Five am is just to early to tell someone they suck. It just is. I worked Saturday for hours and hours on a box of undies that "should" have taken 1hour. Except that there were 300 pairs, so it took alot longer than that. I could not move fast enough apparently. The entire group of us were lectured in front of everyone at 5am. We were told we needed to be baby sat, and that we all needed partners because we could not work the way we were supposed to. We were also told that someone else would take our hours and that we would be sent home if we could not do it right. How about a great big cup of shut the fuck up? I think I may have said that in my out loud voice. Not super loud but I am pretty sure I was heard. So I think I quit. Or got fired. Or something.
Here is the thing, my manager is 15 years younger than me, and I am just not going to be talked to that way. Nor am I going to be, not now, not ever. Wait, maybe if I was working in a hospital and people were killing over because I was not doing things right, but no, its just underwear. Its just underwear!!!! REALLY!
I am now looking again and think I have sworn off retail. I really thought I could just stick it out, but looking back I see a whole heap of bullshit that I had to ignore. Such as comments like, "You work in the back with us because you are not cute enough to be on the floor." To this comment I must say that I am not traditionally pretty. According to the western standards of beauty, I fall short. Literally. I am short, 5 feet on a good day, mixed race, curly hair, brown eyes, muscular, round face...certainly not your average tall, skinny blonde with puffy lips and the perpetual vacant smile. No offense out there to my blonde friends.....after all you are older than 20! Life experience in my humble view enhances beauty. None of that here friends. I don't have a high pitched voice, a constant smile, and I don't say like with every other word. So I will concede that. But for Gods sake I am not a monster! I am not all deformed and freaky! And to think I took out my nose ring for this! Really!~ DAMN!
Don't worry though friends there is more to come, lots more experiences behind the counter to share!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Uhh, how about a great big cup of shut the f*^k up?
So I think I may have been fired. Maybe. Not sure, don't really care to be quiet honest. I have decided to quit. Can't do it. Don't have it in me, done, over it, stick a fork in me, I AM DONE! More to come, need to rest, having a cow at the moment.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
To quit or not to quit, that is the question
I am sitting here thinking about the possibility of getting up at o-my god in the morning to go to another shift in Hell. And so the question is posed.....to quit or not to quit. If I get up at 5 am, be at work by six, work like a crazy person on meth who just left the donkey show, I will still have only earned $43 dollars after taxes. If I show up and work really hard I just may get another $20 added on for the week. If I don't move fast enough I won't. This sucks.
Most of the time I would say, hell no don't quit, you don't have anything lined up yet...but then I stop and think, I am working ridiculously hard and still my cable is off, my phone is turned off, I have to get my car inspected, have two outstanding tickets on it, late on rent, and bill collectors keep calling, thinking somehow that I am going to pay them. Get in line bitches!!!! Take a number!!!! The Check is in the mail!!!!
Considering all of this I just keep hearing the conversations in my head of "no one in the back ever lasts", "people can't handle all this hard work", and the like. I almost feel like I am abandoning the troops or something, like I am letting down my fellow wage slaves by not being able to stick it out. I feel like it is almost a challenge to take as much abuse as I can handle, like I can one up the next employee. It is almost as if we are in some sort of unspoken contest to see who can be the last one standing. I think we all take a little too much pride in the amount of bullshit we have to wade through each day.
On the other hand, $40 is $40 bucks, and when you are broke, you are broke and every penny counts. Or does it? We all pay a price for everything we do, I get that, but again I am left wondering if the exchange rate is just too high.
Meanwhile, I have had another couple of leads that I have grabbed ahold of, and so am hoping to hear from them soon.
Wish me luck, give me advice, or just buy me another drink.
Most of the time I would say, hell no don't quit, you don't have anything lined up yet...but then I stop and think, I am working ridiculously hard and still my cable is off, my phone is turned off, I have to get my car inspected, have two outstanding tickets on it, late on rent, and bill collectors keep calling, thinking somehow that I am going to pay them. Get in line bitches!!!! Take a number!!!! The Check is in the mail!!!!
Considering all of this I just keep hearing the conversations in my head of "no one in the back ever lasts", "people can't handle all this hard work", and the like. I almost feel like I am abandoning the troops or something, like I am letting down my fellow wage slaves by not being able to stick it out. I feel like it is almost a challenge to take as much abuse as I can handle, like I can one up the next employee. It is almost as if we are in some sort of unspoken contest to see who can be the last one standing. I think we all take a little too much pride in the amount of bullshit we have to wade through each day.
On the other hand, $40 is $40 bucks, and when you are broke, you are broke and every penny counts. Or does it? We all pay a price for everything we do, I get that, but again I am left wondering if the exchange rate is just too high.
Meanwhile, I have had another couple of leads that I have grabbed ahold of, and so am hoping to hear from them soon.
Wish me luck, give me advice, or just buy me another drink.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
HOLY SHIT!!!
Okay so, after a ridiculously long week and a super short one the week before my pay check came to a grand total of $219.03 after taxes. HOLY SHIT! I think I am heading down to Mexico for the donkey show and here's why....
1. I am getting screwed anyway so why not actually get paid for it?
2. No heavy lifting, as I understand it they lift you!
3. The only body fluids to clean up will be my own!
4. I hear this job (and others like it) provide health checks and free clinic visits!
5. No more 4:30am shifts, the show closes at 12:00am!
6. Lots of positive feedback, bonuses and paid days off!
7. The only people yelling at you to perform with more of a sense of urgency are actually paying you!!
Its either this or meth, its kind of a toss up at the moment. I realize that my pay checks are a week behind, but next week I am scheduled for a grand total of 8 hours!!! WOW! REALLY! A WHOLE 8 HOURS???
You either get worked to death four days in a row or get no hours at all. Today was not a good day. Between the creepy old dude with his 4 female escorts running around the store in underwear and the ridiculous teenagers in barely enough clothing, I am blessed to even have my sight at all! Oh and whats with the screaming kids?? HOLY SHIT!!!
I work at an outdoor mall and this location happens to have quiet a few attractions for the family. However this store should not be one of them. But day in and day out I get to pull kids out of the windows, clean up their gross, sticky candy from off the floor and listen to the scream, whine, and cry. Today was especially fun as children got in the drawers and made a complete disaster out of four hours work. Really? Yes really.
The back room right now is stocked so full that there is literally no room to turn around. Needless to say the women that work in the back room are getting to know each other VERY well. You honestly can't turn around without bumping into breasts or butts. For some this may sound like heaven, but after a few hours it just gets weird. At first its funny. Then it's really funny, and then it sort of spirals out of control into all out punch drunk silliness. We have actually been told to keep our laughter down so as not to give the customers the "wrong idea". Then it gets kind of weird. Not weird bad, just weird. I think at this point I can identify my co-workers by their breasts rubbing against my back.....okay that really is weird. Oh well, honesty is on the menu today and this bitch is serving it up pipping hot!
Speaking of honesty, if one more person tells me to move faster I just may kill them. No, I think I actually will kill them. AND PLEASE STOP SENDING YOUR LITTLE SPIES TO CHECK ON MY PROGRESS!!!! Damn, I am not stupid, I know what "How's it coming?" really means. It means corporate is putting shit tons of pressure on me to get hours down and you need to work yourself out of hours so just hurry up already!!!!
In short...HOLY SHIT!
1. I am getting screwed anyway so why not actually get paid for it?
2. No heavy lifting, as I understand it they lift you!
3. The only body fluids to clean up will be my own!
4. I hear this job (and others like it) provide health checks and free clinic visits!
5. No more 4:30am shifts, the show closes at 12:00am!
6. Lots of positive feedback, bonuses and paid days off!
7. The only people yelling at you to perform with more of a sense of urgency are actually paying you!!
Its either this or meth, its kind of a toss up at the moment. I realize that my pay checks are a week behind, but next week I am scheduled for a grand total of 8 hours!!! WOW! REALLY! A WHOLE 8 HOURS???
You either get worked to death four days in a row or get no hours at all. Today was not a good day. Between the creepy old dude with his 4 female escorts running around the store in underwear and the ridiculous teenagers in barely enough clothing, I am blessed to even have my sight at all! Oh and whats with the screaming kids?? HOLY SHIT!!!
I work at an outdoor mall and this location happens to have quiet a few attractions for the family. However this store should not be one of them. But day in and day out I get to pull kids out of the windows, clean up their gross, sticky candy from off the floor and listen to the scream, whine, and cry. Today was especially fun as children got in the drawers and made a complete disaster out of four hours work. Really? Yes really.
The back room right now is stocked so full that there is literally no room to turn around. Needless to say the women that work in the back room are getting to know each other VERY well. You honestly can't turn around without bumping into breasts or butts. For some this may sound like heaven, but after a few hours it just gets weird. At first its funny. Then it's really funny, and then it sort of spirals out of control into all out punch drunk silliness. We have actually been told to keep our laughter down so as not to give the customers the "wrong idea". Then it gets kind of weird. Not weird bad, just weird. I think at this point I can identify my co-workers by their breasts rubbing against my back.....okay that really is weird. Oh well, honesty is on the menu today and this bitch is serving it up pipping hot!
Speaking of honesty, if one more person tells me to move faster I just may kill them. No, I think I actually will kill them. AND PLEASE STOP SENDING YOUR LITTLE SPIES TO CHECK ON MY PROGRESS!!!! Damn, I am not stupid, I know what "How's it coming?" really means. It means corporate is putting shit tons of pressure on me to get hours down and you need to work yourself out of hours so just hurry up already!!!!
In short...HOLY SHIT!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
4:30am...yes I really got home at 4:30am!!!!
So as many of you know, I have been working all night recently. Why...you may ask...well because the store that I work for is have a huge sale and only has two of these a year. Tons of older colors and designs are half off which is a good deal and the quality of the merchandise is good too. However I started looking into where these items are made and most are made in China or Indonesia. I can pretty much guarantee that the workers who make these items that we sell for around $50 a piece are making about three dollars a day. Such is retail right? I know I am making $9 an hour so in order for me to afford these items even with my "discount", I still need to work 4 and 1/2 hours to buy one. Even then, I can't actually afford one as I need to eat and pay rent and all....But then I was thinking about the people who make them and how much they would have to work to pay for even one and it just about killed me. All around ridiculous bullshit.
Moving on, I found out today that a woman who works for this store is considered a manager but does not have the full title yet because her promotion did not kick in in time for the corporate turn over and therefore she does not actually exist as a manager even though she has been promised a raise, she has yet to see it or the benefits package other managers get. Basically she works for $9 an hour with all the responsibilities and non of the perks a manager gets. That is so wrong. I asked her why she stays and she said that basically it is so hard to find a job right now that she has very little choice. Oh SHIT!!! That does not bode well for me!
Not only did she work from 4pm to 4am with me, but she also worked an additional 5 hours that day giving her a 17 hour day. I worked a 12 and 1/2 hour day, but am scheduled so that I can't pick up more than 40 hours a week so I can not collect overtime. However she can and I hope she does! Maybe all this kind of bullshit is why our store manager just walked out this week....hmmmm...
Ok, back to me! I worked from 4pm to 2:30 am Sunday and then on Monday 4pm to 4:15am. I almost walked out. I was so exhausted I could not even see straight. Working on your feet that long, moving as fast as you can leads to injury. On Sunday night an employee dropped a 50lbs box on her foot and hobbled to the workforce services clinic. Another hit her head on shelving and had to sit down but wanted to tough our her shift anyway. And then there is me. A glass shelf shattered while I was right next to it, it fell and glass popped up and cut my forehead and chest. I bled for quiet a while and will probably have a scar on my head and one big one on my chest. I had to clean up the mess as soon as I stopped bleeding. At that point an employee dropped a body form on my foot, leaving a massive bruise, and I have tons of bruises up and down my arms and legs from moving store fixtures. At this point, I can not even lift my right arm. That is saying something because I am quiet fit and stronger than most women if the truth be told. I became so exhausted at one point during this shift that my hands went numb and so did several other employees. We all complained about back and foot pain and were told that we would stay until it was done. We had what we call a last man standing shift. This means that no matter what time you are scheduled until, you have to work until its finished or risk a write up or worse. In fact one of the managers did not even have time to go to sleep that night, she left after four, went home, showered and went back to work to open early for this sale. People seem to think that retail stores have "people" that do all this for us....nope we don't. I am still so sore its not even funny.
Today friends, was a day from hell. Customers were ripping through the store like a pack of wild dogs leaving a frilly, lacie, silky carnage in their wake. They seem to think that because things are on sale, they can do what ever they want when ever they want to do it. This means they drop merchandise on the floor, through it under sales bins and racks, put it on the wrong side of the store, drop it over store fixtures or shove it in drawers. Today I followed one customer around for more than 15 minutes picking up all the items that she dropped or threw where ever she felt like it. It makes me wonder if these inconsiderate women feel so marginalized in life that they exert power where ever they can. They do whatever they want with out a acre or concern for the low wage workers that have to clean up after them. These are the same workers who stay until 4am to ensure she has what she wants, when ever she wants it. To say its not right is a massive understatement. They leave things falling off hangers, sitting on the floor and tossed where ever they feel like it in the moment. It takes a huge amount of time and energy to clean up after these women and makes the worker feel like "the help" which in all actuality we are.
For example, today I had to clean up someones spilled drink, I was handed USED underwear and asked to do a return on them, I put back 100's of items and cleaned up other peoples garbage and used food wrappers. I did not even have to clean bathrooms today or mop floors so all in all I got off easy. I still have to take all the garbage out, which requires several trips and a cart...and its so gross its not even funny. Last week a woman left her bloody underwear in the changing room. Who does she think she is? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? GROSS! Yep, I had to clean it up. I had gloves but still, I felt the need for a decontamination shower ala "Silkwood" after. In my time in retail I have cleaned up, blood, feces, urine, vomit, food, food wrappers, spilled drinks, cups, and condoms. Yesterday I got to damage out a piece of clothing that some man had uh...well....spanked his monkey into during store hours and he left this particular item on the hanger. Thanks buddy. All for $9 an hour. And for some its minimum wage for gods sake!!!
I am reminded of this difference in pay regularly.
They talk alot about safety being super important in this company. I beg to differ. I have never felt safe in the back room where I work and am often asked to do things that require me to climb on furniture, move items that weigh more than I do, lean ladders against glass windows and the list goes on and on. In fact right now in the back room a person can not even walk a straight line and you have to step over boxes and all types of items all over the floor and there is no where to put any of these items away. I have items fall on me, tip over on me and there are lots of "war stories" that employees brag about. It seems getting injured is a badge of honor at work, as is "sticking out" last man standing shifts. There is a huge sense of pride among many of the employees. They take great pride in being able to get through all this nonsense. I think it makes things easier for us/them to get through the day. To take stock of all you have been through is a great coping skill. But should we really need this skill to sell underwear? So much stress, trauma and injury for underwear. Really?
I am seriously considering going naked everywhere. I think I hate bra's and panties. And really at this point who can blame me?
Moving on, I found out today that a woman who works for this store is considered a manager but does not have the full title yet because her promotion did not kick in in time for the corporate turn over and therefore she does not actually exist as a manager even though she has been promised a raise, she has yet to see it or the benefits package other managers get. Basically she works for $9 an hour with all the responsibilities and non of the perks a manager gets. That is so wrong. I asked her why she stays and she said that basically it is so hard to find a job right now that she has very little choice. Oh SHIT!!! That does not bode well for me!
Not only did she work from 4pm to 4am with me, but she also worked an additional 5 hours that day giving her a 17 hour day. I worked a 12 and 1/2 hour day, but am scheduled so that I can't pick up more than 40 hours a week so I can not collect overtime. However she can and I hope she does! Maybe all this kind of bullshit is why our store manager just walked out this week....hmmmm...
Ok, back to me! I worked from 4pm to 2:30 am Sunday and then on Monday 4pm to 4:15am. I almost walked out. I was so exhausted I could not even see straight. Working on your feet that long, moving as fast as you can leads to injury. On Sunday night an employee dropped a 50lbs box on her foot and hobbled to the workforce services clinic. Another hit her head on shelving and had to sit down but wanted to tough our her shift anyway. And then there is me. A glass shelf shattered while I was right next to it, it fell and glass popped up and cut my forehead and chest. I bled for quiet a while and will probably have a scar on my head and one big one on my chest. I had to clean up the mess as soon as I stopped bleeding. At that point an employee dropped a body form on my foot, leaving a massive bruise, and I have tons of bruises up and down my arms and legs from moving store fixtures. At this point, I can not even lift my right arm. That is saying something because I am quiet fit and stronger than most women if the truth be told. I became so exhausted at one point during this shift that my hands went numb and so did several other employees. We all complained about back and foot pain and were told that we would stay until it was done. We had what we call a last man standing shift. This means that no matter what time you are scheduled until, you have to work until its finished or risk a write up or worse. In fact one of the managers did not even have time to go to sleep that night, she left after four, went home, showered and went back to work to open early for this sale. People seem to think that retail stores have "people" that do all this for us....nope we don't. I am still so sore its not even funny.
Today friends, was a day from hell. Customers were ripping through the store like a pack of wild dogs leaving a frilly, lacie, silky carnage in their wake. They seem to think that because things are on sale, they can do what ever they want when ever they want to do it. This means they drop merchandise on the floor, through it under sales bins and racks, put it on the wrong side of the store, drop it over store fixtures or shove it in drawers. Today I followed one customer around for more than 15 minutes picking up all the items that she dropped or threw where ever she felt like it. It makes me wonder if these inconsiderate women feel so marginalized in life that they exert power where ever they can. They do whatever they want with out a acre or concern for the low wage workers that have to clean up after them. These are the same workers who stay until 4am to ensure she has what she wants, when ever she wants it. To say its not right is a massive understatement. They leave things falling off hangers, sitting on the floor and tossed where ever they feel like it in the moment. It takes a huge amount of time and energy to clean up after these women and makes the worker feel like "the help" which in all actuality we are.
For example, today I had to clean up someones spilled drink, I was handed USED underwear and asked to do a return on them, I put back 100's of items and cleaned up other peoples garbage and used food wrappers. I did not even have to clean bathrooms today or mop floors so all in all I got off easy. I still have to take all the garbage out, which requires several trips and a cart...and its so gross its not even funny. Last week a woman left her bloody underwear in the changing room. Who does she think she is? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? GROSS! Yep, I had to clean it up. I had gloves but still, I felt the need for a decontamination shower ala "Silkwood" after. In my time in retail I have cleaned up, blood, feces, urine, vomit, food, food wrappers, spilled drinks, cups, and condoms. Yesterday I got to damage out a piece of clothing that some man had uh...well....spanked his monkey into during store hours and he left this particular item on the hanger. Thanks buddy. All for $9 an hour. And for some its minimum wage for gods sake!!!
I am reminded of this difference in pay regularly.
They talk alot about safety being super important in this company. I beg to differ. I have never felt safe in the back room where I work and am often asked to do things that require me to climb on furniture, move items that weigh more than I do, lean ladders against glass windows and the list goes on and on. In fact right now in the back room a person can not even walk a straight line and you have to step over boxes and all types of items all over the floor and there is no where to put any of these items away. I have items fall on me, tip over on me and there are lots of "war stories" that employees brag about. It seems getting injured is a badge of honor at work, as is "sticking out" last man standing shifts. There is a huge sense of pride among many of the employees. They take great pride in being able to get through all this nonsense. I think it makes things easier for us/them to get through the day. To take stock of all you have been through is a great coping skill. But should we really need this skill to sell underwear? So much stress, trauma and injury for underwear. Really?
I am seriously considering going naked everywhere. I think I hate bra's and panties. And really at this point who can blame me?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Some people just suck at retail.
I heard from a friend that my blog has changed her mind about the way she behaves in stores. She is now much less likely to drop merchandise where ever she pleases and that is a very good thing. However, thinking on my own experience in retail hell, I wanted to offer some observations on those who just suck at this job.
I work with a girl, yes literally an 18 year old girl whose biggest goal in life is to become an underwear model. No I am not kidding. That is all she wants to do and thinks that this particular store is a great place to start. Have I mentioned in all honesty that she is kind of well....uh...dumb? So dumb in fact that she struggles to alphabetize stock in the store room. During our training, which I was so lucky to have with her, she told me she wants us all to be best friends. In fact, she gave us a little taste of her next beauty pageant speech about how....and I quote...."How like, diversity is so super important, because like everyone can all be friends and that is like so important because then we can have like world peace." No I am not kidding! Sometimes when she speaks I like to count how many times she uses the word "like". Its a fun way to divert attention away from the fact that she is speaking at all. I know its a little mean, but I am here to tell the truth and the truth is not always kind.
Customer service skills are not her strong point, in fact I have had to try to deal with many of her angry customers. She often answers questions with "I don't know" or "Um, I am not sure." Which you know when shopping just pisses you off. It is in fact her job to know. And because she is "cute" she is on the sales floor, chatting with customers, and those of us who are not as "cute" are in the back actually working. No, I am not kidding about that either. I have in fact been told that I am not cute enough to be on the floor. So, as I am stocking the floor, she tells me to go get her something from the back, and then proceeds to tell the customer, "Oh she will get it, she is good at it"....AND THEN.....the customer who was asking her for help gets mad at me because she gave her the wrong size and I did not move fast enough for her. REALLY??? Forgive me ever perfect customer that I don't like being told by an 18 year old what to do and that I did not jump and run to the back for your ever important size. I did in fact drop what I was doing to get this persons item, its just that she was mad at her, and so she yelled at me because she was getting bad service.
I am great with customers, but not cute enough. Maybe I am too old for this. So let it be said that I know lots of people are not cut out for this kind of job, slavery is not for everyone.
I work with a girl, yes literally an 18 year old girl whose biggest goal in life is to become an underwear model. No I am not kidding. That is all she wants to do and thinks that this particular store is a great place to start. Have I mentioned in all honesty that she is kind of well....uh...dumb? So dumb in fact that she struggles to alphabetize stock in the store room. During our training, which I was so lucky to have with her, she told me she wants us all to be best friends. In fact, she gave us a little taste of her next beauty pageant speech about how....and I quote...."How like, diversity is so super important, because like everyone can all be friends and that is like so important because then we can have like world peace." No I am not kidding! Sometimes when she speaks I like to count how many times she uses the word "like". Its a fun way to divert attention away from the fact that she is speaking at all. I know its a little mean, but I am here to tell the truth and the truth is not always kind.
Customer service skills are not her strong point, in fact I have had to try to deal with many of her angry customers. She often answers questions with "I don't know" or "Um, I am not sure." Which you know when shopping just pisses you off. It is in fact her job to know. And because she is "cute" she is on the sales floor, chatting with customers, and those of us who are not as "cute" are in the back actually working. No, I am not kidding about that either. I have in fact been told that I am not cute enough to be on the floor. So, as I am stocking the floor, she tells me to go get her something from the back, and then proceeds to tell the customer, "Oh she will get it, she is good at it"....AND THEN.....the customer who was asking her for help gets mad at me because she gave her the wrong size and I did not move fast enough for her. REALLY??? Forgive me ever perfect customer that I don't like being told by an 18 year old what to do and that I did not jump and run to the back for your ever important size. I did in fact drop what I was doing to get this persons item, its just that she was mad at her, and so she yelled at me because she was getting bad service.
I am great with customers, but not cute enough. Maybe I am too old for this. So let it be said that I know lots of people are not cut out for this kind of job, slavery is not for everyone.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
hey..hey..got any advil? Come on man...just one?
I am getting ready to go to work today and am reminding myself to pack the pain killers. In fact, the women that I work with have a secret society of advil and diet coke addicts. Who ever has the pain meds. gets the least crappy job. Think of it like cigarettes in prison. You may wonder why so many of us need pain killers to get through the day. Well, here goes.
Yesterday I climbed a ladder 15 times. Yes I counted. I was on my feet for 9 hours straight with one 15 minute break. I dropped a box on my foot, tripped over a clothing rack and lifted 40 pounds over my head about 15 times..(hence the ladder trips). As previously mentioned, I have seen some nasty injuries in retail. Everyday someone gets sensor pin stuck through their finger at the very least. Its kind of a contest to see who can get out unscathed.
Headaches are super common from doing such detail oriented work, and from being told to "move faster" about every three minutes. Yes, I checked. Also from having to do the same things over and over because a manager can not decide where she wants certain things and then gets into a power struggle with other managers who disagree and having to move the entire floor around three times in three days just to see who has the bigger ovaries. Guess who gets to move it? Yes, its us, the pawns in this ovary contest that is retail in womens fashion.
There is also the sugar angle...talk about prison favors! Who ever brings in the sugar, in any form really, is the queen bee for the day. I have come to not only understand the sugar addiction in retail, but to embrace it, to love it, to become one with it. It's not like we are not working off the calories and it keeps us moving and hyper. All the better to make your box times with my dear. We need to stay positive, happy, upbeat, moving quickly, with a sense of urgency and direction...if sugar won't cut it.....I may have to start the meth as before mentioned.
So today I am armed with a baggie of advil, a box of cookies and the knowledge that today...I am a Goddess!
Yesterday I climbed a ladder 15 times. Yes I counted. I was on my feet for 9 hours straight with one 15 minute break. I dropped a box on my foot, tripped over a clothing rack and lifted 40 pounds over my head about 15 times..(hence the ladder trips). As previously mentioned, I have seen some nasty injuries in retail. Everyday someone gets sensor pin stuck through their finger at the very least. Its kind of a contest to see who can get out unscathed.
Headaches are super common from doing such detail oriented work, and from being told to "move faster" about every three minutes. Yes, I checked. Also from having to do the same things over and over because a manager can not decide where she wants certain things and then gets into a power struggle with other managers who disagree and having to move the entire floor around three times in three days just to see who has the bigger ovaries. Guess who gets to move it? Yes, its us, the pawns in this ovary contest that is retail in womens fashion.
There is also the sugar angle...talk about prison favors! Who ever brings in the sugar, in any form really, is the queen bee for the day. I have come to not only understand the sugar addiction in retail, but to embrace it, to love it, to become one with it. It's not like we are not working off the calories and it keeps us moving and hyper. All the better to make your box times with my dear. We need to stay positive, happy, upbeat, moving quickly, with a sense of urgency and direction...if sugar won't cut it.....I may have to start the meth as before mentioned.
So today I am armed with a baggie of advil, a box of cookies and the knowledge that today...I am a Goddess!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Oh my God just Kill me!!!
So friends...tonight ends a work week or 64 hours in total. No really, 64 freakin hours. My fingers are numb, my feet are so swollen its not even funny, my back hurts beyond belief, holy shit just kill me now!!!
Truly though, I am not the only one. Yesterday a manager cut off part of her finger on a rolling sales rack. Two days before that, a stock room associate got a sensor pin through her knee cap, two women threw-up as the stomach flu is going around, one woman fell off a ladder and I am bruised from toes to thighs because of the amount of boxes I am moving around. Thats right friends, we sacrifice our bodies, our health, our well being in order to "move with a sense of urgency", and to truly "connect with and inspire our customers".
Here, I must pause to give credit where credit is due. I have worked in retail for years, I have never in my life met a group of more dedicated and self less individuals. I can imagine no one being more dedicated to their fellow slaves...uh..I mean workers than those in retail. The women who had the stomach flu literally wore masks to work and worked an 8 hour days to cut down on the amount of work for their co-workers. I stayed for 12 hours today so that another worker could go home because she was sick. The amount of shipment, processing and replenishment work is insane, there is way more work than workers! We never have enough time, people or freedom to do the work required of us. Each box of shipment has a time attached to it, and if we can't make that box time enough times in a row, our hours are cut, or worse we get fired. We the working poor of America give everything for the consumer to be instantly gratified.
But never fear!!! I have a solution! Its Meth! Thats right METH!!! This is a great idea and heres why....
1. We can so move with a sense of urgency!!!
2. We can be up all night working, and not get tired or slow down around the dreaded 2am slump!
3. We can work all night, then get up the next day and be at work by 9am with no complaints!
4. Meth is cheap! Lord knows we can't afford expensive drugs like cocaine on our wages..
5. We can get as O.C.D. as corporate is about ridiculously minute details that really don't matter at all, and
we won't question it!
6. We can use the paranoia to ramp up our sales quota...after all "THEY" really are watching.
7. We won't gain weight...as a matter of fact, we may even loose it to stay presentable for the sales floor!
8. We won't complain about being sick, we won't even know when we are!
DAMN! I am a genius!
Seriously though in retail, I have seen some of the hardest working people ever. At a large department store I used to work for, I have seen managers hook up their own I.V.'s in their pic lines in dressing rooms, people with 2nd and 3rd degree burns from steamers stay for their full shifts, I have seen people super glue their cuts closed because they can't afford to leave early to get stitches and they don't want to bleed on the customers merchandise. I have seen people break bones, throw their backs out, return too soon after surgery, pull their own teeth and the list goes on and on....Why you may ask? Because we have to. Because we need this job. Because it is so hard to get another one and we can't risk our families getting by on less than we are now. Because in short, we are less than human. We are treated this way by so many, that for us it becomes truth.
We have no access to health care, fair wages, unions, and the high end goods which we just about kill ourselves for the upper class to enjoy. Those very people who look down their noses, who ruin displays, who drop things and never give a second thought to who has to put them away....those who treat us so shabbily....we sacrifice all that we have.
In the end, meth may not be the best choice. How about a glass of whiskey and a lortab? Don't mind if I do...
Truly though, I am not the only one. Yesterday a manager cut off part of her finger on a rolling sales rack. Two days before that, a stock room associate got a sensor pin through her knee cap, two women threw-up as the stomach flu is going around, one woman fell off a ladder and I am bruised from toes to thighs because of the amount of boxes I am moving around. Thats right friends, we sacrifice our bodies, our health, our well being in order to "move with a sense of urgency", and to truly "connect with and inspire our customers".
Here, I must pause to give credit where credit is due. I have worked in retail for years, I have never in my life met a group of more dedicated and self less individuals. I can imagine no one being more dedicated to their fellow slaves...uh..I mean workers than those in retail. The women who had the stomach flu literally wore masks to work and worked an 8 hour days to cut down on the amount of work for their co-workers. I stayed for 12 hours today so that another worker could go home because she was sick. The amount of shipment, processing and replenishment work is insane, there is way more work than workers! We never have enough time, people or freedom to do the work required of us. Each box of shipment has a time attached to it, and if we can't make that box time enough times in a row, our hours are cut, or worse we get fired. We the working poor of America give everything for the consumer to be instantly gratified.
But never fear!!! I have a solution! Its Meth! Thats right METH!!! This is a great idea and heres why....
1. We can so move with a sense of urgency!!!
2. We can be up all night working, and not get tired or slow down around the dreaded 2am slump!
3. We can work all night, then get up the next day and be at work by 9am with no complaints!
4. Meth is cheap! Lord knows we can't afford expensive drugs like cocaine on our wages..
5. We can get as O.C.D. as corporate is about ridiculously minute details that really don't matter at all, and
we won't question it!
6. We can use the paranoia to ramp up our sales quota...after all "THEY" really are watching.
7. We won't gain weight...as a matter of fact, we may even loose it to stay presentable for the sales floor!
8. We won't complain about being sick, we won't even know when we are!
DAMN! I am a genius!
Seriously though in retail, I have seen some of the hardest working people ever. At a large department store I used to work for, I have seen managers hook up their own I.V.'s in their pic lines in dressing rooms, people with 2nd and 3rd degree burns from steamers stay for their full shifts, I have seen people super glue their cuts closed because they can't afford to leave early to get stitches and they don't want to bleed on the customers merchandise. I have seen people break bones, throw their backs out, return too soon after surgery, pull their own teeth and the list goes on and on....Why you may ask? Because we have to. Because we need this job. Because it is so hard to get another one and we can't risk our families getting by on less than we are now. Because in short, we are less than human. We are treated this way by so many, that for us it becomes truth.
We have no access to health care, fair wages, unions, and the high end goods which we just about kill ourselves for the upper class to enjoy. Those very people who look down their noses, who ruin displays, who drop things and never give a second thought to who has to put them away....those who treat us so shabbily....we sacrifice all that we have.
In the end, meth may not be the best choice. How about a glass of whiskey and a lortab? Don't mind if I do...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Hours? What Hours?
Hello Dear Friends and Readers! On with the show! No kool-aid today for me yet, still have to share my latest adventures!
Hooray for modern technology, or not. Okay, so get this...My paycheck comes on a debit card. I have to go through several computer links to get direct deposit and even then, they still want me to use this card that proudly displays the logo for the company that I work for, including a very bright signature color. This is presumably so when I am trying to buy groceries, some fellow wage warrior can see this and happily exclaim.."You work for ----------, I love their......" hence securing another loyal customer. Ahh, the marketing never ends! So why do I bring this up? Because you are still required to pick up your pay stub that is mailed directly to this company with in 48 hours or face the scorn of an overworked manager. I know this because on my first day of training I was in a very uncomfortable position being some how in the middle of a conversation that had to do with this very issue. Holy crap close the office door would you?
Moving on, my schedule is supposed to be easily available to see on line, except for that it isn't. When I went in to get my schedule I am delighted to see yet another 5 hour call in shift that may or may not pan out. SO now, once again I am in the position of having to call my other job and try to find shift coverage for a shift at the first job that I may or may not even work. Its complicated. But my dilemma here is this, if I get coverage for my other job, call in and then can't work, I just lost money. If I don't find coverage for my other job and I do call in and I end up working I risk a write-up warning. I can only get three of these before I am "let-go".
The question now seems to be, which job do I try and be totally focused on? The one that pays me less but respects me more, but can't offer me the hours or health care I need? Or do I sell out completely and throw myself on the mercy of the fickle consumer who may or may not provide the company with enough profits to allow me to work? My problem is I can't give up the hours at either job because I need both of them unless the corporate job sees fit to throw the management bone my way. That tasty management bone is what I really need, but how long do I wait and how much money can I stand to loose being fully available to them?
With my schedule being only out a week in advance,(company policy) this makes it very difficult to schedule my life around the ever changing whim of the consumer.
Ohhh...that tasty management bone, the one dripping with full time hours, crunchy medical benefits and meaty job security.....
It would seem easy to just quit the one job and bow at the alter of the corporate gods, but just can't make it without the stability of guaranteed hours. So I have been wondering why exactly do corporations run like this? Is it so when their employees get to work they are so happy and grateful that they will do anything just to be there? Is it so they won't question the time limit they have for every task? Is it so they will take whatever abuse is thrown their way by customers? Is it so they will happily reset the floor and shelves a hundred times a day without complaint? Is it so they are so happy with the idea of hours...dare I say even extra hours that working until 3am is an honor? It does make a person wonder.
Meanwhile....moving on.....
Did I ever tell you that I am the oldest person working there? It is awesome to take "coaching" from girls that are young enough to be my daughter. Not humiliating at all. Oh wait, it is. I should have known something was up when I had a "group" interview, in which I was seated in the back storage room with 5 other people, all of whom were younger than me by 16 years at least. This interview style is being used by more companies these days not only to expedite the hiring process, but to see who stands out. So your competition begins right away. Before you even get a second interview, you are forced into a situation that in the best of circumstances is uncomfortable, in the worst...is down right manipulative. Is this system set up like the hours system, to make you feel honored to even have a call back? Sitting around with your competition, trying to outshine them in the interview is an awful desperate situation. But more and more that is what America is coming to. An awful, desperate situation in which a person will do anything they have to to be considered for employment.
But there are perks! Yes indeed! Especially for management. Full time hours, medical, dental, vacation time,
sick pay! This sounds like Heaven to me! I am going to sell out, prostrate myself, smile and do what ever I am told just to get these shiny jewels of civilization....these gems of viable humanity....the very nectar of validity and worth!!!! Hell yes Friends..I am going to bend over so far that all I can see are my knees! I am going to do it while moving with a sense of urgency, with a smile, with knowledge of our product, and with whatever else I am "coached" to do! Why? Why would you do this you might ask? Well I will tell you why...I have not been able to go to the dentist in over 10 years, I have to pay over $120 to go to an InstaCare just to get antibiotics, because I have needed surgery that I can't pay for for 3 years now, because my medications are paid for out of pocket and I am on a 4 month waiting list just to see a doctor. I have to drive all the way to Logan to attend a free clinic to try and get my prescriptions refilled..(hopefully). So HELLO KNEES!!!!
In the meantime, I am going to help as many people as I can, try to make some one elses day and to keep my eyes on the prize! I am going to find positive things to say about everyone I work with, I am going to keep a bright and cheerful attitude, and I am going to enjoy my employee discount. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize!!!
And if that prize never comes? Kool-aid baby, kool-aid. Signing off for today with much gratitude for those who read this.
Hooray for modern technology, or not. Okay, so get this...My paycheck comes on a debit card. I have to go through several computer links to get direct deposit and even then, they still want me to use this card that proudly displays the logo for the company that I work for, including a very bright signature color. This is presumably so when I am trying to buy groceries, some fellow wage warrior can see this and happily exclaim.."You work for ----------, I love their......" hence securing another loyal customer. Ahh, the marketing never ends! So why do I bring this up? Because you are still required to pick up your pay stub that is mailed directly to this company with in 48 hours or face the scorn of an overworked manager. I know this because on my first day of training I was in a very uncomfortable position being some how in the middle of a conversation that had to do with this very issue. Holy crap close the office door would you?
Moving on, my schedule is supposed to be easily available to see on line, except for that it isn't. When I went in to get my schedule I am delighted to see yet another 5 hour call in shift that may or may not pan out. SO now, once again I am in the position of having to call my other job and try to find shift coverage for a shift at the first job that I may or may not even work. Its complicated. But my dilemma here is this, if I get coverage for my other job, call in and then can't work, I just lost money. If I don't find coverage for my other job and I do call in and I end up working I risk a write-up warning. I can only get three of these before I am "let-go".
The question now seems to be, which job do I try and be totally focused on? The one that pays me less but respects me more, but can't offer me the hours or health care I need? Or do I sell out completely and throw myself on the mercy of the fickle consumer who may or may not provide the company with enough profits to allow me to work? My problem is I can't give up the hours at either job because I need both of them unless the corporate job sees fit to throw the management bone my way. That tasty management bone is what I really need, but how long do I wait and how much money can I stand to loose being fully available to them?
With my schedule being only out a week in advance,(company policy) this makes it very difficult to schedule my life around the ever changing whim of the consumer.
Ohhh...that tasty management bone, the one dripping with full time hours, crunchy medical benefits and meaty job security.....
It would seem easy to just quit the one job and bow at the alter of the corporate gods, but just can't make it without the stability of guaranteed hours. So I have been wondering why exactly do corporations run like this? Is it so when their employees get to work they are so happy and grateful that they will do anything just to be there? Is it so they won't question the time limit they have for every task? Is it so they will take whatever abuse is thrown their way by customers? Is it so they will happily reset the floor and shelves a hundred times a day without complaint? Is it so they are so happy with the idea of hours...dare I say even extra hours that working until 3am is an honor? It does make a person wonder.
Meanwhile....moving on.....
Did I ever tell you that I am the oldest person working there? It is awesome to take "coaching" from girls that are young enough to be my daughter. Not humiliating at all. Oh wait, it is. I should have known something was up when I had a "group" interview, in which I was seated in the back storage room with 5 other people, all of whom were younger than me by 16 years at least. This interview style is being used by more companies these days not only to expedite the hiring process, but to see who stands out. So your competition begins right away. Before you even get a second interview, you are forced into a situation that in the best of circumstances is uncomfortable, in the worst...is down right manipulative. Is this system set up like the hours system, to make you feel honored to even have a call back? Sitting around with your competition, trying to outshine them in the interview is an awful desperate situation. But more and more that is what America is coming to. An awful, desperate situation in which a person will do anything they have to to be considered for employment.
But there are perks! Yes indeed! Especially for management. Full time hours, medical, dental, vacation time,
sick pay! This sounds like Heaven to me! I am going to sell out, prostrate myself, smile and do what ever I am told just to get these shiny jewels of civilization....these gems of viable humanity....the very nectar of validity and worth!!!! Hell yes Friends..I am going to bend over so far that all I can see are my knees! I am going to do it while moving with a sense of urgency, with a smile, with knowledge of our product, and with whatever else I am "coached" to do! Why? Why would you do this you might ask? Well I will tell you why...I have not been able to go to the dentist in over 10 years, I have to pay over $120 to go to an InstaCare just to get antibiotics, because I have needed surgery that I can't pay for for 3 years now, because my medications are paid for out of pocket and I am on a 4 month waiting list just to see a doctor. I have to drive all the way to Logan to attend a free clinic to try and get my prescriptions refilled..(hopefully). So HELLO KNEES!!!!
In the meantime, I am going to help as many people as I can, try to make some one elses day and to keep my eyes on the prize! I am going to find positive things to say about everyone I work with, I am going to keep a bright and cheerful attitude, and I am going to enjoy my employee discount. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize!!!
And if that prize never comes? Kool-aid baby, kool-aid. Signing off for today with much gratitude for those who read this.
Monday, May 23, 2011
I bet you had no idea...
So, I have finally joined the blogging world in hopes of retaining what little sanity I have left. I have been thinking about doing this for a long time and decided that today is a great day to start. I had planned on posting my adventures in the retail world, and the daily struggles of the working class in America. In addition to this, I am also going to be recording daily life in case I need to go for the kool-aid early. Read on dear friends.... you probably won't blame me. ;)
I work for an upscale womens specialty boutique, I have to be very careful what I say as I have been informed that what ever I post on the internet can be looked at any time by corporate "Big Brother". While I am not too worried about this, Lord knows I need my $9 an hour! I have been asked to sign a release form giving permission to my employers to look at my face book page anytime they want. Civil rights? What civil rights? You mean the ones stating that you have the right to privacy and free speech? Nope, not in wage working America. Needless to say, I have not signed it and was told that not signing it means I would not have a job. Thank the corporate gods for pilling so much work on us and our managers that no one has remembered to push this issue. I just won't do it, I can't sign it. What I do on my own time is my business.
Actually, this company that I work for is not a "bad" company to work for overall. It's just that those of us who work retail for whatever reason are subject to more than just crabby customers and busy holiday seasons. We are subject to pressures from corporate, our own managers, visual managers, customer service managers, credit card companies, and of course competitive co-workers, and customers. It is a never ending cycle of hurry up and get it done and do it right and smile and don't ask questions and work as fast as you can at all times and have your make up and hair always done, never sit down, and be degraded by well off women who see you not as a human being, but as her personal servant for the time she is on the store.
My position in the store is process shipment, tag shipment, stock and replenish shipment. It is also my job to "recover the floor", move the floor in accordance with what ever corporate wants us to do which has resulted in working until 3:30am. Since I am still relatively new here, I am told that 3:30 is not as late as it has been. Oh good. It is also my job to do inventory, to learn ridiculously nit-picky and exacting standards for stocking, back stocking and displays. It is also my job, though not in my job description to clean bathrooms, sweep floors, pick up customers garbage, chewed gum, empty drink containers and mop up after spills. I also get to go around the store after customers and put everything back the way it is standardized, even when I get there at 6am to create the "perfect display". Now mind you, all items are available in plain sight under the display, but no, people insist on taking apart the display to get what they want, and in most cases drop it somewhere else in the store.
Well, you might say, that is your job. Some of this is my job. But cleaning up after someone elses kid who pulls down a display is NOT my job. It is the job of the parent to watch and dare I say PARENT their child. It is not my job to scrub human fecal matter off of toilet seats, to scrub puke up off the floor when a mother drags her child out for that all important shopping trip when the child is ill, it is not my job to be exposed to bodily fluids in a dressing room because someone decided to use our merchandise as a sanitary napkin. BUT GUESS WHAT??? We still get to do this. Oh, did I mention it was a big deal to not make minimum wage?
I am also expected to, work as fast as possible, "with a sense of urgency", at all times to make sure that the company only pays for the bare minimum amount of hours possible to increase overall profit. In fact, the only full time benefited positions available in this and most other companies is management, which we are all scrambling towards because none of us can make it without two or more jobs. We also have on call shifts that are determined by how much we sell. If its not enough, you don't work. So then you try to fit in hours at your other job/jobs and get a write up or warning if you are not available if and when they decide you are needed. Here is the best part, I am so grateful to even have a job and it took me so long even to find this one that I am willing, more than willing to put up with all of this, and do it while being "friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, helpful, and accomodating."
I can not afford to make waves, get in trouble, or to point out when a person has worked over 12 hours without a break. I need this job so bad right now, as do most of my co-workers, that I put up with what ever I have to just to chase that carrot of hope...that if I keep working really hard I just might make management and get full time with benefits.
Here is the other weird thing. I actually really like helping customers for the most part. I like being able to help someone feel better about their body, to find the perfect gift, and to make someones day by being friendly and decent with them. I really like that. As we all know, everything has a price. Nothing is free in this world and we all pay for what we are, what we do and how we live. I would just like to point out here that sometimes the debt to income ratio is way out of balance.
Corporate America knows this, they train their management to use specific language, to use specific terms to keep us all working hard, keep our heads down and just move forward in the hopes that we too, someday might be treated as human beings of value.
So for now, that is exactly what I am going to do. I will submit to "bag checks", credit checks, clean up after others and hopefully get to help a few people during the day. I will submit to being "less than" in order to get ahead. I will do this for the sake of paying my rent and feeding my family. I will do this because this is what the working class people of this Country do. We give. We are available to the upper class by being unavailable to our own children. We clean up your messes, so that you don't have to be bothered. We take your orders, we cook your food, we clean your clothes, we take your measurements, we wait on you hand and foot in dressing rooms to be sure that you have exactly what you need. We make on average between $7.75 and $10 and hour. Most of us have no insurance, no job security and are not allowed to join unions. We stand on concrete floors all day, we are not allowed to sit down on the job, we are not allowed to use the phone, but we are here.
For many of us this kind of life is our only option, because of illness, divorce, unfavorable turns of luck, abuse, neglect....all these things add up to the positions we are in. Again, I am so happy and grateful to even have a job, I feel almost guilty for writing the reality of what my job is. Again, I gladly submit myself to all this and more for the off chance of getting ahead. But truth is truth and I am going to say what it is. Even if no one else does.
The next time you depend on someone else for your meal, your clothes, your hotel rooms, think about them not in terms of your servants, but as human beings. I bet you had no idea......
I work for an upscale womens specialty boutique, I have to be very careful what I say as I have been informed that what ever I post on the internet can be looked at any time by corporate "Big Brother". While I am not too worried about this, Lord knows I need my $9 an hour! I have been asked to sign a release form giving permission to my employers to look at my face book page anytime they want. Civil rights? What civil rights? You mean the ones stating that you have the right to privacy and free speech? Nope, not in wage working America. Needless to say, I have not signed it and was told that not signing it means I would not have a job. Thank the corporate gods for pilling so much work on us and our managers that no one has remembered to push this issue. I just won't do it, I can't sign it. What I do on my own time is my business.
Actually, this company that I work for is not a "bad" company to work for overall. It's just that those of us who work retail for whatever reason are subject to more than just crabby customers and busy holiday seasons. We are subject to pressures from corporate, our own managers, visual managers, customer service managers, credit card companies, and of course competitive co-workers, and customers. It is a never ending cycle of hurry up and get it done and do it right and smile and don't ask questions and work as fast as you can at all times and have your make up and hair always done, never sit down, and be degraded by well off women who see you not as a human being, but as her personal servant for the time she is on the store.
My position in the store is process shipment, tag shipment, stock and replenish shipment. It is also my job to "recover the floor", move the floor in accordance with what ever corporate wants us to do which has resulted in working until 3:30am. Since I am still relatively new here, I am told that 3:30 is not as late as it has been. Oh good. It is also my job to do inventory, to learn ridiculously nit-picky and exacting standards for stocking, back stocking and displays. It is also my job, though not in my job description to clean bathrooms, sweep floors, pick up customers garbage, chewed gum, empty drink containers and mop up after spills. I also get to go around the store after customers and put everything back the way it is standardized, even when I get there at 6am to create the "perfect display". Now mind you, all items are available in plain sight under the display, but no, people insist on taking apart the display to get what they want, and in most cases drop it somewhere else in the store.
Well, you might say, that is your job. Some of this is my job. But cleaning up after someone elses kid who pulls down a display is NOT my job. It is the job of the parent to watch and dare I say PARENT their child. It is not my job to scrub human fecal matter off of toilet seats, to scrub puke up off the floor when a mother drags her child out for that all important shopping trip when the child is ill, it is not my job to be exposed to bodily fluids in a dressing room because someone decided to use our merchandise as a sanitary napkin. BUT GUESS WHAT??? We still get to do this. Oh, did I mention it was a big deal to not make minimum wage?
I am also expected to, work as fast as possible, "with a sense of urgency", at all times to make sure that the company only pays for the bare minimum amount of hours possible to increase overall profit. In fact, the only full time benefited positions available in this and most other companies is management, which we are all scrambling towards because none of us can make it without two or more jobs. We also have on call shifts that are determined by how much we sell. If its not enough, you don't work. So then you try to fit in hours at your other job/jobs and get a write up or warning if you are not available if and when they decide you are needed. Here is the best part, I am so grateful to even have a job and it took me so long even to find this one that I am willing, more than willing to put up with all of this, and do it while being "friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, helpful, and accomodating."
I can not afford to make waves, get in trouble, or to point out when a person has worked over 12 hours without a break. I need this job so bad right now, as do most of my co-workers, that I put up with what ever I have to just to chase that carrot of hope...that if I keep working really hard I just might make management and get full time with benefits.
Here is the other weird thing. I actually really like helping customers for the most part. I like being able to help someone feel better about their body, to find the perfect gift, and to make someones day by being friendly and decent with them. I really like that. As we all know, everything has a price. Nothing is free in this world and we all pay for what we are, what we do and how we live. I would just like to point out here that sometimes the debt to income ratio is way out of balance.
Corporate America knows this, they train their management to use specific language, to use specific terms to keep us all working hard, keep our heads down and just move forward in the hopes that we too, someday might be treated as human beings of value.
So for now, that is exactly what I am going to do. I will submit to "bag checks", credit checks, clean up after others and hopefully get to help a few people during the day. I will submit to being "less than" in order to get ahead. I will do this for the sake of paying my rent and feeding my family. I will do this because this is what the working class people of this Country do. We give. We are available to the upper class by being unavailable to our own children. We clean up your messes, so that you don't have to be bothered. We take your orders, we cook your food, we clean your clothes, we take your measurements, we wait on you hand and foot in dressing rooms to be sure that you have exactly what you need. We make on average between $7.75 and $10 and hour. Most of us have no insurance, no job security and are not allowed to join unions. We stand on concrete floors all day, we are not allowed to sit down on the job, we are not allowed to use the phone, but we are here.
For many of us this kind of life is our only option, because of illness, divorce, unfavorable turns of luck, abuse, neglect....all these things add up to the positions we are in. Again, I am so happy and grateful to even have a job, I feel almost guilty for writing the reality of what my job is. Again, I gladly submit myself to all this and more for the off chance of getting ahead. But truth is truth and I am going to say what it is. Even if no one else does.
The next time you depend on someone else for your meal, your clothes, your hotel rooms, think about them not in terms of your servants, but as human beings. I bet you had no idea......
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