quoted, I had to work Saturdays because Saturdays are the busiest shopping days, everyone else nearly doubled their weekly income.
So, as far as getting promoted to the job the was supposedly hired for to begin with? I'm now getting told that promotions are based on numbers. So unless I can sell that much more stuff during the week to make up for what everyone else does on the weekend, then everyone else is going to be promoted ahead of me.
Okay? So they're basically telling that I have little to no chance of ever getting promoted because I don't work on what's suppose to be an optional day? That makes no sense.
Don't these people know they legally have to make accommodations for religious practices? Telling me I will never get promoted for refusing to work on the Sabbath is blatant discrimination!
My daily average was the same as everyone else's. But because my daily average was multiplied by 5 instead of 6, everyone else comes out ahead of me.
On top of that, I end up getting penalized for things that are out of my control
Example: I get to a store, meet with the manger and say Hi, I'm with Bridge City Events. And explain what I'm doing. The manager tells me whoever called and set up this event only told him about the free finger printing, not that I'd be selling toys. He tells me he asked the person who called is this going to cost my customers anything? And he was told nope, not a dime, it's totally free.
So now I'm told that I can't set up because the store has a no soliciting policy.
Now I understand miscommunications happen. But over five different times, I had different managers tell me the exact same thing. They were told this was a free children's finger printing event, but were not told there would be anything for sale. I think whoever's in the off ice setting up these events is using the free fingerprinting to try and get around store's no soliciting policies.
Other times I couldn't set up because there was literally nowhere I could set up a table outside the store without blocking the sidewalk.
Once I was sent to a place with no public parking and had to park seven blocks away and feed a whole days worth of change into a parking meter. Apparently, no one checks these places out before having me waste my gas.
Once I got sent to work outside a coffee shop that turned out to be closed for president's day. That's right, no one in the office bothered to make sure they'd be open.
Let me tell you what happens when these thing happen. I call Abe and tell him there's a problem and can't set up. I then sit in my care for about tem minute until he calls me with another location that may be an additional hour away. So my the time I get to the second location, check in with the manager and set up, I've lost over a half days worth of work.
After explaining this to my friends and family, we were all of the same mind. How can they justify hold me responsible for my numbers being down when it's not fault that I lost a half days worth of work because someone in the office screwed up?! If anything, I should be getting a bonus for the extra mileage I had to put on my car.
I decided a few weeks in I needed to start looking for another job. But thought this was better than nothing so I'd stick with it until I found something.
But every week that went by that I refused to work Saturdays, things got worse and worse and my numbers plummeted.
My assignments got farther and farther away, and in very bad area to the point were my family and friends were worried about my safety. Sending a five foot two, hundred pound female out into the ghetto by myself and expect me to stand outside a store alone even after dark.
For weeks, I had been asking and pleading to stop getting sent out solo all the time. I was ignored.
My last full week on the job, I was sent to a store over an hour and a half away. So much for the within 30 minutes he told me at the interview.
I came back to the office Wednesday evening and told Abe he either needed to give me a closer assignment, or not send me solo because I only had a half tank of gas and I was broke, so that half tank had to last me the week. Again, I was ignored. I had to ask my boyfriend to borrow gas money to get me through the week.
Over the weekend, I decided that while I said I'd stick with this until I found another job, I couldn't afford to.
I was pumping $15-$20 into my gas tank three of four days a week, and coming home one Friday with a check for around $150.
It would cost me less to stay home and look for a job then to waste gas driving all over the place fro a job that had no guarantee of making anything.
Since the fiscal week ends on Thursday, I figured since I'd already worked Friday, I'd stick it out for the rest of that fiscal week, and if things did drastically pick up, Thursday would be my last day.
Monday I was sent solo to a Walgreen's where the manager wouldn't let me set up because she had only been told about the free fingerprinting and didn't want me selling stuff.
I was then told to go to a Staples, which was on a street under construction and was near impossible to get to.
The street being under construction meant very little traffic in the store. I got a big fat ZERO for the day.
Tuesday I was sent to a Pep Boys where the only place to set up was near the garage area where cars were being worked on. The problem was customers mostly went through the retail store section and I hardly got any traffic. Only sold a few items that day.
I went home pretty fed up and decides I was not going to work solo anymore. I was sick of getting singled out and told I don't work as hard as everyone else because I'm not willing to give up my Saturdays.
Wednesday, I went in. Was given my assignment. Solo and nearly a two hour drive away.
I said forget it and told Sai I was leaving. I went out and unloaded all the merchandise from my car, turned in my receipt book, and gave back the table cloth and money pouch and went home.
So be wary if interviewing for a job here. They will insist they're not looking for sales people, but from what I saw, even after you're promoted, you still do the same thing.
And be prepared for 14 hour days six days a weeks. If you're religious like me you will be singled out for it.
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