Community Chat

[Plaid Pants2]

For me it's easy, working retail.

As a cashier/salesperson, Iwould approach every day, and every customer with a positive attitude.

But when you have quotas to get customers to apply for the store credit card, and customers blaming you for things beyond your control, such as following store policy, and management that doesn't support you, it's difficult to maintain that positive attitude.

What was your worst job?

[deepwaterdotter]

Assembly plant.  The money and benefits were good, but I was left with physical challenges that will last a lifetime.

[chickenbutt]

Oh boy, I can relate about working retail!  I worked retail when I was very young.  There are always nice people, and sometimes nice employers, but the nasty ones could really blind you.

I remember one time, before opening the store (a large regional chain), there was this one lady standing outside the locked door looking kind of mad.   I thought 'uh oh, somebody's in for it!'.   Well, when I went and unlocked the doors at opening time she rushed right to checkstand #1, slammed a receipt down on the counter, and screamed 'YOU OWE ME SIX CENTS!!!'.   

Gadzooks!  I just calmly reached into my pocked, got out some change, and handed her a dime - 'here, keep the change'.   

Anyway, probably my worst job was the almost ten years I spent with a very large national company.  It wasn't the work.  It was the company.  They treated their employees and their customers horribly.  It was killing me.  I made so much money and had such great bennies that it took me a while but one day I just gave notice.  I felt better right away.    I must have gotten 50 'congratulations' cards from other employees.  Worst morale I've ever seen anywhere.   When they tried to get me to stay I let loose with everything that was so wrong about how they treated people.  They didn't care.

[Caaareful Shopper]

If anyone remembers Lerner's Department Store (Lerner Shops), right after college I worked at their corporate headquarters in midtown Manhattan.  Erase any thought of glitz and glory.  In a dungy office building, on a dimly lit floor, about 20 of us decided the number of every article of clothing that went to each store.  For example -- ten denim jackets in size 8, four in size 16, six in size 6, and so on go, go to the 34th Street store.  This wasn't rocket science -- they told you to look at the numbers from the dates exactly a year ago.  That was it, every day all day.  Write in the number.  No thought, no variety, no possible exceptions.  After two weeks I looked at the most miserable faces I have ever seen, and quit. 

[scotnovel]

I worked for one day at a surgeon's office.  I quit at the end of the first day for a number of reasons.  First they asked me to organize the drug refrigerator and closet (not the problem) but when I pointed out that most of the medications & some of the suppplies were outdated, by a lot, they said not to worry about it. Secondly about 3:30 the surgeon's girlfriend showed up at the office.  She was 16 and I was told she usually dropped by to see him after school was out.   He was in his 30's married with kids.  One day in that place was quite enough for me.   

[QVCkitty1]

When I was in high school , one summer I got a job in a sewing factory. I couldn't sew, but they said they would teach me. Long story short, me plus a power machine and a ripper which I managed to jam into my hand equaled a move to the packing dept.. They liked my attitude. The upside, I had nowhere to go but up .LOL.

[Peaches McPhee]

After-hours switchboard operator for a medical client.  No one was happy, not the sick people calling in, or the medical providers that had to take the calls.  

[deja vu]

This is a fun one and easy for me to answer...I worked in a candy packaging factory when I was a teenager..every time I watched the "I love Lucy" episodes of Lucy and Ethel trying to keep up with that candy rolling off the conveyor belt, it brought back bitter memories.

It was standing on concrete all day long and for some reason extremely hot in their...only pro to the job was sneaking  piece's of candy once in a while.

[Suziepeach]

I worked in a drugstore, really liked the owners but it wasn't an easy job.  I had to make deliveries & I did not care for that one bit.

[mima]

I worked in a small recycling plant grinding plastic all day.  No air conditioning, some of the plastic was still wet so it stuck to you all over as you worked and I stood on a cement floor all day.  I would go home filthy and tired.

The bad part?  We owned the plant.  We paid people for how much volume they did in a day.  We hard a time making it financially, so we did a lot of the work ourself.  We ended up closing down.  We were ahead of our times.

The whole thing was a bad idea.  LOL