Brief definition of corporate abbreviations and aspects unclear to an outside onlooker:

X5 Retail Group N. V. manages “Pyaterochka” “by house” stores, “Perekrestok” supermarkets and “Karusel” hypermarkets.

SPV ― Supervisor: subordinated: 10 stores, 200 employees.

HOD ― Head of Operations Division: subordinated: 100 stores, 2000 employees.

DC ― Director of the cluster: subordinated: 100 stores, 2000 employees, HOD, HR Manager.

OD ― Operations Director of the Division: subordinated: 10 clusters, 1000 stores, 20,000 employees.

DD ― Director of the Division: subordinated: 10 clusters, 1000 stores, 20000 employees, OD, HR Director, SS.

CO – Central  Office.

“HOD’s signature” ― the standard procedure: the store director’s resignation letter should be endorsed by the HOD following the SPV; the same should apply to any other transfer of employees “from” and ” to ” the cluster.

The rest is all clear, in my opinion. Enjoy reading!

The story of a dismissal

  In advance, I’m sorry about some terms and definitions used in this story, but, having finished reading, you will understand that I was as precise as possible. I am also sorry for a long introduction for, as it is known, no denouement is possible without the introduction.

Down-grade store.

   This term requires a more detailed description. On the outside, the down-grade store is no different to any other regular store. A down-grade store can be clean, light, and cozy: the friendly smiling staff greets their guests (as witnessed by the claims statistics). All the network business processes can be carried out in the down-grade store (proved by numerous estimates of the inspecting OD, DC, HOD, SPV ― can anyone miss the down-grade store?)

  The down-grade store means the range of a store with the sale proceeds of 1,300,000 RUB/day presented at the sale proceeds of 300,000 RUB/day. The down-grade store means the daily write-off of expired products equaling 20,000 RUB at the sale proceeds of 300,000 RUB/day. The down-grade store means the write-off equaling 6% of turnover during several years(!!!) and under different directors (three DCs, four HODs). The down-grade store is a lossmaking store “eating” the profits of the bush, the cluster, and the entire network.

Director of the down-grade store.

  Director of the down-grade store is a second rater. Working for 54 500 RUB per month (the average salary for the entire dutifully(!) “served two-year term”) while in 300 metres, the director of a normal store receives 80000-90000 RUB for the same job, – only the second rater can do that. Bad smell always drags behind the director of the down-grade store: the longer he works in his shop, the deeper the down-grade store reek eats into him. That’s why the director of the down-grade store has no prospects: When the last name of the director of the down-grade store surfaces at the discussion of successor candidates to a normal store, somebody (DC, HOD, or SPV) would wrinkle and pose a question,

 “Is this the director of that very down-grade store with 6% of loss?! He’s a crap of a director! Don’t we have anyone from normal stores?..”

  A year has passed. In July 2019, it seemed like the big brass decided to close this down-grade store. In short, the director of that very down-grade store, having evaluated his prospects (which down-grade store will be given to him after the closure) decided to seek employment. And he found it!

Like a bluebird, stumbled into…

  Unfortunately, the job was found in X5, in “Perekrestok” CO. Although this employment is temporary, until 2020 (the project for the transfer of “Perekrestok” supermarkets to the GK program), but it’s interesting, and the salary is as much as 70 000 RUB. After 54 500 RUB, this is an ultimate dream. Director of the down-grade store “Pyaterochka” goes directly to “Perekrestok” CO! This happens once in a lifetime.

   The unlucky thing about this was that, instead of regular resignation and 14 days of working off, this situation required the agreement upon transfer. As if he was apprehending something, the director of the down-grade store suggested the HR manager from “Perekrestok” to solve the issue by a simple letter of resignation. She made a rational remark,

“What for? We are a single Company, and we will execute it as a transfer. The only thing we have to do is to agree this with the colleagues.”

  After the successful interview, the director of the down-grade store immediately notified his functional supervisor, emphasizing how unique this chance was for him, which, as it has been already mentioned here, “comes once-in-a-lifetime”. It was on July 31.

  A few days later, on August 06, the HR manager of “Perekrestok” told him the following, word for word,

“I was told that the plan was to close the store. The date of the store closure in unknown: perhaps, in September, perhaps, in October. I transferred this information to the Project manager, and he made a decision to continue headhunting…”

   Here, the special note should be given to the HR manager of “Perekrestok”, the way she managed to prevent the director of the down-grade store from hurrying, for he was not speaking but screaming into the receiver,

“What September, what October, what closure? Have they completely lost their minds?!..”

  The director of the down-grade store set his jaws and continued “doing the time.” It’s late October outside so it’s natural that nobody means closure. Only having cooled down a little in a couple of months, the director of the down-grade store realized how right was the HR manager who stopped him in August. For, if he started setting all the bells a-ringing (retiring) back then, the “rulers of destinies” from “Pyaterochka” would twist the situation in a way making the the colleagues from “Perekrestok” can carriers. That is, they would be dipped into something the director of the down-grade store worked in for 22 months.

  I hope that the fact that in this manner, the “colleagues” from “Pyaterochka” stood up the colleagues from “Perekrestok” by saying this blatant lie to them, is out of question both to me and to you.  And they said it to someone else, too.

HOD’s signature.

  The meeting was carried out “on the go” and lasted for five minutes maximum. HOD asked about the reasons for leaving, and the director of the down-grade store briefly described the situation with his attempt to leave to “Perekrestok” CO. When the director finished speaking, the HOD asked,

 “Why do you think they didn’t let you transfer?”

 “But, you are a manager. You selected a person, and then suddenly it turns out that he will be able to commence his duties in two months, or perhaps, in three…”

 “Well, yeah… So, you wanted to sit in the office?..”

The director of the down-grade store started mumbling, in order to justify himself,

 “No, not in the office. There, I had to dink around in the stores, and go to business trips around the country…”

 “But these people aren’t present in the  cluster already! Why would you leave? CYou gonna close your store in January(!), and we’ll give you another one.”

 “No, thank you! They will give me another one in * “Magnet”.”

 “I see, so, everyone’s guilty now… All right, I gonna sign it but I’ve got no pen!..”

*”Magnet” is a competitor to “Pyaterochka”.

Colleagues, managers from Russia complete this survey simultaneously with you. Aren’t you curious to learn about their opinion? Complete the survey, and in a couple of weeks you’ll know whether these Russians are as bad as they seem!