I didn’t want to but I feel like I didn’t have a choice. I decided to get a part time job at a local grocery shop just to make some extra cash for Christmas, bills, and what not. Let me tell you, this post is about my experience of that dreadful day.

I was already unhappy that I got a second job and being that I write and it takes up a lot of my time it was hard to put that to the side. My full time job just isn’t cutting it with the times where we are now. Anyways I put on my lovey uniform that we are expected to wear and head off. Driving there was the worse, it was rush hour so it was bumper-to-bumper traffic. I’m waiting patiently listening to some music, trying to get my nerves under control because I’m a thirty something woman and I’m not used to this game anymore. I used to work for many retailers in my day like Best Buy, Sears, American Eagle, Gap, etc. but that was in my early twenties. When I was trying to figure out who I was.

After surviving the nightmare of rush hour I finally make it to my destination and it was a mob scene. I weave through the people just so I can punch in on time. I go up to HR department, because I honestly don’t know what the hell I’m doing or supposed to be doing. They give me an apron and said to meet with this and that person. I’m like, “So where are they?” They tell me just go to the cashiers. So I put the apron on and head downstairs to the front of the store asking for these women that are supposed to train me. I go up to a girl who looks like she’s twelve and been there forever and she’s like uh they’re not here today. I look at her like she has three heads. I’m about to freak out because I’m like this place! She told me stand over by the podium because that’s where people go to wait for managers. So I’m standing there and nobody is coming for me.

Finally I had enough. I go up to one of the managers of the store and tell him my issue. He then proceeded to pass me on to another manager. That manager was like, “Hey come on I’ll take you where you need to go.” He walks me back over to the podium and he radios to another person. This person walks over to us and he appears to be about twenty. The manager then says to this kid, “Hey take care of her will ya.” At this point I feel like nobody knows what they hell they’re doing. This kid oh my god I wanted to punch in the face. He was rude, cocky, obnoxious and just a punk ass kid. He tells me to just bag and go to every cashier for e/o order. So I’m like okay but I’ve never done this before and he’s like don’t worry you’ll get the hang of it and he walks away.

I make my way to the cashiers line to bag and none of the cashiers say hello or even acknowledge I’m there. Now mind you I start looking at all the cashier and they’re all little kids. They’re all probably sixteen but they look like they’re twelve. I start bagging and nobody even says thank you. The only ones that said thank you was an older woman in her fifties and a high school kid. At least they said hello and asked some questions. Other than that, the girls that worked wore heavy makeup, big hoop earring, and gave me dirty looks. I’m thinking why are you looking at me like I just stole your job or even their boyfriends.

I was there a total of four hours and right before my shift is over, they said did you get your fifteen min break and I’m like no. They sent me to go on break and I take it. The rude ass dude from earlier hands me a pumpkin pie and some seafood from the deli to bring back to these departments. Mind you, I have no idea where any of this shit is. So I go do what I need to do and eventually find where there items are supposed to go and then I go on break. Fifteen mins go by and I’m like, “I have fifteen minutes left here.” So I stand there bagging what I can and then I’m gone. I was about to quit and never come back because that was hell on earth. There was poor management unlike I’ve ever seen. I called the HR department and let them know what an awful experience I had and that I was going to quit. She called me back and told me that there was an opening in a different department so I decided to take it. Needless to say, so far this has been working out. I’ll never go back to that nightmare ever again.

That was my awful experience and I wanted to write about it. People today are just ridiculous, especially teenagers. If I don’t have a screen on my face, then I guess I’m not worth talking to. Today’s youth lack social skills without a doubt. It’s a damn shame.

M.