People always gloss over how mentally damaging it can be to work in retail. I fucking hate that whenever I say “I could never work in retail again” someone has to reply “You snowflake millennials can’t take a starter job because you have to INTERACT with other people” No. Fuck you. I’ve worked as a planetarium host. I’ve worked as a public speaker. I’ve worked as a tutor and as a student teacher. I can work with people. I can work with crowds. Retail was fucking different. Retail was being treated as a subhuman. Retail was being treated so poorly that you have anxiety attacks before work. Having to work retail was a factor in my last suicide attempt. If I hear you say one fucking word about retail workers playing the victim I will personally break every bone in your body. Fuck You.
The holidays are coming up. Retail workers are going to be spiraling into a nightmare beyond human comprehension. If you’ve worked retail, you know this. If you haven’t, be aware of it. Please be kind to every retail worker you come across. Please be patient and understanding. It is misery out there.
Anyone who wants to treat retail workers with no less than the utmost respect can come and fight this ex shelf stacker.
Retail made me suffer an anxiety attack so bad that I froze on the spot before clocking on my shift. The same day I broke down and had to make an emergency appointment with my GP who signed me off sick for five weeks.
When kids get told to “study hard or you’ll end up working for Tesco” there is something seriously wrong with a society that sees retail as the worst thing that could happen to you. I fucking hated being looked at like I failed in life by customers who wanted my assistance in finding their pasta.
I will defend anyone who has to work in shops because you need the heart of a lion, the strength of Trojan and the patience of a saint to work in retail, especially as the holiday season approaches.
I will never stop insisting that retail is fucking designed to break you down as a person
Published
Iron in the Sand 