The Employee Lounge

[Greyfox]

Thread title ripped from the Penny Arcade forums; thread idea is mine, however.

Anyway, we all hate our jobs. It's a known fact.

Post your job-related stories for feedback.

Ironically, I haven't got any at the moment. I no longer work at the Winn-Dixie (huzzah?), but while I'm schooling, I work at a cleaner, more hectic grocer...

Whatevs...

-Grey

[Drago]

Doing some security & surveillance on houses in the process of being repossessed is where I get my income from on the odd occasion. Sounds all well and good, seeing how I just have to sit around for a couple hours, watch over the movers when they arrive and keep track of everything, pretty breezy workload... but the hours are murder.
I'm the lucky bloke relegated to the graveyard shifts, answering to the tune of midnight to midday. It isn't until I'm not in bed that I discovered just how incredibly cold it gets at 4 am while you're trying to maintain your sanity. 12-straight hours, then the movers get pissy when I'm not all bright and chirpy when they hit the scene at 8. It's fortunate I just happen to love money. That's what keeps me warm at night.

[Toxicity]

I no longer work at the Winn-Dixie (huzzah?), but while I'm schooling, I work at a cleaner, more hectic grocer...

Publix?

I never officially did much work because of me having plenty of classes that required lots of study time, except for some volunteer work with a local preschool if that would count. I didn't mind the kids, but the teacher I was assigned to assist was a bit hard on me; there were many times I had to do what she was supposed to do...bleh.

I was supposed to be a lifeguard, but my parents said no just because they're still considering the move towards Grey's general vicinity. Why me?

[Greyfox]

Towards Tallahassee, Toxicity? It's not so bad, really. Just an overwhelming amount of drunken college kids.

-Grey

[RedStarWarrior]

I work for the government. My boss is an asshole, but attended the same university as me, so he sees me as a younger him (God, I hope I don't grow up to be like him...). No real horror stories or anything, I just hate getting up at 3:30 AM to get to work by 6.

[Toxicity]

Heh; I already know that for a fact. It's not the area so much as the frustration that it'd be my fifth move. I mean, as much as I hate my current niche (Lake City), I've only recently made relationships that I want to keep.

edit: I just realized that I said "five" over "fifth." I assume I have truly caught the Borat typo disease.

[Weasel Overlord]

When I'm not at uni, I work as a lifeguard at out local (indoor) sports centre. And GASP about the indoor! As if we could work on an outdoor pool in England, heheh, it'd be full of leaves and bird shit and rain. Always rain.

But anyway. Yes, we have this spiffy new uniform now that says "lifeguard" on the back of our shirts in bright red. Unfortunately, as well as all the glamorous life-saving, we also have to clean. Oh the joys. You've not experienced a bad job until you've had to put your arm down a toilet to scrape out poo. Or even worse, had to actually, physically pick up someone's poo off the floor, where they have done it. But I'm pretty immune to gross stuff nowadays anyway. That's what comes of lifeguarding for four years, lol.

And then there's the dirty nappies people leave everywhere... But if the drown alarm goes off, and you're on the other side of the building, the best part is charging like a madwoman down all the stairs and past all the bewildered public, barging open the doors with your feet. Oh the excitement!

[Jeff]

I work at a gas station/deli and the customers can be really annoying. Whenever they find warm beer on the shelf, they ask me if we have it cold in the back, I feel like telling them that if we had any cold beer it would be on the shelf, not hiding in the back. And it's only going to get worse now with the warm months upon us, now beer is going to go so fast hardly any of it will have enough time to get cold. Not to mention, with all the beach-bound tourists passing through, I'm constantly answering the same questions over and over. "The bathrooms are over there", "No this road does not go around traffic", "No we don't sell that", Man I can't wait until I graduate and get a real job.

[Magmar]

I work at a daycare.
I also am the managing editor for a newspaper.

DRAMA EVERYWHERE.
and everyone looks to me to solve EVERYTHING.
fortunately I'm good at it.

But sometimes... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH

[Katie]

My new job is awesome. I am an intern at a company that deals with environmental contamination. My major is geology, and my minor is business. I both go out in the field to sample the dirt and water, and do office shit as well. Two birds, one stone, this will look amazing on my resume. I get paid almost $3 more per hour than I did in retail, they don't give any of my money to the government (I guess I'll need to figure that out later), 40hrs Mon-Fri 8-5, lots of downtime between assignments where I surf the net, and I get to wear jeans and tennis shoes every day. When I'm there, the job really sucks (6 hours outside in the Texas summer? Entering 234 boxes worth of paper files into 4 different places on the computer because the secretary hasn't a clue what she's doing?) but when I'm home looking back, the perks are amazing and retail can go fuck itself. :)

[Andrew]

I work in the Hospital Emergency Dept. Triage section. It's massively busy, and always interesting. If not understaffed. I get to see tons of gory stuff, which is kind of gross. (Breast Impants rupturing through the skin. Crushed and mangled limbs. Broken arms. Etc)

But, the downside. Stupid people. "So, where is specialist X?"

"Not here, we're the emergency Center!"

"But, they SAID X Street!"

"Yes, it's across the road"

"How do I get there?"

"Well.. You cross the road?"

"How?"

"You... cross... the road..."

"Is there some shortcut?"

"No. You. CROSS. THE. ROAD."

"Are you sure"

"CROSS. THE. ROAD!"

"IS it safe"

"Well unless you stand in the middle of the road"

"?... So, where is Specialist in that place?"

"I don't know. I don't work for the specialist"

"Could you ring them for me?"

"No, because I don't know what their number is"

"Can you look it up?"

"I'm sure by the time you cross the road you'd be there in time before I called"

"So... I get there... how?"


ARGH!

Old people also suck.

[Greyfox]

I had to learn self-checkout today. I thought it'd be easy staring at a computer screen while customers do their own work.

Hell no.

Every five seconds, I had to approach random stupid consumers and show them what to do. For God's sake, there's a soothing voice telling you what to do EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! If you want bananas, put them on the scale and hit the ban-fucking-ana button.

Needless to say... I was overwhelmed...

-Grey

[Heald]

I had to learn self-checkout today. I thought it'd be easy staring at a computer screen while customers do their own work.

Hell no.

Every five seconds, I had to approach random stupid consumers and show them what to do. For God's sake, there's a soothing voice telling you what to do EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! If you want bananas, put them on the scale and hit the ban-fucking-ana button.

Needless to say... I was overwhelmed...

-GreyBefore I quit my job at Tesco 3 months ago, I used to love those things. However, I totally understand your point of view - every single supermarket customer is an inept dribbling fool. It is a miracle how any of them leave the house alive in the morning, let alone with their shoe-laces done up properly. However, usually the only people who would even venture to self check-out would be the people perfectly capable of doing so, so minding the self check-out was a breeze.

[Crystal Mew]

I work in retail still...it sucks and makes me want to shoot myself in the face. I'm trying to figure out if there is even a decent place to work around here that is actually FUN and non-retail related. I hate dealing with shitty customers all day long...and I hate the fact that they either stick me in shoes (OH GOD) or in home and kids, which is either folding towels all day long, or getting clothes out of fitting rooms. Really, my brain could be used in so many better ways.

I've been working in retail for almost 2 years now, I really think its time for a change...:(

also katie, congrats on your new job!!! :) kohls sucks! LOL

[Kris]

I used to work in retail and ran away screaming. Customers are just so stupid!

My new job kicks ass though. I work at Plymouth Argyle Football Club in the ticket office, selling match day tickets and season tickets. Its great! I enjoy working for the club and I get a free season ticket to all home games :) I also get encouraged to take time off to go and watch the away games as it shows 'dedication to the club' :)

My job kicks ass!

Although I still get stupid customers.

Can I sit in Row R Seat 291 please?

Sorry that seat is already sold

Oh but my friend sits next to that seat so I want to sit with him

Sorry, I can move your friend to another seat if you want. So you can be together.

No he doesnt want to move, he likes his seat.

Right well I can put you a few seats away from him.

No I want to be next to him.

Sorry there are no seats next to him.

Well what do you expect me to do? I want to sit in that seat.

Sir Im sorry but its not available, you can either sit close to him or hell have to move.

But I want that seat! Why wont you give me the seat I want?!

Because someone has already bought it sir.

Right I demand to see your manager! This is pathetic, I want to give you £24 for a seat and your refusing to sell it to me.

Yes because someone else has already bought it!

Well I dont care about that! Get me your mananger now!

Ugh, its not brain science is it?

[Jeff]

I almost forgot, being that I work at a gas station, we always have people coming in asking for directions and alot of them ask how to get this place called the Kent Manor Inn. That's all well and good, except for the fact that the Kent Manor Inn is right across the street from where I work. OK, so it's about a mile off the main road, but the road to get to it is called Kent Manor Drive, if these people can't put that together, it's pretty sad. And then there's the people who are passing through on their way to Delaware or to the beach. After they get directions, they want to know how to get back onto the highway, and we're about a half a mile off the highway, you can see a sign for it from the front of the place. I'm just glad there's no telephone booth out front or I'd have to help people find their way out of that. :P