For two years I was the head merchandiser for a Town Pump gas station in Montana. I always pulled a 37 – 40 hour week because even after two annual raises that I had to fight my boss to even process, I was only making $11.80 an hour. This job entailed quite a bit of labor and effort. In one Sunday through Thursday work week, I'd order all the store's sellable products, put that supply away when the truck brought it all, checked in vendors who supplied their own products, maintained par levels of every tobacco product, kept the store organized and looking nice by rotating product displays. The labor isn't necessarily my complaint, as I am not the kind of worker who likes to sit at a desk. My issues came from the work environment itself.
The first big issue came after I was promoted to the merchandising position. My boss took over six months to process my raises after they were due. I was owed one for the position, and one for my annual raise, which both were due within a couple weeks of each other since I was promoted just before working one year.These raises were eventually processed and back paid, which admittedly was nice, but I was still making $11.80 which is the least I've ever been paid since I first started working ten years ago.
Coming up to recent events, my boss was usually pretty cool about letting me come in a little bit late, since I usually have to take my kids to school in the mornings. Recently she changed her tune. She started writing me up for being late, nitpicking areas of my job she never had issues with before and even praised. Before this started going down, it wasn't uncommon for her to tell me I was the best merchandiser they'd had at this store. But this boss likes to hire and promote her friends over her other workers, regardless of performance. If I'm being honest, my original promotion was largely due to the fact that she and my wife are friends. Well it turned out my boss had a closer friend who needed a job. So I was being bodied out of the position I had.
So I started looking in indeed and every other job site. Applying on literally everything that seemed like I'd like it and that paid more. One job I never thought I'd score was a budtender position here in the same town. They weren't even hiring for the position here, but the position in the next town over. I was willing to move for the job if it came to that, so I applied anyway. Well of the few jobs that called me back, that was one of them. A couple employees were actually leaving the company. This worked out in my favor because my application was among the first viewed, and I ended up getting the job, starting earlier this week.
So now for $14 an hour, the amount of labor I actually have to do has been dramatically cut, the hours are better and there's opportunity every week for overtime without my boss yelling at me that it's fucking up her bonus. Employees who already work here tell me there's hardly a better job in this town. Not just because our job is to sell weed, but because the upper management actually takes care of us. They come up from the main store in the next town over once or twice a week to hang out, buy us lunch, stock our break area with food, and bring products for us to sell in the store. My coworkers tell me it truly feels like hanging out with your other family, not like going to work.
TL;DR – Just because your job is stable doesn't mean it's the end and you need to stay there. Apply for other jobs every day. Find something better, because it is out there. Or at least use your job offers to negotiate raises at your current work. Just never stop looking for something better. You deserve it.