I made a post in this sub a while back thanking everyone for giving me the courage to know my worth, and that I'd landed an excellent new job. This job has changed my life. I don't have a degree, my experience is a mishmash of entertainment work and a million restaurants and grocery stores, my only related experience was working at home for a tiny answering service.
That is to say, of course, that if you search in the right places you CAN land a job outside of your current field. Do not feel limited to slaving away for poverty wages. Lead the Great Resignation and find your place where you're appreciated and paid accordingly.
All of that being said, it wasn't until this past week that I realized just how badly the retail and foodservice industries exploit their workers. It always felt normal to me but it's NOT. And these workers are starving and overworked for what? So rich people can get a nice meal instead of just learning to cook? So swanky businessmen can get a shiny green logo on their coffee instead of just brewing it at home? I would absolutely love to eat a nice meal out once in a while but I can't handle that I feel the need to tip 30% so I feel comfortable knowing the server will at very least be able to snag an employee meal that night. I would love to buy some expensive clothes but it feels disgusting to do so when you know the sales rep letting you into the fitting room needs to work 100 hours to afford the garment you're trying on. I've lived it for far too long to feel comfortable partaking in that culture.
Onto the story.
The other day I was having just an awful, overwhelming day. I wasn't sick or anything, I just didn't want to be at work. I approached my leader almost in tears asking if I could pack it up and leave early- I had a whole story prepared and I was ready to be shot down. She took one look at me and laughed and said “Okay!”, then glanced at her computer and asked if I wanted to use PTO or sick time to cover it.
I breathed a long sigh of relief and she told me she could tell I'd spent too much time working in retail/foodservice. She took a moment to let me know that this isn't a job that will see any losses or operations struggles if someone needs to call out.
So I left- and I didn't even use any paid time- four hours of work wasn't going to break the bank for me. And nobody cared. Nobody had to shoulder the weight of me going home just a few hours early.
My mind then flashed back to all those days I spent rushing to open a Subway store because I was 30 minutes late and angry customers were beating on the doors. To the time where me leaving a few hours early at Chipotle due to a fever lead to the most hostile work environment I'd ever experienced for the next eight months. To the times where I'd shown up to a mid-shift at a local business and nobody had opened the bar so I had to run front-of-house, the small retail store, open the bar, and serve drinks and ice cream to all to angry customers when just having one extra person on staff that day would've prevented the bad reviews and long wait times. To the times where I was scheduled to leave Winn-Dixie at 5:00pm but the only closer old enough to sell alcohol called out so I had to stay until 11:00 PM.
Stop working for business that thrive and profit off of the exploitation of workers. Speak your truth and speak it out loud for all to hear. Eventually there will be nobody left willing to fill those positions and they'll have to either change their ways or shut down.