Best Buy Pie-In-The-Face Promotion Results In Mayhem
It all started out as a good-natured, if ill-advised Best Buy promotion to encourage employees to entice customers into signing up for store credit cards. But it ended up in a fracas of verbal and physical assaults. Allow Best Buy employee "X" to tell a tale of mayhem at what was supposed to be a pleasant evening at Best Buy.
On the night of the 30th, the entire store had a meeting to attend from 7:30-9:30. A few months ago, we had started a store wide contest that stated that any employee who got the most BBY Credit Card applications got to throw a pie at the manager of their choice. This contest ended on the night of the meeting, and the winners were given pies to throw at the manager of their choosing. It is important to note that all of the managers were aware and consented to this contest.
You probably have guessed that this did not go very well.
One of the managers, [Manager 1], came to the meeting late and dressed in what only can be defined as "Thug Clothing". Seeing as she has always lectured and disciplined employees on being in on time and dress code, she was an obvious target for the pie contest.
One employee, whom I will call [Employee 1] won in his department and was given a pie. Immediately, [Manager 1] exclaimed "If ANYONE throws a pie at me, I'm gonna KICK THEIR ASS!". We later found out that she was not joking, as many thought she was at the time.
So, in order to reduce a mess, we all head out to the front of the store. The store was currently closed and it was around 9:10 p.m. It is important to note that all of these people were punched in and working on the clock when this happened. About 40 or so witnessed it.
[Employee 1] walks up to [Manager 1] to throw the pie, she loses it and slaps it out of his hand. Ironically enough, this causes pie to spill all over her. So, naturally, she decides to chase [Employee 1] in the store yelling [expletive that means "your father"]! Pie debris is spilled everywhere at the front entrance.
The contest continues outside and [Employee 1] joins the rest of the crowd to watch other managers get pied. [Manager 1] shows up behind [Employee 1] and threatens to kick his ass yet again and begins to cuss him out. Another employee walks up behind to talk to [Manager 1]. Being the crazy bitch that she clearly is, [Manager 1] thinks this other employee [Employee 2] is trying to throw a pie too. So, she turns around and begins to cuss him out and threaten to hurt him, even though the guy did absolutely nothing.
In an act of sheer stupidity, a supervisor named [Manager 2] jumps out and says "I got your back, [Manager 1]" and begins throwing sprite bottles at random people. You know, to add onto the stupidity, I suppose. Two cashiers get hit with the sprite bottles (and the sprite)! [Manager 2] begins picking fights with other people and ends up calling one employee a [very rude slur.]
Did I mention? This entire time, the General Manager is nowhere to be seen. He didn't even come to his own meeting.
About 13 employees have gone to BestBuy HR about this. While the investigation is "pending" many of us fear the GM will give both of these people a slap on the wrist and continue with business as usual. This is because the GM is very close with these people. We feel that if Consumerist made people aware of this, perhaps HR will act differently in the situation and might actually solve this problem.
Why do BestBuy employees seem to be featured on Consumerist so often? Maybe it's because of this. Look who we have to work under. You may have a bad experience with a manager and never shop at the store again. Given this economy, many of us have no choice but to listen and witness this bullsh*t daily. These are both examples of people who clearly should never have worked in retail, but somehow actually got authority of some kind. I would work elsewhere, but I currently have no choice.
X's story sheds some light on just how badly Best Buy management wants to sign you up for their credit cards, as well as how little oversight there seems to be — there's no chance the pie-in-the-face thing was corporate policy. Or is there? We e-mailed Best Buy CEO corporate:
We received word that managers were offering the chance for employees to hit one of them in the face with a pie if they got the most customers to sign up for a credit card. Can you comment on whether this was corporate policy, and assuming it's not, also say what is being done to stop this from happening again?
And got this cryptic reply from Susan Busch, senior director of public relations:
Having fun while being the best is one of Best Buy's core values. Our employees are both encouraged and empowered to make sure fun is infused into all aspects of our work.
Corporate-endorsed pie and soda bottle fights that spice up what would have otherwise been a dull sit-down meeting? Is it just me, or does that particular Best Buy seem like a fun place to work? Well, if it weren't for the violence, profanity and hateful slurs, anyway.
(Photo: Morton Fox)
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Comments:
Well that reinforces my decision to avoid Best Buy. Activities such as this never support team building. a general manager or an HR dept that would condone such a night of assaulting activities should be terminated.
Pie in the face or a bird in the hand?! Great story
They also splash acid in the face of the worst customer creditcard signer upper. Tell me more about this pie - specifically if it was fresh and what flavor it was.
The employees should just sue.
HR is filled with useless corporate shills who do nothing for the employees, and often don't even have a vague grasp of employment law.
Best Buy: people with food allergies need not even think about working here, cause we'll shove food in your face whether you want it or not.
...While I'm certainly less inclined to shop at their US stores, in my few weeks interning at one of their Shanghai, China stores I've never seen anything like this. Probably because the Chinese labor department would be all over management if things got this bad.
(in fact, while in Shanghai I don't really shop at stores besides Best Buy for electronics unless I'm looking for gray-market goods- can't get any consoles at the ones here apart from a N64 variant called an iQue- yes, made by Nintendo, yes, only sold in China because such a product would be laughed out of the market elsewhere).
Maybe I'm just being naive or clueless this morning, but what's the expletive that means "your father"? I googled and I'm only finding references to swearing at one's father, or Jesus Christ, and I don't think it can be that because he's the son, not the father...or am I overthinking this?
For the life of me, I can't figure out what [expletive that means "your father"] is. Am i stupid?
please oh please ms manager, hit me. hit me hard. let me have the sense to fall down.
yes, I'll take the humiliation from my coworkers because it comes with a payout for assault by my manager.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm..... Floor pie.
@kaceetheconsumer: It's not just you - I am baffled.
Can someone give us a word this slur rhymes with?
Can assault charges be filed against Manager 1 & 2? Maybe Best Buy would "take the complaints seriously" then
@larrymac: And, just for good measure, the rest regards intimate relations with the nice lady in question?
All those BB blue shirts and NOT ONE with a camera phone that can record video and post to YouTube? WTF?
I'm a little slow today. It took me a while to figure out which expletive means "your father". I guess I don't think of my dear old dad that way!
Stop redacting names and places. I mean if we really want to affect change, the public needs to know which stores NOT to patronize.
At this point, I only use Best Buy for DVDs. All big purchases are made elsewhere.
Best Pie? I have a friend that works at a Best Buy, they did the same thing. I think this was either at that store, or Corporate SUGGESTED this brilliant idea.
"If ANYONE throws a pie at me, I'm gonna KICK THEIR ASS!". We later found out that she was not joking, as many thought she was at the time."
Haha that reminds me of a Spongebob episode. (shh I have 4 and 8yo nephews)
@Eoghann: They were all in that football stadium, answering asinine questions about consumer electronics.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!!"
...another "fun" promotion gone awry...
It's an electronics store with oodles of video recording capable equipment. Not one of the employees thought to share a video of this event? Tragic.
"Having fun while being the best is one of Best Buy's core values. Our employees are both encouraged and empowered to make sure fun is infused into all aspects of our work.'
Translation: Our lawyers are running up billable hours by the metric ton, trying to figure out how to make this idiotic stunt disappear.
By any typical employee handbook, this is by and large, employee hazing, no matter how you spin it. IF the OP is right and they are tight with the GM, then they well get away with it.
Just barely though. This one has to go on the record since employees did file complaints regarding it. So a annual review will reveal this discrepancy and questions will be asked.
So don't think that they will get away with that so easily now.
Nevermind, got it.
But seriously, they should have said: "In 99% of cases, it means your father".
Plus one for the installment of corporate endorsed soda and pie fights. I'd even volunteer to be hit. Growing up in the '90s when Nickelodean ruled the world, I've always wanted to have a pie thrown at me at least once just to see what it's like.
The problem with throwing pies is that eventually one smart ass will use a chicken pot pie. That happens to be piping hot.
That said, they should have extended it to the customers. "Sign up for our crappy card and you can hit me with a pie!" "Yes, please!" Like a kissing booth for the miscreant generation.
@larrymac: Thanks for the clarification. I always thought that particular insult referred not to a gentleman's sire but to incest with said mother.
@tbax929: We can be slow together. It also took me longer than I care to admit. Parental sex isn't a place where my mind automatically goes.
@larrymac: Nah, that's an expletive that means "Oedipus". Your dad doesn't do that to his mother, he does it to his wife (one hopes).
I actually don't mind the pie contest, I think it's a clever way to encourage employees to fill a quota. What I mind are the managers who so clearly aren't 'team players' despite what they constantly preach. Manager 1 should be fired. Manager 2 should be reprimanded but not fired, assuming "throwing sprite" means spraying the bottles, not throwing full bottles of sprite at people. That can hurt.
@larrymac: Ohhhh. You're probably right. That didn't occur to me because mf would be doing one's mother, but I suppose yes, one's father does one's mother, assuming no divorces or dalliances with milkmen or what have you.
Good to see I wasn't the only confused one, though. And thanks!
@CaptainConsumer: Only when you are upsold to the Lemon Meringue, not (unfortunately) for the Apple Crumb you purchased.
@tawni: What exactly is wrong with some harmless pie throwing if people consent to it? It's just a silly team-building exercise that got out of hand because of some assholes.
@tawni: Assault? It's a pie-in-the-face. A PRE-AGREED TO PITF. Stupid managers should have brought crappy clothes or a poncho. They do this all the time on nickelodeon.
I would have had on easy to clean stuff and a poncho in my pocket. Maybe a few extras for my buddies.
THAT is good team building. Manager shows "I stand by my word AND have a sense of humor. AND I PLAN AHEAD."
@jeffbone: Alternative translation: By "fun" we mean to say, encouraging management to abuse their staff so badly that they're driven to tears, assaulted and committed battery upon, and when possible, loudly suggesting our employees commit carnal relations with their mothers. Preferably in public and in front of their peers.
Because really, isn't any PR good PR?
@Skankingmike:
This
The situation has boiled over well past an internal incident to outright assault. I'm pretty sure there's more than a few labor laws that prohibit being pelted with soda bottles and being verbally and physically abused...
I knew I should have bought that extended pie warranty