Undercover Boss (2010) s01e06 Episode Script
GSI Commerce
Male announcer: The economy is going through tough times.
Many hard-working americans blame wealthy CEOs, out of touch with what's going on in their own companies.
But some bosses are willing to take extreme action To make their businesses better.
Each week, we follow the boss of a major corporation As they go undercover in their own company.
I'm stepping down as the CEO of GSI Commerce.
This billion-dollar e-commerce giant Manages websites and fulfills orders for huge retailers.
But when one of america's youngest CEOs Poses as a new recruit Nice to meet you, Gary.
And works on the front line of his own company Have you ever loaded a truck? I haven't.
Ooh, ooh, oh! He'll find out what's really going on In his own business.
I opened the box, and it is crushed.
You're not letting me talk, so I can't help you, elizabeth.
She's actually getting lucky that this show is being filmed, Because if she wasn't, she'd be walked out of here today.
And he'll discover the unsung heroes That make his company run.
This experience really touched my heart As a manager and as a man.
How will his coworkers react When they find out he's really the boss? And how will it change their lives? That is awesome.
Find out next on undercover boss.
I'm Michael Rubin.
I'm the founder and CEO of GSI Commerce, And this is my creation.
GSI Commerce operates most, if not all, aspects Of major retailers' and brands' e-commerce businesses.
So what that means is companies like the NFL, Major League Baseball, Aeropostale, and other popular brands who want to sell their products online Have hired GSI to do it for them.
We design the websites, We pick up the phones, we ship the merchandise-- Everything under our clients' brands.
If you're an online shopper, you've probably used GSI And didn't even know it.
I've loved business since I've been a little boy.
It's always been in my DNA.
When I was literally eight years old, I'd sell stationery door-to-door.
When I was 12 years old, I started a skeet-shooting shop in my parents' basement.
By the time I was 14, I opened my first ski store In a retail shopping center.
And by the time I was 21, I had a business Doing over $100 million in revenue.
I knew I was good at this, And it felt good to be a winner, and business made me a winner.
That's what drives me.
It's never been about money.
It's always been about winning.
Being the CEO of a very fast-growing company, I got to work nonstop.
You have senior management this afternoon From 12:00 to 2:00, and that's not gonna work.
Okay.
And then So whether you're in the office or in meetings Or you're at home on your blackberry, I'm kind of working 24-7.
Michael never stops Constantly moving.
Can you actually get that reset back up, 'cause we really do need to make that work? Since the age of 12, business has been my first priority, And it's remained that way ever since.
I've put so much effort into GSI, It definitely takes away from other things.
I would say Michael as a husband And Michael as a businessman are one and the same.
He is definitely a workaholic-- Texting at 3:00 in the morning to europe.
He treats GSI as if it is his baby.
Hi, Kelly.
Hey, lip gloss.
Lip gloss? Daddy's working.
Meegan's always been really supportive Of whatever I've been doing, and she understands me for me.
I'm trying to do a better job balancing today Than I ever have, But it's still something I really struggle with.
At the same time, competition's moving very quickly, So there's no time for rest, And that's really the way I look at it.
I'm headed into the boardroom To tell my executive team what I'm about to do.
If I were an executive, I wouldn't want the founder or CEO working in my operations.
They're gonna think I'm nuts.
I'm sure everybody is wondering Why I've called all of you to the boardroom today.
I'm stepping down as the CEO of GSI Commerce.
That is, for next week, Not in total.
Oh, okay.
So during the next week, I've decided to go undercover As a temporary employee in our fulfillment and call centers.
So you're gonna picking, packing, hauling, Moving boxes for eight, ten hours in a day? That's right, maybe even longer.
For now, I'm no longer Michael Rubin.
I've officially changed my name to Gary Rogers.
So the employees aren't gonna know that you're the CEO? Employees aren't gonna have any idea.
We're gonna do a few more things to change my look.
Gonna make you skinny? We're not gonna do skinny.
We probably can't do that overnight.
One thing that I need from all of you Is to keep this completely confidential.
This is a complete waste of time If anybody finds out, and that will set me up To really be able to go out and understand what happens.
Thank you.
That's gonna be a disaster.
Peak is the holiday season.
Everything goes crazy, And we make 70% of our profits in the holiday quarter.
Everything is about nailing peak.
But for me, why not go undercover at peak? I'll see everything we do At the most stressful time of the year.
Can our systems stand up To everything that we think they should? It's the single best time for me to evaluate it, Because I want to see how's my team playing During the most important moment of the game.
My cover story will be that I'll be taking part In a tv show about seasonal jobs.
Hi.
Hi.
I need a room, please, for the night.
Mm-hmm.
I'm a little nervous.
I've been my own boss my entire life.
Can Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO, Live up to the reputation of a founder And do each job really well? I'm here at the richwood fulfillment center, Where we pack hundreds of thousands of orders weekly For consumers to buy online at our websites.
This is actually the size of ten football fields.
We ship 75,000 packages per day during peak, Just out of this facility.
You must be Gary.
I am.
Gary, I'm matt.
How you doing? Hey, matt.
How are you? I'm doing well.
Come over here.
We'll get you changed.
Let's do it.
What am I gonna be doing exactly? You will be loading trucks.
We have 5,000 total employees at GSI Commerce.
When we get in the holiday seasons, We need to go up to 10,000, And it's these seasonal employees That really help us to deliver for our clients.
I've had very little exposure To our seasonal employees.
So this is a great opportunity For me to go in the company as a seasonal employee And see the jobs through their eyes.
This is Rashelle.
How are you? Rashelle, this is Gary.
Very nice to meet you.
Good luck.
If you have anything, call.
Nice to meet you, Rashelle.
Nice to meet you too.
So have you ever loaded a truck? I haven't.
This is gonna be fun.
We want to stack 'em high and tight.
We want 'em from floor to ceiling all the way up.
I feel like we're being attacked by boxes.
We are.
It's nonstop.
I'm starting to feel like I'm gonna be very tired After an hour.
Is this your first season here? I've been doing this for three weeks.
Three weeks? Yep.
My oldest boy goes to CCU now, And I got this job so I could help pay for his college.
I'm hoping to get on full-time.
You're certainly doing a heck of a job here.
this is hard work.
I'm not sure I'm cut out to do this job all day.
This is hard.
Well, yeah.
I'm feeling like my side's Not gonna look as good as your side.
Hey, Gary, real quick, make sure You're stacking as high as you can.
When you got everything falling over, It will shift when the truck driver takes off.
You got it? Got it.
They seem tough here.
I guess, you know, if I owned my own business, That's the way I'd want it done too.
But we need to start packing it really tight.
These boxes just keep coming and coming and coming.
Oh, they don't stop.
I had no idea that this would be The most difficult workout I've ever had in my entire life.
Whoa.
This is the first time since I founded the company Ten years ago that I wished for orders To stop coming in.
I think I screwed up.
Watch out.
Oh! Oops.
Oh! No, no, no, no, no.
No? High and tight.
High and tight.
I feel like we're getting--ooh! Oh, are you okay? No, not really.
Just be careful.
I felt horrible.
I actually hit Rashelle in the head with a box.
I was so tired and exhausted.
You got to get something over here.
All right, guys, you getting towards the end of the trailer? I've noticed you've got a couple boxes Still falling down.
Is it one of the worst trailers you've ever seen? It's getting close.
The shipping company's not gonna like it, 'cause if we open up this door, Everything's gonna fall out, it's gonna damage product, And it's gonna have some unhappy customers.
Okay.
So this may not be your shtick.
So we're gonna bring Rashelle and you over To the other side here, show how you sort the boxes.
All right.
All right.
I was embarrassed that I couldn't keep up.
The job was so hard.
I actually thought when I signed up to do this That everyone would just say, "wow.
"Gary's so great at doing these jobs.
This is easy.
" I was absolutely wrong.
All right, we are gonna separate the boxes.
Either it's gonna be a local truck, A midwest truck, an east truck, or a california truck.
You might be good at this.
Wow.
Now the truth comes out.
Normally we would walk every single box To the gate and scan each one in.
It just takes too much time, so I put these on my arm, Scan the package, scan it to where it's going, Set it on a skid, and then that way, When I get to the truck, I'm ready to load it.
You just started doing that? I started doing that.
Probably the most stunning thing about Rashelle-- She had all these great ideas about how to improve efficiency.
How much time does it save by doing it this way Versus the way it used to happen? I believe that I am able to scan In an hour about 25% more.
For me, it was great to see her Having so much passion, not only about the company, But about ways for us to improve.
We'll test your stacking ability now.
All right, I'm gonna stack these well.
All right.
And it's employees like Rashelle That literally hold the company on their shoulders.
I wish all of our employees we hired could be like her.
And we just take the boxes and put 'em on.
I feel better suited to do this position.
Don't hurt yourself.
So I just got done my first day, And the only way to describe it Is I'm exhausted.
Every bone in my body hurts.
I never understood what it was like To do all the different things that I did today.
I'm whipped.
Coming up, Michael nearly blows his cover When he thinks an employee is rude to a customer.
No, that's not what I said at all.
You just haven't let me finish a sentence.
Michael Rubin, CEO of GSI Commerce, is undercover in his own company.
He's discovering that the frontline jobs Are more difficult than he ever imagined.
Now he's off to Melbourne, Florida, To work in a call center.
When you go to one of our websites, If you want to call and talk to somebody And place an order, you call our call center.
And there's nothing more important Than how we handle consumer calls.
Most customers that call our call center, They're really happy, But when you handle more than 20 million calls a year, Some of them are gonna go wrong.
So today I'm gonna go work escalations, Where customers who have issues With their orders call for additional help.
We've all had bad orders before, And you call, and you want to kill the person On the other side of the phone.
That's these people that are working at escalations.
Hey, Gary.
Hi, I'm Adam.
Nice to meet you, Gary.
How are you? I'm doing great.
Nice to meet you.
You ready for some escalations? I am as ready as I'll ever be.
sounds good.
Take a seat.
We will start getting engaged in what I do On a day-to-day basis.
Okay.
Should I prepare myself to be screamed at or? Unfortunately, I do believe so.
Just basically use a calm voice, And the main thing that we do here is apologize.
And also the closing statement, Asking if they were completely satisfied.
That's really gonna be it.
Listen to these first couple calls here Okay.
And we should be good to go from there.
I'll just sit and listen and watch, right? And let's see what's going on.
L-3, this is Adam.
How may I help you today? Thank you for holding, Mr.
Warden.
I do appreciate your patience there.
Hi, Greg.
How you doing? This is Adam.
You had placed an order For a customized premier home jersey there.
And I canceled it And I definitely do apologize that, first and foremost.
Why would it take until the day of shipment to notify me? You know, I certainly do apologize that there.
I do apologize for that inconvenience.
If I have to, I'll send it back.
Since it is a customized item and all sales are final On that, unfortunately the warehouse Wouldn't be able to accept that return.
If I could do a 20% discount-- $23 back-- That's fine.
All right.
And have you been satisfied with the service That I've provided today? Um, yes, sir.
Thank you.
One moment, please.
Do you feel like you'd be ready to take a call? Throw me to the wolves already.
Yeah.
And we actually have six calls waiting right now, So we're gonna receive a call right now.
All right? Yeah, hi, l-3, this is Gary.
May I help you? Okay, I have one thing to say.
We opened the box, and it is crushed.
Apologize.
I'm really sorry for the problems you had.
I can't get this item in the store.
What do I do now? 'cause I can't return The custom shirt that's being sent, And I can't get another one.
I apologize for that happening with them.
It's not my fault.
It was y'all's fault.
Um, let me just-- um--um What we can do is give him free expedited shipping For any other item that he'd be interested in.
Hey, John.
If we--if we--if we sent you something that was Already made, um, and then when, um, Send that out immediately and, um-- And we would pay for the expedite at our cost.
You know what? Let's simplify this.
Let's just go with old-time hockey youth shirt.
"are you satisfied with the service?" Are you satisfied with the service I gave you, sir? Yeah, that's fine.
Great.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
How'd I do? Not completely up to par, But you definitely can get this done With the proper training.
Do they ever get under your skin? Me personally? No.
I mean, I look at it like If their order is their biggest problem, I'm gonna do everything I can to get their issue resolved So that, you know, they definitely will be satisfied And be calm by the end of the call.
Adam's perfectly suited for this.
I mean, if a customer called and flipped out on Adam, He'd be like, "I'm sorry.
"I understand.
Let me tell you how I can fix this.
" It's in his DNA to deal with difficult situations And get a great outcome.
He could be a hostage negotiator.
If we want to go ahead and take a break, We'll head over to the break room.
Okay.
How long you been doing this for? I started here December 4th last year.
They've really shown me a lot of love Since I stepped in this door.
That was a year ago? Yep.
I was actually working for another major Cell phone company.
It was actually the only job That I've ever been let go from, But that was only because it was A very bad personal situation.
I ended up losing my daughter.
And the day that I lost my daughter, I was unable to go in and work that black Friday And just due to that, They said that my services were no longer needed.
I hate to even ask you how you lost your daughter.
I mean, I have a daughter myself.
Yeah.
Honestly, they have no idea.
It was at birth and her heart actually just stopped Right when she was coming out.
They have no idea what caused it.
Me and my fiancee were planning to get married Prior to her getting pregnant, But now, since we have our daughter buried, We're really trying to save up enough money To get the two plots next to our daughter At the cemetery there, so I now understand why you said to me That it's only an order.
I mean, I guess-- Exactly.
Nothing else is-- I mean, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry.
You know-no, I appr.
I really do.
Sometimes it's nice to be able to hide Behind your desk and do your job And not get close to these things, so To see what he went through broke my heart, And it really made me miss my family.
I was definitely not prepared for anything like that.
It's time to go back to the escalations.
I'm gonna sit you down here with Danielle.
Gary.
How are you? Nice to meet you, Gary.
She's gonna be able to help you out, Learning the systems a little bit better there.
So you guys have at it.
I need all the help in the world.
I mean, you sound a little nervous.
Fake the confidence.
Fake the confidence? Just act like you been here ten years, And you're good to go.
I'll be more confident.
'cause they'll sense fear.
Our job is to be the punching bag and take the abuse.
Okay.
You ready to do this? I am.
All right, let's do it.
Hit the auto in? Yeah, go for it.
There you go.
Go for it.
L-3, this is Gary.
Can I help you? I have a customer on the line.
She ordered a garmin the day after thanksgiving, And she paid $99.
99 for it.
It got canceled due to a setup error.
The setup error means This wasn't the customer's fault at all.
Okay, right now the garmin is $149.
99.
The only thing that'll make her happy Is that she doesn't want a credit after the fact.
Oh.
She wants to pay $99.
99 today.
Okay, why don't you transfer her to me, please? Okay, she has to do an after-the-fact credit.
We don't have a choice.
When it ships out, it'll be $149.
99.
And then we'll give her a $50 credit.
But then the $50 will come back in 24 to 48.
Hi, Elizabeth.
How you doing? I'm sorry for the problems that you're having with us today.
I just want you to-- just make sure I understand-- Okay, so I've got mostly good news for you.
We can sell that to you for $99.
99.
The problem is just the way our systems work.
We need to put it through at the price That's on the website today.
Elizabeth, I really-- Elizabeth-- She's overpowering you right now.
Understood, Elizabeth.
I promise you I'm here to help you, And I want to help you, And your business is really important to us.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
We definitely see-- yes, I see the email.
Yeah.
Yeah-- Ask to put her on hold.
You're not getting it.
Can you hold on one second, please? Uh-huh.
Thank you.
All right, here's the problem, okay? You're new, so at this point, she's not gonna accept The after-the-fact credit.
So you have to sound confident at this point And put her in her place.
But--but-- Yes, she's had a bad experience.
But don't we want to make her happy? We can't make her happy.
We have to do the after-the-fact credit, And that's what you're not understanding.
And is she ever gonna come back And buy from us again if we? I know your goal is to please her, But you have to understand, sometimes we can't please them.
It's impossible.
Hi, Elizabeth.
I understand the situation you're going through, And I apologize greatly that you're having These issues right now.
I definitely do, actually.
No coupon code was ever sent to me.
May I speak now? Ma'am? Ma'am? Elizabeth-- You're not letting me talk.
You're not letting me talk, so I can't help you, Elizabeth.
I'm sorry that you're having a hard time.
Not honoring what the email said.
You said you had an issue with corporate's email.
I would say contact corporate and see what they can do To remedy the situation.
It took every bit of constraint I had To let that call even go on.
So you don't even know when the credit's Gonna be issued back? No, that's not what I said at all.
You just haven't let me finish a sentence.
There wasn't a lot that Danielle was doing right.
She had an attitude with the customers.
And then I said we would do an after-the-fact credit.
Would you like me to repeat it? She didn't want to make the customer happy.
I can give you corporate's number.
If you'd like to, you can contact them.
Please give me corporate's number.
Not a problem.
Be happy to assist you.
The person who actually-- Okay, corporate's number is 1-800 Okay, she hung up.
So there's-- And that's not even a useable call, 'cause we can't transfer it now.
Can I take a quick break? You want to take a break? Yeah.
Thanks.
We'll just hit "break" here.
I went from heartbroken To extreme frustration and anger.
Not what I expect of my employees.
I think she had a chip on her shoulder, And she wanted to prove that she was right And not satisfy the customers' needs, And that will never be acceptable in my company.
Obviously, I didn't want to blow my cover.
So she's actually getting lucky that this show is being filmed, Because if she wasn't, she'd be walked out Of here today, because I don't accept that.
A problem like Danielle was the last thing I wanted to find undercover, and now that I have, I'm glad, and I need to confront this issue head-on.
And I'm gonna use what I learned with Danielle To help improve our company.
Coming up, Michael fights To keep his job.
You have this down way better than I do.
We no longer need your services.
And later, he sees he's not The only GSI employee with a competitive drive.
Three, two One, go.
Wrong way.
I'm going the wrong way.
Michael Rubin, Founder and CEO of GSI Commerce, Is undercover in his own company.
He's posing as a seasonal worker During the busiest time of year.
His journey continues in Kentucky.
I'm back at the Richwood fulfillment center To work as a single-line packer.
The employees here are evaluated On how quickly they can pack and ship.
The faster they go, the more profits come in.
During peak season, we have six times The amount of orders to be fulfilled.
I want to find out if there's a way to increase production.
I'm Greg Rogers, the pack supervisor.
How are you? I'm going to take you upstairs to the packing area And hook you up with a trainer and get you going.
Great.
I'm a quick learner.
Well, let's hope so.
It's pretty fast-paced, actually.
The area we're gonna put you in is 90 units an hour.
Hey, Shannon.
Hello.
Hi.
This is Gary.
Hi, Gary.
I'm Shannon.
Very nice to meet you.
You gonna make me good at this? I'm gonna try my best.
I'll let you watch me pack for a minute, So you can get a basic idea of what we're doing.
You're gonna scan this bar code here.
Yeah? And it'll pop up in the box.
And that's our tote number.
What I do is I make my boxes From the top down.
Okay.
My product's in.
How do you know which one to put in it? Because it's the one I scanned right here.
Got it.
You are fast at this.
You are so fast, it's incredible.
Our goal here is 90 an hour-- How many can you do in an hour? I can do anywhere from 110 to 150 an hour.
You think you're ready to try this? I'm a little nervous about moving at your speed, But I'm gonna pick up momentum very fast here.
I'm sure of it.
You're fine.
Go ahead and scan it.
You have this down way better than I do.
Okay.
And then put this guy in here? Uh-huh.
What's going on with all these football products here? Are you a football fan? I'm more so now than what I was, 'cause both of my sons play football now.
What pace am I going at right now-- Fast enough pace? No.
It's all about getting a little rhythm is all it is.
Do you like it here? Yeah, I love it here.
It's a really good company to work for.
I am fortunate enough that I'm trained in many areas, So I'm not stuck doing one thing Every day, all day.
Oh, no.
See? Like, this one's an A.
F.
It's not an E.
E.
anymore.
Hi, Gary.
Right now you're sending about 40 for this hour.
Don't panic yet, but we do need to make sure We're heading towards the 90 and improving each hour.
Okay.
All right? Thank you.
You think you're ready to go back and try this again? I think I am.
If you're not at 90 units per hour, What happens? It depends.
Some people that they don't see any kind of potential in, They will lose their jobs.
Well, I can tell you I'm packing As fast as I can pack, so You ready to go to lunch? That would be great.
You grew up in this area? My whole life-- same school, same neighborhood.
You have any kids? Yeah, one daughter.
She's 3 1/2.
She's getting big so quick.
Doesn't take long.
You said your boys play football? Mm-hmm.
One will be in the high school next year, And one will be in the middle school next year, so Do you see 'em often? Um, not as much as I'd like, especially right now.
I'm working seven days a week, so No question two kids and working seven days a week Is very, very tough.
Mm-hmm.
And then I volunteer for bingo, 'cause they have A boosters organization through there, so They fund most of my kids' football teams.
You seem to juggle a lot of balls.
Try to.
It's pretty amazing.
Try to.
Oh, but you're giving me good inspiration here.
Well, good.
See? Now we're gonna go hit your numbers.
How about that? I look forward to it.
All right, I'm going back to my station.
I'm gonna start packing.
You're gonna leave me? I'm gonna be right across the way from you.
Okay.
Little bit nervous, trying to keep up.
I bet you can go faster.
Uh-oh.
Gary, you doing okay? I think I might have a problem.
Deep breath-- take your time.
Uh-oh.
Am I doing better? Greg should be around in the next little bit And let us know how you're doing, so Hi.
Hey, Gary.
Couple things here.
This one here has got the label On the bottom of the box.
That's obviously something that cannot happen.
Got it.
I'm sorry.
This one here-- The label going over the edge like that, It's never gonna read.
It's gonna kick off down to the reject line Down at the other end.
That's something that cannot happen as well.
Between the issues with the boxes and your numbers, We no longer need your services.
Nothing I can do? No.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I can't believe what just happened.
I've been fired for the first time In my entire career from my own company.
I was embarrassed.
I mean, I was more nervous packing boxes Than I am in my role as CEO of the company.
I just wanted to thank you again.
Obviously I see how hard this job is.
I tried to keep doing better.
Sorry.
Hope I didn't reflect poorly on you.
No, no, you're fine.
It is disappointing to watch him go out.
Spent a few hours asking about family and stuff.
It's a little heartbreaking.
I take it a little personally when I train, so Even though he's just been fired, Michael's undercover mission must go on.
Tonight I'm gonna work the first night shift Of my entire life.
When you order from one of our clients' websites, Orders come here, and a person called a picker Collects all your items from our massive warehouse And puts them together, So they can be shipped to your home in one box.
But now that I've done so many other jobs, I've seen how hard they are, I want to make sure That I get this right and that I don't bring The fulfillment center to its knees.
Hey.
Gary.
Hi, Gary.
Nice to meet you.
How you doing? All right.
So what am I going to be doing exactly? We get your christmas list, and we go out here, And we pick it, we pack it, and we ship it.
So is that what we're doing today? Pretty much it's what we're doing.
This is an R.
F.
gun.
We use 'em to pick, and it shows The location I have to go to, the item number, And it also gives you a small description, And it actually shows me how many picks I'm gonna have.
So these are the partial carts for picking general merchandise.
You ready? Let's do it.
Let's go.
Z-30-35-c-0-6.
what are we looking for? This is "a.
" this is "b.
" Scan the location.
Tell the gun we're at the right location.
How do you scan it? What do you do? Just like you shooting a gun.
You gonna throw this in slot 47, Then you're gonna go to the next aisle, Which is aisle 38.
B-7.
Got it.
Now we got to go to 42-19-d.
You always leave the cart in the middle? Yeah, it's best to do that.
This gives you more chance to do free walking.
We walk at least nine, ten miles a day In this warehouse.
Are most people as fast as you, Or you're in a league of your own? Every job I get, I try and be the best at doing it.
I don't do it any other way.
E-32.
We're still on 32, So we're not gonna put this down, 'cause that would waste time.
There you go.
You're getting it.
Now we're gonna take you to a break area.
Good deal.
I have my little girl come up here to see me, 'cause she don't get to see me that often.
She's probably in here playing with the pool table.
Hey, baby.
I miss you.
You want to say "hi" to Gary? Hi, Gary.
Hi.
What's your name? Delashawn.
Hi.
Yeah, I don't get a chance to see her, 'cause, you know, Being so busy.
Does it kill you not to see her as much as you want? God, it hurts.
I don't care who it is.
Nobody is more important than my child.
So she's the most important thing in my life.
You know why your daddy tells me he works so hard? 'cause you love me.
'cause I love you.
Aw.
Even though I don't get to see my daughter that much, Everything that I do is for her.
You see kids all the time dropping out of school.
It's like, "what are you gonna do?" Yeah, I mean, I got a second chance, so What gave you a second chance? I lived on the streets of Detroit From 15 until about 17.
So I would sleep wherever I could, Abandoned houses and stuff like that.
My father just had a real rough upbringing, But I really didn't know who he was.
Do you think what happened with your dad Is making you such a great dad to your daughter? I use all that negativity as something to push me forward.
My father couldn't make it as a father raising a child.
I'm gonna outdo my father, 'cause I want to do everything for my daughter That my father didn't do for me.
Cameron broke my heart.
I mean, hearing the story from him About everything that's gone wrong in his life And how he just turns every negative into a positive, I mean, there's no other words to describe it than "amazing.
" Everything's competitive with me.
Every chance I get with anybody in here, I'll compete with again, any of 'em.
If you up for it tonight, let's try it.
I'm as competitive as you are, But I already know this is a lost cause, But I'm still gonna give it my best.
I need you to keep one leg in the air And give me, like, a little bit of a edge or something.
No.
Would Michael Jordan give Kobe a free shot? Hell, no.
All right, then.
Okay.
Three Two One, go.
Okay, z-33.
One quantity.
I'm already messing up.
How many units do you have so far? I already got rid of four.
This is really embarrassing.
Ow.
Sorry.
going the wrong way.
oh, .
Cameron is killing me.
How you doing? I might need you to help me Steal Cameron's cart from him.
Can you do that for me? Yeah.
And move it, like, ten rows.
We won't tell anybody, And I'll give you an hour of my money tonight.
All right, let's do it.
F-37.
You know what my problem is? I screwed up.
Wrong way-- I'm going the wrong way.
Cameron, how you doing, buddy? Eight left.
Take a coffee break.
Your cart looks very full.
I'm very demoralized.
I'm sweating like an animal.
Come on, are you kidding me? Great.
25-e, 0-0-4-- they go backwards.
What are you doing? Gary! Back-right corner.
Gary? I abandoned the cart, Cameron.
time, Gary.
Are you done? Yeah.
Look at my head.
I can see you're sweating.
You're sweating like you running from the police.
I'm running from you, and I'm not doing very well.
Cameron whipped me.
There's no other way to describe it.
You're done, so it was nice working with you Hey, great working with you.
Thank you.
And see you later.
Cameron's story was simply amazing.
He basically didn't ve parents.
I grew up with parents who set great examples for me, And that helped me to develop and be a better person.
What's amazing is to see somebody Who had none of that, but is doing that himself For his daughter.
Somebody like Cameron, they make me recognize Life is so much bigger than business, And to see the magic Between him and his daughter when they look In each other's eyes, it makes me want To get home more than ever And just give my daughter lots of hugs.
To me, the value I got from spending time with him Wasn't about what I could learn about GSI.
It was what I could learn about being a better person.
Coming up, Michael shocks his coworkers And reveals his true identity.
Being here makes me a little nervous.
I would just like to know what's going on, Basically is what's going through my mind.
And later, Michael lays down the law.
The way that call was handled wasn't acceptable.
I never expected this experience To be so impactful on my life.
It's given me perspective that I'd never had before.
Now I'm gonna reveal my identity To the people that I worked with.
I can't wait to see the looks on their face When they find out who I really am.
I'm excited to share what I've seen and learned this week.
Being here makes me a little nervous.
I would just like to know what's going on, Basically is what's going through my mind right now.
Hi.
Hi.
How you doing? How are you? I'm doing great.
Remember me? Yes, I do.
You were the seasonal.
I was the seasonal.
Mm-hmm.
I'm not actually Gary.
I'm Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO of the company.
No.
Oh, my God.
Am I fired? So I decided to go undercover at GSI And work a variety of different jobs Over the past week or so.
It's been a blast.
Rashelle, you know, to kind of get a chance To go work as a temporary employee And really see what happens on the floor, I mean, it was an amazing experience.
Were you sore the next day? I was so sore.
You gave me The most unbelievable workout of my life.
You blew me away.
You know, for me, watching you Being at the company for only three weeks And seeing how well you represent the company Was such a proud moment in my life.
I'd like to offer you a full-time job.
That would come with benefits, And we would be proud to have you on our team.
Wow.
This is quite the honor.
I would love to work with you at GSI.
I think I've got a pretty good chance at GSI Of movinup and being a part Of something that's absolutely wonderful.
Cameron, you're such a hard-working guy Who does an incredible job.
You just have this great energy about you.
But even more than that was to see you Being such a great father.
I love you, daddy.
I love you too, baby.
One of the things that I want to do Is help you have a better Christmas, So we'd like to give you a $1,000 gift card So you can do some great shopping for your daughter.
Oh, my God.
You know, what I see is a winning attitude And a leader and a manager.
I love to teach.
Cameron, as of today, we're putting you Into a training program to get you on a fast track To become a supervisor, because I'm promoting you.
Oh, man.
Thank you.
We want your skills to be contagious.
Oh, thank you.
You're very welcome.
What just happened in here was unbelievable.
To have him do this for me I couldn't thank him enough.
Shannon, to listen to your story About how hard you work, how you do it with such pride, It was an inspiration to me.
I want to work harder to make GSI a better company For people like you who make me so proud And make our company so successful.
One of the things that you, you know-- That you showed me is how hard you're working To raise money for your kids' football leagues, And we'd like to donate $5,000 Toward your son's football leagues.
Thank you very much.
You're very welcome.
You're very, very welcome.
That is awesome.
Him coming iand actually listening and sorry.
Listening and then stepping up and doing something About something I care about, It's pretty amazing.
Time for me to meet Danielle.
The way she handled that call was completely unacceptable, And now it's time for me to discuss it with her.
We can never treat a customer like that.
Hi.
Hey, how are you? Good.
How are you? I'm good.
Remember me? Yes, I do.
I'm not actually Gary.
I'm Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO of GSI.
Danielle, the way that call was handled wasn't acceptable And not the way we can ever treat consumers.
And then I said we would do an after-the-fact credit.
Would you like me to repeat it? It was killing me.
I mean, I was really mad.
I wanted to jump in there and blow my cover.
I'm actually a few weeks into-- You know, I got two days of training.
And I understand that, But that's no excuse to be rude to a customer, Danielle.
It's just common sense.
If it's something I can improve on-- That's the only call I remember from that day.
It has bugged me.
I'm glad that it bothered you, 'cause it should have, and it did bother me.
At the same time, that's exactly why I wanted To go undercover-- to see, you know, What really does happen.
I think a combination of us Investing more in systems and more in training And making sure these things are clear Will make us a more successful company.
Most definitely.
I could have handled it with a little bit more class, But, you know, I get to learn from the experience And hopefully improve next time, So the next customer doesn't have to hang up really angry.
Adam, I was blown away By how good you are at what you do.
I try to give GSI 110% of my effort.
Well, it's definitely very noticed.
Listening to your story, personally, broke my heart.
I was prepared for a lot of things when I went through this.
I would be full of it if I said that I epared for You know one of the things you talked about was saving money to get married, And it's something you've been waiting to do.
So I'd like to put $10,000 towards your wedding.
I-I-- I'm speechless.
I really am.
I just-- I cannot believe what you're willing to do for-- You know, for just me.
So thank you so much.
You're very, very welcome.
I'm shaking.
I do not get like this.
It really goes to show you A positive attitude really will bring good things To your life, And karma really does exist.
I've had an incredible week, And now I want to share this experience With the entire company.
Our founder and our CEO, Michael Rubin.
Hi, I'm Michael Rubin.
Until last week, I've been undercover at GSI Commerce.
That's not a joke.
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I can't wait to share it with all of you now.
Take a look.
These boxes just keep coming and coming and coming.
Oh, they don't stop.
High and tight.
High and tight.
I feel like we're getting the--ooh! You all right, Gary? Okay, I think I have a problem.
You know what my problem is? I screwed up.
You're sweating like you running from the police.
What pace am I going at right now-- Fast enough pace? No.
Uh, we no longer need your services.
I'm sorry.
As the founder of the company, You become a little bit removed from people.
I've been focused on growing the company, And I realized I needed to put more energy Into improving our policies and our systems And creating a better environment for all of you.
This experience has really touched my heart As a manager and as a man.
And I thank you for doing such an amazing job Building such an amazing company.
Thanks, everybody, for being here.
I really appreciate it.
After this undercover boss experience, You realize-- I've got an incredible family, An incredible daughter.
Life's precious, and it's short.
And you've got to make sure to have a more balanced life.
It'll have a lasting impact Having me want to be more focused On not just accomplishing business results, But accomplishing human results, Touching people one by one.
Many hard-working americans blame wealthy CEOs, out of touch with what's going on in their own companies.
But some bosses are willing to take extreme action To make their businesses better.
Each week, we follow the boss of a major corporation As they go undercover in their own company.
I'm stepping down as the CEO of GSI Commerce.
This billion-dollar e-commerce giant Manages websites and fulfills orders for huge retailers.
But when one of america's youngest CEOs Poses as a new recruit Nice to meet you, Gary.
And works on the front line of his own company Have you ever loaded a truck? I haven't.
Ooh, ooh, oh! He'll find out what's really going on In his own business.
I opened the box, and it is crushed.
You're not letting me talk, so I can't help you, elizabeth.
She's actually getting lucky that this show is being filmed, Because if she wasn't, she'd be walked out of here today.
And he'll discover the unsung heroes That make his company run.
This experience really touched my heart As a manager and as a man.
How will his coworkers react When they find out he's really the boss? And how will it change their lives? That is awesome.
Find out next on undercover boss.
I'm Michael Rubin.
I'm the founder and CEO of GSI Commerce, And this is my creation.
GSI Commerce operates most, if not all, aspects Of major retailers' and brands' e-commerce businesses.
So what that means is companies like the NFL, Major League Baseball, Aeropostale, and other popular brands who want to sell their products online Have hired GSI to do it for them.
We design the websites, We pick up the phones, we ship the merchandise-- Everything under our clients' brands.
If you're an online shopper, you've probably used GSI And didn't even know it.
I've loved business since I've been a little boy.
It's always been in my DNA.
When I was literally eight years old, I'd sell stationery door-to-door.
When I was 12 years old, I started a skeet-shooting shop in my parents' basement.
By the time I was 14, I opened my first ski store In a retail shopping center.
And by the time I was 21, I had a business Doing over $100 million in revenue.
I knew I was good at this, And it felt good to be a winner, and business made me a winner.
That's what drives me.
It's never been about money.
It's always been about winning.
Being the CEO of a very fast-growing company, I got to work nonstop.
You have senior management this afternoon From 12:00 to 2:00, and that's not gonna work.
Okay.
And then So whether you're in the office or in meetings Or you're at home on your blackberry, I'm kind of working 24-7.
Michael never stops Constantly moving.
Can you actually get that reset back up, 'cause we really do need to make that work? Since the age of 12, business has been my first priority, And it's remained that way ever since.
I've put so much effort into GSI, It definitely takes away from other things.
I would say Michael as a husband And Michael as a businessman are one and the same.
He is definitely a workaholic-- Texting at 3:00 in the morning to europe.
He treats GSI as if it is his baby.
Hi, Kelly.
Hey, lip gloss.
Lip gloss? Daddy's working.
Meegan's always been really supportive Of whatever I've been doing, and she understands me for me.
I'm trying to do a better job balancing today Than I ever have, But it's still something I really struggle with.
At the same time, competition's moving very quickly, So there's no time for rest, And that's really the way I look at it.
I'm headed into the boardroom To tell my executive team what I'm about to do.
If I were an executive, I wouldn't want the founder or CEO working in my operations.
They're gonna think I'm nuts.
I'm sure everybody is wondering Why I've called all of you to the boardroom today.
I'm stepping down as the CEO of GSI Commerce.
That is, for next week, Not in total.
Oh, okay.
So during the next week, I've decided to go undercover As a temporary employee in our fulfillment and call centers.
So you're gonna picking, packing, hauling, Moving boxes for eight, ten hours in a day? That's right, maybe even longer.
For now, I'm no longer Michael Rubin.
I've officially changed my name to Gary Rogers.
So the employees aren't gonna know that you're the CEO? Employees aren't gonna have any idea.
We're gonna do a few more things to change my look.
Gonna make you skinny? We're not gonna do skinny.
We probably can't do that overnight.
One thing that I need from all of you Is to keep this completely confidential.
This is a complete waste of time If anybody finds out, and that will set me up To really be able to go out and understand what happens.
Thank you.
That's gonna be a disaster.
Peak is the holiday season.
Everything goes crazy, And we make 70% of our profits in the holiday quarter.
Everything is about nailing peak.
But for me, why not go undercover at peak? I'll see everything we do At the most stressful time of the year.
Can our systems stand up To everything that we think they should? It's the single best time for me to evaluate it, Because I want to see how's my team playing During the most important moment of the game.
My cover story will be that I'll be taking part In a tv show about seasonal jobs.
Hi.
Hi.
I need a room, please, for the night.
Mm-hmm.
I'm a little nervous.
I've been my own boss my entire life.
Can Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO, Live up to the reputation of a founder And do each job really well? I'm here at the richwood fulfillment center, Where we pack hundreds of thousands of orders weekly For consumers to buy online at our websites.
This is actually the size of ten football fields.
We ship 75,000 packages per day during peak, Just out of this facility.
You must be Gary.
I am.
Gary, I'm matt.
How you doing? Hey, matt.
How are you? I'm doing well.
Come over here.
We'll get you changed.
Let's do it.
What am I gonna be doing exactly? You will be loading trucks.
We have 5,000 total employees at GSI Commerce.
When we get in the holiday seasons, We need to go up to 10,000, And it's these seasonal employees That really help us to deliver for our clients.
I've had very little exposure To our seasonal employees.
So this is a great opportunity For me to go in the company as a seasonal employee And see the jobs through their eyes.
This is Rashelle.
How are you? Rashelle, this is Gary.
Very nice to meet you.
Good luck.
If you have anything, call.
Nice to meet you, Rashelle.
Nice to meet you too.
So have you ever loaded a truck? I haven't.
This is gonna be fun.
We want to stack 'em high and tight.
We want 'em from floor to ceiling all the way up.
I feel like we're being attacked by boxes.
We are.
It's nonstop.
I'm starting to feel like I'm gonna be very tired After an hour.
Is this your first season here? I've been doing this for three weeks.
Three weeks? Yep.
My oldest boy goes to CCU now, And I got this job so I could help pay for his college.
I'm hoping to get on full-time.
You're certainly doing a heck of a job here.
this is hard work.
I'm not sure I'm cut out to do this job all day.
This is hard.
Well, yeah.
I'm feeling like my side's Not gonna look as good as your side.
Hey, Gary, real quick, make sure You're stacking as high as you can.
When you got everything falling over, It will shift when the truck driver takes off.
You got it? Got it.
They seem tough here.
I guess, you know, if I owned my own business, That's the way I'd want it done too.
But we need to start packing it really tight.
These boxes just keep coming and coming and coming.
Oh, they don't stop.
I had no idea that this would be The most difficult workout I've ever had in my entire life.
Whoa.
This is the first time since I founded the company Ten years ago that I wished for orders To stop coming in.
I think I screwed up.
Watch out.
Oh! Oops.
Oh! No, no, no, no, no.
No? High and tight.
High and tight.
I feel like we're getting--ooh! Oh, are you okay? No, not really.
Just be careful.
I felt horrible.
I actually hit Rashelle in the head with a box.
I was so tired and exhausted.
You got to get something over here.
All right, guys, you getting towards the end of the trailer? I've noticed you've got a couple boxes Still falling down.
Is it one of the worst trailers you've ever seen? It's getting close.
The shipping company's not gonna like it, 'cause if we open up this door, Everything's gonna fall out, it's gonna damage product, And it's gonna have some unhappy customers.
Okay.
So this may not be your shtick.
So we're gonna bring Rashelle and you over To the other side here, show how you sort the boxes.
All right.
All right.
I was embarrassed that I couldn't keep up.
The job was so hard.
I actually thought when I signed up to do this That everyone would just say, "wow.
"Gary's so great at doing these jobs.
This is easy.
" I was absolutely wrong.
All right, we are gonna separate the boxes.
Either it's gonna be a local truck, A midwest truck, an east truck, or a california truck.
You might be good at this.
Wow.
Now the truth comes out.
Normally we would walk every single box To the gate and scan each one in.
It just takes too much time, so I put these on my arm, Scan the package, scan it to where it's going, Set it on a skid, and then that way, When I get to the truck, I'm ready to load it.
You just started doing that? I started doing that.
Probably the most stunning thing about Rashelle-- She had all these great ideas about how to improve efficiency.
How much time does it save by doing it this way Versus the way it used to happen? I believe that I am able to scan In an hour about 25% more.
For me, it was great to see her Having so much passion, not only about the company, But about ways for us to improve.
We'll test your stacking ability now.
All right, I'm gonna stack these well.
All right.
And it's employees like Rashelle That literally hold the company on their shoulders.
I wish all of our employees we hired could be like her.
And we just take the boxes and put 'em on.
I feel better suited to do this position.
Don't hurt yourself.
So I just got done my first day, And the only way to describe it Is I'm exhausted.
Every bone in my body hurts.
I never understood what it was like To do all the different things that I did today.
I'm whipped.
Coming up, Michael nearly blows his cover When he thinks an employee is rude to a customer.
No, that's not what I said at all.
You just haven't let me finish a sentence.
Michael Rubin, CEO of GSI Commerce, is undercover in his own company.
He's discovering that the frontline jobs Are more difficult than he ever imagined.
Now he's off to Melbourne, Florida, To work in a call center.
When you go to one of our websites, If you want to call and talk to somebody And place an order, you call our call center.
And there's nothing more important Than how we handle consumer calls.
Most customers that call our call center, They're really happy, But when you handle more than 20 million calls a year, Some of them are gonna go wrong.
So today I'm gonna go work escalations, Where customers who have issues With their orders call for additional help.
We've all had bad orders before, And you call, and you want to kill the person On the other side of the phone.
That's these people that are working at escalations.
Hey, Gary.
Hi, I'm Adam.
Nice to meet you, Gary.
How are you? I'm doing great.
Nice to meet you.
You ready for some escalations? I am as ready as I'll ever be.
sounds good.
Take a seat.
We will start getting engaged in what I do On a day-to-day basis.
Okay.
Should I prepare myself to be screamed at or? Unfortunately, I do believe so.
Just basically use a calm voice, And the main thing that we do here is apologize.
And also the closing statement, Asking if they were completely satisfied.
That's really gonna be it.
Listen to these first couple calls here Okay.
And we should be good to go from there.
I'll just sit and listen and watch, right? And let's see what's going on.
L-3, this is Adam.
How may I help you today? Thank you for holding, Mr.
Warden.
I do appreciate your patience there.
Hi, Greg.
How you doing? This is Adam.
You had placed an order For a customized premier home jersey there.
And I canceled it And I definitely do apologize that, first and foremost.
Why would it take until the day of shipment to notify me? You know, I certainly do apologize that there.
I do apologize for that inconvenience.
If I have to, I'll send it back.
Since it is a customized item and all sales are final On that, unfortunately the warehouse Wouldn't be able to accept that return.
If I could do a 20% discount-- $23 back-- That's fine.
All right.
And have you been satisfied with the service That I've provided today? Um, yes, sir.
Thank you.
One moment, please.
Do you feel like you'd be ready to take a call? Throw me to the wolves already.
Yeah.
And we actually have six calls waiting right now, So we're gonna receive a call right now.
All right? Yeah, hi, l-3, this is Gary.
May I help you? Okay, I have one thing to say.
We opened the box, and it is crushed.
Apologize.
I'm really sorry for the problems you had.
I can't get this item in the store.
What do I do now? 'cause I can't return The custom shirt that's being sent, And I can't get another one.
I apologize for that happening with them.
It's not my fault.
It was y'all's fault.
Um, let me just-- um--um What we can do is give him free expedited shipping For any other item that he'd be interested in.
Hey, John.
If we--if we--if we sent you something that was Already made, um, and then when, um, Send that out immediately and, um-- And we would pay for the expedite at our cost.
You know what? Let's simplify this.
Let's just go with old-time hockey youth shirt.
"are you satisfied with the service?" Are you satisfied with the service I gave you, sir? Yeah, that's fine.
Great.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
How'd I do? Not completely up to par, But you definitely can get this done With the proper training.
Do they ever get under your skin? Me personally? No.
I mean, I look at it like If their order is their biggest problem, I'm gonna do everything I can to get their issue resolved So that, you know, they definitely will be satisfied And be calm by the end of the call.
Adam's perfectly suited for this.
I mean, if a customer called and flipped out on Adam, He'd be like, "I'm sorry.
"I understand.
Let me tell you how I can fix this.
" It's in his DNA to deal with difficult situations And get a great outcome.
He could be a hostage negotiator.
If we want to go ahead and take a break, We'll head over to the break room.
Okay.
How long you been doing this for? I started here December 4th last year.
They've really shown me a lot of love Since I stepped in this door.
That was a year ago? Yep.
I was actually working for another major Cell phone company.
It was actually the only job That I've ever been let go from, But that was only because it was A very bad personal situation.
I ended up losing my daughter.
And the day that I lost my daughter, I was unable to go in and work that black Friday And just due to that, They said that my services were no longer needed.
I hate to even ask you how you lost your daughter.
I mean, I have a daughter myself.
Yeah.
Honestly, they have no idea.
It was at birth and her heart actually just stopped Right when she was coming out.
They have no idea what caused it.
Me and my fiancee were planning to get married Prior to her getting pregnant, But now, since we have our daughter buried, We're really trying to save up enough money To get the two plots next to our daughter At the cemetery there, so I now understand why you said to me That it's only an order.
I mean, I guess-- Exactly.
Nothing else is-- I mean, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry.
You know-no, I appr.
I really do.
Sometimes it's nice to be able to hide Behind your desk and do your job And not get close to these things, so To see what he went through broke my heart, And it really made me miss my family.
I was definitely not prepared for anything like that.
It's time to go back to the escalations.
I'm gonna sit you down here with Danielle.
Gary.
How are you? Nice to meet you, Gary.
She's gonna be able to help you out, Learning the systems a little bit better there.
So you guys have at it.
I need all the help in the world.
I mean, you sound a little nervous.
Fake the confidence.
Fake the confidence? Just act like you been here ten years, And you're good to go.
I'll be more confident.
'cause they'll sense fear.
Our job is to be the punching bag and take the abuse.
Okay.
You ready to do this? I am.
All right, let's do it.
Hit the auto in? Yeah, go for it.
There you go.
Go for it.
L-3, this is Gary.
Can I help you? I have a customer on the line.
She ordered a garmin the day after thanksgiving, And she paid $99.
99 for it.
It got canceled due to a setup error.
The setup error means This wasn't the customer's fault at all.
Okay, right now the garmin is $149.
99.
The only thing that'll make her happy Is that she doesn't want a credit after the fact.
Oh.
She wants to pay $99.
99 today.
Okay, why don't you transfer her to me, please? Okay, she has to do an after-the-fact credit.
We don't have a choice.
When it ships out, it'll be $149.
99.
And then we'll give her a $50 credit.
But then the $50 will come back in 24 to 48.
Hi, Elizabeth.
How you doing? I'm sorry for the problems that you're having with us today.
I just want you to-- just make sure I understand-- Okay, so I've got mostly good news for you.
We can sell that to you for $99.
99.
The problem is just the way our systems work.
We need to put it through at the price That's on the website today.
Elizabeth, I really-- Elizabeth-- She's overpowering you right now.
Understood, Elizabeth.
I promise you I'm here to help you, And I want to help you, And your business is really important to us.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
We definitely see-- yes, I see the email.
Yeah.
Yeah-- Ask to put her on hold.
You're not getting it.
Can you hold on one second, please? Uh-huh.
Thank you.
All right, here's the problem, okay? You're new, so at this point, she's not gonna accept The after-the-fact credit.
So you have to sound confident at this point And put her in her place.
But--but-- Yes, she's had a bad experience.
But don't we want to make her happy? We can't make her happy.
We have to do the after-the-fact credit, And that's what you're not understanding.
And is she ever gonna come back And buy from us again if we? I know your goal is to please her, But you have to understand, sometimes we can't please them.
It's impossible.
Hi, Elizabeth.
I understand the situation you're going through, And I apologize greatly that you're having These issues right now.
I definitely do, actually.
No coupon code was ever sent to me.
May I speak now? Ma'am? Ma'am? Elizabeth-- You're not letting me talk.
You're not letting me talk, so I can't help you, Elizabeth.
I'm sorry that you're having a hard time.
Not honoring what the email said.
You said you had an issue with corporate's email.
I would say contact corporate and see what they can do To remedy the situation.
It took every bit of constraint I had To let that call even go on.
So you don't even know when the credit's Gonna be issued back? No, that's not what I said at all.
You just haven't let me finish a sentence.
There wasn't a lot that Danielle was doing right.
She had an attitude with the customers.
And then I said we would do an after-the-fact credit.
Would you like me to repeat it? She didn't want to make the customer happy.
I can give you corporate's number.
If you'd like to, you can contact them.
Please give me corporate's number.
Not a problem.
Be happy to assist you.
The person who actually-- Okay, corporate's number is 1-800 Okay, she hung up.
So there's-- And that's not even a useable call, 'cause we can't transfer it now.
Can I take a quick break? You want to take a break? Yeah.
Thanks.
We'll just hit "break" here.
I went from heartbroken To extreme frustration and anger.
Not what I expect of my employees.
I think she had a chip on her shoulder, And she wanted to prove that she was right And not satisfy the customers' needs, And that will never be acceptable in my company.
Obviously, I didn't want to blow my cover.
So she's actually getting lucky that this show is being filmed, Because if she wasn't, she'd be walked out Of here today, because I don't accept that.
A problem like Danielle was the last thing I wanted to find undercover, and now that I have, I'm glad, and I need to confront this issue head-on.
And I'm gonna use what I learned with Danielle To help improve our company.
Coming up, Michael fights To keep his job.
You have this down way better than I do.
We no longer need your services.
And later, he sees he's not The only GSI employee with a competitive drive.
Three, two One, go.
Wrong way.
I'm going the wrong way.
Michael Rubin, Founder and CEO of GSI Commerce, Is undercover in his own company.
He's posing as a seasonal worker During the busiest time of year.
His journey continues in Kentucky.
I'm back at the Richwood fulfillment center To work as a single-line packer.
The employees here are evaluated On how quickly they can pack and ship.
The faster they go, the more profits come in.
During peak season, we have six times The amount of orders to be fulfilled.
I want to find out if there's a way to increase production.
I'm Greg Rogers, the pack supervisor.
How are you? I'm going to take you upstairs to the packing area And hook you up with a trainer and get you going.
Great.
I'm a quick learner.
Well, let's hope so.
It's pretty fast-paced, actually.
The area we're gonna put you in is 90 units an hour.
Hey, Shannon.
Hello.
Hi.
This is Gary.
Hi, Gary.
I'm Shannon.
Very nice to meet you.
You gonna make me good at this? I'm gonna try my best.
I'll let you watch me pack for a minute, So you can get a basic idea of what we're doing.
You're gonna scan this bar code here.
Yeah? And it'll pop up in the box.
And that's our tote number.
What I do is I make my boxes From the top down.
Okay.
My product's in.
How do you know which one to put in it? Because it's the one I scanned right here.
Got it.
You are fast at this.
You are so fast, it's incredible.
Our goal here is 90 an hour-- How many can you do in an hour? I can do anywhere from 110 to 150 an hour.
You think you're ready to try this? I'm a little nervous about moving at your speed, But I'm gonna pick up momentum very fast here.
I'm sure of it.
You're fine.
Go ahead and scan it.
You have this down way better than I do.
Okay.
And then put this guy in here? Uh-huh.
What's going on with all these football products here? Are you a football fan? I'm more so now than what I was, 'cause both of my sons play football now.
What pace am I going at right now-- Fast enough pace? No.
It's all about getting a little rhythm is all it is.
Do you like it here? Yeah, I love it here.
It's a really good company to work for.
I am fortunate enough that I'm trained in many areas, So I'm not stuck doing one thing Every day, all day.
Oh, no.
See? Like, this one's an A.
F.
It's not an E.
E.
anymore.
Hi, Gary.
Right now you're sending about 40 for this hour.
Don't panic yet, but we do need to make sure We're heading towards the 90 and improving each hour.
Okay.
All right? Thank you.
You think you're ready to go back and try this again? I think I am.
If you're not at 90 units per hour, What happens? It depends.
Some people that they don't see any kind of potential in, They will lose their jobs.
Well, I can tell you I'm packing As fast as I can pack, so You ready to go to lunch? That would be great.
You grew up in this area? My whole life-- same school, same neighborhood.
You have any kids? Yeah, one daughter.
She's 3 1/2.
She's getting big so quick.
Doesn't take long.
You said your boys play football? Mm-hmm.
One will be in the high school next year, And one will be in the middle school next year, so Do you see 'em often? Um, not as much as I'd like, especially right now.
I'm working seven days a week, so No question two kids and working seven days a week Is very, very tough.
Mm-hmm.
And then I volunteer for bingo, 'cause they have A boosters organization through there, so They fund most of my kids' football teams.
You seem to juggle a lot of balls.
Try to.
It's pretty amazing.
Try to.
Oh, but you're giving me good inspiration here.
Well, good.
See? Now we're gonna go hit your numbers.
How about that? I look forward to it.
All right, I'm going back to my station.
I'm gonna start packing.
You're gonna leave me? I'm gonna be right across the way from you.
Okay.
Little bit nervous, trying to keep up.
I bet you can go faster.
Uh-oh.
Gary, you doing okay? I think I might have a problem.
Deep breath-- take your time.
Uh-oh.
Am I doing better? Greg should be around in the next little bit And let us know how you're doing, so Hi.
Hey, Gary.
Couple things here.
This one here has got the label On the bottom of the box.
That's obviously something that cannot happen.
Got it.
I'm sorry.
This one here-- The label going over the edge like that, It's never gonna read.
It's gonna kick off down to the reject line Down at the other end.
That's something that cannot happen as well.
Between the issues with the boxes and your numbers, We no longer need your services.
Nothing I can do? No.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I can't believe what just happened.
I've been fired for the first time In my entire career from my own company.
I was embarrassed.
I mean, I was more nervous packing boxes Than I am in my role as CEO of the company.
I just wanted to thank you again.
Obviously I see how hard this job is.
I tried to keep doing better.
Sorry.
Hope I didn't reflect poorly on you.
No, no, you're fine.
It is disappointing to watch him go out.
Spent a few hours asking about family and stuff.
It's a little heartbreaking.
I take it a little personally when I train, so Even though he's just been fired, Michael's undercover mission must go on.
Tonight I'm gonna work the first night shift Of my entire life.
When you order from one of our clients' websites, Orders come here, and a person called a picker Collects all your items from our massive warehouse And puts them together, So they can be shipped to your home in one box.
But now that I've done so many other jobs, I've seen how hard they are, I want to make sure That I get this right and that I don't bring The fulfillment center to its knees.
Hey.
Gary.
Hi, Gary.
Nice to meet you.
How you doing? All right.
So what am I going to be doing exactly? We get your christmas list, and we go out here, And we pick it, we pack it, and we ship it.
So is that what we're doing today? Pretty much it's what we're doing.
This is an R.
F.
gun.
We use 'em to pick, and it shows The location I have to go to, the item number, And it also gives you a small description, And it actually shows me how many picks I'm gonna have.
So these are the partial carts for picking general merchandise.
You ready? Let's do it.
Let's go.
Z-30-35-c-0-6.
what are we looking for? This is "a.
" this is "b.
" Scan the location.
Tell the gun we're at the right location.
How do you scan it? What do you do? Just like you shooting a gun.
You gonna throw this in slot 47, Then you're gonna go to the next aisle, Which is aisle 38.
B-7.
Got it.
Now we got to go to 42-19-d.
You always leave the cart in the middle? Yeah, it's best to do that.
This gives you more chance to do free walking.
We walk at least nine, ten miles a day In this warehouse.
Are most people as fast as you, Or you're in a league of your own? Every job I get, I try and be the best at doing it.
I don't do it any other way.
E-32.
We're still on 32, So we're not gonna put this down, 'cause that would waste time.
There you go.
You're getting it.
Now we're gonna take you to a break area.
Good deal.
I have my little girl come up here to see me, 'cause she don't get to see me that often.
She's probably in here playing with the pool table.
Hey, baby.
I miss you.
You want to say "hi" to Gary? Hi, Gary.
Hi.
What's your name? Delashawn.
Hi.
Yeah, I don't get a chance to see her, 'cause, you know, Being so busy.
Does it kill you not to see her as much as you want? God, it hurts.
I don't care who it is.
Nobody is more important than my child.
So she's the most important thing in my life.
You know why your daddy tells me he works so hard? 'cause you love me.
'cause I love you.
Aw.
Even though I don't get to see my daughter that much, Everything that I do is for her.
You see kids all the time dropping out of school.
It's like, "what are you gonna do?" Yeah, I mean, I got a second chance, so What gave you a second chance? I lived on the streets of Detroit From 15 until about 17.
So I would sleep wherever I could, Abandoned houses and stuff like that.
My father just had a real rough upbringing, But I really didn't know who he was.
Do you think what happened with your dad Is making you such a great dad to your daughter? I use all that negativity as something to push me forward.
My father couldn't make it as a father raising a child.
I'm gonna outdo my father, 'cause I want to do everything for my daughter That my father didn't do for me.
Cameron broke my heart.
I mean, hearing the story from him About everything that's gone wrong in his life And how he just turns every negative into a positive, I mean, there's no other words to describe it than "amazing.
" Everything's competitive with me.
Every chance I get with anybody in here, I'll compete with again, any of 'em.
If you up for it tonight, let's try it.
I'm as competitive as you are, But I already know this is a lost cause, But I'm still gonna give it my best.
I need you to keep one leg in the air And give me, like, a little bit of a edge or something.
No.
Would Michael Jordan give Kobe a free shot? Hell, no.
All right, then.
Okay.
Three Two One, go.
Okay, z-33.
One quantity.
I'm already messing up.
How many units do you have so far? I already got rid of four.
This is really embarrassing.
Ow.
Sorry.
going the wrong way.
oh, .
Cameron is killing me.
How you doing? I might need you to help me Steal Cameron's cart from him.
Can you do that for me? Yeah.
And move it, like, ten rows.
We won't tell anybody, And I'll give you an hour of my money tonight.
All right, let's do it.
F-37.
You know what my problem is? I screwed up.
Wrong way-- I'm going the wrong way.
Cameron, how you doing, buddy? Eight left.
Take a coffee break.
Your cart looks very full.
I'm very demoralized.
I'm sweating like an animal.
Come on, are you kidding me? Great.
25-e, 0-0-4-- they go backwards.
What are you doing? Gary! Back-right corner.
Gary? I abandoned the cart, Cameron.
time, Gary.
Are you done? Yeah.
Look at my head.
I can see you're sweating.
You're sweating like you running from the police.
I'm running from you, and I'm not doing very well.
Cameron whipped me.
There's no other way to describe it.
You're done, so it was nice working with you Hey, great working with you.
Thank you.
And see you later.
Cameron's story was simply amazing.
He basically didn't ve parents.
I grew up with parents who set great examples for me, And that helped me to develop and be a better person.
What's amazing is to see somebody Who had none of that, but is doing that himself For his daughter.
Somebody like Cameron, they make me recognize Life is so much bigger than business, And to see the magic Between him and his daughter when they look In each other's eyes, it makes me want To get home more than ever And just give my daughter lots of hugs.
To me, the value I got from spending time with him Wasn't about what I could learn about GSI.
It was what I could learn about being a better person.
Coming up, Michael shocks his coworkers And reveals his true identity.
Being here makes me a little nervous.
I would just like to know what's going on, Basically is what's going through my mind.
And later, Michael lays down the law.
The way that call was handled wasn't acceptable.
I never expected this experience To be so impactful on my life.
It's given me perspective that I'd never had before.
Now I'm gonna reveal my identity To the people that I worked with.
I can't wait to see the looks on their face When they find out who I really am.
I'm excited to share what I've seen and learned this week.
Being here makes me a little nervous.
I would just like to know what's going on, Basically is what's going through my mind right now.
Hi.
Hi.
How you doing? How are you? I'm doing great.
Remember me? Yes, I do.
You were the seasonal.
I was the seasonal.
Mm-hmm.
I'm not actually Gary.
I'm Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO of the company.
No.
Oh, my God.
Am I fired? So I decided to go undercover at GSI And work a variety of different jobs Over the past week or so.
It's been a blast.
Rashelle, you know, to kind of get a chance To go work as a temporary employee And really see what happens on the floor, I mean, it was an amazing experience.
Were you sore the next day? I was so sore.
You gave me The most unbelievable workout of my life.
You blew me away.
You know, for me, watching you Being at the company for only three weeks And seeing how well you represent the company Was such a proud moment in my life.
I'd like to offer you a full-time job.
That would come with benefits, And we would be proud to have you on our team.
Wow.
This is quite the honor.
I would love to work with you at GSI.
I think I've got a pretty good chance at GSI Of movinup and being a part Of something that's absolutely wonderful.
Cameron, you're such a hard-working guy Who does an incredible job.
You just have this great energy about you.
But even more than that was to see you Being such a great father.
I love you, daddy.
I love you too, baby.
One of the things that I want to do Is help you have a better Christmas, So we'd like to give you a $1,000 gift card So you can do some great shopping for your daughter.
Oh, my God.
You know, what I see is a winning attitude And a leader and a manager.
I love to teach.
Cameron, as of today, we're putting you Into a training program to get you on a fast track To become a supervisor, because I'm promoting you.
Oh, man.
Thank you.
We want your skills to be contagious.
Oh, thank you.
You're very welcome.
What just happened in here was unbelievable.
To have him do this for me I couldn't thank him enough.
Shannon, to listen to your story About how hard you work, how you do it with such pride, It was an inspiration to me.
I want to work harder to make GSI a better company For people like you who make me so proud And make our company so successful.
One of the things that you, you know-- That you showed me is how hard you're working To raise money for your kids' football leagues, And we'd like to donate $5,000 Toward your son's football leagues.
Thank you very much.
You're very welcome.
You're very, very welcome.
That is awesome.
Him coming iand actually listening and sorry.
Listening and then stepping up and doing something About something I care about, It's pretty amazing.
Time for me to meet Danielle.
The way she handled that call was completely unacceptable, And now it's time for me to discuss it with her.
We can never treat a customer like that.
Hi.
Hey, how are you? Good.
How are you? I'm good.
Remember me? Yes, I do.
I'm not actually Gary.
I'm Michael Rubin, the founder and CEO of GSI.
Danielle, the way that call was handled wasn't acceptable And not the way we can ever treat consumers.
And then I said we would do an after-the-fact credit.
Would you like me to repeat it? It was killing me.
I mean, I was really mad.
I wanted to jump in there and blow my cover.
I'm actually a few weeks into-- You know, I got two days of training.
And I understand that, But that's no excuse to be rude to a customer, Danielle.
It's just common sense.
If it's something I can improve on-- That's the only call I remember from that day.
It has bugged me.
I'm glad that it bothered you, 'cause it should have, and it did bother me.
At the same time, that's exactly why I wanted To go undercover-- to see, you know, What really does happen.
I think a combination of us Investing more in systems and more in training And making sure these things are clear Will make us a more successful company.
Most definitely.
I could have handled it with a little bit more class, But, you know, I get to learn from the experience And hopefully improve next time, So the next customer doesn't have to hang up really angry.
Adam, I was blown away By how good you are at what you do.
I try to give GSI 110% of my effort.
Well, it's definitely very noticed.
Listening to your story, personally, broke my heart.
I was prepared for a lot of things when I went through this.
I would be full of it if I said that I epared for You know one of the things you talked about was saving money to get married, And it's something you've been waiting to do.
So I'd like to put $10,000 towards your wedding.
I-I-- I'm speechless.
I really am.
I just-- I cannot believe what you're willing to do for-- You know, for just me.
So thank you so much.
You're very, very welcome.
I'm shaking.
I do not get like this.
It really goes to show you A positive attitude really will bring good things To your life, And karma really does exist.
I've had an incredible week, And now I want to share this experience With the entire company.
Our founder and our CEO, Michael Rubin.
Hi, I'm Michael Rubin.
Until last week, I've been undercover at GSI Commerce.
That's not a joke.
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I can't wait to share it with all of you now.
Take a look.
These boxes just keep coming and coming and coming.
Oh, they don't stop.
High and tight.
High and tight.
I feel like we're getting the--ooh! You all right, Gary? Okay, I think I have a problem.
You know what my problem is? I screwed up.
You're sweating like you running from the police.
What pace am I going at right now-- Fast enough pace? No.
Uh, we no longer need your services.
I'm sorry.
As the founder of the company, You become a little bit removed from people.
I've been focused on growing the company, And I realized I needed to put more energy Into improving our policies and our systems And creating a better environment for all of you.
This experience has really touched my heart As a manager and as a man.
And I thank you for doing such an amazing job Building such an amazing company.
Thanks, everybody, for being here.
I really appreciate it.
After this undercover boss experience, You realize-- I've got an incredible family, An incredible daughter.
Life's precious, and it's short.
And you've got to make sure to have a more balanced life.
It'll have a lasting impact Having me want to be more focused On not just accomplishing business results, But accomplishing human results, Touching people one by one.