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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to work in a supermarket ..

528 replies

Lola528 · 16/11/2020 23:02

Yes, it is very snobby of me I know, and especially right now it’s a “needs must” situation when so
many are being made redundant and don’t have much choice. The only jobs where I am right now seem to be in a supermarket or cleaning houses or offices (I’m a rubbish cleaner).

It may be petty, but I don’t want it on my CV amongst the other jobs I’ve had (aviation/travel working with major players of the industry) to then have “Asda” or equivalent as my most recent job. I just feel I have so much more to offer but nobody in my industry of choice is hiring right now (understandably).

AIBU to think this will go against me for future job opportunities? Or will future potential employees understand this is a blip of “COVID times” and not see it as a negative? Am I just being stupid?

OP posts:
Farewelltoqualms · 17/11/2020 11:29

Left out lorry drivers and all sorts of other essential workers.

lula33 · 17/11/2020 11:34

I don't think you should take the job, you will be very unpopular with an attitude like that. You sound like you feel you are better than the job so you should stick to the industry you are in and leave the supermarket job to someone who appreciates it.

LauraAshleyDuvetCover · 17/11/2020 11:36

I don't the the 'grafting' thing holds true in all spheres.

This is going back a few years, but my DF was made redundant. He'd heard rumours of a role coming up in about a year, but it hadn't even been advertised. He took nearly a year off, sorted out his DM moving into a nursing home and sold her house, did a few courses and some consultancy work, and some tutoring. It didn't make any difference to him getting another next job, and if anything, he was more enthusiastic and keen to get stuck in as a result of having a break. But, not working wasn't an issue financially, and the timing worked well for the family.

If you need the money, it's silly not to take the job — there are different skills you can learn, and it's always good to have different examples for competency-based interviews. I think it would be fine to explain in a future interview that you got the job as a result of covid — it's hardly surprising in your industry.

PrincessNutNut · 17/11/2020 11:37

I am not afraid of hard work, and have been in customer facing roles for the majority of my time in this industry, so used to dealing with people in the public realm and their nuances

Ah, this being the case, the job probably has a lot of crossover with your previous roles, so I don't think you need to worry about it being seen as a step away from relevant experience (and don't worry, some of us do understand that that was your concern, rather than being a terrible human being. We also understand the sadness of having the industry that you love and have worked hard in being hit by the Covid sledgehammer.).

Good luck with it all.

SonjaMorgan · 17/11/2020 11:40

Congratulations on your new job OP. I hope all goes well and you can get something positive from it. It is heartbreaking that your sector may never fully recover. There are many of us on here who have a completely different work life from this time last year.

Iamthewombat · 17/11/2020 11:41

People are queueing up to kick the OP when she’s down and tell her that she is a dreadful person and they hope that her new colleagues don’t like her. The irony.

Funkypolar · 17/11/2020 11:45

So many nasty comments. I wouldn’t want to work in a supermarket either. I appreciate the people who do. It’s a hard, physical job, dealing with customers and working unsocial hours for minimum wage. It’s not something I would be suited to. There’s nothing wrong with working any job - I also wouldn’t want to be a police officer, estate agent, podiatrist or a soldier.

Just as there are people who wouldn’t want to do my job. I don’t take it personally. It’s just a job.

Flaxmeadow · 17/11/2020 11:47

You might enjoy the variety of people OP. Supermarkets have a very broad spectrum of customers, and staff. You deal with life in it's entiry, at times challenging but it can also rewarding.

Congratulations on getting the job. Good luck Flowers

biddybird · 17/11/2020 11:50

You will have to list it on job applications though, when they ask for details of your "current employment". A lot of employers don't even accept CVs any more.

Coffeeandaride · 17/11/2020 11:51

It’s not easy work, you can decide later if you want to put it on CV.

notalwaysalondoner · 17/11/2020 11:52

Is there a way you can make the role look more related to your previous career eg. If you worked in marketing you could emphasise any marketing or sales tasks you did, or in logistics or customer service etc? I’d see how things pan out and what you are applying for in future before deciding to leave it out. It’s tough right now though, I know it’s not what you’d want to be doing.

Original poster
Lola528 · 17/11/2020 11:52

@PrincessNutNut thank you, I think you at least “get” what I’m trying to say based on all of your feedback - thanks for your support.

I get it, the written word can be dangerous and misinterpreted, but that’s ok, I can understand because of this some have seen me as nasty (which couldn’t be further from the truth in reality).

OP posts:
aintnothinbutagstring · 17/11/2020 11:56

I work in a supermarket op, don't worry, you won't be the only person taking a job outside of their usual career path. We see all sorts, people from finance, ex nurses, teachers, and at the moment, ex hospitality, some stay and some go. I'm doing it to fit around my kids, school runs etc. I don't intend on doing it for the rest of my life as firstly, the hours are long and antisocial, and secondly, it is very physically demanding, we see lots of long-serving colleagues having surgery for knees/shoulder/back injuries. The good thing is it is very secure work at this moment in time, so unless you are just hired as a temp, you can generally stay as long as you need to.

Backbee · 17/11/2020 11:58

this diversification from my hard earned niche skill set will further negatively affect my chances. Thanks to some replies I now recognise it may actually be viewed as a positive.

Good luck in your new job OP, a lot of competition at the moment so you should feel proud to get the job, although I understand how you feel about the career path you love, and how it's heartbreaking. It will be viewed as a positive as you sadly don't have the chance at the moment to work in your field; but hopefully it's not forever and things will pick up. The industry might look different, but plenty of people will be keen to go abroad when allowed I imagine!

aintnothinbutagstring · 17/11/2020 12:02

Oh and your colleagues won't mind at all that you're out of your comfort zone, we're used to it, don't forget we deal with lots of students that are neither familiar with the work nor do they want to stay long term. Supermarkets are very transient environments, we're used to people coming and going, I'm sure you'll get a warm welcome Flowers Customers are ok, they generally just expect you to have a mental catalogue of every single product that's sold and exactly where it's located Confused but apart from that, I've never had any abuse.

Shahlalala · 17/11/2020 12:04

I’m working in a supermarket as my usual sector is not hiring, thousands redundant actually.
Can’t say I love it but I’m glad we have a second income.

Iamthewombat · 17/11/2020 12:05

Iamthewombat - all I can say to you is you may well miss out on employee of the year with your stupid attitude, and I would never want to work for someone like you.

From a charmer upthread (who didn’t like hearing that I wouldn’t leap at the chance to recruit a senior finance professional because they had ‘proved that they were a grafter’ by working at Asda).

Fear not! If this is how you behave towards anyone who disagrees with you I can tell you that the chances of you working for me in any kind of role are vanishingly small.

Do you genuinely believe that businesses make ‘employee of the year’ awards to people who recruit direct reports to “people who have proved themselves as grafters”? Sorry to disappoint you. Recognition usually comes for delivering things.

Do you get that senior roles are usually recruited via recruitment firms? They will decide which CVs to put forward on the basis of the last role on the CV. That’s how it is, irrespective of the way you would like things to be.

I wish the OP good luck with her supermarket role and I hope that she has fun doing it, but don’t ask me to pretend that putting it on her CV will enhance her career prospects in her own field.

Lozza70 · 17/11/2020 12:13

Congratulations on your new job OP. It will be physically hard work, you will meet a great group of colleagues and truly understand what it takes to give great customer service to the wide spectrum of customers that come through the doors.

Look at this as an opportunity. I have worked in food retail all my career and have seen so many examples of people moving through the business. The types of roles are so varied that until you get in you cannot understand. Maybe this could be a first step to changing career direction?

Satsuma2019 · 17/11/2020 12:25

Some of the comments on this thread just show how there is still so much job snobbery out there. I worked in an office but now work nights in a supermarket. You would be surprised at how much work is expected of you and how tiresome it is.

And if it wasn’t for supermarket staff there would be nothing on the shelves for you to buy.

FanGurrl · 17/11/2020 12:30

@Iamthewombat I suspect you don't really know much about the OP's field. What you say may be true in your field, but from what OP has said I highly doubt it will have a negative effect should she wish to get back into aviation, or probably any other field that she may consider on the basis of her employment history.

DryRoastPeanut · 17/11/2020 12:30

Just wait until you’ve been unemployed for 12 months, the mortgage company have started proceedings to evict you, you’ve borrowed money from everyone you know so as to feed your family, everyone’s good will is running very low, your kids need new school shoes and you can even afford sanitary towels!

Then you’d sell a kidney just for an interview for any job.

PrincessNutNut · 17/11/2020 12:32

@DryRoastPeanut

Just wait until you’ve been unemployed for 12 months, the mortgage company have started proceedings to evict you, you’ve borrowed money from everyone you know so as to feed your family, everyone’s good will is running very low, your kids need new school shoes and you can even afford sanitary towels!

Then you’d sell a kidney just for an interview for any job.

She's taking the job and putting it on her CV.
Palava57 · 17/11/2020 12:55

Lots of great comments here about the skills involved in a supermarket job which you will keep using. Being in (any) work is a much better basis of getting another job in your sector when they are available than not working. Plus you get paid, get to interact with colleagues (one can quickly get out of the swing of the workplace when not working for whatever reason) and probably get a staff discount 😊

Echobelly · 17/11/2020 12:57

YANBU, but at the moment I think people will see supermarket jobs as a valuable service. My DH is an IT management consultant, but he was prepared to drive delivery trucks when his contract ran out, though he didn't need to in the end.

Tenyearsgone · 17/11/2020 13:02

I wish the OP good luck with her supermarket role and I hope that she has fun doing it

You think working in a supermarket is fun? People like you who think it's a silly little job is why people will forever look down on supermarket workers.