Why do retail stores constantly change their employees' schedules??

Question

Wouldn't it be easier on the employees and the person who makes the schedule to just make one set schedule? I work in retail and I can't stand that my schedule is constantly changing. Other industries give their employees a set schedule. I could even understand changing it once a month, but why every week. What is the actual reasoning behind this?

I don't like it because I have certain times and days that I need off for school and for religious reasons and they still schedule me for those times anyway and then I have to find someone to take shifts for me. And for the person who said the average schedule is about 32 hours a week, WOW I WISH! At my job the average employee only gets 15 hours a week....if that.

Answer 1

I agree with you.

Schedulling is what is known as an NP complete problem. Which basically means, unless you are using a supercomputer it is not possible to calculate the best schedule.

Retail employers have 2 options.

1. Have a fix schedule
2. Try and make a new schedule each week and end up with something that is bad or crazy.

Why not have a fixed schedule?

There could be a range of reasons. One may be the manager is an idiot. I have worked in places that change schedules all the time for no apparent reason.

Another is to give different people time off on weekends and evenings.

The third is that in a large company there may be the need to accomodate leave, staff changes and so on.

You could get a fixed schedule by volunteering for the hours no one wants.

Alternatively have a cyclic schedule could also help. Maybe get together with other staff, agree to a schedule and offer it to the manager as a basis for a schedule.

You could also ask for a particular schedule because of personal needs (maybe study, children, transport, favourite TV show or whatever)

Unfortunately bad managers don't like listening to advice from staff about the things they are doing incorrectly.

Answer 2

I have worked retail and I can tell you that most company's are open 7 days a week 12 hours a day if you told a employee that they have to work all 7 days 1pm-8pm that won't work. Most employee's in retail are either students or people who like variety in their life, I know when I worked retail I loved it when I did not have to do ALL closing shifts and got scheduled morning shifts a couple times a week that being said I wouldn't want to do ALL opening shifts. I'm now in a job where I make my own hours. You said that if if the employee can't work the schedule then don't hire them but if that was the case not many stores would have staff, where I live there are some stores that still can't find enough staff and if they went picky on times then they would be done. Almost all retail shops have the rule that you MUST work at least one weekend a month (some say 2) and you must be able to give some evening, and you must be able to work holidays (especially Christmas Eve and here in Canada Boxing Day)

Answer 3

The daily business of retail varies more than any other industry. For example, if a store needs a sign change every third Tuesday, they would not schedule extra employees for every single Tuesday. Similarly, the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is not the same as the month after Valentine's day.

Additionally, retail is seen by many as either casual or a mother's job. This means that the real life schedule of the employees may be more important than working occasionally, and whoever makes the schedule probably expects that.

Sometimes, if the retail is a corporate chain, the manager has to deal with a contantly changing payroll budget.

Finally, retail (if you live in a town like I do) is a sucker's job. There is enough disposable workforce due to the high proportion of college students and the impoverished that if anyone calls into their shift at the mall, they're jobless the next day. There are ten people desperate for employment for every job opening that doesnt require a college degree or specialized training.

Answer 4

If it's a fairly large group being scheduled, it's likely that several of the people have special requests to be off one day or another. Also, the expected needs for staffing change from week to week - the first week of the month, for example, can have a lot more business than other weeks - as it gets toward the end of the month, when people who get paid once a month are running low on money, business can be considerably slower so they need less staff.

Answer 5

Employees are now keeping the payroll down to primarily parttime so they do not have to pay for benefits required for fulltime. Although, you may think you are the only one that is not happy with the schedule, you are there to work for the company in THEIR times of need. not yours. Other people need different times off for reasons, season changes, etc. If you want a set schedule, you can work for the state or a state agency, or any other place that has a set schedule. You dont have to work where you dont want to.

Answer 6

middle managers in retail aren't human, they eat their own young. They cannot conceive that someone might have a life outside work and need some consistency.

They are also suspected of being unable to count past 13, and are known to move their lips when they read. They should not be allowed crayons, which would keep them from writing the schedules they do.

Answer 7

I work for a large retailer and are schedules are set one month out ,so seems to me you store must have HUGE turnover or your manager does not know how to make a schedule sales plan are set months ahead of time so they shouldn't be doing very many changes as long as you stay within the salary cost Sorry to you that would drive me crazy

Answer 8

Retail stores mainly want all their employees to have flexible schedules just in case someone calls in sick. Lots of times you get around 32 hours a week so If you do come in its just regular time. Thats how they keep their expenses low.

Answer 9

Don't know but it is the most annoying thing next to "Being on Call". My guess is the have people cover the rush and have less people during slow days.

Answer 10

cuz you have people arguing i want this time and that time so they change it to try and make it fair for all. you never please them all anyways.