Hollywood Video poor training, disrespect, and lack of care for store level Portsmouth Virginia

I was a Store Director(Manager) for Hollywood Video for 8 months. I spent day and night, way over their 45 an hour week minimum, working my tail off and getting my store into working order. The previous manager apparently let the store run itself into the ground and what did they do....TRANSFER HIM. Sorry, let me get back on track here. So I was hired on with the company on 2/12/2009. The company has a track record of undertraining their employees and then holding you accountable for not knowing about a hidden policy that is not written into the employee handbook. I was terminated from the company for violating a company policy that I had no idea even was there. I was called up by my boss and asked to come to a store where he was at and when I got there I had that "I'm getting fired today feeling." I was called into a back office and told of my violation and my immediate response was, "Wait a minute. I was audited by you, the DM, LP, the regional LP, the Regional Manager and the internal audit team more then 4 times and you guys said I was doing everything perfect." I got a blank stare from him and he said, Well your services will no longer be needed with hollywood Video. Then he had the nerve to ask me If I would like to write a statement. I was more pissed because immediately I figured out what had happened.

Several months ago in the Phoenix Market, several stores were shut do leaving a few managers jobless. What my DM did was move them to other stores and allow them to work as SMIT's(Store Managers In-Training). Prior to this I was told by my DM to "not talk about my pay" since I am the highest paid Store Manager in Arizona. Strangely enough, the other store managers that were demoted had no problem telling me their pay and It was roughly 10k less a year then mine. Now I will say that my store wasn't racking in the money by a long shot, but it was still turning a profit each month which is a far cry from when I first took over the location. So after those stores were closed, I was asked by my DM if I wouldn't mind taking an SMIT so that that manager can keep a job. I said of course they can work with me. No one wants to be jobless and I am not the one to put them there. But here comes the Right hand slap to the face. After being terminated, I had the common decency to let my now former DM know that he needed to get someone to my former store ASAP because the employee there is supposed to be off at 3 and it was 2:55pm. He said don't work its taken care of. I call the store and Guess who answers the phone.........The Manager that was demoted to SMIT because their store was closed for under-performing, now the manager of my former store. The manager that makes 10k less a year then me.

So incase you missed it. To sum it up, I think I was hired on to fix the store and the DM saw an opportunity to save some money by finding a rule in the system to term me without a severance. I am just really angry at the fact that the DM couldn't just bite the bullet and say that I cost to much to keep on staff, pay me a months salary and then bid me adue instead of trying to drag my name through the mud. If your out there reading this, DO NOT WORK FOR HOLLYWOOD VIDEO. They are on their last leg and will do anything to use you and then abuse you. Oh and the previous poster that said that the company is firing people for 2 weeks of non performance is very true. The company changes expectations like I change my underwear...So at least once a week. Just kidding. But they do change them at least 2 times a week, but they don't tell you that they changed it until you receive a write up for not hitting it. There is a reason this company is on a highway to hell and it's everything to do with a lack of communication and a lack of integrity.

As a 4 year employee of the Movie Gallery side of the company, you couldn't be more right.  I started out as a SCSA and ended up a Training Store Manager.  I got tired of all the stress involved with hiring and firing people they considered "non performers".  The problem is that they keep changing things - CONSTANTLY.   You hire people, and train them with what little hours you are given, and then you have to fire them when they don't sell DRCs or Powerplays, or whatever the "Promotion of the Month" is.  They barely have time to learn how to run the archaic, DOS-based programs, and then we have to badger them 24/7 on how they have to sell, sell!, SELL! or they are fired.

I have been forced by DMs to fire people who were good people - good workers.  They came in on time, they worked their butts off while they were there, and I never had to question what they did while they were on the clock.  I had to fire one guy who had been with the company a year, never late, never called in.  I had to fire him because he couldn't sell DRCs.

Movie Gallery/Hollywood/Game Crazy is a screwed up company to work for.  It's an extremely stressful environment where nothing you do is ever, ever enough, and never will be, because if you ever, in a million years, get to a point where you are performing they way they demand you to do, then they change the rules to make it where you are not performing well enough anymore.

The rental industry has changed so much. I've been with Hollywood since Dec. of 05 and management has changed so much. I remember when I started, there were 12 emplyee's. Now there are only 5 including myself. As far as my store goes, we have pretty solid numbers including the new " Powerplay " program which is complete crap. The MVP program rocked and they either wanted us to promote it, or not at all. I understand what you went through. Ive been a shift leader for over 3 years and thats where I stand. I do not want any part of management in this company. Its so hard to keep up with who is who anymore in upper management.

I had a very similar experience on the Game Crazy side of the business. Constantly changing expectations, mandates to do tasks then failure to provide necessary tools to complete the task, etc.

I constantly worked 60-70 hour weeks, as did most of the other managers in our district. I was often required to take care of a lot of the DM's "crap work" handling communications to the district. I always did it without complaint. I had some of the highest store audit scores in the district.

I eventually was terminated for one of my employee's theft. Despite the fact I had actually pleaded with two separate loss prevention managers and my DM to help me figure out what was going on, and they only figured it out using tools only the DMs had access to. When they terminated me I specifically asked if I was being fired for misconduct and they said no. Further more I asked what policy I had violated, and the DM couldn't come up with one. Never mind the fact I had passed 6 or 7 high shrink audits from 3 different DMs and a LP manager. I was denied the opportunity to talk to HR or the regional manager about it, the DM basically told me to hand over my keys and get out.

This is very typical of the company. Get out while you still can. Its a dying industry anyhow.

I had a very similar experience on the Game Crazy side of the business. Constantly changing expectations, mandates to do tasks then failure to provide necessary tools to complete the task, etc.

I constantly worked 60-70 hour weeks, as did most of the other managers in our district. I was often required to take care of a lot of the DM's "crap work" handling communications to the district. I always did it without complaint. I had some of the highest store audit scores in the district.

I eventually was terminated for one of my employee's theft. Despite the fact I had actually pleaded with two separate loss prevention managers and my DM to help me figure out what was going on, and they only figured it out using tools only the DMs had access to. When they terminated me I specifically asked if I was being fired for misconduct and they said no. Further more I asked what policy I had violated, and the DM couldn't come up with one. Never mind the fact I had passed 6 or 7 high shrink audits from 3 different DMs and a LP manager. I was denied the opportunity to talk to HR or the regional manager about it, the DM basically told me to hand over my keys and get out.

This is very typical of the company. Get out while you still can. Its a dying industry anyhow.

I had a very similar experience on the Game Crazy side of the business. Constantly changing expectations, mandates to do tasks then failure to provide necessary tools to complete the task, etc.

I constantly worked 60-70 hour weeks, as did most of the other managers in our district. I was often required to take care of a lot of the DM's "crap work" handling communications to the district. I always did it without complaint. I had some of the highest store audit scores in the district.

I eventually was terminated for one of my employee's theft. Despite the fact I had actually pleaded with two separate loss prevention managers and my DM to help me figure out what was going on, and they only figured it out using tools only the DMs had access to. When they terminated me I specifically asked if I was being fired for misconduct and they said no. Further more I asked what policy I had violated, and the DM couldn't come up with one. Never mind the fact I had passed 6 or 7 high shrink audits from 3 different DMs and a LP manager. I was denied the opportunity to talk to HR or the regional manager about it, the DM basically told me to hand over my keys and get out.

This is very typical of the company. Get out while you still can. Its a dying industry anyhow.

I had a very similar experience on the Game Crazy side of the business. Constantly changing expectations, mandates to do tasks then failure to provide necessary tools to complete the task, etc.

I constantly worked 60-70 hour weeks, as did most of the other managers in our district. I was often required to take care of a lot of the DM's "crap work" handling communications to the district. I always did it without complaint. I had some of the highest store audit scores in the district.

I eventually was terminated for one of my employee's theft. Despite the fact I had actually pleaded with two separate loss prevention managers and my DM to help me figure out what was going on, and they only figured it out using tools only the DMs had access to. When they terminated me I specifically asked if I was being fired for misconduct and they said no. Further more I asked what policy I had violated, and the DM couldn't come up with one. Never mind the fact I had passed 6 or 7 high shrink audits from 3 different DMs and a LP manager. I was denied the opportunity to talk to HR or the regional manager about it, the DM basically told me to hand over my keys and get out.

This is very typical of the company. Get out while you still can. Its a dying industry anyhow.

But you don't sound like you were any different. You stated, "...As any new manager would, I had to completely rehire my staff..."

Where did you get this idea that you have to rehire your staff. Yes, if people were not performing you need to make changes. But you used the word "completely". So did everyone in that store deserve to get fired for any other reason than you were the new manager? How much time did you give them to prove themselves before they were fired?