So many people wouldn’t even last a day working retail or service jobs. And the worst part is many of these people are the same ones who treat those employees poorly. They are also the ones telling them things like, “Get a real job!”. This stupid concept that frontline retail or service workers don’t work hard, or don’t deserve a living wage really needs to die. It’s hard work and they are often treated very poorly by customers. Here are some employees telling their stories:
(via: The Castle at the End of the Road)
I spent years in food service (about half of that in management). Eleven years ago, I opened my own business (with a friend. He had the money). I have been the primary decision maker, as well as the primary (often ONLY) worker. We are having to close, permanently, in a week. And all through that time, I have only once had a week as stressful as a typical day in food service, and that was when someone threatened to kill me. I’M NOT EXAGGERATING! It literally took a death threat to equal the stress that food service gave me on a daily basis.
Worked retail for ten years and have been working an office job for a few years. Retail was physically more demanding for sure and customer facing jobs are emotionally exhausting. Shift work is a different beast from having my own projects I’m responsible for. Shift work, when I clock out, I’m done. Sure I can worry what I’m walking into and be blamed for how it’s left, but it’s not just my responsibility. Project work is waiting for you when you come back, it’s not something everyone is taking care of the whole day. So you have to make sure someone is covering it specifically when you’re gone for a while, like a vacation.