Does anyone need a job? (Bangor: job openings, construction, incomes)

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

am I taking this wrong? are you implying that people aren't applying for this position because they are manufacturing meth?

I wondered the same thing.

[Submariner]

Bonnie started with DECA as a cashier down in Groton. Then she volunteered in the cash cage, after a while there she got a bump in pay, but the cash cage was a very tiny room and her supervisor in the 'cage' was totally anal about their routine and every second of the shift. So she found working in the cash-cage to be stressful. Then she transferred to produce, and loved produce. Sorting fresh produce, making displays, setting up recipe displays and sampling trays of unusual fruits. She started a program with the base sponsoring fresh produce recipe contests. She transferred up to Bangor, it is still under the same regional office, so the regional managers know her. Here she has worked as a cashier, though now she makes way more money than the cashiers generally do. They have her working mostly on the loading dock, and stocking shelves. Operating fork-lifts and hand-trucks moving pallets of store product around. And doing a bit of inventory control.

Many of the vendor-companies lease shelf space, and offer contracts to vendor-stockers to keep their designated shelves stocked with their product [and nobody else's product]. But to be a vendor-stocker, you kind of need a foot-in-the-door already with DECA, hardly anyone knows about the vendor-stocker jobs. Some of the DECA employees pick-up vendor-stocker contracts, to work stocking the vendor-product after their DECA shift is over. So even though an employee's DECA job may only be a 24 hour-week, or 32 hour-week job; it is common to pick up a few vendor-stocker contracts, to stay in the store a few extra hours and to make money from stocking shelves [paid by the vendors]. Right now they have a huge shortage of vendor-stockers.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

am I taking this wrong? are you implying that people aren't applying for this position because they are manufacturing meth?

An attempt at sardonic humor.

I am sure that those who are in the meth/other street pharmaceuticals industry are not planning on applying for legitimate work.

And if the ad is getting halfway decent exposure, I just find it odd that there would be no applicants. Fed bennies and entry into the system--despite not starting at the executive VP level, which many apparently think they're entitled to--can certainly be worthwhile.

But we live in odd times.

[399083453]

Most people just smile and nod when you mention an acronym they dont know and dont want to look dumb asking. But I like to ask.

What does DECA stand for? ;-)

[Submariner]

DeCA - Defense Commissary Agency

It is the Federal agency that owns and operates the 284 grocery stores on US military bases worldwide.

[Submariner]

I apologize.

Being career military, I am accustomed to using government acronyms.

[Dedalus]

Possibly, no one's applying because 10 bucks an hour is crappy money?

[Submariner]

Entry level positions rarely have a pay scale going much higher than $20k/annum.

Which is commonly why they are 'entry level' positions, once you are working for an employer than you look around to see what qualifications you have and what other openings you could slide into.

In this case, it is an employer that will train you to give you additional qualifications, so that you can fulfill the requirements of higher positions.

Now how many grocery stores in Maine pay the warehouse/loading dock folks $16.50/hour?

I know of a few grocery stores that do.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

Possibly, no one's applying because 10 bucks an hour is crappy money?

may be, but it would keep ME afloat quite nicely... a buck an hour more than I am making right now as office manager at a realty company.

[Elcarim]

Our average pay for sales clerks in the biggest stores here is $7.50/hr. Walmart pays the highest at $8.00/hr.