Blockbuster

Work days were comprised of reviewing release lists, continually organizing returns and stocking shelves, and taking calls and/or serving customers. Moving stock and re-organizing shelves occurred on a regular basis, and inventory lists were in hand often. With the direction of shift managers, as well as the store manager, team members were able to coordinate their efforts very well from open to close.

This is where I learned all about customer service and what it means to both the employee and the customer. I worked from 2006 straight until fall 2008, when I moved to Ottawa for university. During summer 2009, I came back to work as much as possible before the next school year. Though I would in later years advance the things I learned at Blockbuster, I had great practice and improvement here. Inquiries, requests and problem solving were all completed with the occasional help of shift managers.

The managers continually helped all team members with inconsistencies and issues that would arise in customer accounts if needed. Any questions I had and facets of the job I wanted to learn more about were handled well. As I was in school at the time, management did a good job of ensuring flexibility in my schedule.

Co-workers at Blockbuster were excellent people, and I developed a number of good relationships. One team member would later become one of my closest friends, and we occasionally reminisce about our time at the store. When shifts needed to be covered and switched in some cases, someone would always be able to help.

The hardest part of this job was meeting sales goals. Though the Rewards program was highly successful, that was the issue in a town of 20 000 people - everyone who regularly came to the store was already a Rewards member. I was not the only one who shared this difficulty, as the store itself would have a hard time reaching goals depending on the time of year.

The most enjoyable part of this job was the product. I was and remain to be an avid film buff, and a fan of video games, so it is no surprise that this job is still highly revered in my mind. Responding to customer inquiries about all products was not difficult for me, and I enjoyed it. Also, some team members would automatically refer a customer to me, if they were asking for video game information. I would love to work in a similar product environment again.

Typical Day at Work: Usually performing cleaning tasks such as mopping, sweeping, dusting and vacuming. There would also be much interaction with potential customers, which would include conversations about various titles and releases in an effort to understand the needs and wants of the customer. Sales would then fall into place as a result.

What I Learned: I learned money management skills, when dealing with the sales process. There was also a large amount of experience gained with people management skills; dealing with multiple customers at once, and getting to know the individual to discover their own needs.

Management:There was little to no problems with management as they were friendly individuals who helped me to learn more about the job, and how to do it successfully.

Co-Workers: Great people who had similar interests with me, they were excellent and reliable to work with and would provide assistance whenever needed. Some of them have remained my friends even after the close.

Hardest Part of the Job:One of the hardest parts of the job was sometimes the customer service. There was often late fees, or some account fees and some people could be difficult to handle when they were in a foul mood.

Best Part of the Job: Ironically, this would also be the customer service part of the job. Whenever an individual comes into the store, and you can strike a conversation with them, and understand their needs, sending them home happy is the best feeling there was.

A typical day at work would be having you regulars come in and chat with you about movies they have watch, or you helping to make a decision of what they should watch next. I learned alot at Blockbuster, I was hired as a Customer Service Reprensative, and finished with being a Assistant Store Manager over the period of 7 Years, I take my job seriously and never want to make mistake because I dont like being in trouble. My Manager thought it would be a good idea to promote me into a Shift Leader, and once I like the position I was in, I worked harder to advance. I was in trainning of becoming a Store Manger, but the Company close. Every Co-worker I had was great, I always get along with them, even when I am a little harsh on them with certain things, but they know I mean business, it can be fun to work with me, but work must be done before the end of the shift. I had a couple of staff would say that they like and and wanting to go to work when they know that they are working withme and I love hearing it. The hardest part of the job is not being able to prevent thieves from stealing I hate it when it happens on my shift, like I said before I do not like to get in trouble so it did not happen alot, but it happened! The most enjoyable part of the job is being able to help customer and getting to know them, enjoy their presense and able to communicate with them, swap stories, they become a regular because they like the way staff work and take care of them, its like having a second family with your staff and customers.

Sadly this great company had to close. I spent the better part of my 20's working here. Met such great people who are still friends today and learned so much about myself. I started at this job as a customer service rep and quickly worked my way up in the company to management. My end goal was to end up running my own store and then moving into head office working in marketing and merchandising. Unfortunately the company closed before I could get there. I did many things in this job including: scheduling, training, SPR's, managing, health and safety, purchasing, receiving, forecasts, budgets, inventory, sales, marketing, merchandising, goal setting...you name it, I did it in this job. I got to hire and train people and always led by example, which is why I always had a dedicated and loyal staff. The hardest part of the job was handling customer concerns as at times it could be challenging, but I would always find a way to make sure they left happy. The most enjoyable part was working for such a great company that offered many advancement opportunities, excellent training and benefits.

It was a fun place to work. I learned a lot about time management, retail and customer relations. A typical day included inventory updating, re-stocking shelved with movies and merchandise. Up-selling was a big factor. Offering promotions that changed all the time. Showing customers an enjoyable experience. Interacting with people while discussing movies and TV shows. Managing money and computer software. While a big benefit of working here was the free movie rentals, I would say my favorite part of my job were my co-workers, in particular my store manager who was always there for us no matter what. It was a friendly environment and everyone work together well. A difficult part of this job was unfortunately the job security. With advancement in online and at home movie rentals, it was hard to say for sure what the outcome of Blockbuster would be and eventually we found out when it went bankrupt and closed its stores. Ultimately it was a great place to work!

My favorite place of employment thus far. There are a lot of things I liked about blockbuster. Out of all of them two things stand out. The co workers and the customers. The co- workers knowledgeable and friendly. I am still to this day friends with some of them. Customer wise I was great at. There were several times where I was asked for because of my movie opinions which were professional and un- baised. I was praised many time by customer, managers and even the district leader. The 10 weekly free rental didn't worsen anything either. With anything positive there was are always something negative. In the case of blockbuster there was the man who would harass customers and employee. On one occasion he stole a boys bike. Luckily it did not happen to often and it did stop.

A typical day at blockbuster consisted of checking in movies/games, putting them on the shelf, recommending movies/games to customers, calling customers for potential late movies/games and if they happen to be late I would call them for any late fee's over $3.
I learned how to appreciate all customers taste in movies/games. The management was pretty good except for one shift leader who did things that were borderline illegal. Unfortunately the store closed before he was held responsible for his actions. My co workers were pretty solid and I am still to date friends with some of them. The most difficult part of the job was calling customers regarding several hundred dollars worth in late fee's. Very uncomfortable. There are several things I liked about blockbuster. 1) getting to know what customers liked/disliked. 2)10 movies/games a week discount 3)discounts on merchandise 4)People would ask me by name when they came in.

Working here has been a generally positive experience, especially because there’s no commission pressure. It creates a more relaxed environment where you can focus on helping customers instead of worrying about meeting specific sales targets. The team is friendly, supportive, and easy to get along with, which makes day-to-day work enjoyable. Management is approachable and usually open to feedback, which helps keep the workplace atmosphere calm and cooperative.

However, the biggest downside is the pay. While the workload is reasonable and the expectations are fair, the compensation doesn’t fully match the effort or the time put in. It can feel discouraging when you’re doing solid work but not seeing that reflected in your paycheck. For someone looking for experience or a low-stress job, this place is a good fit, but if you’re hoping for higher earnings or long-term financial growth, the low pay might be a significant drawback.

On a regular day at Blockbuster, I had to be at the cash register, make sure all movies coming in were checked in properly and stocked on the shelves, help customers find what they want and suggest movie titles based on their likes, and also set up new customers in our system. From working here I learned that no matter how "fun" a workplace make look, work still means work.

The managers and co-workers I had at Blockbuster were very good. The managers were very relaxed as long as everything is being done in an organized and orderly fashion. Co-workers were always very helpful and made the whole experience a lot better.

The hardest part of the job was dealing with angry customers. At the same time the most enjoyable part of working was interacting with the customers and helping them find the things they wanted.

I was a Shift Supervisor for Blockbuster. Depending on the days I could either open or close the store, so duties varied greatly.  I was often the only supervisor on during a shift so I would be in charge of all cash office duties, as well as making sure all the staff were being productive.  I helped with the scheduling, as well as on a daily basis making sure people had breaks as needed.  I made sure the new movies were prepped when we received them for the coming release dates.  I made sure the store was clean and organized for the next shifts.  Hardest part was anticipating rushes: weather, new releases and events in the area all dictated our rushes. Most enjoyable thing would be actually the movies, making recommendations to customers was awesome.  Training new staff was also very enjoyable.

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