Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 13:00:14 GMT -5
So what's the solution? Don't work at all? Live off the taxpayers because its safer? I guess you just gave everyone in the inner cities, ghettos and public housing an excuse to continue living on the taxpayers dime. Sorry, but it sounds like a big ole copout to say its just too dangerous to work in this area, but is apparently safe enough to live for many years and grow illegal drugs which seems to me, would invite the assorted riff-raff onto the property seeking whatever high they can get. When I posted, I had in mind the posters that were saying she needed to stay there at least a year or 2 before she changed jobs. I think that, given the circumstances, Shasta should start looking for another job like yesterday if she feels like she's in danger. I don't recall anyone urging her to just up and quit today without another job lined up, maybe I missed those posts.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Sept 29, 2014 13:02:58 GMT -5
I agree that relocation is the best solution, if possible. IIRC there was an issue with selling her house though, something about the water? So she doesn't have the resources to make a move.
Shitty situation for sure.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Sept 29, 2014 13:20:34 GMT -5
I have a different prespective than I did 6 months ago about jobs like this. Standing around and doing things like store clerk were definately not a hard job in my mind. I had done my share of shopping in my life and knew it wasn't hard physically or mentally. Man was reality different from what I had imagined it to be!
First of all to everyone saying standing isn't physically demanding you clearly have never had to stand in one place for 8 to 10 hours a day without being able to sit down! I am now convinced that standing is evil. The human body was just not meant to stand in one place for long periods of time. I like to think of myself as pretty active and can keep running, jumping and climbing ladders all day, but a day where I have to stand in place is beyond torture. Your feet will actually go beyond pain and eventually go kind of numb. Somehow that is actually worse. And sitting down for 5 minutes during a break will actually make it worse when you have to stand up again.
It also just makes every little thing so much harder. I can deal with cranky customers, I can work 14 hour days. I can juggle computer systems programmed by someone who had no idea what it was supposed to do or one heck of a sense of humor and access to the video camera feeds so they could watch their programming in action. What I can't do is all of them at one time! And the more something like standing in one place is making my feet hurt the less of anything else is needed to make me one very cranky person.
Maybe I could have done it and bounced back to do it the next day when I was 25, but at almost 50 I don't bounce anymore, I just thud.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 29, 2014 13:22:18 GMT -5
There's overtime pay coming. Save some money. So when a transfer comes through, take it. Leave that shit hole and get out into the world.
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Sept 29, 2014 14:37:51 GMT -5
@pinkcshmere, no I was the one the MDs had telling addicts they couldn't get 30 fetanyl patches per month (10 is standard ... suspect they sold the overage) or narcotics from more than 1 doc at a time. They were armed more than once. No panic button (would give 'wrong' impression). But then I was broke and had to suck it up. Not everyone is a single parent or broke. Plus I was eyeing that pension and exit date.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Sept 29, 2014 14:52:44 GMT -5
I never understood why they couldn't put stools behind the registers....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 14:56:12 GMT -5
973beachbum, some of the jobs where I work require you to stand in pretty much one spot all day, mostly moving your arms. I'm not a Dr. but I'm convinced that can easily lead to posture problems, which leads to pain because your muscles and joints get out of whack. Not to mention standing in one spot for hours at a time is plain uncomfortable to me. I'm still on my feet all day, but I do more moving around and walking than standing still.
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Sept 29, 2014 14:59:00 GMT -5
BTW: if anyone is working in a depressed area while living in a home that is underwater needing repairs, what would cause you to stay instead of starting over in a new area of the country in a new field with growth potential? Can student loans be used for housing or just tuition?
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whoami
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Post by whoami on Sept 29, 2014 15:14:16 GMT -5
So what's the solution? Don't work at all? Live off the taxpayers because its safer? I guess you just gave everyone in the inner cities, ghettos and public housing an excuse to continue living on the taxpayers dime. Sorry, but it sounds like a big ole copout to say its just too dangerous to work in this area, but is apparently safe enough to live for many years and grow illegal drugs which seems to me, would invite the assorted riff-raff onto the property seeking whatever high they can get. When I posted, I had in mind the posters that were saying she needed to stay there at least a year or 2 before she changed jobs. I think that, given the circumstances, Shasta should start looking for another job like yesterday if she feels like she's in danger. I don't recall anyone urging her to just up and quit today without another job lined up, maybe I missed those posts. I dont think she should wait 2 years either...but I also think she and others are vastly overrating her employability for a variety of reasons. The safety issue was pretty glossed over in her initial posts...the belief that being a dancing sign and her hours were explained in great detail, which leads me to believe those are the bigger issues especially when the sign issue is "beneath her". Seriously? If you ever watch crime shows, its perfectly normal for the whole hood to stand around kids and all, looking at the dead body laying in the street. I don't think the shady characters who patronize this store are all that out of place there....and I think shes a whole lot more comfortable around that sort of crowd than someone in the suburbs would be...especially since she acknowledges the pot issue (which is going to be a big problem re the employability issue). The fact that a lot of posters are harping on the safety issue demonstrates their particular experiences and environment...not the OPs.
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whoami
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Post by whoami on Sept 29, 2014 15:14:49 GMT -5
I never understood why they couldn't put stools behind the registers.... I have one at the store, but we're a mom and pop not a big chain with an image consultant and stuff. Sitting might make me look lazy, but 12 straight hours on your feet is a bitch. Aldis has stools.
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justme
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Post by justme on Sept 29, 2014 16:32:32 GMT -5
No. Because the vast majority of jobs out the drug test. Especially those that are considered better jobs. Most corporate companies nowadays require a drug test.
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Sept 29, 2014 16:35:42 GMT -5
@dayjawho, thank you for validating my point between an inmate coming to her rescue and a parolee ... If incarcerated for a joint, is he that dangerous?
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Sept 29, 2014 16:36:54 GMT -5
@dayjawho, thank you for validating my point between an inmate coming to her rescue and a parolee ... If incarcerated for a joint, is he that dangerous?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 16:46:18 GMT -5
No. Because the vast majority of jobs out the drug test. Especially those that are considered better jobs. Most corporate companies nowadays require a drug test. I agree that being unable to pass a drug test because of marijuana use limits the type of jobs one would be able to get. And I agree that the desire for decent employment should be more powerful than the desire to smoke marijuana for recreation if you have to choose one or the other. BUT, saying that shasta probably feels comfortable and is in her element around criminals just because she smokes weed is a big leap. Just my opinion.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 16:58:14 GMT -5
As for self limiting due to drug testing, I never said there weren't going to be consequences. And that those are/were and would continue to be self limiting. People place all sorts of self limitations on themselves. This is one she has placed on herself, and she willl have to deal with it. My issue is with those (an yes, we were reading the same thread, and yes there have been those in this thread and in others I have read) that have suggested she deserved no better than to be in harm's way because of the pot use, and that "these people" should be the type she would be comfortable with because of the pot use. That is offensive to me, personally. The company DH works for recently was part of a merger. They have a new policy. They randomly test for alcohol and nicotine. Those that used to applaud the drug testing the loudest are suddenly outraged over the possibility of a random after lunch test. what industry is this? last I checked, alcohol and nicotine weren't illegal.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Sept 29, 2014 17:08:41 GMT -5
Shasta's drug use is only applicable in the sense that it does limit her employability of she chooses to look for another job. And I think it's all the more reason she needs to tough it out where she is.
It does not mean she is (or should be) more comfortable with certain types of folks. But I haven't seen any suggest that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 17:09:33 GMT -5
what industry is this? last I checked, alcohol and nicotine weren't illegal. Why do you ask? Last I checked, they wren't either. However, the company has a strict no drinking during working hours policy. And they also have a no nicotine policy in any company owned facility, vehicles, or property. Apparently ir has never been challenged because they have had it for years. so if you have a cigarette on your way to work in the morning, the nicotine is still there the next day.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Sept 29, 2014 17:43:25 GMT -5
I dont think she should wait 2 years either...but I also think she and others are vastly overrating her employability for a variety of reasons. The safety issue was pretty glossed over in her initial posts...the belief that being a dancing sign and her hours were explained in great detail, which leads me to believe those are the bigger issues especially when the sign issue is "beneath her". Seriously? If you ever watch crime shows, its perfectly normal for the whole hood to stand around kids and all, looking at the dead body laying in the street. I don't think the shady characters who patronize this store are all that out of place there....and I think shes a whole lot more comfortable around that sort of crowd than someone in the suburbs would be...especially since she acknowledges the pot issue (which is going to be a big problem re the employability issue). The fact that a lot of posters are harping on the safety issue demonstrates their particular experiences and environment...not the OPs. This is not the first time it's been suggested that the OP should feel comfortable with rapists, child molesters, convicted felons, thieves, and a violent lifestyle because she smokes pot. And that she deserves, pretty much, to have a job that exposes her to such an environment. Because she smokes pot. It's actually been said that she has this job because no one else would ever hire her for anything better. Because she smokes pot. Because only people of that caliber would smoke pot? That's what I'm getting, loud and clear. And it couldn't be more wrong. I don't smoke it, personal choice. But I know people who do. And I can guarantee that you know people who do, too. They are lawyers and doctors and teachers and salesclerks and hairdressers and firemen and cops. And CEOs and janitors. And in most cases, in most states, yes, they are criminals. And they shouldn't be. There is so much talk about waste of our tax dollars. And the futility of government programs. Here's a perfect example. These figures are out of date, and I can't find my new ones, dismiss them out of hand or do a little search if you like. The prison population in the US increased twelvefold between 1980 and 2003. Did we suddenly become a nation of crazed violent people? These rapists, murderers, child molesters and thieves that you feel shasta should feel so comfortable with? Indeed, deserves to have to associate with since she is "one of them"? No. Violent crime actually decreased. What happened was the War On Drugs. A war, like so many that have been waged in my lifetime, that had poor planning, poor leadership, and even worse execution. And, like those wars, has had a steep price tag. Both in dollars and the impact on lives. In 2008, the average (and it is very average, the cost varies tremendously by state and facility type) of housing a prisoner in the US, including city, state and federal facilities, was right at 32,000 a year. Per prisoner. The "3 strikes" law compounded the issue. As did minimum mandatory sentencing. It is not at all unusual to find case after case after case of sentences meted out for possession of enough marijuana for personal use that were stiffer than those for a child molester with multiple counts! Or for manslaughter. I think she's a brave woman. And not for working where she does. Did I miss a bunch of posts where she was attacked for smoking pot? I couldn't give a crap. That being said she is limited in her opportunities now. Smoking pot will limit her because many places drug test. Her lack of employment history will limit her. Her refusal to move to where jobs are will limit her. She can feel overqualified for her current position, but that doesn't change the fact she doesn't have any other offers on the table right now. If I were her, I would suck it up until I found a new job. I think just quitting or refusing to wave signs & getting fired are huge mistakes. It is going to be a step backwards. If being broke wasn't enough motivation to make money freelancing, I don't think this experience will be either, at least not in the long term. But I also agree with whoami that the safety issues were mostly glossed over. Starting a thread about how funny it is your boss got fired is weird if you are terrified of your customers. Complaining about the hours or expectations are weird if you are terrified of being robbed.
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Nazgul Girl
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Post by Nazgul Girl on Sept 29, 2014 19:57:17 GMT -5
Hi Shasta, I think you should try to get another job if possible. However, if you can figure out ways to make your life safer at the store, I would stay until I could find something else. I don't think it's bad to leave a job for a better one if that job is a better fit for you.
I don't think waving a sign is too bad, though.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 20:11:11 GMT -5
Waving the sign, I could see it being embarrassing but I doubt that would be a hill to die on if I needed the income.
I know a few people that have had payday loans. They were lacking good money management skills but there aren't criminals.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Sept 30, 2014 9:28:58 GMT -5
I don't think anyone is suggesting that Shasta deserves to be in harm's way. HOWEVER, there is a certain amount of "what did you expect" when you go to work in a payday loan store. It's not rocket science that a certain clientele patronize those stores, and it's not the college educated, middle class yuppies.
Regarding marijuana use, you can rail against how unfair it all is, how it shouldn't be illegal and how it's unfair employer's drug test for it. But the reality is that for many jobs, you get tested and your employment is tied to it. Write to your congressman if you feel you have to, but you have to operate in the employment world as it is. And as it is, if you insist on smoking pot, your employment options will be limited.
That said, I think the policy of leaving the store and carrying around a lot of cash is an unnecessary risk, and Shasta should discuss it with her management and try to come up with alternative, safer solutions.
If Shasta wants to find another job, it's a free country and she can certainly do that. But just quitting because it's hard would be a huge step back after she's come so far.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 30, 2014 9:31:42 GMT -5
I would have so loved to have been in a position to "pull a Dark." The satisfaction would have been endless to this day. To stay in that soul sucking job was awful but I had kids and myself to support. The idea that I'm entitled to have others support me because I don't like working floors me. But plenty have it. Now on the other hand, I didn't feel unsafe at my job. If what she says is true, I'd not be doing that cash thing, period, without an armed escort. But other than that, whatever it takes to pay my bills. I'm not too good to work I worked many decades so I'd get to a point where I'd never have to work again.
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Nazgul Girl
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Post by Nazgul Girl on Sept 30, 2014 10:14:56 GMT -5
As for self limiting due to drug testing, I never said there weren't going to be consequences. And that those are/were and would continue to be self limiting. People place all sorts of self limitations on themselves. This is one she has placed on herself, and she willl have to deal with it. My issue is with those (an yes, we were reading the same thread, and yes there have been those in this thread and in others I have read) that have suggested she deserved no better than to be in harm's way because of the pot use, and that "these people" should be the type she would be comfortable with because of the pot use. That is offensive to me, personally. The company DH works for recently was part of a merger. They have a new policy. They randomly test for alcohol and nicotine. Those that used to applaud the drug testing the loudest are suddenly outraged over the possibility of a random after lunch test. what industry is this? last I checked, alcohol and nicotine weren't illegal. Some hospitals and first responder employers now don't employees who smoke, and regularly check their nicotine levels.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 30, 2014 10:19:55 GMT -5
The few places that allow it make their employees pay the extra premium for doing so as well. Hospital here is a $300 a month penalty. If you don't smoke, they pay $300 toward your health care.
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Nazgul Girl
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Post by Nazgul Girl on Sept 30, 2014 10:23:32 GMT -5
Anti-smoking policies are becoming more and more common. And before somebody moans, that's not fair, please remember the great debate on the non-protected status of the overweight a few years ago. I was fortunate that my employer didn't have a penalty for insuring the overweight. It's going to take me a fairly long time to lose the excess weight, so I saved a lot of money.
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Sept 30, 2014 10:31:24 GMT -5
Just wondering: how is it handled in Washington and Colorado where it's legal?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Sept 30, 2014 10:32:58 GMT -5
My employer randomly tests for nicotine for health insurance purposes. If you've signed the no-nicotine pledge (it saves ~$1K/year on insurance premiums) and then test positive, you're immediately fired, no questions asked. You can revoke the pledge at any time EXCEPT right after you've been summoned for a random test.
Like others have said, the random tests don't seem to be random. I don't know anyone here who has been tested, but my MIL works for another state department and for a while when they were trying to trim their workforce without laying anyone off, they were doing weekly tests.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 30, 2014 10:35:11 GMT -5
While I think OP has some clearly valid concerns on safety, I think another of her points is exactly what we find so annoying about the unemployed. She feels "waving a sign" is "completely humiliating". People would rather be unemployed than do something completely normal which they feel is beneath them. It's not immoral, it's not harmful, it's waving a sign! You seem far more into being given a title of "manager" than anything else, even if you're just a counter clerk in reality.
People feel less humiliated living off the taxpayers than they do having a job which requires them to look a little silly in public to some people.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 30, 2014 10:35:26 GMT -5
I think a hospital, like a doctors office or other medical facility, has it harder than a regular place of business. You're EXPECTED to set an example. Having a smoker or a hugely overweight person who is visible can be taken in a bad light. We have a large man in the shop. But we arent a health facility and no one but other shop guys see him anyway. But if he were up front and we were a wellness place, the perception could be very different.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Sept 30, 2014 10:38:15 GMT -5
Just wondering: how is it handled in Washington and Colorado where it's legal? Employers can still drug test & prohibit use. No different than any other state.
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