Whats your REAL job?

[Gaki]

Oh my goodness, guys, stop doing your work, stop it, stop it all of you! Why? Well because the scientist here has concluded that our jobs aren't real! Why would we keep doing them!? He's obviously got a scientific theory that must prove that while we're standing here ringing things up, it's all just a figment of someone's imagination, therefore fake, therefore irrelevant! You there, yeah, you all with the items you wanted to check out, you're going to have to go put those back, my job isn't real anymore.

Unless the scientist would like to re-evaluate his conclusions, that is.

[EvilEmpryss]

Yeah, the job may not be "real", but the pay is, and so are my bills, so BTFO!

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Why do they even SAY that? What possible motivation could conjure that statement? Just being a dick? Sure isn't going to get anyone better service. ><

[MamaMootz]

And stories like these are the exact reason why, at Christmas, when I do my holiday baking... I make sure to make tins of cookies for retail folks I deal with regularly.

My DH thought I was nuts running out in the snow yesterday to give the garbage men a huge tin of cookies, but you know what? I'll bet nobody thinks of them as people and it just cheeses me off to no end. DH worked in maintenance/facilities for many years and people would constantly sneer at him because he gets his hands dirty.

I spent many years in a career that was sneered at, and I'm about to go back to school for a career in the restaurant industry which I have no doubt will be sneered at, too. But you know what? I'd rather do what makes me happy and if other people don't like that... well, it's not their life now, is it?

I think some folks just have to feel superior to others in order to feel better about themsevles, which is just sad.

[zara1269]

I think some folks just have to feel superior to others in order to feel better about themsevles, which is just sad.

I think so too. I had one snooty customer come into the restaurant and said to her 3 children while she I was getting her food for her, "Maybe one day you kids could work here...you'll learn resonsibility, dealing with the public and how to save money because when you work here you won't be making any money...". I was floored that she had the audacity to say that and even more so when she said the not making money part she made sure to look directly at me. I was like, .

People.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

You should tell them you had to drop out of school and come home to take care of a dying family member who lost their job and disability and now you're trying to keep them home in their last days.

For me, that's not too far from the truth for my situation:

I have a mentally and developmentally challenged brother who is on Social Security and a mom who is now physically handicapped and no longer able to work and on Disability. I'm pretty much head of household now and the only one who can get out there and work.

Besides, if I'm being paid real money that gets direct deposited into my bank account every other week (and I seriously doubt that Walk-All-Over-You will accept a fake deposit) then I'm working at a REAL job.

Of course any asshole who would like to challenge my stance that I have a real job is more than welcome to financially support my mom and brother . . . so far I've had no takers.

[Jay Fear]

I've been studying Journalism and writing freelance for the past few years whilst working as a retail monkey at a dry cleaner, and I'm lucky to have only heard those evil words or similar phrases two or three times.

Lucky because there's only so much repressed rage I can take before I have a stroke

I think that it's partly people who are better off needing to assuage the guilt that any degree of affluence brings by telling themselves "they're commoners/uneducated/lazy" when faced with people who work harder but who earn less.

The other part would be that if they're unhappy with their job they can use a retail/hospitality/food service employee as a source of "at least I'm doing better than him/her".

Oh, and they could just be assholes. Never forget the A Factor, my catch all rule for when pop psychology fails to explain the world's ills.

[chocoBug]

I think everyone has had that at least once... usually I just threw my degree in their faces with a smile on my face. "actually i hold a first in software engineering and I have a post on an investment bank grad scheme starting soon. But thanks for the advice!

Seriously, people who say stuff like that have never had to have a job in customer service. And I pity them for having no common sense or decorum.

[Amina516]

ITs horrible that anyone has to deal with such jerks. I wish I could say "ignore it" but sadly people stake too much on how much you make, the prestige of your job, the type of car you drive etc. Words like that CAN and DO hurt. *virtual hugs for all who have to deal with assface SC's* Funnily enough, i wonder how many of the people that say that actually dont have jobs, or work somewhere similar to the place theyre talking about.

If you have a job and take care of your bills (and families) congrats! You are doing more than alot of people can say for themselves.

And as usual, I love RK's evil response.

[SG15Z]

Although I would much prefer my children to become something that requires a PhD, I always hold their cousin up as the shining example of how to excel at a retail service career. He started working at fast food place when he was sixteen. By the time he was thirty he was a regional manager with a salaried job, benefits, and beau-coup respect from the family for how hard he worked.

Exactly! you can move up in the retail world and make some really good money. Granted you have to be willing to endure through being at the store level dealing with customers day in and day out, but if it makes you happy what's the problem?

[Broomjockey]

You know, thinking back, I think this is one of the few things I never had to deal with from a customer. My family, yes. Acquaintances who were not friends, yet. But no customers. Huh. I got lucky.

[Mnemjian]

Most of the people who would ask that rude question have some lame mid-range job with four bosses and no room for growth. They're just bitter and jealous that you actually get to interact with something more than a computer screen for the rest of your life

[Midorikawa]

Most of the people who would ask that rude question have some lame mid-range job with four bosses and no room for growth. They're just bitter and jealous that you actually get to interact with something more than a computer screen for the rest of your life

I dunno. I'm an introvert, and after dealing with customers over the phones for 5 years, I'd be happy 1) never touching a phone again, 2) never having contact with unknown people again.

:-)

[SG15Z]

I dunno. I'm an introvert, and after dealing with customers over the phones for 5 years, I'd be happy 1) never touching a phone again, 2) never having contact with unknown people again.

:-)

I second that. After five years of retail life I'd be fine if I never interacted with people again.

[Bloodsoul]

If I left my position for a "real job," there'd be a lot more customers breaking their backs lifting 94lb. bags of concrete.