To think it’s ignorant to say “I’ll just work in Tesco”

[atmylowest34]

So I went to dinner with a friend who has according to her a demanding job (not saying she doesn’t but I don’t work in that field and have no experience of it).

And she’s said well I’ve considered quitting and just getting a job in Tesco instead but then I’d just get bored.

Aibu to think that it’s ignorant to think working in a supermarket is an easy and relaxing job? I did it as a student and it was horrible, people shouting at you, complaining, having personal comments said about my looks (both negative and positive), hours weren’t great. And that was all before covid and cost of living crisis.

That's not true at all.

The best-paid job I ever had, I had virtually no responsibilities that were enforced, and nothing I did impacted on anyone else, except in quite a minimal way.

@saraclara so.. paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, police dispatch, nurses... I wouldn't say they're the highest paid
I've done one of those jobs and some of the stuff still wakes me in the middle of the night, for a take home of about £1600pm

Working in retail is so stressful 😫. I used to hate it!

She possibly just imagines it will be a less pressured, and stressful job. Especially if they're self employed.
I have friends who say similar about coffee shops and cafes, though I'm not entirely sure they're correct.

I think one of the hardest things about entry level retail jobs is that she will probably only be allocated one or two 'set in stone' shifts per week but will have to chase others on the scheduling app, or worse be bullied into accepting antisocial ones that don't suit. Not knowing if you will be working until a few days before is stressful in itself.

It's classist as fuck. I hate it when folks say things like that.

I disagree. I've worked in supermarkets and it is an easy job (at the shop floor level) Yes you have some aggy customers but you've no decisions to make, no pressure or risk, no financial or legal responsibility etc. plus you can chat lots with colleagues, usually a good staff canteen, plus the discounts and stuff. I always really enjoyed it.

They're not the highest paid. Of course they're not. But they're higher paid and much more responsible than minimum wage shop floor jobs in supermarkets.

I was clearly talking about the latter, so why did you think I was talking about any of the jobs that you've listed?

Not selling alcohol to minors is very much a legal and personal responsibility.
There’s pressure to perform tasks quickly (picking etc)
Not sure about the chatting I guess it depends on how good the management is on that.

During lockdown I had to close my one-person business as work vanished and there was no government support for me.

I tried to get a job at Tesco. The selection process was a series of multiple choice questions. I failed so was immediately rejected.

I don't think the job was "beneath me" - but in any case it's moot as I couldn't get a job there.

My experience is that if this type of person ever applied to Tesco, they'd be rejected. They then get incensed that they didn't get the job.

Ignorant and arrogant to think Tesco would be falling over themselves to employ her.

Incredibly ignorant. I would keep that thought to myself though and actively encourage her to quit and get a job in tesco... She needs a dose of reality.

i worked in keymarkets as a teenager, occasional grumpy customers, and night shift morrisons in my 30s (briefly)
work is work,
full of other people, rules and gossip
sitting on the till i was permanently hungry!

Well tbf I know a lot of people who work in our local Tesco and they've all been there for years so I assume they must enjoy it! I wouldn't assume it was an "easy" job but a nice job 😊

I worked in a big supermarket for 4 years as a student, full time during the holidays and 24 hours a week during term time.

Moved across a few departments in my time there....bakery, deli, checkouts and food safety. It wasn't a demanding or stressful job at all to be honest. The pay was crap alright. I have a higher paid role now with a lot of personal responsibility and pressure and there's no comparison at all.

I wouldn't have thought twice about your friends comment. It's pretty obvious what she meant, she's extremely stressed at work and she's dreaming of packing it all in for a low paid, no responsibility job.

I worked on the checkouts in Tesco when I was a student. I hated that job with all of my being. It was mainly the abuse from customers that got to me. I worked over the summer holidays, went back to uni and vowed I would never work on checkout again. I wasn't being a snob about it either, I just knew I couldn't hack it. Anyone who works in retail (especially checkouts) has my utmost respect! Not everyone is cut out for it... I certainly wasn't

Quite yeah.
The biggest brain work I did as shop assistant was trying to fit stuff on shelves when the HQ obviously never saw them and sent us "shelf map" with 3 extra spaces which we simply didn't have🙄 Then you had company guy asking why it's only 2 boxes of their stuff on the shelf, not 4. Because HQ thought it'a foot longer... Oh and figuring out how to calm someone down after they bought printer and it run out of ink faster than they thought it would and it was totally my fault personally.
ID checks are pita in uk.
Similar in hospitality on lower grade positions.
Unless your managers are proper dickheads, it is mentally really easier than many higher power jobs I encountered.

YANBU, working in retail is hard work. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she means that you don't take a job at tesco home with you? You do your (tiring) shift and go home until the next one.

My friend was made redundant suddenly a few weeks ago and went and got a job in Tesco. It's not as fancy soynding as his previous job but it actually pays more and there's plenty of overtime at the moment. They have an app now here you can add extra shifts, I thought that was quite a good idea.

I don't think what she said is any reflection on people who work in supermarkets. She is just imagining something that doesn't have the pressures of her job. Lets face it no one goes home from Tesco thinking "no one died today so we did well"

My aibu is about saying she’d work in a supermarket because she just assumes its just a nice and easy job. From my experience it wasn’t. She’s also had no experience working in a supermarket

I understand why you found it annoying, but I'd assume it's just a turn of phrase, used to mean a less demanding job. Obviously a lot of low-paid jobs are extremely demanding - but people don't always think before they speak.

It is less stressful and for all intents and purpose easier than some jobs though, sorry if that offends people but it's true. Yes the work can be physically demanding and you have to deal with rude, entitled members of the public; but by and large you aren't making life or death decisions, dealing with horrific things or having to take work home. I'm not sure why it's taboo to acknowledge that some jobs are not as demanding as others, its partly this reason where everyone just must be equal that the respect for highly qualified roles have been diminished and people are leaving them in droves.

I'd presume she's talking about the stress outside your shift.

I've worked retail, and yes, the individual shifts can be hard work, arsey customers etc. I never had to take my work home with me, I was never lying awake in the middle of the night worrying about something that needed sorting the next day.

There's not a lot I miss about those days, but that feeling of freedom the moment I clock out is something I do.