My time at Fastenal Company
I started working for Fastenal in June. I left my job at Wireless Zone, which I enjoyed very
well. I figured it was time for change and find a company that I could grow a
career with. My at the time girlfriends father held a regional position with
the company and I asked him about employment and was told to apply online.
After I went through that whole process and I started employment at the Manchester, NH location around
June. Coming from a Wireless Background and working for a handyman
under the table when I was 18, I didnt really know much about the industrial
supply industry but I was eager to learn.
At my location I had two of the best co-workers you could have. They were extremely helpful and whenever I had a question they always had an answer no matter how stupid it was. I could
always remember I would get stuck on something and if they were not around (out
doing sales calls) there was a government sales person that had an office there
as well and he was always great in helping me with a customer. I was going at a
pace with the online trainings through the companys School of Business. I
was so excited to learn about the different types of fittings and bolts.
A month or two in I was really starting to get the different types on sizes and products that Fastenal
had and assisting customers was getting easier by the day. I was working on
cycle counting as well as trying to clean up the store peace by peace everyday
when the Best looking store contest came around. I worked my ass off to clean
that store up for the contest. I even stayed after an extra 1-2 hours after
store closing one night to mop the entire floor of that store. That store was looking pretty clean and neat by
the time the contest rolled around. I was even included in the counter picture
of the ones we submitted in for judgment. We won something just cant remember
what it was. Im not going to lie that store was still a mess in the backroom.
I was working my best to try to organize it and get stuff that had been sitting
there from previous special orders (before me or my managers time) out of the
way or shipped back. It was a pretty big product and being the only sales
support for the store I was tackling it myself.
After a little while I started doing some deliverys to help out with the sales person and my manager while
they were working on quotes or other business related stuff. I was an awesome
experience to be out meeting the customers and getting the feel for being out
on the road. That was getting me eager
to do sales calls. I knew that was the next step up and I was ready for it. My
manager let me go on a few by myself with a small list of no buying customers
that had accounts with us. The first two weeks I went out on some sales call I
got two customers who havent purchased in a while to buy over $500 orders.
That was just going on a few a day while my manager worked on paperwork. I
loved doing it.
When winter came around and we had a huge storm that caused widespread power outages I ordered a lot of generators from our supply hubs with my managers permission of course. I was
cranking those things out like no tomorrow. I had a sign in front of the store
I put out those days and was selling them to our customers while keeping it as
close to list price as I could. Our sales that month were pretty good because
of those sales.
Now around this time I was going through personal issues with my sons mother (at that time girlfriend).
Her father who had an office in our store was not happy with me for the issues
that were happening between me and his daughter didnt really speak to me much
after that.
Now right before thanksgiving in November I was called into my regional managers office that was also
stationed in my store and was told that poor performance / low store sales
numbers was being lead to my termination of employment with Fastenal. I thought
that was amusing consider just a week before my manager himself sent me a text
while he was out on the road saying great job with the store stuff I was
working on as well as the sales I was working on. (I still have a copy of that message to this
day) I cant help but feel like this had something to do with the issues I was
having with her father. It seemed like everything in a period of two weeks went
downhill. I will be the first to say
nobody is perfect but I wasnt a bad person.
I especially felt this way when I looked at Fastenal job posting the next week and saw my same position on
their web site for that store. I can understand that seeing me sitting at a
computer doesnt look like Im working but in reality I was working on a quote
for a customer. My emails on the company email server could have proved that
one. I was working on so many different things at once. I have seen some pretty
lazy Fastenal employees who dont do much or dont care but I was living and
breathing Fastenal blue when I worked there. It really is sad cause I wanted to
make a career out of that company. On top of my daily duties I was trying to
learn all about vending and sales from the learning site. I was so proud to
wear my Fastenal cap when I wasnt working to let everyone know that place was
awesome. Fastenal really had a dedicated employee and what did I end up getting in end. Losing my job and benefits. I had ADD that I was getting medication for and it was really helping and everyone at my work knew that. I was juggling 15
different things at once without much of a problem. I do want to thank Fastenal for the
opportunity just wish things went differently and thank you to the individual
who confirmed everything when I went to get unemployment. I wish I knew who you
were to thank you.
Long story short. Dont work for family or friends. When her father retires one day from Fastenal I will
apply again cause I do love that company and hope to work for them one day
again.
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