Friends who say they "easy" jobs

[sheworkshardforthemoney]

3 separate friends have said to me this week that they want b and m/ supermarket jobs.

I have never worked in retail but do work as (low paid) manager in a position to hire staff at minimum wage positions (skills needed)

AIBU to think these friends are disrespectful to think that they could easily do these jobs/ be hired?

I think tbh they were just saying it in a half hearted way. But I've heard it before from friends with careers in management/ finance/ HR.
They think minimum wage jobs are easy work/ easy to get and stress free!

If they applied for a vacancy with me they wouldn't get hired! I look for CV's with job history where I know they've had to 'graft' turn in everyday and perform. It's bloody hard work!!

Stick to your office jobs! Minimum wage=maximum effort! Worked to the bone! No spare minutes in the day! True for my site anyway!

Well, yes, they are being unreasonable.

I work in office work and I graft with no spare minutes. I started at 8am and just finished now. So I do work hard and I would work equally hard in a supermarket role having less responsibility appeals to me doesn't mean I would work less.

They are being unreasonable and would get a huge shock if they tried to switch.

They've igronent idiots. When I got an office job in my late 20's it was a breeze compared to the previous retail/ hospitality jobs I'd had before.

I worked in Waitrose when doing my masters. I worked my arse off. It's rude to think these jobs are easy. And in the day and age with many over qualified people unemployed it's a bit much to think they could walk into those jobs with no experience.

I would work equally hard in a supermarket role

But the labour would be physical, so very different. Some people imagine it will be easier than it is and that ‘less responsibility’ means easier.

Also not only do you get paid fuck all fro grafting your arse off you often are treated like shit. Think rude managers and customers crappy rules and working conditions.

I want an easy job. My job at the moment is pretty easy, but if it goes wrong, it goes badly wrong.

I’ve done both and they’re hard in different ways.

Supermarkets are tough - being on your feet, not knowing your rota, struggling on low wages, the general public. But, I never thought about work outside of work, nor felt any pressure to carry a mental load - eg coming up with ways to improve client experience, appraisals etc etc.

Office job - day to day nicer environment, being able to plan your diary, drink coffee when you want, all very nice. But I’m regularly stressed outside of work and can’t switch off mentally, so I can see the appeal of ditching the mental load.

The last time I hired I had 110 applicants. Through indeed only! I read every single one. We did ask for experience in the sector.

One friend asked if we were hiring she has never worked in this sector. No jobs at the moment anyway but she wouldn't get the position if there were

Yes it isn’t as easy as people think, although I think a lot of jobs look easy when it isn’t you doing them. The thing that stands out the most for me when I’ve worked in retail is how badly you are treated for such little money. Often expected to be available over 7 days to work little hours and with no flexibility for you but expected to be fully flexible to the company.

I've worked these type of jobs when younger and they are easy. You don't need to use your brain just do your job and it starts when you clock in stops when you clock out no work to take home. Plus what's the worst that could happen?

I've done retail jobs for about 6 years while studying and although its more physically demanding in my opinion i know what your friends are getting at in that you tend to leave work at the door. The mental pressure and stress from office jobs can be huge and I often think about going back to retail as i found it comparitively enjoyable.

Those were the only positives I could see @Tigger03 no work to take home/ no endless meetings/ no pressure to 'fix' the business

I’ve worked minimum wage and now have an office job.

When I worked minimum wage in customer service, I’ve been threatened by customers, had to ring the police and give a statement after the threats. I’ve dealt with many shitty customers and worked hard. In those roles, they’ve been full on and I’ve been on my feet for 10 hours a day. There is stress during the shift but those usually come from arsehole customers.

Today I also worked for 10 hours with no break. I wasn’t on my feet but the day was no less exhausting. I had a 3.5 hour teams call and I’ve stared at spreadsheets all day. I’ve shut down my laptop but I’m still thinking through something. When I left my minimum wage job at the end of the day, there were no more worries. There were no concerns about what I have to squeeze in on the next shift. I might not be on my feet and rushing round all day but my job now is more stressful. It comes with a lot more worrying outside of work.

I would say that the minimum wage jobs, the stress is restricted to the shifts. With office jobs you will experience a different type of stress and it won’t necessarily end at the end of your shift.

A different type of stress and difficulty I'm sure. You're very sneery about your friends.
I worked as a waitress before I did the office job I now do and it was harder in that I didn't get to dictate my own time or activities. But out of work I switched off, which I can't do now.

How do you work your arse off in a supermarket job?

Ok, some roles might be quite physical but they’re hardly emotionally or intellectually draining, are they? (I have worked in Tesco on the photo developing and kiosk and customer service desk for 4 years through uni).

I think your attitude of it being ok for minimum wage jobs to work people to the bone is the wrong one tbh.

Retail is relatively easy; I did it for 6 years. I have also worked in a factory on a production line and as a hotel cleaner before I became a teacher, all of which are harder jobs than retail.

I worked in a B&M style shop and it was great. I loved it most at Christmas when it would be absolutely heaving. I liked the rush and clamour of it all. I liked the team spirit. I liked the sharing of tales of arsey customers. I liked flying round after closing to get the shelves faced up for the next morning. It could be tiring but then at times it was pretty dull; Sunday mornings were often slow and there wasn't much to do. I was really good at it though, and I scored highly on every mystery shopper visit I ever had.

So in my experience, it's not a bad job at all and I'd happily do it again. The worst thing about it would be the job security.

Retail is not easy. I would never go back into retail if I could help it and I don't think retail staff are paid nearly enough considering how stressful it can be. YANBU.

I've worked at both kinds of jobs and they are different. I do think that while supermarket work can have certain stresses, in other ways it's not difficult, though it won't appeal to everyone.

I think though many people have done some work of a similar kind at some point, so do have a sense of what it might be like.

I’ve worked in a couple of supermarkets, plus other shops, and tbh it is relatively easy. Yes, you’re on your feet, and customers can be rude, but working on a till, the shop floor or the customer service desk is pretty simple.
However, I don’t think I could quit my job and walk into a retail job because I don’t have any recent, relevant experience.

I worked in an office for over 40 years. I'm unemployed at present but have done several temporary minimum wage jobs and I will agree with your comment: minimum wage = maximum effort.

However, I must also say that I enjoyed those jobs so much more than my office job, and I never want to work in an office again. So BORING.

I've worked on checkout and I found it knackering and you can't wait for it to be over. The day goes faster as a manager in an office but the stress is immense sometimes, fixing every problem in the whole team. I now have an office job where I'm not the manager, I just "do" the job. Anything a bit tricky I ask manager. It's fantastic and not stressful at all (paid about a third less but honestly worth it to not have that pressure).

They’re are rude to call them easy but I’ve worked both- min wage jobs from 14 and through uni as had to support myself to pay rent. The responsibility was definitely less. When my shift ended my mental load for the job ended.

I think the hardest phase of work for me was training to be a solicitor and as a junior lawyer. Lots of responsibility but not enough for flexibility, long hours (9-8pm was a good day), glued to your work phone outside of work, called into the office at weekends, holidays, cancelled social engagements, constant pressure to perform, belittling, being shouted at to the point of tears, little respect, sexism and sexual harassment on multiple occasions. They pay was decent though. So sometimes I would wish to have my retail jobs again as they definitely felt “easier” - at least emotionally and in terms of work life balance.

I guess it depends what they're looking for in a role. The job I have at the moment I get a lot of grief if I make slight mistakes, the pressure is always on, and it can reflect badly on the company at times and I get a bollocking from my clients.

I admit I have never actually worked at a supermarket stacking shelves or on the tills, but I fully feel as though the change of pace (i.e. perhaps harder work, but less stress of getting things wrong) could work for me right now.