way back in the ye olde days of 2012 when i was 18, my first job was at a clothing store (it was forever 21 if anyone cares)
i worked the fitting room and wasn’t allowed to sit, still i figured that’s just how work goes, you do things you don’t want to do. when the AC broke and spewed out 80°F heat during the entire summer and i was drenched in sweat and wasn’t allowed water/drink while working. i thought they probably don’t want us to get the clothes dirty with drink stains. another thing i sucked up.
it wasn’t until my coworker was greeting customers at the door and the humidity got so high in the store she passed out and collapsed onto the tile floor. (to this day i will never forget the sound of her forehead hitting the tile.) my boss offered her a sip of water and told her to get right back out on the floor which she did.
that’s the first time i ever remember thinking to myself – i don’t think i like this, what ever this is, this culture, this system its not right.