Comments on: Source: Office Depot Associates Routinely Lie about Notebook Stock

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:37:58 +0000

Here is my take on this as I am a tech consultant at OD. I do not get a bonus for sales volume. I get a bonus for all of the add ons. I also get written up for not selling attachments and warranties. This is tracked by how many I sell vs how many I sell with add ons. So the only way I can control my fate is to lie about stock if the customer doesn’t want the add ons! My manager may not be 100% on this program with me; however, he does have a “Well they weren’t buying an attachment anyway” attitude. Even my District Manager Al, wil observe me talking with a customer about a laptop, and ask me how the sale went. When I say they weren’t interested in an add on and didn’t buy it, he sort of shrugs his shoulders and snickers and says “Oh well!”.

This is a way of life here at OD. If you want to survive at OD, this is what you face everyday you work at OD!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:46:40 +0000

I am currently employed by OD. I have worked in two different stores in two different states. In my original store, we were a lower sales store and although the pressure for selling market basket items and TDS was on, no one lied about stock. In the store I currently work at it is a high volume store and the Tech Manager told me directly that he lies to customers about stock if they don’t want a PPP or TDS. I’m unsure of the rest of the managers practices, however I know if we’re busy and there’s phone calls/questions about stock, the answer is usually no. The store I’m currently at is terrible, ranked 96 out of 100 in the region. I don’t know how the store is even still open….we have terrible customer service (partially because we are so understaffed – payroll won’t allow much excess) but also because of the pressure of selling these add-ons. If the customer doesn’t want these add-ons, they’re considered a waste of time. Regular employees only start off at minimum wage, and what is asked of us is ridiculous. I actually just got written up because I failed to greet the mystery shopper (I work in the DPS, I was the only one working, and was already juggling multiple customers. HR here I come!)

In conclusion, lying does not happen at every store, but it does happen.

By: Ryan Vann

Ryan Vann — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:52:11 +0000

I wonder if the folks espousing the merit of these service plans would also recommend that you pay insurance in a hand of blackjack? Everyone should either implicitly or explicitly know that insurance is a sucker bet. Unfortunately I’m not in the retail biz, but I would love to see the probability tables on these plans.

By: valerie

valerie — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:41:40 +0000

I work at a ODS and this is a bunch of crap. Who ever Rich is, may have got fired because he couldn’t sell. Well went tech guys are hired they get more money then any other person starting out. Because they said they can sell. My tech guy are not pushy they are respectful to the customers. And if they sell they get a fun size piece of candy. WOW I now that is a lot of pressure. The service we offer are great for your computer, and personally paid them fix my home computer. Office Depot has been taking care of the poor management that has been practicing some bad behavior, Like firing them RICH sound filmier. If you only get one side, then you didn’t get it ALL.

By: Milo Thatch

Milo Thatch — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:15:18 +0000

I just stumbled across this webpage and read a few lines from the front. I don’t know what happens at other stores, but my stores number one goal is sell sell sell. We always sell all of our stock. We’re pushed to give out plans with everything, mice with laptops, cases with cameras, surge protectors with desktops, stuff that makes sense, but that the customer might already have. Never have either me or my associates been told to withhold anything because a customer didn’t want the plan or any extras.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:54:00 +0000

I recently started working at an Office Depot store as a sales associate in the technology department. After reading this page, I my heart dropped. Fortunately this is not the case at my store, and I hope that it has died down since the time of the article. My fellow sales associates are honest and do their best to help customers. I got chewed out once for forgetting to offer our TDS to a customer, but that was because I neglected to offer it. Hopefully down the road I don’t see things like this pop up in my store.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:44:14 +0000

hey sarah…how does a guy accidently tell you he has a laptop in stock?? haha wow!

By: od employee

od employee — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:17:28 +0000

managment is responsible
by Office Depot employee
I worked for Office Depot in Eugene, Oregon for a little over a year before walking out due to the unprofessional approach taken by management. Although some of the more extreme sales tactics were not used in my store, I can see how employees could be bullied into turning heads and using unethical sales tactics. Management would say they were not interested in pressure sales, only to turn around and threaten to fire you if you were unable to meet your product protection plan or tech services sales quota. I applied to be a stocker, sales was never in the job description. Bogus competitions were devised to stimulate sales, but after numbers were posted in the break room they felt more like ways for long time employees to shun people who were not as sales oriented. Management would encourage taking advantage of ignorant customers by withholding information, or flat out selling people stuff they had no use for. I can remember one instance when a customer was not buying any attachments with a laptop, the employee helping the customer was told to try to steer them away from buying anything at all, only to save the market basket attachment rating. My first day working for Office Depot I was told that we were a team. I did not realize that I had just joined a team of crooks!

By: OD workerbee

OD workerbee — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:56:16 +0000

i’ve worked for office depot for about 2 years now and everything in this article is 100% true. When i first started, the whole focus was about taking care of the customer, now its only on PPP and tech service sales. Managers constantly talk over the radios about PPP and “market basket” attachment rates. The customers needs are no longer the focus of the company. Every since “under performing” stores started closing, the remaining stores are fighting to stay open. Employees who dont attach enough lose hours or worse.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:22:33 +0000

Oh but on a second note, I guess it’s better for OD to rely on PPP’s for more profit than to increase the prices of the laptop itself….