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When I was 16 to 17 I worked at Target. Customers are straight up disgusting, ignorant and lazy. I would go to school all day then work from 5pm to "10pm" 4-5 days a week. I worked on the floor, got a 30 min break and was on my feet all night. Now this might not sound too bad but back in 2002-2004 Target was not enforcing labor laws for teens still in high school (under the age of 18). The store would close abruptly at 10pm but more often then not I would be forced to stay until 11pm/12pm at night on days I had to get up and go to school then next morning.
I did not have the luxury to up and leave because Target is such a revolving door of lower level employees, they would have just fired me and brought in someone to replace me within 24 hours.
On several occasions (Easter, Black Friday, back to school etc) I remember working 14-16 hour shifts with one break on my feet the entire time.
I was hit on constantly by grody upper management (even had my ass smacked once while I was on the floor). It was the worst job ever. I wouldn’t work retail again even with a gun to my head.
Probably my current one. Worst benefits (only a 3% 401(k) match, and $6000/year employee contribution to the PPO). Demoralized coworkers. Long commute. Declining contracts (people are searching for charge numbers to stay off overhead: risk of layoffs). Many positions are extremely restrictive due to the nature of our business so work environment is not comfortable (things like no cell phones, no internet, no MP3 players...and in places clean rooms no food, coffee, bunny suit hassles). Risk of having to work third shift.
1. My last job, workforce development. Okay, that is a fancy way in my old state of basically saying Unemployment Insurance. The entire structure, functionality and competency of the organization were terrible. The work environment felt very ghetto-ish 1950s-era government building because it was. Oh, yes, the cranky, eye-rolling, sarcastic clients on a daily basis! Long lines at the beginning of each day, sometimes 50-60 deep. Angry clients waiting for service for 2-4 hours at a time.
(A) The top boss was incompetent and moody (although a sexy cougar that did really make some passes at me when she was in a good mood. ) (B) The middle boss was nice enough but always stood beside my direct supervisor. (C) The direct supervisor would be your best friend one day and chastise and embarrass you, scream at you and be cold and controlling the next; no matter the mood, always micro-managerial. (D) The "facilitator" was at the bottom end of the management ladder and was just an inarticulate, wishy-washy, backstabbing pain in the *****. Note: all said supervisors were female. Boss (C) straight up told me one time I wasn't giving the job 110% even though I had met with 6,000 clients (!!!) just within the first year and had only one client complaint of any kind earlier on; I was infuriated!
If not for great co-workers for the most part, I would have literally considered suicide. I often went home and woke up with stomach pains and headaches. Just a nasty job.
2. My new job is across the country. I'm now glad I took the job so I could live in a new place; however, I work for an all-female team here, too, and they're more passive-aggressive and condescending but still a pain in the *****. After only a few months on the job, they're already indicating terminating my partner and me for a long list of contrived and arbitrary problems. We've seen that they have organizational problems and assume they're using us as scapegoats. Hell, I've even already been chastised by the director for not completing projects in a "timely" manner; well, when co-workers answer any questions I have in a condescending manner, resulting in me gradually asking for help less and less, and don't set forth deadlines to meet goals, then "timely" is arbitrary.
I have been acknowledged as an independent worker. That's me in every job I've ever held. Put me on a team assignment, I do fine; however, I have been given no opportunities for major collaborative work yet at this job. But, I'm "too independent." Go figure. My partner has already accomplished more in three months than his predecessors did combined in years prior; any open attempts to congratulate his accomplishments are quickly shut down by management because he's not "up to par." Bazaar.
If I'm fired, it may be the best thing that's ever happened to me. No joke. I've never had the wind knocked out of me so incredibly in such a short time. Besides, it's only a temporary job, anyway. I'd like to stay in my new home for at least a little while longer.
Last edited by EclecticEars; 11-11-2011 at 12:20 AM..
I have dug ditches in the summer heat. I have driven a taxicab. But the worst I ever did was caddying. Had to wait long to get out, then it was a lot of walking with heavy bags. You can have it.
Same here (caddying). I think I did one loop and didn't go back. Didn't help that I have always have hated golf.
worked for minimum wage in a seasonal crab processing plant for a few months during hard times many years ago. the hours were insane and the working conditions were like being in a third world country. Not to mention I was one of the only people there that still had a full set of teeth that wasn't a drug addict.
A close second would be working for any of the numbers based companies I've been with after they hire a consulting company to make your life miserable
when I was 13-14 years old I worked for my Great Uncle's chicken farm, we had to wheel the chicken crates off the trailer line them up in the in the coupe in front of the cages. We had to reach in to these packed chicken carts grab a bird open the other cage and stuff them in there all the while getting clawed, pecked, pooped, and pissed on in the summer heat.
Never had a bad job even as a kid...If I took a job where I felt I was being used and abuse - I would sweep my way to the back door and leave...just walk away and not even bother to return for the pay..
Been that way all my life - stubborn to the point of poverty on occassion...Life is to short to have someone waste it for you - I can waste my own life doing what I like doing - thank you very much...
Even know there are people that offer me a job that makes me feel like - someone wants to get the last bit of labour left in these old bones...forget it....
Some how all of my life I did what I enjoyed and what was interesting - Yes I have dug ditches...and hung out with smart people on movie sets...I found the movie buisness to be tolerable because it was interesting - as for the ditch digging - Being a kid and finding out in the morning that my back was so stiff and sore that I could not get up - I figured it out very quickly and put the shovel down -------------forever...There is always a way to surive without selling your soul.
What turned my off mindless labour was the fact that my mother had a buisness and put me to work when I was 9 years old - I was too young...and became an escape artist ...when it came to hard labour..................."Can't work...I'm out of service - can't work cos' working makes me nervous" ..
Seriously - the worst job I ever had was manning a gravel crushing machine out in the middle of no where...It was noisy - dusty - and very lonely - so I would sneak away and go sleep in a barn acorss the way - Of course I told my mother I worked hard that day....There is a thing called work ethic - and there is also a thing called mindless slavery...which in my opinion is to be avoided at all cost...
The local hicks in my old town had one greeting when they saw each other - "Are yah working?" ------it was a status symbol to be employed - I was never big on status.
When I was 16 to 17 I worked at Target. Customers are straight up disgusting, ignorant and lazy. I would go to school all day then work from 5pm to "10pm" 4-5 days a week. I worked on the floor, got a 30 min break and was on my feet all night. Now this might not sound too bad but back in 2002-2004 Target was not enforcing labor laws for teens still in high school (under the age of 18). The store would close abruptly at 10pm but more often then not I would be forced to stay until 11pm/12pm at night on days I had to get up and go to school then next morning.
It's funny you say that. When I go into any of my local Targets these days I constantly end up wondering if the staff are the result of some inbreeding program gone horribly wrong. Every time I ask someone for help they either talk to me like I'm an idiot or give me an explanation as to why I can't buy item X that is so ridiculously Catch-22 I end up sitting in the parking lot, banging my head on my steering wheel .
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) (B) The middle boss was nice enough but always stood beside my direct supervisor. (C) The direct supervisor would be your best friend one day and chastise and embarrass you, scream at you and be cold and controlling the next; no matter the mood, always micro-managerial. (D) The "facilitator" was at the bottom end of the management ladder and was just an inarticulate, wishy-washy, backstabbing pain in the *****. Note: all said supervisors were female. Boss (C) straight up told me one time I wasn't giving the job 110% even though I had met with 6,000 clients (!!!) just within the first year and had only one client complaint of any kind earlier on; I was infuriated!
My partner has already accomplished more in three months than his predecessors did combined in years prior; any open attempts to congratulate his accomplishments are quickly shut down by management because he's not "up to par." Bazaar.
ugh...
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