About Select Merchandising Services UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES and horrible management... Smyrna Georgia.
Select Merchandising Services and their Unfair Labor Practices and horrible management drive employees to work for no pay at the threat of employee termination while Select Merchandising Services profits unfairly at their expense.. Select Merchandising Services breeds a culture of fear and intimidation.
Select Merchandising Services
1955 Lake Park Drive, Suite 400
Smyrna, GA 30080
770) 863-9077
(866) 371-1563
Let it be known to all that:
SELECT MERCHANDISING SERVICES (SMS) IS GUILTY OF UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES.
This report is being filed in the hope that it will prevent someone else from falling victim to Select Merchandising Services immoral and deceitful labor practices.
It is highly recommended you find an alternative to working with Select Merchandising Services for the following reasons:
1.) Select Merchandising Services (SMS) knowingly and willfully place false and misleading classified advertisements in Craig's List and other job listings with the goal in mind to hire merchandisers for their company under false pretenses and by bait and switch. See actual SMS advertisement here.
2.) Said false and misleading advertisements create the impression to the general public that Select Merchandising Services (SMS) hire merchandisers at an hourly rate when in fact merchandisers are required to work each and every Sunday (and whenever ordered by SMS) without pay. See actual SMS advertisement here.
3.) SMS management is in the position to know that divulging their "work for no pay" policy in said classified advertisements would be detrimental to SMS and beneficial to said applicant.
4.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to omit their "work for no pay" policy from said classified advertisements with the intent to mislead and deceive the applicant to the detriment of the applicant and for the sole benefit of Select Merchandising Services (SMS).
5.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to omit their "work for no pay" policy from job interviews with applicants with the intent to deceive and mislead the applicant to the detriment of the applicant and for the sole benefit of Select Merchandising Services (SMS).
6.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act in a deceitful manner with the goal in mind of steering unwitting applicants into accepting merchandising positions with SMS under false pretenses and for less than what the applicant bargained for.
7.) Merchandisers work in good faith under SMS management direction only to be refused payment for work performed.
8.) Merchandisers are first and only informed of SMS "work for no pay" policy after the merchandiser has worked for several hours under SMS direction and has initiated questions to SMS management about payment for work performed.
9.) SMS management require merchandisers work each and every Sunday for no pay.
10.) SMS management require merchandisers work for no pay whenever ordered by SMS management .
11.) SMS management require merchandisers have regular access to a computer and to print out SMS material solely for SMS benefit then deny merchandisers reimbursement for printer ink and paper solely used by SMS.
12.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to pressure merchandisers into settling for less than what was bargained for under the threat of termination should the merchandiser refuse to continue to work for no pay each and every Sunday (and whenever ordered by SMS).
UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH SELECT MERCHANDISING SERVICES.
Ads are routinely placed by Select Merchandising Services (aka SMS) online in Craig's List and area newspapers for part-time hourly work as a merchandiser. An excerpt from their ad is below.
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MERCHANDISER POSITION(S) AVAILABLE
Select Merchandising Services..
JOB DESCRIPTION
...Salary is paid on an hourly rate. Stores need to be serviced weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly depending on the store.
...Stores must be serviced during their normal day time business hours Monday -- Friday.
...Candidate must have access to computer, printer, email and be able to respond to regular communications.
I answered the ad and received a call from a Select Merchandising Services (aka SMS) manager almost immediately. I was asked to meet at a local fast food restaurant for a job interview because the SMS manager said he did not have an office.
During the 5 minute interview a McDonald's, SMS management stated that the job required the employee to have computer access so the employee could receive, read, study, organize, respond to, and print out SMS regular email communications on Sundays and during the week. SMS management stressed that without computer access, I could not have the job. I said I had a home computer and printer that were connected to the Internet by cable. This seemed to excite the SMS manager.
SMS management stated that on each Sunday, I would receive regular email communications through my computer from SMS. It would be my duty to receive, read, organize, print out and reply to SMS regular email communications each Sunday and continue the process during the week whenever new SMS email communications were received by me. SMS management stated It was imperative that I print out and carry received SMS email communications for use as reference guides when servicing stores.
SMS management stressed it was critcal to reply or draft new email communications to SMS whenever directed by SMS management (For example, to address SMS management questions in writing, place product orders, and other email communications).
I agreed to take the job and was hired immediately as a part-time hourly magazine and book merchandiser for Select Merchandising Services at $10.00/hour. The hiring process was so quick and unorganized that I joked to my family that it seemed as though all SMS was looking for was a warm body. An excerpt from their emailed hourly-rate offer is below.
Sunday 10-02: shortly after 3:15pm, I received 5 email communications from SMS in my home computer I put a new black ink cartridge in my printer and began to open, read, study, organize, print out and reply to SMS email communications when I noticed there were several PDF attachments to each SMS email.
Click to enlarge the screenshots.
Inside the 5 email communications above were 37 PDF attachments.
Screenshot
Inside the 37 PDF attachments were 89 pages of SMS directions to employees.
As I opened each PDF, I found several additional pages inside. On total, I received, read, organized, and printed approximately 89 pages of SMS email communications at the direction of the Select Merchandising Services management. The entire process took me well over an hour while using a lot of printing paper and draining my black ink printer cartridge dry.
Within the stack of emails, SMS management wrote, "Please reply by Monday 10.3.11 before 8:00 AM." So I replied as directed by SMS that day.
This was Sunday evening. I thought it a bit odd that Select Merchandising Services did not send me a work schedule for the rest of the week. So, I believed that since I was hired as part time (maximum 20 hours a week), that I would receive a work schedule from SMS sometime Monday or Tuesday that would allow ample time for me to prepare for work in the latter part of the week. Monday 10-03: This is what happened...
I was jolted suddenly at 7:29AM Monday morning by an unexpected email...
from Select Merchandising Services (SMS). SMS management wrote: "Today, Monday, I want to see you on Publix.. (across town) at 8:30AM."
I thought, what's going on here?? What nerve! SMS is giving a 1 hour and 1 minute notice to appear for work!!
I skipped a shower, skipped breakfast, skipped packing lunch, threw on clothes and drove as fast as possible across town while trying to avoid a ticket or causing an accident just to get to Publix on time to meet SMS 's demand.
SMS fails to give reasonable notice to employee to appear for work.
Tuesday, 10-06 6:48AM: 4 SMS emails are received that require the hourly rate SMS employee to work for no pay and read, sort and print out SMS material solely at employee expense under the threat of termination by SMS should the employee refuse.
Sunday 10-09: shortly after 2:00pm, I received 8 email communications from SMS to my home computer. There were 38 SMS PDF attachments with 81 pages inside. The process took approximately 2 hours to read, sort, and print out SMS materials. SMS printing process used up more than 1/2 of another new black printer cartridge and several pieces of printing paper to do the job for SMS.
On several occasions, I met with Select Merchandising Services (SMS) management to ask questions about how SMS hourly-rate merchandisers are paid for work performed for SMS; particularly receiving and handling emails from SMS each Sunday and during the week.
I asked, "I see how to clock in for work in each store I service during the week by using the store's telephone, but how do I record work performed each Sunday for reading and handling SMS communication emails that are sent to me at home?"
SMS management replied, "You don't get paid for working on Sundays. Nobody does."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I rephrased the question...
"You said in the employment interview that to qualify for the job, I would need to have access to a computer, printer, and have Internet email access and be on duty to receive, read, organize, print out and reply to regular SMS email communications each Sunday!"
SMS management replied, "Yes, we need to have employees do it each Sunday, but there is no pay for it. It just goes with the job."
I was dazed by his response... SMS knowingly and willfully withheld critical information from me during the job interview.
I asked SMS management how to get reimbursed for printer ink and paper used to printed out SMS email communications on Sunday?
SMS management replied, "Employees don't get reimbursed for printer ink or paper that is used for the company, that is the employee responsibility.
I was in disbelief. SMS demands that employees pay for company expenses to the sole benefit of SMS.
I asked SMS management: " I have SMS emaiI communications arriving in my computer on any day at anytime as late as 11PM at night. Some of these SMS emails require a prompt email reply from me to SMS management.
It takes time for me to prepare and send emails required by SMS. I may need to gather information for SMS, draft new emails and send emails to you or other SMS offices as direct by you.
How do employees record their work time performed for SMS when the employee replies to, drafts, or sends new SMS email communications as directed at anytime by SMS?
SMS management replied, "Employees are required to send SMS email replies or draft new SMS emails at anytime as directed by SMS management, including Sundays and weekdays and before clocking in or after clocking out from servicing a store, but employees do not get paid for that.
And again, employees do not get paid for work performed for SMS each Sunday. That's just the way it is! If you don't like it, you can quit and we'll get someone else in here to do the job!"
Adding insult to injury, there is ongoing SMS Public Humiliation of its employees. I heard on several occasions from merchandisers that SMS engages in publicly humiliating fellow employees when on October 3rd at 10:55 PM, I received an email from SMS (send Blind Copy to all merchandisers) that acted to publicly humiliate a fellow employee. See screenshot below.
Note: The exact store location where the alleged SMS offense occurred is posted for all merchandisers to identify the accused SMS merchandiser.
SMS management is in the position to know or should have known that any four year old child passing through the store could easily pick up any magazine (HGTV) and put it in any pocket (Woman's Day Sips pocket), yet the merchandiser was found guilty in the eyes of SMS management and publicly humiliated for something the merchandiser may not have known anything about.
Soon after receiving this SMS public humiliation email, I quit work.
Please note: Since being involved with Select Merchandising Services (SMS), several SMS merchandisers have approached me to vent their experiences with SMS "work for no pay" policy and public humiliation. These SMS merchandisers all say the same thing: They realize they are victims of SMS deceit and unfair labor practices, but are reluctant to report it to authorities under fear of termination.
There is no way to know how many hundreds or thousands of individuals have fallen victim to and will continue to fall victim to Select Merchandising Services Unfair Labor Practices.
Let it be known to all that:
SELECT MERCHANDISING SERVICES (SMS) IS GUILTY OF UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES.
This report is being filed in the hope that it will prevent someone else from falling victim to Select Merchandising Services immoral and deceitful labor practices.
It is highly recommended you find an alternative to working with Select Merchandising Services for the following reasons:
1.) Select Merchandising Services (SMS) knowingly and willfully place false and misleading classified advertisements in Craig's List and other job listings with the goal in mind to hire merchandisers for their company under false pretenses and by bait and switch. See actual SMS advertisement here.
2.) Said false and misleading advertisements create the impression to the general public that Select Merchandising Services (SMS) hire merchandisers at an hourly rate when in fact merchandisers are required to work each and every Sunday (and whenever ordered by SMS) without pay. See actual SMS advertisement here.
3.) SMS management is in the position to know that divulging their "work for no pay" policy in said classified advertisements would be detrimental to SMS and beneficial to said applicant.
4.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to omit their "work for no pay" policy from said classified advertisements with the intent to mislead and deceive the applicant to the detriment of the applicant and for the sole benefit of Select Merchandising Services (SMS).
5.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to omit their "work for no pay" policy from job interviews with applicants with the intent to deceive and mislead the applicant to the detriment of the applicant and for the sole benefit of Select Merchandising Services (SMS).
6.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act in a deceitful manner with the goal in mind of steering unwitting applicants into accepting merchandising positions with SMS under false pretenses and for less than what the applicant bargained for.
7.) Merchandisers work in good faith under SMS management direction only to be refused payment for work performed.
8.) Merchandisers are first and only informed of SMS "work for no pay" policy after the merchandiser has worked for several hours under SMS direction and has initiated questions to SMS management about payment for work performed.
9.) SMS management require merchandisers work each and every Sunday for no pay.
10.) SMS management require merchandisers work for no pay whenever ordered by SMS management .
11.) SMS management require merchandisers have regular access to a computer and to print out SMS material solely for SMS benefit then deny merchandisers reimbursement for printer ink and paper solely used by SMS.
12.) SMS management knowingly and willfully act to pressure merchandisers into settling for less than what was bargained for under the threat of termination should the merchandiser refuse to continue to work for no pay each and every Sunday (and whenever ordered by SMS).
UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH SELECT MERCHANDISING SERVICES.
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