Satisficing

Whereas many people were taught that it’s a “dog eat dog world”, I learned to “take one

for the team”. Throughout my life, I’ve always had to be a team player. I grew up one of four

children. For a bunch of kids who shared a room for 7 years, we hardly bickered. One thing

was for certain: we had each other’s back. I had always been part of a team. I ran track,

played soccer, was in drama club, and debated on the high school debate team. There were

many times that I put what I believed was best for the team before my selfish concerns.

Unfortunately, selflessness sometimes blurs rationality and can make decisions much harder

for me. I was taught to consider the actors involved in my own decisions and how my choices

affect other people. On the contrary, opportunism does not consider other actors. When a

person acts opportunistically, they willfully exploit others for gain. 

I could have acted opportunistically by seizing a position held by a coworker on

temporary leave. In May of 2016, I was hired as a beauty advisor (BA) at Walgreens. My job

was to help customers, maintain the beauty department, stock inventory, reset item

placement, and the like. My place as BA was nearly exclusively working in the beauty

department. That position soon dissolved. Shortly afterwards, the beauty consultant (BC)

position was introduced. While fairly similar, the BC position entailed far less less manual

labor. The main tasks of the BC were to assist customers with all beauty needs and keep the

department clean and organized. I was not offered the opportunity to switch over. One of my

managers believed that I lacked the tenacity to take on such change. I did not know until

nearly a year later that this position paid $2 more an hour. I became a CSA. I was now

responsible for duties similar to the BA position, but for the entire store. In order to meet the

unique demands of my store, a total of 60 hours were offered for the BC position: one 40

hour full time position and a 20 hour part time position. These spots were taken by Rachel, a

graduate who had worked in beauty before, and Fahren, a college freshman. When the

school year ended, Fahren, as the part time employee, left for the summer. To enjoy her

summer, Rachel dropped to 35 hours a week. Beauty sales began to decline as a result, and

my store manager gently pushed for me to become the part-time BC. I was offered 25 hours

a week. 

I thought about the benefits of accepting the offer and what this change would mean for

me and my son. The hours were not only ideal with the latest shift being midshift (12PM-

8:30PM), but also consistent from week to week. Throughout the school year, I closed on

Wednesdays with a child. The hours were so late that we would stay overnight with our sitter

so that we wouldn’t have to travel home so late. And although the BC position was less

hours, my take-home pay would increase after subtracting costly babysitting since I would no

longer be a closer. Lastly, positions are plentiful for CSAs - there are only two BC positions.

Thus, raises can be easily determined since BCs are more directly evaluated for their

individual work. Lastly, less hours would mean that I had more time to spend with my son or

doing homework. 

After a week of contemplation, I decided to decline the offer despite pressure from

managers. I knew that Fahren wanted to come back to school and resume her position. A

“rec” was opened for this position instead. If someone else was going to get it, I figured so be

it. It would not sit on my conscience and risk permanent distrust with my coworkers. Still, I

needed more money. I loved my customers. I loved my team. I loved my store’s central

location. However, rather than staying with the company, I began filling out applications

elsewhere. I landed a position that paid $2 more an hour. By looking for another job rather

than taking the optimal position as the BC, I was satisficing. The processing for this position

lasted 3 weeks while I did several certification classes. In the third week, the BC Rachel

permanently left her full time position. My store manager offered me a solution that would

prevent the transition I was regretting to: now there were 50 hours total to be split 30:20

between me and Fahren. I accepted the full time position and was officially promoted.