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Working Frontline: "Go Fuck Yourself"
4 years ago
General
I live in Ontario which despite being in full lockdown is currently experiencing record-setting and still growing numbers of Covid cases.
My day job is also working cash at a grocery store.
Canada has no pull with the vaccine manufacturers, Canada is FAR behind the US and EU on vaccinating its population. It's currently the last half of April and I'm not even eligible to book a vaccination appointment yet. This means that I get to go into work every day without a vaccine and come home every night worrying this is the day I've contracted Covid.
Now mind you, if I got Covid I could take sick leave. The Canadian government is currently offering paid sick leave through employment insurance without needing any kind of medical documentation. I could just call in sick for the next two months and get paid for taking the time off. Funnily enough, I would actually make over double what I would make going into work by being sick (or faking being sick) but I choose not to do that because that would be cheating the system and I feel an obligation to my fellow people to make sure they get their groceries. If people don't get their groceries, then society will really fall apart.
So I go into work every day, stress about getting sick and make less money than I would make by staying at home because I want to do the right thing. I follow safety rules to the letter with zero compromise to make sure that I do everything in my power to ensure nobody gets sick on my watch, and I try to be as friendly as possible while I do it.
How am I treated for that?
"Have a nice day." -Me at the end of an order
"Go fuck yourself." -Woman who apparently didn't like I politely asked her to back up when she was too close to the other customer
I have nothing left in me. I'm trying to do the right thing and I'm being punished physically, emotionally and financially for it. I honestly don't think I can keep this up any more.
My day job is also working cash at a grocery store.
Canada has no pull with the vaccine manufacturers, Canada is FAR behind the US and EU on vaccinating its population. It's currently the last half of April and I'm not even eligible to book a vaccination appointment yet. This means that I get to go into work every day without a vaccine and come home every night worrying this is the day I've contracted Covid.
Now mind you, if I got Covid I could take sick leave. The Canadian government is currently offering paid sick leave through employment insurance without needing any kind of medical documentation. I could just call in sick for the next two months and get paid for taking the time off. Funnily enough, I would actually make over double what I would make going into work by being sick (or faking being sick) but I choose not to do that because that would be cheating the system and I feel an obligation to my fellow people to make sure they get their groceries. If people don't get their groceries, then society will really fall apart.
So I go into work every day, stress about getting sick and make less money than I would make by staying at home because I want to do the right thing. I follow safety rules to the letter with zero compromise to make sure that I do everything in my power to ensure nobody gets sick on my watch, and I try to be as friendly as possible while I do it.
How am I treated for that?
"Have a nice day." -Me at the end of an order
"Go fuck yourself." -Woman who apparently didn't like I politely asked her to back up when she was too close to the other customer
I have nothing left in me. I'm trying to do the right thing and I'm being punished physically, emotionally and financially for it. I honestly don't think I can keep this up any more.
Our society has failed its people, and I hate it so bad. Please do what you feel you need to do to help yourself as well.
I last worked retail in 1984. Now you know why.
*hugs Rae*
Don't give up! Eventually thing will get better. We're all going through a though period in human history.
I don't know if this helps at all, but...
I once worked retail too. Many people were kind and courteous, but there are those who aren't. In all the time I spent in various customer service rolls I never yelled at a customer, (though I was given plenty of opportunities believe me.)
What I did was nailed a smile on my face and tried to be friendly and polite. Well…polite anyway. Sometimes polite and nice don’t share the same sentience. But I was always polite with a friendly smile on my face. Just because I gave a customer the scenic route once instead of the direct route had nothing to do with nice, and he was being very not-nice to everyone around him. Other customers and especially me. But I digress.
When you need to vent, come here. Or if here is too long a time to wait, wait till a break and vent to a friend or coworker. (Geeze, did you see that guy in line six? What a Jerk!)
There seems to be more self-centered people about today than in the recent past. Just ignore them as best you can till quitting time, then go home and vent or blast away computer sprites.
Anyway, I hope I have helped in some way. And to quite a previous post here. Now you know why I don’t do retail anymore. O_o
*hugs Rae again* *pats head*
^.^
You have to deal with some real egocentrically imploded shitheads, but I hope you understand and can internalize that the majority of Ontarians view them as an enemy of the public. Hang in there, and stay safe to the best of your ability. If that means the feds have to dip into their corporate welfare coffers and divert a little tax money back to the public, well, that's a sacrifice that any sensible Canadian ought to be willing to make.
and also, dam i thought the US was really slow on vaccine distribution.
My sympathies. I hope your next clientele are as pleasant and respectful as decent folk should be.
An aside, if anyone is confused by the sick-leave thing, it might help to know the national government will give paid sick leave if you've caught Covid, but the Ontario provincial government (because Doug Ford is a sell-out and/or idiot) refuses to require businesses to give employees any paid time off to actually get tested/rest should they feel symptoms coming on. So of course people still go to work feeling ill - they can't afford not to.