Not giving me work hours

Who told you that he was happy with your work? Did this come directly
from this manager or through a third party? If it came directly from
this manager then you should meet with him again and inform him that
you cannot understand why, if he is happy with the way you perform
your job he cannot give you more hours.

"He's making my life a living Hell and I just supposed to take it."
You have to take it unless you do something to make it stop. You have
options - go to the district/general manager and see if you can get
some resolution.
Also with the time you have when not working, get more applications
out there to other stores. You have work experince and may get lucky
and find someplace that needs someone for the hours you want.

If you are not getting hours, there is probably a reason. I managed
retail for 5 years, and this is how you weed out the bad apples. Give
them little to no hours and hope they quit. Trust me, if you were a
great employee, you would be making it regularly on the schedule.

I definitely agree with you, you need to bring the district manager in
on this ASAP. I also think you need to bring HR in on this as well.
I know you were skeptical in the post below that HR can do anything
for you. However, I have had the chance to work closely with an HR
department. Their main concern was always to make sure that the
laws/rules were followed to a T. They want to make sure that
everyone's happy, if no other reason than to avoid lawsuits.

You have a right to know why you aren't receiving hours. I really
hope you do receive an answer.

Milton in Office Space.

It seems like the manager is trying to give you a hint that he does
not want you to work there anymore by not scheduling you for any
hours. He may say he thinks you do a good job, but if that was true,
why is he hiring staff while you don't get any hours? I feel he is
being very passive/aggressive, and can't deal with any confrontation
apparently. You deserve an answer either way. Since the store
manager appears to be the problem, find out who the HR rep or the
district manager is for your area and contact them. I'd also start
looking for a new job, even in this economy some places are hiring.

Good Luck!

I would bet that he's not happy with your performance or he's not
happy with your availability or he's not happy with your hourly wage.

If he's hiring new people at significantly lower rates than he pays
you, then they're getting the hours because he can have more workers
for the same amount of money. That really upsets me, because it works
to penalize good workers who earn wages, but there it is. But if you
think that's the reason, it might make sense to go ask him whether you
can take a pay cut and get back on the schedule.

If that's not the reason, revisit your availability. Does he know
you'll show up for any shift he gives you, or at least just about any
shift? If not, why not? What things can you honestly not actually
miss (college classes, visitation with your kids, etc.) and what
things can you tell him will no longer be obstacles to your going to
work?

If that's not the reason either, then it doesn't matter what you were
told: you really need to go speak to him about your performance. Tell
him that you've only worked 8 times in the first six months of this
year and ask him what you need to show him in order to get more
hours.

Then do whatever it is. You may only get one chance to show him (and
you may not get any chances to show him, but at least it will be
valuable information for your next job), so it is imperative that you
use the information to the best of your ability.

He may think you ought to (or *do*) know what you're doing wrong, or
he may think he's already tried to give you feedback and you haven't
taken it, or he just may not like telling people that they aren't
doing well. But if he is not telling you what you need to improve or
if you are not understanding what he's telling you, then you're
probably not going to start measuring up, and that means you're not
going to start getting more shifts. So you need to ask. You can also
talk to people who are more successful at similar jobs (your coworkers
who are getting more hours or people in other retail jobs) about how
your shifts go -- in detail -- and see what feedback they can give
you, but you really need to try talking with the boss, even if only
because if you're getting 16 shifts a year he probably won't notice
any improvements.

It's not a matter of people helping you out; it's a matter of you
making it clear to your boss that giving you shifts will help *him*
out.

When I worked retail -- and especially when I worked retail management
and used to write work schedules -- there were two kinds of employees.
There were employees who saw shifts as something they earned and who
put a lot of effort into seeing what sorts of skills managers were
looking for and mastering those skills, and who consequently got a lot
of shifts, and there were employees who saw shifts as something that
ought to be distributed evenly among workers. That latter group
really failed to grasp the resentment their coworkers had at being
asked to do two people's work while they just stood around doing very
little. They failed to grasp the frustration their supervisors had at
being expected to get things done when there were people scheduled who
either could not or would not do those things. And they failed to
grasp why they got as few shifts as possible. (The people who got the
"business is slow" speech where I worked were not getting shifts
because the labor budget didn't allow any more than the bare minimum
number of workers on the sales floor, and that meant that there was
nobody to give them the kind of intense supervision they seemed to
need.)

Now, you may be in that former group; it happens all the time that
people misjudge other people, and your manager may be misjudging you
(which is a problem you will need to find a way to correct). But I
don't know you at all, and to me this letter comes off as if you're in
the latter group. Your manager doesn't care very much that you need
shifts. He cares that he needs workers. And therefore you should be
spending less time telling him that you need shifts and more time
telling (and, more importantly, showing, every time you get the
opportunity) him that you are the kind of worker he needs.

Meanwhile, keep dressing professionally and going 'round to every
store you can get to with whatever transportation you have and asking
whether you can fill out applications. If nothing else, maybe in
September, when some of their employees leave for college and they're
starting to think about whether they're hiring extra workers for
Christmas, your persistence will pay off -- and you will get a fresh
start and a chance to impress a manager right off the bat. Your
manager is doing you a favor here, because it's easier to get a job
when you have a job, and you can honestly claim to have a job, even if
it is not a job that meets your needs.

Good luck.

"I can't quit because I can't find another job and no one will help me
with that."

Despite the economy, I encourage you not to assume that you can't find
another job. You may be right, but how will you know if you don't
try? And try hard.

I suggest that you not quit, but keep looking for another job. Given
that you're not getting hours at your current job, this at least gives
you time to look for another job.

I notice you say "and no one will help with that." It sounds like
you're expecting that someone else will help you find a job. It is
true that talking to people you know ("do you know if there any
openings where you work?") can be very helpful. And meeting new
people can help, too. But don't assume that you need someone else to
"help" to get a job.

Apply for anything and everything. If your area is retail stock, go
to a big shopping center and walk into each and every store and ask
for a job application. Even if they don't have a current opening,
fill out an application if they will give you one. If the manager is
there, make sure to thank the manager for considering you.

I appreciate that it can be frustrating and tiring to fill out dozens
of applications that don't turn up anything. But your odds of landing
something are going to improve the more applications you submit.

None of this is to say that you should avoid talking to PetSmart HR.
While it's likely true that your manager isn't required to give you
hours, if there is a disparity between what you're receiving and what
others are receiving, they're going to want to know why. At the very
least, this will force your manager to explain.

But, no matter what happens, it's worth your time to look elsewhere.
And, again, while networking with other people is always a great way
to get "in," you don't absolutely need other people to help you get a
job.

Above all, do not get discouraged. You're in a dire situation, but
working to solve the problem (by applying for as many jobs as you
possibly can) is a good way to fight the feeling of helplessness. In
other words, even if no one helps you, at least you are working to
help yourself.

I'm trying to wrap my arms around this. This is one day or a partial
day once every three and a half weeks.

If this is your only job, I have no idea how you are surviving. I
have never heard of a retail part time job where you go in less than
once a week.

What was the most you worked at this job?

It sounds like it is time to look for a new job, as completely hideous
a prospect as that is in this economy.

My local pet store always seems to have tons of employees and few
customers. I was in a Petco twice in the past few months, and it was
even worse. There were no customers except myself in the store. The
lone cashier looked like she was going to die of boredom.

What is your position?
Are the new hires doing the same job as you?

If you work a highly specialized position that is in less demand
because of the economy, then a cut in hours is inevitable. This could
be the other way around too. If you lack the skills necessary to work
these positions, then you obviously aren't going to get hours in that
department. If these people are doing the same work you are, then it
is strange that the manager is hiring more people.

Speak with the manager and express that you are willing to be cross
trained and pick up more hours doing other work around the store.

Ton M.,

You deserve a response whether it is the answer you desire or not so
you can move on.
Does the store, district or region have a Director of Human Resources?

If this letter does not get what you think is a timely response I
suggest that you contact the store manager and ask for a meeting to be
attended by you, him/her and an H/R Rep for the company. At this point
you should be looking for a cut and dry answer as to a future schedule
or not.
Keep in mind the economy is in the tank and what they sell and the
services they offer for some might be a luxury and thus lower business
levels.
Hope this helps.
Stop back and let us know how it pans out.
BillR.