The hourly wage calculation for PTs is pretty good.

1. Under workforce reductions, each store’s working hours are restricted accordingly, yet under these conditions, the ones who suffer are all the PTs. Many PTs work part-time to support their living expenses and families. If the company earns that much, shouldn’t it be willing to pay them properly?

2. Naturally, the staffing at the top-ranked stores is not affected. However, this is also related to the quality of the store managers and employees. Among more than 100 stores, I imagine there are only a handful of store managers who can truly lead their stores to good performance. But what is the most fundamental problem? Isn’t it that the store managers were never properly trained in the first place? The people responsible for training store managers should seriously review themselves—or it may be time to replace them.

3. The same applies to employee quality. Promotion systems based mainly on assessments inevitably have some drawbacks. People who can memorize the material generally have no problem, but actual operations are another matter. Actual operating performance and random inspections of work conditions should also be included in the assessment. After all, the head office certainly has no shortage of idle people, right?

4. Store managers or company executives parachuted in from outside have definitely never worked in a POYA store, so could you please stop bringing in people who only cause problems? As long as someone is willing to put in the effort, I think simply asking the managers of the top 18 stores would show that those managers and their subordinate executives are much more capable than the parachuted-in outsiders. After all, doesn’t being consistently among the top 18 indicate that they have ideas and ability? Shouldn’t these people become head-office executives? Stop giving every good opportunity to outsiders. Those store managers and executives are the foundation and capital of the company. Developing them would lead to better policies, wouldn’t it? After all, they are on the front line and understand customers’ needs and the corresponding leadership direction best.

5. Regarding ordering, the company simply tells store employees to look at the reports. As a result, whenever stores need to order, employees really do just follow the reports. However, some products vary depending on particular seasons or holidays, and they may also be related to current trends. There will inevitably be discrepancies between how products sell on the shelves and what the reports show. Store employees should be encouraged to fill and replenish the shelves more actively instead of always leaving it to the PTs. This would make it possible to stock products more accurately and better predict which products might sell well, allowing the store to push those products.

6. Head-office purchasing staff should also stop randomly placing orders for stores or disrupting their ordering procedures. It may not be a problem for you, but it creates a lot of trouble for store employees, because one decision of yours can force them to reorganize their entire plans. The purchasing staff should really be assigned to work in stores and experience it for themselves.

7. The time allotted for adjustment projects should be set according to the project’s content, while also taking into account the differing staffing levels at each store. After all, besides the project, there are many daily procedures to handle, such as replenishing and ordering stock, arranging products on shelves, and serving customers. Not every store can finish everything within the deadline. Either make changes gradually or give stores a longer period to adjust.

8. In many stores, the employee restroom is broken and unusable, leaving employees with no choice but to share the same restroom as customers. When the company sends people to inspect a store, they should also ask the store manager about the entire store environment or inspect it themselves. If anything is inappropriate, they should report it to head office so that the company can arrange repairs.

9. Regarding face-to-face sales and calling out to customers, every employee has a different personality. Some are more shy, while others are more outgoing. Store managers and executives should not force them to do it. Customers who want to buy something will naturally buy it. The way products are displayed at the checkout counter can be adjusted to see what arrangement attracts customers. As for calling out, I think many stores already display the products in the store. Honestly, customers who are going to buy will buy, while those who will not buy will only find it annoying if employees shout themselves hoarse.

10. There should be a clear policy on returns and exchanges. It should not be the case that customers can exchange anything simply because they ask to, as this only increases the workload of cashiers. If there is a problem with the food itself, that is understandable. However, I think some returns and exchanges are motivated by customers’ personal preferences—for example, bringing something back after using it, or returning it because they did not like it after using it. The company should issue a clear notice specifying the relevant requirements for returns and exchanges and inform customers of them.

11. Regarding overtime pay and overtime for full-time employees, I imagine that at some stores employees may still have to come to the store on their days off to adjust projects or place orders, yet are not allowed to clock in. Although this is supposedly a responsibility-based system, that is unreasonable, isn’t it? If employees are working, they should be paid properly. Overtime is overtime, and they should be allowed to clock in. I also doubt that the overtime pay would really be that low. Surely head office understands that employees are the company’s greatest asset, doesn’t it? How could POYA survive without them?

Although I am only a small-time PT who worked for almost two years, these are my thoughts after working there for some time. Although I have been away from the company for a while, I still hope head office will pay more attention to “POYA Complaints” and other reviews, or directly ask store employees for their opinions. Trying to build a car behind closed doors will never produce anything good. If the wrong people are being employed and the company’s performance cannot improve, it should consider replacing them. I think this could be a new milestone for both the company and its stores. Trying to change is better than continuing to decay, right? After all, having worked at POYA, I hope POYA will treat its store employees better. They work extremely hard. The company should not be stingy about providing what they deserve. Good benefits are employees’ greatest motivation, and that is how stores can operate better, isn’t it?

Those are my humble thoughts. Thank you for your feedback.