Saturday, January 31, 2004
Just a light note today. BlockbustTer Chronicles is a first hand account of working a rural BlockBuster Video rental store, in proto-blog form. The author has determined that BlockBuster is a cult. There is some funny customer bashing, reflections on the crass and vapid nature of corporate management, etc. Then something snaps:
-4-01 - Now some heavier stuff. A former employee at our store was transfered to another store for promotion about 4 months ago. As a AM there, this former employee named Chip, apprently stole around $3000 worth of stuff. I was mad, I hate corporate BB too, but you never steal, that's wrong. So when he was fired, and led out of his store in handcuffs, I had little sympathy for him.
Today, I run into Chip at school and he asks me what I think. I tell him I think he is a thief. He says "Dude, I didn't do it". Now when an employee is caught stealing they are given 2 options....1) Don't admit to it and go to jail right away (at least they are threatend with this, I've never seen anyone choose this option, they all have choosen) 2) Write out your own confession and BB doesnt press charges as long as you return all the stuff. So I asked Chip why would he write out a confession if he was innocent, he said his fear of going to jail made him do it. Chip also said that my DM (who confronted him) had a video tape of Chip doing it. This raised a few flags in my head, because when an employee at my store was caught stealing, the same DM said she had it on tape when all the managers knew she didn't. She did it just to get the confesson.
Then the crappy part, Chip showed me his wrists where he had tried to end his life over this. He is a felon, can't get a job and swears he is innocent. I called the DM and told her of my experience, she said Chip was just trying to make up to the "social group" who he has betrayed. I've already typed enough on this subject, but I think its a sick thing all over. Someone is lying to me, and they both were/are model BB employees.
9-5-01 - And now, the most sickening item of the day. A Hollywood video in our district was robbed this week. (Video stores are now robbed more on average then convience stores). But the robber in this case took the employees to the back room and executed both of them, then fled the store. Customers were waiting at the front counter to check out while the employees were dead in the back room. The people who committed the crime have since been caught. And, no surprise, they are ex-employees of that store who were getting back at it. Two young people dead....for $2000 and revenge.
The above incident of course started a rash of voice mails through BB's in the area. The most telling voice mail came from our regional manager (our DM's boss) saying...quoting directly ..."rest assured that we have done everything impossible to protect comapany assets AND employees". Notice which is the first priority.
The night I learned of this I was shaken for hours. The robbers hadn't been caught yet and every customer that walked in the door I was frightend that they would end my life.
This is it, this is what our society has come too. The people who work hard everyday to make billions for a few people can expect life pain, long work and no chance to ever break through. And a poor few will end up dead in the back of video store...
-4-01 - Now some heavier stuff. A former employee at our store was transfered to another store for promotion about 4 months ago. As a AM there, this former employee named Chip, apprently stole around $3000 worth of stuff. I was mad, I hate corporate BB too, but you never steal, that's wrong. So when he was fired, and led out of his store in handcuffs, I had little sympathy for him.
Today, I run into Chip at school and he asks me what I think. I tell him I think he is a thief. He says "Dude, I didn't do it". Now when an employee is caught stealing they are given 2 options....1) Don't admit to it and go to jail right away (at least they are threatend with this, I've never seen anyone choose this option, they all have choosen) 2) Write out your own confession and BB doesnt press charges as long as you return all the stuff. So I asked Chip why would he write out a confession if he was innocent, he said his fear of going to jail made him do it. Chip also said that my DM (who confronted him) had a video tape of Chip doing it. This raised a few flags in my head, because when an employee at my store was caught stealing, the same DM said she had it on tape when all the managers knew she didn't. She did it just to get the confesson.
Then the crappy part, Chip showed me his wrists where he had tried to end his life over this. He is a felon, can't get a job and swears he is innocent. I called the DM and told her of my experience, she said Chip was just trying to make up to the "social group" who he has betrayed. I've already typed enough on this subject, but I think its a sick thing all over. Someone is lying to me, and they both were/are model BB employees.
9-5-01 - And now, the most sickening item of the day. A Hollywood video in our district was robbed this week. (Video stores are now robbed more on average then convience stores). But the robber in this case took the employees to the back room and executed both of them, then fled the store. Customers were waiting at the front counter to check out while the employees were dead in the back room. The people who committed the crime have since been caught. And, no surprise, they are ex-employees of that store who were getting back at it. Two young people dead....for $2000 and revenge.
The above incident of course started a rash of voice mails through BB's in the area. The most telling voice mail came from our regional manager (our DM's boss) saying...quoting directly ..."rest assured that we have done everything impossible to protect comapany assets AND employees". Notice which is the first priority.
The night I learned of this I was shaken for hours. The robbers hadn't been caught yet and every customer that walked in the door I was frightend that they would end my life.
This is it, this is what our society has come too. The people who work hard everyday to make billions for a few people can expect life pain, long work and no chance to ever break through. And a poor few will end up dead in the back of video store...
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Worth reading, from Salon's "Lost Liberties" series: This is not America. 10,000 demonstrators are met with 2,500 riot police in Miami, and get beat down pretty much just to shut them up. You know, shooting people in the back, applying force to elderly, questioning people about their political affiliations.
If you didn't hear about Miami having problems like Seattle, Genoa, etc., it's probably because they didn't. That didn't stop them from arresting a few hundred people... The City government calls it successful "security" measures. So apparently pre-emptive attack isn't just foreign policy.
If you didn't hear about Miami having problems like Seattle, Genoa, etc., it's probably because they didn't. That didn't stop them from arresting a few hundred people... The City government calls it successful "security" measures. So apparently pre-emptive attack isn't just foreign policy.
43%:
Nearly half of New York City's homeless are children. But they aren't being left behind or anything, so don't worry.
Nearly half of New York City's homeless are children. But they aren't being left behind or anything, so don't worry.
