damn... think I need a new job

[GranteedEV]

I'm a student so my job is of the part time sort, and it's not bad. Most of the time on weekends I don't do anything but sit here and kill time on the internet and occasionally clean up the store. Quite frankly, not to sound sexist, but none of the women here ever do much work either. On weekdays my manager and another fella will push carts full of liquor around the airport (probably a 2 km walk end-to-end) and stock the store. Basically our chain of stores has around five stores in the city, four of which are at the airport, two of which are managed by my manager. Since my manager is an older gentleman in his 60s already, it usually feels we're a bit understaffed around here as far as doing an sort of labour... I don't like the idea of how much heavy lifting and pushing he does day in and day out actually. When I'm available IE spring/summer/winter break etc they always schedule me in for weekday hours with a lot of stock work along with my weekend cashier hours. I like it.

So anyways being at the airport, one of the air lines decides they want to open a new gate over at one end of the airport... exactly where one of our stores is. So of course we have to relocate! Last week in my days off from school (semester starts on monday) I just did about four straight 10 hours shifts working my *** off in order to essentially clean out an entire (large) liquor store of product. Most of that involved pushing ~200-300lb carts from one end of the airport all the way to the other (where the other in-security store is located). Besides that I was climbing ladders to take down security, tearing down shelving, organizing a warehouse room, etc. Now that store has officially been closed down for renovations... for three friggin months!

So I come into work today to my usual weekend shift and take a glance at the schedule.. brutal! The entire staff over at the other store gets shifted over to my store! I like these people but here's how it works out:

Person 1 is an immigrant working two jobs. He works the stock shift here on some weekdays mostly but also does cash once in a while.

Person 2 is a wife working two jobs... both at the airport. Her schedule is usually all over the place... until now she was a part timer getting the full time hours here over at our other store.

Person 3 is an immigrant wife who is obsessed with getting home before her husband so she can make food she gives zero flexibility on hours and refuses to wait 5 friggin minutes for you if you're late, yet asks all sorts of favors she never returns.

Person 4 is a wife working two jobs as well. She's a full timer over at our store and works somewhere else too. She doesn't do anything particularily special, but I think she gets her hours because she's a smoker like the manager and the have cigarette breaks together.

Person 5 is also a wife bla blah previously getting full time hours, except over at the other store.

Now the other store is "closed" and according to the schedule, persons 4 and 5 continue to get full time hours, person 3 continues to get two weekend mornings, person 1 continues to get his stock hours but also gets my sundays, and person 2 seems to have gotten my next saturday. I'm down to 5 hours (today) in the whole next two weeks. That's gonna be like... less than 60 bucks on the paycheck!

So anyways between these five people and myself, we've gone from having enough hours for two stores to enough hours for a single store. You'd think upper management would figure something out and shift us around to some other places if temporarily but they seemingly could not care less. I would feel like **** asking for more hours as unlike me these people seem to actually need the money to make ends meet whereas I need it to buy solder(pun intended). Should I just deal with it and be patient until the new store opens (which won't be for another 3 months of course). It's really a great P/T job and not one you could usually ask more out of... I've worked my fair share of crap P/T jobs, some that do pay more but none as enjoyable as this one. It's got (mostly) nice coworkers, I get to sample high end scotch, cognac, wine once in a while, and I have internet in front of me! During the semester I sometimes sit down and do homework here when there's no customers. Finding a P/T job this sweet would be so tough.

Maybe I need to go back to the good ol reliable "dad can I have 20 bucks". Or maybe I should go apply for as many scholarships as I can to fund... stuff I like to buy.

 

[highfigh]

I'm a student so my job is of the part time sort, and it's not bad. Most of the time on weekends I don't do anything but sit here and kill time on the internet and occasionally clean up the store. Quite frankly, not to sound sexist, but none of the women here ever do much work either. On weekdays my manager and another fella will push carts full of liquor around the airport (probably a 2 km walk end-to-end) and stock the store. Basically our chain of stores has around five stores in the city, four of which are at the airport, two of which are managed by my manager. Since my manager is an older gentleman in his 60s already, it usually feels we're a bit understaffed around here as far as doing an sort of labour... I don't like the idea of how much heavy lifting and pushing he does day in and day out actually. When I'm available IE spring/summer/winter break etc they always schedule me in for weekday hours with a lot of stock work along with my weekend cashier hours. I like it.

So anyways being at the airport, one of the air lines decides they want to open a new gate over at one end of the airport... exactly where one of our stores is. So of course we have to relocate! Last week in my days off from school (semester starts on monday) I just did about four straight 10 hours shifts working my *** off in order to essentially clean out an entire (large) liquor store of product. Most of that involved pushing ~200-300lb carts from one end of the airport all the way to the other (where the other in-security store is located). Besides that I was climbing ladders to take down security, tearing down shelving, organizing a warehouse room, etc. Now that store has officially been closed down for renovations... for three friggin months!

So I come into work today to my usual weekend shift and take a glance at the schedule.. brutal! The entire staff over at the other store gets shifted over to my store! I like these people but here's how it works out:

Person 1 is an immigrant working two jobs. He works the stock shift here on some weekdays mostly but also does cash once in a while.

Person 2 is a wife working two jobs... both at the airport. Her schedule is usually all over the place... until now she was a part timer getting the full time hours here over at our other store.

Person 3 is an immigrant wife who is obsessed with getting home before her husband so she can make food she gives zero flexibility on hours and refuses to wait 5 friggin minutes for you if you're late, yet asks all sorts of favors she never returns.

Person 4 is a wife working two jobs as well. She's a full timer over at our store and works somewhere else too. She doesn't do anything particularily special, but I think she gets her hours because she's a smoker like the manager and the have cigarette breaks together.

Person 5 is also a wife bla blah previously getting full time hours, except over at the other store.

Now the other store is "closed" and according to the schedule, persons 4 and 5 continue to get full time hours, person 3 continues to get two weekend mornings, person 1 continues to get his stock hours but also gets my sundays, and person 2 seems to have gotten my next saturday. I'm down to 5 hours (today) in the whole next two weeks. That's gonna be like... less than 60 bucks on the paycheck!

So anyways between these five people and myself, we've gone from having enough hours for two stores to enough hours for a single store. You'd think upper management would figure something out and shift us around to some other places if temporarily but they seemingly could not care less. I would feel like **** asking for more hours as unlike me these people seem to actually need the money to make ends meet whereas I need it to buy solder(pun intended). Should I just deal with it and be patient until the new store opens (which won't be for another 3 months of course). It's really a great P/T job and not one you could usually ask more out of... I've worked my fair share of crap P/T jobs, some that do pay more but none as enjoyable as this one. It's got (mostly) nice coworkers, I get to sample high end scotch, cognac, wine once in a while, and I have internet in front of me! During the semester I sometimes sit down and do homework here when there's no customers. Finding a P/T job this sweet would be so tough.

Maybe I need to go back to the good ol reliable "dad can I have 20 bucks". Or maybe I should go apply for as many scholarships as I can to fund... stuff I like to buy.

Why not ask if YOU can work at another store, occasionally?

 

[zumbo]

Well maybe u should go on over to mamby pamby land where maybe we can find some self confidence for you u jack wagon!

Tissue?

 

[lsiberian]

Maybe it is time to get a real job. Get some experience in your engineering field and you better be getting an engineering degree because I have read your posts and you have the mind for it. Get some real experience and start making connections. Get your name out there and move on. Don't quit until you have another job though.

 

[zumbo]

Maybe it is time to get a real job. Get some experience in your engineering field and you better be getting an engineering degree because I have read your posts and you have the mind for it. Get some real experience and start making connections. Get your name out there and move on. Don't quit until you have another job though.

No doubt.

 

[Nomo]

Well maybe u should go on over to mamby pamby land where maybe we can find some self confidence for you u jack wagon!

Tissue?

Dynamite drop in Z.
That sensitivity training is really paying off.

 

[m-fine]

I second the mamby pamby land comment. You are a student part time employee. You are the lowest of the lows, below whale **** on the priority ladder. You don't need the job as much as the others and they don't expect you will stay on board as long as the others. They are going to favor to full time and longer term employees over you. Deal with it.

Your choices come down to 1) find another job and quit 2) find another job and work what hours they give you until the store re-opens 3) suck it up and wait it out.

If you are looking to do something other than retail after you graduate, I would suggest getting a real job in that field. Even if it doesn't pay, and even if it is only doing menial tasks for someone in the field and not really exciting. If you can't find a corporate job, work for a professor in a lab or something. Even if you have to pay to be there, the experience on your resume and in interviews, plus the contacts you make and relationships you build can be worth much more when you graduate than a liquor store job. Actually, a liquor store job probably does not look great on a resume anyway.

 

[pzaur]

Find a paid internship position in your future field. Easiest way to get some experience and make connections.

-pat

 

[Nemo128]

Find a paid internship position in your future field. Easiest way to get some experience and make connections.

-pat

This. Unless you want to be stocking liquor store shelves for a long time, hurry up and get field-applicable experience. NOW.

 

[Midwesthonky]

Here's my opinion and it probably isn't worth a Twooney or a Looney:

Think forward to when you are done with school and looking for a full-time position to pay the bills and feed your audio habit. Now, what skills beyond a degree do you possess that will entice an employer to hire you? Do you have work experience in that field?

I see this a lot with college kids. The lament the fact they cannot find a job in a tough market after they graduate. But dig deeper and each summer they went home to Mom & Dad and worked P/T at Wal-Mart or a fast-food place. So from a potential employer's perspective, you have held a job so that is good but have no applicable experience unless you are staying in retail. So when going head-to-head with fellow graduates that worked internships or P/T positions in their field, the choice for the employer is obvious. Candidate 1 with zero applicable experience or Candidate 2 with months or even years of experience in that field? No experience loses every time.

I have also seen graduates with Masters and Doctorates wanting to get a full time job in private industry. But again, their hole work experience is working in the lab at the university. They expect higher pay but have less skills and knowledge than a graduate with a BS and internship experience. Academically over-qualified and skills/experience under-qualified. Again, going against a candidate with a 4-year degree and internship/industry experience, the no-experience person loses every time.

I know the current job is very nice with the side-benefits (ignoring the hours issue). But looking to the future, you should probably try to land something in your targeted field even if it is a non-paying internship. That will automatically move you into the top half of job candidates: those with industry experience.

Take some time, ask yourself where you want to be 6 months, 12 months, 24 months after you graduate. Then, what do you need to get there? It doesn't sound like you need cash in the short term so you can focus on the critical skills/experience you will need for the future. Not to mention, if you get experience in the field, you may find out you really hate it and want to change. Better to find out early and change when you can.

Just my opinion.

 

[GranteedEV]

Thanks guys. The advice has put things into a bit of perspective... I really do need a new job and not just for the hours.

 

[picture_shooter]

Your job sounds like you should contact Jay & Silent Bob and make a documentary at your employers facility!



Just kidding, it does sound pretty depressing though, but heck it is only part-time so who cares.

Could you maybe take one of the liquor bottles and hide in one of those carts and pass out for couple of hours? Would they even know you are not working?

Ok, I am off to to bed so I can get my arse up for work in the AM.