SoapZone Community Message Board

I just looked at my newest schedule and once again, my hours are all over the place. When I first started looking for a new job after quitting the last one, I was firm on not working a PT job (or sales for that matter, but here we are). I changed my mind about working PT but assumed I'd have a schedule similar to Dad's when he started working PT after being let go from IBM. Dad worked the same hours on the same days every week unless someone was out and they needed him to cover that person's shift. When I interviewed for this job, I told Store Manager right off that even though my bills were fewer than those of other people, I still wasn't going to be able to pay them on what I would be making. I asked about getting a second job; SM assured me she didn't care what I did on my own time. But she also doesn't care to give me the same hours week to week. It's now been 3 months since I accepted this job; roughly 12 weeks and not ONCE have I worked the same time/days as I did a previous week. Sometimes I work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (always Saturday, probably because a) I'm the newest hire and b) I won't work Sundays) but sometimes I work Mondays and am off Tuesday. Or I'm working Monday and Tuesday and am off Wednesday. There's generally two shifts: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM and 2:00 PM-7:15 PM (store closes at 7:00), with only one shift on Sunday (store's open noon-5:00). Every week is a mix of morning shifts and evening shifts; often there's at least two days where I'm closing one night and there in the morning the next day (hate those). Lately I've been scheduled odd shifts, coming in at 9:30 instead of 10:00 or working 10:00-5:00 or 1:00-7:15 (both those shifts include a lunch break; "regular" 5 hour shifts include only a 15 minute break...if you're lucky and the store doesn't get slammed with customers around the time you might get a break). Sometimes it's only 3:00-7:15. And in a couple weeks, I have a couple noon-7:15 shifts. Ugh. The other day, SM was complaining about HER schedule; she's usually only off on Thursdays, works Sunday and then the rest of the week, she'll have two days of working all day and two days of working only the "morning" shift). I asked her who makes the schedule and she testily* told me SHE does, ONLY her...so I guess she's to blame for her lousy schedule?

* 90% of the time, questions posed to SM are perceived by her as either a challenge to her authority or an insult to her abilities. When really...it's just a question.

Also, while I know--I know--it's not done on purpose, because SM would have no way of knowing, I always seem to be scheduled for the hours I *don't* want. Examples: I like to hand out Halloween candy but next Thursday, I'm working 2:30-7:15. The following Saturday, there's a craft supply swap at a local library from 10:00-noon; I'd be alternating opening and closing on Saturdays and thought because of that, I'd be working the evening shift this Saturday but nope, I'm scheduled 9:00 AM*-3:00 PM. The following Saturday, there's a couple craft shows I like to go to...I'm working an odd noon-7:15 shift, which will at least give me a little time in the AM to go to maybe one of them.

* I'm wondering if these pre-store opening shifts are some kind of preparation for being a "key holder", aka "a lot more responsibility for a teeny bit more pay". While I'm glad SM and her #1 key holder (who stepped back from being an assistant manager because she didn't want the responsibility any more) think highly enough of me to consider me for the position, I don't want it.

I need to talk to SM but I'm afraid to because a) she won't take it well and b) I'm afraid the answer will be "no, we can't have some kind of regular schedule because that's the nature of retail, buttercup". I feel she's proud of herself for giving me more hours than originally planned when I hired on--I was told I'd be working "10-15 hours a week" and honestly, I'm grateful that most weeks it's been at least 20 hours. Anyways, I'm venting here because Dad told me recently the same thing he told me when I was unhappy with the last job: it hurts him to see me unhappy. So I try not to burden him too much with my venting, and I've assured him multiple times that a) I'm not "unhappy" at my job, just really frustrated and b) I'm perfectly happy whenever I'm off the clock.

And I'm definitely continuing the job search, though right now most of the listings are either other PT jobs in retail or openings at factories that have been advertising for literal years, which makes me believe that they must be terrible places to work because they either can't keep help or can't even get anyone to apply due to their reputation*

* we have one local factory that makes furniture that is a notoriously bad place to work. I have a former co-worker from the bindery who's both pretty tough and pretty willing to do whatever to earn $$$...she quit the place after two days. She said the first day she was there, there were 40 newly hired workers. When she left two days later, only TWO newbies were still there.