Friday, June 19th, 2009...6:37 pm
Born On The Fourth Of July
Recently, I was standing in line at a local drugstore. The woman manning (can a woman “man”?) the cash register was tapped on the shoulder by a coworker and asked, “Hey, can you work an extra hour? Jessica’s sister is in labor and she really wants to go see the new baby tonight.” She replied, “NO! GAWD! The baby will still be there in the morning!” Like a Vietnam vet in an Oliver Stone movie, I had a debilitating flashback. I froze in place and broke out in a cold sweat, annoying the woman behind me who was just trying to get her ex-lax and charmin and get home, tout de suite! Why was I freaking my beans? Because I have been off of work for a month and had pushed out of my mind the number one rule of retail: Every Man For Himself.
Now, bosses can have all of the pep rally meetings they want, they can institute programs where you recognize your fellow employees for excellent customer service, they can even call their minions “team members/leaders” (I have been both). Sadly, it’s a losing battle. We, as retail slaves, are tired. We are broken down. We spend at least 8 hours a day with our dukes up, fighting off the blows of our customers, and we are not likely to suddenly let down our guard and soften when one of our own needs something.
“What? It’s not like HE’S having the baby.”
“She only broke ONE arm?”
“Her sister died a WEEK ago, how long is she going to be sad?
These are actual things I have heard (one of which I am guilty of uttering) during my time in the trenches. I know, I know, I never said I was a good person. And I wish it weren’t so. I wish it were all sunshine and puppies and cotton candy and everyone coming together to catch each other in a big trust exercise where we leap from trees and land in parachutes held by the loving hands of our comrades, but it’s the survival of the fittest in the jungle called retail.
Do I go out of my way for my coworkers? Yeah, from time to time. I mean, geez, I’m not a monster. Just don’t ask me to cover your shift. I’ll cut you.
11 Comments
Twitter: homesliceva
June 19th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
this reminds me of the first job i was fired from. i got fired because my nephew, at 18, was killed in a fire. i wanted to go to the funeral – i was scheduled to work. the boss apparently didn’t think my nephew dying was traumatic enough, and no coworkers did either. i went to the funeral and got fired. i love people.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I think, “Her sister died a WEEK ago, how long is she going to be sad?” wins.
I always thought that the shift coverage/give-an-hour, take-an-hour thing would end once I left retail. Nope. It follows you to the office zombie job. It hurts a lot more in the office. There’s only so much paper you can steal to justify staying.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am
A co-worker of mine was once chastised in a meeting with her then-supervisor for being “too sad”. Her mother had died unexpectedly not more than a couple of weeks before. This is the same useless shitsack who told another co-worker to “snap out of it” when she was diagnosed from PTSD. Twat.
I hate people.
That being said, I’m all for helping a brother (or sister!) out because God knows I’m full of teh dramz and can use an early night or an MHD now and then.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I’ve always been happy to help a co-worker, when ever and where ever. It is a Knee-Jerk reaction to be glad to oblige. The Favour has yet to be returned, and I hold no hope that it shall ever be.
I have also had co-workers, be somewhat indifferent to a family members passing, which for me was completely fine and didn’t even register on my ‘radar’ until it happened to them, and did they milk the sympathy for months. Stomach turning.
Yes, apparently 99.999% of co-workers are back biting jerks but I refused to be jaded.
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
I love, LOVE, love that you said “freaking my beans.”
In 2005 five people I was close to died (I know how rude of them to do it that close together) and my boss at work (after the first one, mind you) made me bring in obituaries and proof of my relationship to them.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
We actually have a “proof of funeral attendance” letter that I use a lot for funeral attendees’ bosses. I use it quite often.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Work and extra hour? What’s that?
I am happy to work the extra freakin’ weekend (as long as I get paid double
July 6th, 2009 at 9:50 am
A former boss asked me when I was going to get over my mother’s death and my wife’s suicide (two weeks apart) several years ago. He’s gone; I’m still here.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Cranky Shopper – I was just thinking about you and wondering where you’ve been. sorry your boss was an ass during what was obviously a challenging time. way to outlast him!
July 7th, 2009 at 5:52 am
We were on the Other Coast attending to a familial’s medical crisis. No time for the past 3 weeks.
Twitter: NamDGxSPEcFN
April 14th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
That’s way more clever than I was expctenig. Thanks!
Leave a Reply