Indoctrination in Retail Work
The longer I work at the grocery store the more it feels like the great leader (CEO) is looking out for my best interests. And I am the poison pill spreading around my brand of anti-propaganda with such memorable phrases like:
Minimum wage minimum effort
Pay me a livable wage
Why no health benefits
What is the point of a union for a job that has no pay increases
I cannot afford any of the food I am bagging
Why are you not smiling more
You seem so unhappy here, at least you have a job
It would seem that I owe all my current ‘prosperity’ to the great leader, in fact, he loves me so much he gave me 35% discount on any shrimp product last week. And last month he even let me have a free chicken. It would seem that all good things ‘flow’ from our beloved CEO. Today we had a one hour class on how much we should love the leader because he loves us so much too. As I sat through the mindless bullshit they were trying to feed us to get us to work harder I thought about what I was going to write on my company survey. The last time I complained about the stagnate wages a corporate sponsor called me back at the store and asked me if I would not be happier working someplace else? “Listen you, the hours suck, the pay sucks, and the job is miserable in the heat. If you want to motivate the employees why don’t you try good old fashion money,” I said. The person on the other end of the line was a corporate tool and was graceful in reminding me, “You should be happy you have a wonderful place to work that really values its employees and is always looking out for their best interest.” Its speeches like this that make sick to my stomach, not only that but I also want to crap myself at the same time and through my feces around with hopes that it gets in someone’s eye. Since the first day I started working there they have told me to work harder and to take pride in my worker. “If you want me to work harder why don’t you give me a raise so I don’t have to live on starvation wages?” Its like management does not want to hear the obvious that people are miserable who make minimum wage and no amount of employee propaganda is going to change their minds. As of right now the great leader contacts us via
1. Email
2. Snail mail weekly flyer
3. Voice mails
4. And his voice is constantly overhead as we work telling people about our great prices
Its almost like working in a totalitarian factory where questioning the system lands you in isolation or you are never heard of again. The constant re-education system is hard at work breaking the employees ‘spirit’ and bringing bliss to the hearts and minds of the oppressed work force. When I ask why the pay checks are so low my co-workers always chime in with an artificial smile and say, “you should really move up in the company and get raises.” What they consider a raise is 2 dollars higher than what I make after working there for 5 years. Not a single employee that I have met likes working there but if you ask the managers we are all there because we like it. They schedule employee appreciate events on weekends, holidays, and times the employees are least likely to be able to attend and our employee discount cards only work on store brand items. When I buy something before I leave work I call it investing back into the company store. Yet there is one thing that I can tout as being the worst part of the job and that is when management tells you that the CEO could be here any minute and things have to be perfect. We run around cleaning like idiots because we don’t want to look bad in front of the great leader because that would bring shame to our store. I cannot wait till we have another re-education meeting in the break room so we can review the corporate rules of putting the customer first and how we need to smile more. Its disgusting what retail work has done to the millions of people who have no other choice in employment right now.
…….
10:45am
I woke up out of a raunchy wet dream and thought about calling the federal student loan program to check on the status of my application again. I started this process in June and its still ongoing only to my frustration. The girl I spoke to was less than helpful and I hung up after getting the run around for 20 minutes.
After that it was time to hit the weights and wash my uniform which is in a disgraceful state. All that sweating in the parking lot turns my shirt into a pasty white crusty salty rag. I have to wash it nearly every day if I spend more than a couple of hours pushing the carts during the middle of the day.
After I finished working out I tried to close the garage door but it looked like someone had tried to force it open at some point during the weekend. The screws were dangling from the hinge and a huge crack was right through the middle of the door. I tried my hardest to shut it but it would not go and my shrimp were beyond cooked in the kitchen. By the time I left the garage the pot I was boiling my food in had exploded into a mess on the stove. It really bothers me terribly when things don’t go as I plan them and I am not ok with a messy kitchen. I finished my last set of triceps extension before I would start the cleaning job.
12:15pm
I did not have a chance to finish my strict routine for getting ready for work but I had to leave the house on time. I bought this facial cleanser on the weekend that I read about in a magazine while I was waiting at the salon to get my hair cut a couple of weeks ago. It sounded great in the article but it smells like mildew in my nostrils. I am not sure if I am just making that correlation because one of my co-workers smells just like that awful smell or if its something else? Anyhow, it also has caffeine in it and I don’t know why they would put that into soap.
I arrived at the store to find only a handful of baggers around and that meant that I might have to bag for multiple cashiers at once, which is my least favorite thing to do.
5pm
The afternoon pasted quickly and I milked my only break. There were Oreos in the break room and Jane and I took turns violating the bag. She is a sugar freak and I have not touched a cookie in ages but I can see how easily it is to become addicted to those damn things. I sat between two co-workers in the break room which is very uncommon since the opsilons have not taken a liking to me.
Epsilon
One who belongs to the lowest caste in Aldous Huxley’s book Brave New World. Known for stunted growth, inferior intelligence, yet indispensibility. After death, they play a crucial role in phosphate reclamation. In short, a useful idiot.
Quotes from the store today:
“You are poor and by default you should be a democrat” cashier
“When I am around the two of you it makes me feel like an idiot” cashier
“I cannot trust anything you say because you told me that the moon is red” cashier
“Maybe you should get some gloves before you handle that dry ice” customer
“That is not a smile on his face, that is the way he hides his contempt for the store” manager
For the most part today was as good as it gets for me. The day at the store is a waste of my intelligence but it put 28 dollars in my pocket. It is hard to believe that I spent much of that money on paying for the basics of human living. I got a bottle of vodka, cigarettes, and a beer on the way home. I also got some discount beef from the organic food store. its all those little expenses that nickel and dime you to death when you are already living in poverty. I did walk around in the organic with the little redhead that seems to have taken a liking to me. A retired engineering professor told me today that I had a great personality but I guess when you are a billion years old everyone has a good one of those. As for my co-workers sometimes I don’t know what motivates them to continue living in jobs that they will never be able to escape. I still cannot seem to blend in with them and I feel the disdain on their part daily.
