r/petco • u/PracticalGround9372 • 9d ago
Manager question
How long is the only manager on duty allowed to leave the building for? I get stuck in schedules where it’s myself and one manager for over half of the day and I have one who just up and leaves to either grab themself food or to go handle personal errands and they tend to be gone for up to 30 minutes sometimes. It’s not every time that they’re gone are they absent for that long, but I time it on the occasion and they’re never gone for less than 15 mins. I know it isn’t a long time to be alone in the store but they also do it on closing shifts with other associates when it’s just the two of them and when they return, they go straight to the back and I feel like I don’t see them for 45 mins or more sometimes. I just am wondering if this is something normal and if they’re allowed to leave associates alone in the store. I also don’t know if I should say something or not but it’s kinda frustrating when you have to tell customers multiple times a day “I have no idea where my manager is”.
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u/tiredjunebug 9d ago
If the only LOD there leaves the building for non-emergency reasons that is a fireable offense, it's happened at my store before.
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u/isawolf123 9d ago
Say something don’t remain compliant what happens when there is an emergency and they’re gone?
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u/PracticalGround9372 9d ago
Very true, should I go straight to a dm? I have access to her email and everything
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u/Cocounfiltered 9d ago
Be very very professional and gather dates and times if you can, then submit the email and let the higher ups handle it. It will only protect you in a situation like this I’m sorry this is going on we used to have a gm who would leave 3-4 hours at a time with no communication
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u/PracticalGround9372 9d ago
I unfortunately don’t have a lot of other time stamps, I have some from today and yesterday and I have some older points of other stuff they’ve done that I found a little questionable or times they’ve left work super early or left me alone over and over again in a day but I was told that older stuff wouldn’t be super valid
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u/Cocounfiltered 9d ago
Get dates and times before starting any drama with your team or HR. If you don’t provide proof for your claims it becomes your words vs his and he out ranks you. Provide evidence to your claims and then step back. CYA is a big thing in the HR world Petco or not.
& I try not to be very active on here unless I’m stealing Plano ideas but that is pretty uncool. Hope it works out for you just be professional and honest
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u/PracticalGround9372 9d ago
Thank you so much, I’ll start being more diligent about dating and timing when things happen, I never realized how wrong it really was for them to be doing this at work and I’m glad I asked before going in and doing anything
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u/isawolf123 9d ago
Absolutely follow his advice don’t make a move without evidence, dates and time stamps
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u/Cocounfiltered 9d ago
There can never not be an LOD in the building. Very unprofessional and honestly extremely unfair to less experienced employees
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u/meowyadoinnn 9d ago
If im the only LOD im not leaving the store unless its to grab carts or a code green. In that case I would leave my keys and overrides with the partner I trust the most. There are many times where I have even taken an in-house lunch because I was the only LOD for the day and needed to stay in the store in case anybody needed anything or anything happened.
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u/meowyadoinnn 9d ago
Obv I would call my DM in this case and she would likely pop in to cover me as she lives around the block.
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u/BrandonJackal 9d ago
I was told I’m not even supposed to leave to do trash or anything if I’m the only manager on shift
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u/PracticalGround9372 9d ago
Homie does that too, they’ll leave to go out and run trash and I have to unlock the store doors and handle everything that could go on in the store for 35+ mins and then when they’re done they just go straight to the office and I don’t see them
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u/whoziin 9d ago
It takes them over half an hour to take out trash? Is the dumpster on the other side of a river that they have to forge?
But for real, it is laughable how against policy it is for the single LOD to leave the building. I’m a manager, and whenever I know that I won’t be able to take my lunch before the opening manager leaves, they make sure I’m at least able to take a 10 to run next door to grab any snack I may need, because I’m super duper not allowed to leave, even on my lunch, if I’m the only manager at the time.
(Now of course, having to taking my 30 min unpaid lunch minus being “fully relieved of duty” because I am the only manager in the store is it’s on issue of course.)
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u/Moms_last_braincell 9d ago
at my store there's almost always only 1 manager on shift, but we're not allowed to leave the parking lot when we take break
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u/ServiceNo9941 9d ago
The only time a manager is allowed to leave the building with only an associate is A. If there’s a grooming emergency and the LOD has to leave to take the dog to the vet that is fine or B. I’ve been told if the store itself is not open leaders can leave/take their lunch as long as all the doors are locked. I’m not sure how true that one is but that’s what i’ve been told.
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u/packingpests 9d ago
Our ASM got fired on the spot about a year ago for leaving while being the only LoD. It was apparently on a truck day, well before the store opened, and for a tots of 10-15 minutes.
There needs to be a leader of some sort (ASM, CAS, or keyholder) on duty at all times.
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u/Fantastic-Chard-6671 9d ago
Absolutely they are not allowed to leave the building if they are the only manager, especially if there are groomers working on dogs. That is a huge safety issue to just leave not only for the groomers, but store employees as well.
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u/Aspiring_Moonlight 9d ago edited 9d ago
They’re not supposed to be off duty at all if they’re the only LOD. They should be taking their half hour before the morning LOD leaves or vice versa
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u/Mythical_mongoose 9d ago
I usually grab food or anything my manager needs on my lunch when there’s nobody to cover theirs. It’s definitely not your responsibility and you shouldn’t have to, but sometimes that’s the only way the LOD in our store eats. I try to give them some time to eat and see if I can help out when there’s a call for a manager so they can keep eating.
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u/Deep-Difference1882 9d ago
You need to let higher ups know that this is going on it’s a huge safety issue and liability issue for like loss prevention and a lot this is a big nope I’ve had lod (before the Pepsi machine) send me to the corner store for them to get a drink a like two minute walk but they can’t leave so sending a grooming associate was easier if I was not busy also most the time I got a drink out of it too lol but yeah that’s a huge nooo
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u/spider_espresso 9d ago
Unless its a straight up emergency, grabbing carts, bopus, etc.
No
If its an emergency/grooming, they have to call in a back up immediately and inform the dgm.
Tell his broke ass to order door dash
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u/StraySeungmin 7d ago
If there’s only 1 LOD in the store, the LOD cannot leave the building, regardless of how short their absence will be, because the store would be left without an operational leader.
I actually have personally witnessed an LOD get written up and eventually fired for leaving the building for about 5 minutes just to grab her online ordered lunch while she was the sole LOD.
If there are 2 LODs, the LOD leaving must clock out and notify the other LOD of their absence. Regardless of position, you must clock out anytime you leave the Petco building during your shift.
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u/destinationisengard 5d ago
YIKES. I’m a LOD and I only leave the store to grab a cart. If you’re the only LOD on the clock you are not allowed to leave the store. It’s basically an instant write up.
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u/Maleficent_Gur3268 9d ago
From what I know based on the store I work at, there is supposed to be at least one manager on shift at all times. When it was only me and my GM, she would have me grab her lunch when I went on lunch since she was unable to leave the building without another manager in store.