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!

It's all relative.

I worked in quite a few "easy jobs" when I was younger. I am sorry, but they were very easy. Turn up on time, do what you are told to do (and it wasn't that difficult to train and achieve what was needed), leave on time and forget about it.

Even someone with 0 experience could catch up very quickly.

What is hard is the lack of responsibility and sheer boredom. Even on a busy day you don't achieve that much.

Nothing disrespectful in pointing out that they are easy jobs. A lot of office jobs are easy too. Work in high management in one of the HQ of Tesco and it's not easy.

It's funny how we make a huge fuss about "mental load" but pretend that the same thing doesn't exist in the work environment.

@LadyofMisrule

Surely most people in those professional roles have also done retail/pub/waiting staff jobs too, though. I know very few people who haven't done a minimum wage job.

I think, though, that a lot of people will have done those at quite a different stage in their life, which maybe affects how they see it. I look back very fondly on working in a pub, but I did it while I was a student, essentially for spending money. Doing it now the low wages, the antisocial hours and the lack of progression would be much more of an issue - I knew I wasn't going to do it forever. I loved that I didn't have to think much, but that was because it felt like a break from my PhD; doing something you don't find at all intellectually interesting is a bit different when it's not a side thing, it's what you do. I'd also struggle a lot more with some of the physical aspects at 33 than I did at 22. It's easy to look back with rose-tinted spectacles.

I've worked in numerous retail jobs. Worked in a supermarket. Worked behind bars etc. All minimum wage. Found them pretty easy to be fair. It's non stop but I could just crack on without having to really think about it. I guess it all depends on what you find easy. I work in a job now which is more than minimum wage, and whilst it is desk based, if I get it wrong there could potentially be loss of life. Emotionally, and mentally, I find this to be unbelievably difficult, hard work. Some of my colleagues may not feel the same and may well find it easy. Depends on the person.

I think with retail, the main thing is your ability not tell certain customers to fuck off because its not your fault, the company have raised prices on the apples, or you don't have a book in stock on Christmas eve and you have ruined their child's christmas

I work in a creative industry which I've seen listed as one of the most stress free jobs. One of my best friends works in retail. I think there are pros and cons to both.
I am so glad I'm not customer facing as in members of the public, although we do have pretty demanding a rude customers ourselves. I think as pp have said in retail jobs you can switch off at the end of the shift.

It’s all about the mental load. Min wage jobs are physically tiring but don’t have the mental load and the inability to walk away at the end of the day

My job now (financial- risk involved etc.) is a walk in the park compared to the retail job I had at 16.

@sheworkshardforthemoney

Having done both supermarket type jobs are definitely easier from the perspective of not needing to engage brain as much or worry as much. I enjoyed the physical side and am a hard worker. My job now isn’t physical but having to think so hard about things and worry about getting it wrong is draining and far more exhausting.

Some jobs do have a high mental load and shit pay though. When I thought about the carers that looked after my Ddad in his last days, I think dealing with very frail, elderly people, people with dementia, and seeing people pass away on a regular basis, preparing a dead body for relatives to see.....I dont think you could clock off and leave that at the door.

I also didn’t switch off at the end of my shift when I worked in customer service. The stress carried over into the evening and I couldn’t relax at all. It’s very mentally and physically draining.

I’m genuinely asking how though?

What are you doing that’s such hard work?

@Fizbosshoes definitely. Care work was one of the hardest jobs I did mentally and physically. The hardest mentally was 999 call handler, it's not great pay and you take a lot home with you

I have a high pressure job where I can't take holiday without interruption. Weekends always have work. My supposed hours never happen.
I have worked in Co-Op and One Stop, too. Hard work, yes, BUT the end of my shift was exactly that. This is prob what your friends mean- I know i want this in the future, too. I'm not up for the ball ache of people management forever.

@Cheesypea

They've igronent idiots.
Are you drunk? You sound like you are slurring.

YABU because I think you're misconstruing their definition of 'easy.' Of course some low paid roles are stressful, dealing with difficult customers etc, but when compared to most higher paid roles, they are easier. You turn up, do the fairly basic job, go home. In the context they are talking about, they probably won't be trying to advance their careers or care too much about what they do. So no worries for them there - again easier. Many 'easy' roles are done by students, with little experience, but on the job training. I think that's what they mean - a role that is simpler compared to their previous roles. You say when you recruit, you need experience, but many lower paid roles train on the job, so people from any walk of life has an opportunity.

I have done a retail job.
It was very active and the time flew by.
I do a more prestigious job now, for more money and better terms etc - but it's very similar (although not customer facing) very busy, creative & enjoyable work.

My ex thought he was the bees-knees with his white collar lower management office job - I thought it looked so boring - chained to a computer using email all day long, yes he got paid more than me, but I couldn't/wouldn't do that with my life.

I agree you are being very superior.

Surely you understand what your friends mean.

I have worked both types of jobs, and they both have their challenges.

At the moment In my office job I am under incredible stress and am working 14 hours a day. Yes The money is better, but when I worked in marks and Spencer’s I had lovely, busy days. It was physically tiring, and I did somethings work 12 hour shifts, but when I went home I didn’t have to constantly worry about work and I never woke up at 4am having a panic attack.

Office work is bloody hard too. I work from early til late, and whilst it’s not physically hard, it can be stressful and mentally draining. Some people think office work is just answering a few calls and drinking coffee in between.

@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!

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

You sound like a horrific manager

Most people worked min wage retail through school and university. I know I did. All the jobs were exhausting but none had me tossing and turning all night worrying about how to solve an impossible issue or make a dent in an impossible workload. Bullying aside, so long as you’ve a half decent supervisor or manager these jobs are not long term stressful in the way many “office” jobs are.

It’s all about the mental load. Min wage jobs are physically tiring but don’t have the mental load and the inability to walk away at the end of the day

This.

I’ve many years experience in retail. I now work in consultancy. The pressures are just completely different. But there are certainly days were I’d like to go back to clocking out and not thinking about work until my next shift.

I've worked retail, and how hard or easy it is depends a lot on how busy it is (Christmas is bloody exhausting) and how human your manager / the company structure is in general.

But to imply that there's something so taxing about these jobs that nobody could do them unless they have several years of relevant experience is crazy. Anyone with a modicum of common sense (and a moderate level of fitness, if they have to be on their feet all day, lift heavy boxes etc) should be able to do a retail job, after minimal training in any company-specific procedures.

If you're turning down applicants due to a lack of recent retail experience that's a bit unfair in a pandemic, when people from all walks of life who've suddenly lost their livelihoods might be desperate for a job, especially one that doesn't require a long period of retraining. And you're also quite possibly missing out on people who could bring great qualities and other skills to the role, and maybe even be future management candidates. It's shortsighted and frankly a bit ludicrous to suggest that only retail 'specialists' can do what is a fairly basic set of tasks.

Obviously if they have a bad attitude, such as thinking the job is beneath them or trouble taking orders or something, then that's a different matter, but it sounds more like the opposite with these friends of yours, like they're saying basically they could do the job standing on their heads. Which they quite possibly could.

By all means say 'Well come and do a trial day and see if you can hack it', as that would weed out the ones who really don't want to 'graft' or didn't realise what was involved, but you shouldn't be making assumptions about people because their previous experience is in an office job. As a job hunter I can assure you that being rejected out of hand as being overqualified, or because you don't fit with someone's idea of the type of person who 'should' do a particular role, is an utterly soul-destroying experience when you know you absolutely could do the job.

I currently work a minimum wage retail job and in many ways it is a lot easier, less stressful, very little responsibility, nothing to worry about when I get home. It's also physically really hard work and can be really dull. I have had previous roles with much greater responsibility for people's lives and yes it was a lot more stressful!

The key behind a minimum wage retail job is you get to walk away at the end of the day... every day... The peace of mind that gives you should not be underestimated.

I work in min wage retail (management) and have done for the last 10 years, I wish I got to just walk away when I clocked out and not think about work or have a mental load.
Sometimes I find it draining, having days off being called in to cover shifts, getting phone calls or messages about problems at work etc etc.

I think it probably depends whether you're management level and the type of shop you work in though, In a way i would love to be a sales assistant again and actually be able to just switch off.

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

Many, many office workers have no spare minutes in the day and are regularly working unpaid overtime into the bargain.

For me the joy of a supermarket type job would be leaving at the end of the day and forgetting all about it. In my job, even when I've finished for the day I'm still thinking about my workload, planning the next day, thinking about strategies for particular tasks, etc etc, and I've never really known anything different since I was a student.