I work for a merchandising company we have a total of 47 stores we service in our district area. Yet we have a total of (currently) 13 people on our roster. (We just had a mass quitting of 7 people and 1 in a motorcycle accident) so we are down a lot of people. Every day of the week there is at least 3-5 people off for their “weekend” which leaves between 8-10 people to work 47 stores which puts around 3-4 stores on most of us. And god forbid someone uses their sick time to call out because they have a heavy load the next day and just doesn’t want to do it, it then gets slapped on the rest of the team.
I walk on average around 18-20k steps a day, multiple miles. I’m pulling pallets weighing anywhere from 150lbs up to a fully stocked 1798lb board (yes I’ve weighed and calculated it) and stocking the shelves only to rush to the next store and do it again. Most of the days we have loads to take care of, loads consisting of anywhere between 200-1000 cases in stores like Walmart, WinCo, Costco, Fred meyers (supercenters) down to stores like target and Walgreens and rite aids. Certain days are double loads
I work my ass off and am at work on average around 10-12 hours a day almost 6 days a week that’s 60-72 hours a week EVERY WEEK! 6 days a week are around holidays especially 4th of July, Christmas, thanksgiving. And pretty much ALL of the hot weather summers because people just have to have their soda and sugar drinks.
Merchandisers make the lowest pay yet have the HIGHEST work load of any employee out of the ENTIRE company.
Merchandisers start out 18.25$ an hour and cap at 24.65$ (we do everything backbreaking and physical)
Warehouse worker at 21.75$ an hour and caps at 28.75 an hour (these guys build pallets and forklift them into trucks, only downside is being watched by the higher ups constantly)
Resetter – 20$ an hour caps at 27$ an hour (these guys come into the store and rearrange shelves every few weeks to make it look nice)
Sales Rep – 28.75an hour + commission from sales sold in stores (these guys dress fancy for no reason, put jel in their hair, couple spritz of cologne, hold an iPad and look for product that’s out, push a few screen taps and off to a few other stores and go home ~6 hours maybe more maybe less but the company pays them guaranteed 8 hours
CDL drivers / delivery – 28$ an hour caps at 32$ an hour (the cushy job, show up to plant, grab a truck, drive to the directed store and drop the load off with an electric pallet Jack, then drive to the next store (they get paid for 10 hours a day, most drivers sleep or take naps in their trucks if their day is over too quick to get a few more hours.
Merchandising supervisor 35$+ (very rarely, comes in to help out or build a display, takes vacation days almost every month, works from home, and figures out routes for the crew) * our MS sometimes calls us drunk with stories and other crap after work, or on days off)
District managers 40$+ (sits in the office and offloads their work onto the supervisors
Regional managers – ?? (Sits in the plant office and deals with problems that the lowers can’t deal with)
So on and so forth..
Needless to say we are at the bottom and make the LEAST amount of money with the MOST amount of stress and work. The higher up you go the less amount of work you get and the more you make which to me is an insult and a complete sham. Also given the fact that it’s extremely hard to “rise up” because everyone higher is rather young (late 40’s early 50’s) and not close to retirement.
When I get home from work to my family I have enough time to shit, shower, shave, grab a bite to eat and maybe watch 45 mins of tv before I have to go to bed to get even 6 hours of sleep before I get up again at 3:45am
Our supervisor literally works from home most of the time because we call in with updates or changes and you can hear his kids in the background playing / crying or whatever and the dude makes almost double what we do.
Overtime is extremely heavily taxed and deflated at the end of it making it seem worthless to want to do
I believe this world is a little reverse in terms of payouts I believe the “more” you work and the “harder” your job is at least in environments like this (the more you should make)