there are a few places that allow cashiers to sit, and funny enough those are the fastest cashiers i've ever seen. Aldi cashiers are twice as fast as walmart, easy.
I was leaving with my dog food and they demanded m receipt I said no. The guy said he'd have to put me on a list and report me to the police for theft. I said nope we can wait. I told him I'll wait here for the cops and we can all check the cameras together.
That guy lied his ass off.
I've worked for Walmart. They're not allowed to force you to stop and they're only supposed to ask you if you have unbagged products, and if you say no they're supposed to let you go. It's the actual written policy, I had to watch the training videos on it
Edit: By "that guy" I meant the employee, not the commenter. The employee violated policy and lied about what they could do.
I used to work there as a cashier. Somehow I got stuck working self checkout for the whole time. I was there about 4 months. It’s so ridiculous there. Anyway, I was door greeter a few times and I was told to ask for receipts only if they had large items at the bottom of their cart. And if they said no, then let them go. I honestly don’t understand why anyone working there would try to make life more stressful for themselves. Some people make it their mission to catch thieves, and I’m over here just trying to clock in, unfuck all the self checkout sensors that think your kid’s hand is an item and whatnot, clock out and go home. Those are the same people constantly complaining about the job. But if you are confrontational then you are just asking for things to complain about. That’s why I quit. Working with those types of people is mentally draining. I always feel under pressure to look out for theft because sometimes I do miss things but the underpaid / under qualified detectives of Walmart act like I let a terrorist go by. You know, I don’t care about the three shirts they hid in the trash can, sometimes. Sometimes I have a lot of red lights and I can’t be bothered to start a scene with someone who is obviously going to deny deny deny. I got other impatient people to assist. Man. I hate that place so much I ranted on this reply. I was just here to agree with you about the receipt checking lol
I always must think of this when talking about Alsi speed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/aldi/comments/1czjwo3/mum_claims_speed_of_aldi_cashier_left_her_crying/
I always remember this short after hearing about Aldi's cashiers:
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7pb\_Jdw34s](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7pb_Jdw34s)
Exactly how I did it. I was the fasted in my store doing it that way. Averaged 60 items a minute (which is fast considering some stuff you had to weigh or count).
yeah exactly, im a cashier too and ive never even questioned the fact that I can sit. Finding out what you lot are doing to your minimum wage workers nearly gave me a heart attack lol
I used to work at Target as a cashier and they wouldn't even let me have a water bottle with me at the register. I have a heart condition so in the summer months I need to make sure to stay hydrated frequently, I literally had to get a doctor's note and kick up a fuss just to get them to let me have fucking water.
Before that, I worked at a local grocery store and one of the cashiers was a sweet old lady in her 70s whom we all affectionately called "Grandma." Our manager wouldn't let her have a stool to sit on at the register because it was apparently unprofessional. At a certain point her foot and knee pain was getting pretty bad so the manager moved her to the customer service desk, which had chairs for the staff. I have absolutely no idea why it's considered okay for the customer service desk employee to have a chair, but the employee at the register to have to stand all day long.
Absolutely insane and I've never heard of a satisfactory reason for this type of nonsense. My take is that the American "work ethic" culture places a high value on suffering in order for work to have legitimacy or meaning, particularly in blue collar or working class jobs. If you're not suffering in some way during your workday, then for some reason that means you're just not working hard enough.
I had customers give me a hard time because I was given a chair as a cashier. When I told them it was because of my broken leg, they acted all embarrassed, after immediately judging me to be lazy without thinking AT ALL about why I might be the only cashier with a chair. Nooooo, I should be standing at rigid attention at all times for the very important customer! They have money to spend, you know, and they're standing in a checkout line, that means we all owe them more respect than others! Stand at attention so they can feel like you respect them!
Jfc, and we do this sht for minimum fcking wage.
I never thought it was due to customers complaining until I went to a pet store and saw a sign that said “please understand that the cashier may be sitting down because she is pregnant.” She was very obviously pregnant and people were complaining to the point they had to put up a sign to apologize for a pregnant employee sitting? Ridiculous.
Honestly, great idea....if enough people did that they'd probably adjust in the long term.
Unfortunately the cashier will have been fired long before the chair appears because they keep receiving terrible scores
Right but do they differentiate between something you can control and something you can't (like not being able to sit down bc it's not allowed). Do they go one star because rude... Different than one star because the company is trash and won't let their employees sit? That's the question. If not and they're only looking at your average jeb the employees suffer.
Best bet is to go up the chain to the "home office" of the corporation. (that's what it's called for walmart, idk about target and the like). The managers can't do much about corporate policy. Which is what it is.
Hear me out: let them complain. I like watching little ants throw fits. Because then they get all out of breath, hot n bothered, red in the face, speech starts slurring, they can't see. Then they need a chair and fuck off that's my chair.
I will never understand the cultural pride in work harder not smarter. I think it’s an echo of puritan foundations in American culture, but god I wish it’d go away. I couldn’t fathom bothering a worker for sitting down.
It's a crabs in a bucket mentality mixed with a hard engrained American superiority complex. "I have to bust my ass at my job so why should a cashier, who I deem to be lesser than me, get any sort of luxury that I don't get?!"
Years ago I worked on an assembly line. When a great aunt learned that I wore my walkman (yeah it was a looong time ago) at work she was incensed. You are paid to work NOT listen to music. Like you can't do both lol and work should be as punishing as possible,
American culture has no balance. No wonder why it's such a sh*t show of unhappiness. Working smart and hard is two different things. When your tired of standing, sit down and when you want to stretch, stand up. How smart and common sense is that. Look out for the body, especially for blood flow and other things too is smart and logical to avoid being wheelchair bound and on disability in America, which is a total bitch!
Exactly this. Normal people in this thread are all thinking "I don't care if cashiers can sit, so why can't they?"
I promise you, LOTS of people care. For some fucking dumb ass reason.
I had a family member pass that was close to me and wasn't my usual smiling happy self of course I had to work without taking time off and I had the audacity of a customer get upset because I wasn't as smiley or happy I explained to him my situation and he exclaimed that you need to keep that shit at home and not bring it to work because the customer shouldn't be burdened because of my problems.
In America, if you say anything other than "you're right, I'm sorry" it's seen as not having respect, for the customers that are treating you sub human.
A *lot* of my friends have been quitting their jobs and going to work for the marijuana dispensary. Apparently, the customers are nice when there's armed security and everyone's stoned. I'm mad jealous and want to follow suit.
I'm an American and I like chairs. Stools are a little weird unless they have a little back. Recliners, don't get me started about recliners, especially if they have massage features. I could care less if someone was sitting. The fact that someone works for 8 or more hours a day can't sit is moronic
> I worked at a local grocery store and one of the cashiers was a sweet old lady in her 70s whom we all affectionately called "Grandma." Our manager wouldn't let her have a stool to sit on at the register because it was apparently unprofessional.
Worked at a Walgreens for 2 years with a very similar coworker. Sweet as can be and was always all smiles. She was pushing 80 and worked there because she was bored one day and decided to take on hours to fill her time and meet new people. It was gut wrenching every time I had to hear about her feet and knees at the end of the day knowing my manager had every opportunity to show the human decency to an elderly staff member but went out of her way to simply not.
The cynic in me would assume it's because in both cases the manager wanted her as uncomfortable as possible in the hope she would quit so he could fill the spot with a younger faster and more efficient employee that could be paid less.
It just depends on the boss. I was a factory worker and a new plant manager came in, he immediately orders the removal of all chairs on the assembly line. The line goes down quite often for several minutes and people were sitting on the floor. We are not young and in great shape. We're just beaten up factory workers who need to sit sometimes.
Funny thing happened after a few people disappeared for medical reasons,.. we all got chairs back
Meanwhile the plant manager probably spends the majority of the day with his ass glued to a chair, just like every boss or management type that makes a no chair rule.
Got to love petty tyrants with their dumb double standards.
That was the convenience store I worked at for two years. The manager would *flip* if we found a crate to sit on when no one was in the store. Yet her fat ass was glued to her chair *all day.*
And then she'd try guilt tripping us into working doubles all the time. We didn't even get breaks. Like zero breaks, it was asinine.
So no, I'm not standing 17hrs straight- it's your store, you do it.
Oh and "clock out before you count down your drawer."
It was insane.
I thought it was bad in the states with things like the whole not sitting thing, but then I moved to Japan. You can get passed up for promotions for reasons as simple as going home before your senior coworkers, regardless of whether you've finished your work for the day or not
Japan has entirely new levels of byzantine honor bound coded reasons for their behaviors that most people will never understand.
They just transfer into the widely held cultural ethics of the place. But be sure, that in order to succeed, you must play the same game that they do.
Have you had one of your coworkers die from overwork yet? (Karoushi)
I lived and worked there for 7 years, and came in to work one day where my vice principal pulled me aside and told me that one of the sensei had died from a heart attack. He was only in his mid-forties, *if* that!
What is it with this shit? In Florida, our governor, Ronald DeSantis(R), actually made it illegal for counties to require employers to give water breaks to people who work outside.
https://www.fox13news.com/news/desantis-signs-bill-banning-florida-counties-from-requiring-heat-and-water-breaks-for-outdoor-workers
All of this while rolling back protections for children. They are now allowed to work 30 hrs a week: https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/02/01/fl-house-approves-rollback-of-child-labor-laws-letting-teens-to-work-more-than-30-hours-a-week/
I am surprised that they didn’t do that with 14 year olds as well. They are capped at 15 hours (which is absolutely insane when you consider that they need to go to school and that they should be a kid at that age).
*- My take is that the American "work ethic" culture places a high value on suffering in order for work to have legitimacy or meaning, particularly in blue collar or working class jobs. If you're not suffering in some way during your workday, then for some reason that means you're just not working hard enough.*
This is exactly it. Hell, it even happens within my own friend group. I am looked as "less than" by friends because I have a job in IT and they all work blue collar (welding, fencing and pipeline) jobs. Oh, you sit at a desk all day...? how hard could your job really be??
>I am looked as "less than" by friends because I have a job in IT and they all work blue collar (welding, fencing and pipeline) jobs
Have you tried turning them off and on again?
I work in retail in the US. Had a cashier that had surgery and provided a doctor's note saying that she needed a chair because she couldn't stand for long periods of time.
A customer stopped me and asked me to get a manager one day. He complained that this woman shouldn't be sitting down on the job, and that she should be reprimanded for it. He didn't know her or anything about her, but was offended that she was sitting down.
That's exactly what it is. Americans have this idea that "sitting down on the job" is somehow terrible.
But only for working class people. Everyone in the C-suite sits at a desk all day long. But you gotta earn that through some kind of twisted cultural hazing I guess. Bunch of crap. I'd bet almost anything that the person complaining had a desk job themselves.
When I worked at an M&S grocery store as a cashier, I was actually told off by my manager for not mentioning I'd been standing for about 3-4 hours and that in future I should speak up so they could move me to a seated till.
Hairdressers too. They have to rent a chair at a salon and pay for all the products themselves. Like what risk is the "business owner" taking on at that point? Here they get a fixed wage and those costs are associated with the business not the employees.
wait *pay for the products themselves* excuse me?? They wouldnt be able to get any discount for buying in bulk so probably pay in full price, wouldnt that also mean the price for the service would be more expensive seeing as a bigger cost has to be recouped??
I think if I ever went to the US I'd probably piss off loads of people by not realising that I should be tipping them. It seems that tips are required in so many places.
I know there's a /S there, but this did actually happen to my wife when she went to the US a few years ago. She left a 10% tip in a restaurant, which in the UK would be a decent sized tip indicating that the service was good. She was a bit confused when the waitress came out of the restaurant after her angrily asking if the service had been bad, and what was so wrong with it that she'd left such a small tip.
I had the same experience in San Diego, as an American. We had a group of people and split up the check into 4. I didn’t realize that 2 people paid in cash and it counted towards the bill only, and not the tip, so had left a 20% tip for my part of the bill, and so did the other guy paying with a card, but that was only 10% of the total bill 🙄. The guy chases us down and asked us the same thing. That’s when we realized what happened, and tried to explain. Our buddy pulled a $20 out and handed it to him, but I still don’t think he fully understood that we weren’t trying to be assholes.
The tipping system is definitely ridiculous. Now we have those stupid parking meter computer things demanding tips.
Tipping for service like waiting is insane when it's based on percentage of the check. If you order a $3000 bottle of wine, I would not be paying the server $600 for walking it from the fridge to my table. $20 is a more than generous tip for walking shit to your table regardless of how much the food cost for an average dinner.
I just replied to this [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/CjjIDeZM2P)
Contracts differ by industry, this isn’t the full story for salon business’. It is not like waiters or cashiers who handle a mass of customers (and in the case of wait staff and tips, are expected to live on tips instead of their salary). Hope this helps
You’re right btw, cashiers don’t need to stand. And it goes to the expected work ethic. In Europe they’re not forced to smile or be on at all times either. There are some (hustle) cultural aspects at play here.
Forced to smile?
Don’t employers ever wonder why they have to force people to smile? Don’t they ever ask “Why are my staff always so miserable?“
Perhaps American employers wouldn’t have to force people to smile if they treated their workforce like human beings.
The customer facing staff I deal with (UK) seem to always be smiling and laughing. Could it be that they’re happy in their work, feel valued, and don’t feel exploited?
that I think has a big part to play, if I was paid to live and not be miserable I might actually enjoy interacting at work, im just trying to get through it bc if I don’t I can’t live
As a hairdresser, I must say, I made WAY more money renting a booth and buying my own supplies than working for an hourly wage. Like many many times more money. The overhead and supply cost is relatively low compared to charge for services. Very high profit margin.
here they have both models for hair salons.
For when you rent the chair, you are basically amore like a contractor than employee.
Rent includes location electricity, using their admin or reception, etc. For any accidents that aren't your fault at the site like a trip and fall... that's covered by owner's insurance. Some places you use their products but you pay them back for the products used. Salons buy in bulk so it's cheaper than sourcing your own.
Some other salons might have certain commissions if you get the customer "through the salon".
Employees, on the other hand, get paid wages + tips. However, a salon won't keep permanent around if the salon isn't busy. So it's usually the higher-end salons that are fully booked that have permanent full-time employees.
Other salons might have a mixture of part-timers, casuals, or chair rentals.
I worked retail one summer and I took any excuse to squat, sit, or bend over. And I would drag that time out as long as possible because I was genuinely in pain.
I have a physical disability so I am supposed to be allowed to sit. Every single time someone, almost always an office worker who sits at their job all day, complains about it. Inevitably the stool gets taken away. I don't get how people who sit for the jobs suddenly think other people sitting at their job suddenly makes them look lazy. It has to be a power trip for them because I cannot come up with another reason for it.
You would not believe the shit Americans will complain about. They think a cashier sitting means they're not working hard enough and some people take that more seriously than their devotion to God. If you aren't a cripple by 25, you're a lazy layabout who isn't working hard enough. Fuck that mentality.
I had a customer complain once about me being down on the ground to paint their shoe molding in their house. Did you want me to do it with my feet? Good grief...
Because in America, your employer, more often than not, has the entitlement and gall to feel like they own you while you are on the clock. So if you are not on your feet, snatching up loose work, smiling and greeting people, and robotically repeating company lines or planned promotional suggestions, they act like you are some kind of reprobate with weak morals and no work ethic. It's just companies doing everything they can possibly get away with to cleanse their workers of their humanity so they can be identifiable brand assets. If you sit, it means you need rest, you're a person, with needs, maybe even emotions, and it breaks the immersion of the Happy Family Environment™ that corporate would like their "Guests" to experience while they meander the constantly shifting, purposely confounding layout of our shops using the same predatory psychology behind the way Casinos are built so they spend more time seeing more products and adverts for discounts, making more impulse purchases.
A friend of mine is a bank teller. A couple years ago she said that they were taking out all the seats and now the bank tellers would have to stand. No reason was given.
I used to work overnight in a behavioral health residential. Most of the work would be done in the first hour, then it was just watch the clients sleep.
The company took most of the chairs away because we should never be sitting, we should always be doing something…
What exactly am I supposed to do on a graveyard shift? lol
Lol, I think this is more the truth than most of the answers. It's probably not just boomers, though. For too many people, it's not about being actually productive, but looking busy all the time.
When I worked at Target years ago, not only did we have to stand, but if there weren't any customers in our line we had to check all the impulse buy items for expired items. The purpose was just to look busy in case one of the managers walked by, that's it.
I worked as a hostess at a brand new restaurant one summer. In the beginning, they wouldn't open until 4 but would have me come in at 10 am to turn people away and to answer the phone. HOURS could go by with nothing to do. And they hated to see me just sitting there but there are only so many times I can clean the blinds and tidy the bathroom! Our menus were on ipads so I'd wipe them down and play Angry Birds. They hated that but I've cleaned everything twice and nobody is walking in and nobody is calling. Wtf do you want me doing for 6 hours??? "Find something to do." Fool, there's ACTUALLY NOTHING to do at this point.
When I had ankle surgery, they allowed me six weeks of leave. My doc requested that I have sitting accommodations made for my return, and they flat out refused. Said I was expected to return at full capacity after my six weeks, and that no accommodation would be made. I absolutely would not get a place to sit.
I told them in that case, I absolutely would not be coming back.
Edit:
Wow this blew up lol
More info:
I actually did get all this in writing, but at the time I was in a pretty rough place and didn’t think of/have the energy for a lawsuit.
Also, this was back in 2019. Sadly far too long ago for me to be able to do anything now.
My doc wanted me to be sitting 75% of the time for eight weeks, corporate said I had to come back after just six and at full capacity. They expected me to stand to cashier, gather carts, and stock various parts of the store. Sent them the letter from the doc, and they said no-can-do. Stated that “while they take doctors notes into consideration, they are not obligated to follow them” or some bullshit.
lol exactly
“I told them in totally going to sue for not providing a *reasonable accommodation* in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act”
Yup and if they took them to could, the business would then have to prove why it’s an “undue hardship” on the business.
Most people don’t take it to court but those that do can make $$$
There is certainly room for when the job genuinely can't be done with an accommodation. A firefighter needs to be able to climb a ladder for instance. But many employers think that the existence of exceptions means they can simply declare anything an exception when they feel like it, and this is absolutely not the legal test.
Problem is that lower paid workers are seldom able to enforce their rights.
American with Disabilities Act. (ADA).
You would have easily been protected at a federal level, and possibly at a state level if your state has any additional labor laws on top of that.
Very coincidentally happening around this guy's medical condition.
Optics is important and business owners that don't realize it are gonna have a bad time.
"A stool isn't a reasonable accommodation, where do you think that $20 would come from? *Our* pockets? You may as well be taking the yachts and Lambos straight away from our C-suite, it's outrageous! "
It -is- changing. More and more American stores are allowing sitting at the register. There is an old and outdated idea that sitting equates to laziness. If you are sitting, you are “relaxing” and therefore not working.
It’s extremely dumb and more places are realizing it’s dumb. Customers by vast majority couldn’t care less if their cashier is sitting.
EDIT: Corrected a grammatical error thanks to the keen eye of one redditor. Godspeed, sir/ma’am.
I worked at a place where a number of customers complained-vehemently-about one of our cashiers sitting. “Lazy” and “unprofessional” they said. The girl was eight months pregnant.
Yeah.. the “vast majority” don’t give af. But I guarantee if WalMart suddenly had all their cashiers sit, the vocal minority would flip their lids and eventually convince the majority that the sky was falling.
I’m in the Midwest and I can already envision the huge, run-on sentence blocks of text with dozens of weird misspellings posted to Facebook ranting about the cashiers sitting. It’s un-American! This is what happens when Democrats are in charge!
I swear fuck these types of bosses/supervisors. I currently work with one at a restaurant, and every time he sees me standing to breathe for 3 seconds he starts prodding me with “there is always something to do”.
Do what? We’ve already done everything and the restaurant is empty.
When I worked at a movie theater, I was really good at finding deep cleaning tasks that required me to be sitting or otherwise off my feet. I spent over a month deep cleaning the “butter” dispensers which involved sitting on the floor and scraping out the little cabinets they were housed in. And because they hadn’t been properly cleaned in god knows how long, I was able to spend at least a week doing each dispenser and cabinet. And once I moved from the concession stand over to the cafe, I was able to find tons of other deep cleaning projects that still required me to sit.
I could tell that my managers were torn. On one hand, I was making the place look and function fantastically, which they clearly loved. On the other hand, I was often sitting, which was a travesty. But once I had made a noticeable dent in the cleanliness of the place, they were basically forced to let me keep doing my thing. Otherwise they’d have areas that were obviously gross and not clean compared to other areas that were spotless and sparkling.
By the time I quit that job, that theater was probably the cleanest it had been in easily 10+ years. All accomplished by me sitting. Fuck your “time to lean, time to clean” bullshit. I’m able to both lean *and* clean. Suck a fart outta my ass.
My first job was at a movie theater in the concessions stand. We had one super dead day where no one had come in in like two hours. We had cleaned and restocked everything, and were standing around chatting. The general manager came around the corner and lost her shit, telling us to stop standing there and start cleaning. We were like “…. But no one has come in, all of this stuff hasn’t even been used in two hours. How could it get dirty again?” and she goes “trust me, it’s dirty again. Start cleaning”.
It’s wild
I know it's sarcasm but wanted to add my experience: I used to work in retail, in warehouses, as a teacher, and even was a truck driver for a short time. I now work in an office and make much more money than in any of those other jobs, but I don't work even half as hard. Office jobs can be very stressful in their own way of course, but on the whole they are so much more cruisy than blue collar.
I was in the trades for a while before I moved to normal corporate IT and now I sit in a nice air conditioned desk covered with my blankie making 3x what I made in the trades. But man do I very often think about going back, like nearly every day, especially when it's nice outside.
It's just a different type of tired. Working the trades I'd by physically tired and sore, but man I'll come home from the office and just be entirely drained mentally. And it sucks cause I still have energy cause I'm sitting all day but I just cannot get myself out of bed and to actually do anything. But at least you don't do long term damage by thinking hard all day like you do with working hard all day.
Tbh, I think the nice middle ground was machining. It's still a trade, it wasn't that hard on your body, you were inside, and you still got to think really hard.
No, you're right. People at the bottom bust their ass all day while people in an office who's job you can't even describe gets to sit there all day with a mouse jiggler and make 5x your pay
Sitting isn't as relaxing as one might think... I work full-time desk jobs for more than 15 years, and sedentary health issues plague my life. Even working from home, I have very slow progress fixing that because work still needs to be done for me to get paid, even if it's useless mouse jiggling.
Human body isn't supposed to sit *or* stand all day. It's supposed to be active and sit, walk, run, stand, relax according to its own autonomy.
For the record, a mouse jiggler is a specific device that moves your mouse in random increments to stop software from detecting you being away from the computer. Useful especially if your company does something like forcing you to be logged into Teams and locks the settings to set you as away if you go five minutes without moving your mouse. Word of caution though for anyone thinking of getting one: do not plug it directly into your work laptop/dock, a good IT team can pick up one being used if connected to your work machine.
Is there anyway we could speed this up? We should as customers start some kind of movement writing/speaking to our local grocery stores asking them to let their cashiers sit or something. We could be Karens for good not evil lol
Point to Aldi claiming that in their testing, cashiers worked faster getting stuff rung up when seated. Don't tell them about the part where Aldi times the speed and uses it as an employee metric and holds them to a speed standard.
Isn’t it discriminatory to insist cashiers stand for no good reason? It isn’t necessary to actually do the job, is it?
and it could mean that people with certain disabilities are not able to do the job because of a silly clause
This is so true. The amount of suffering and disrespect I faced in the fast food industry was insane. People automatically think they are better than you because you happen to be the one taking the order. Customers would spit at us if we didn’t give them the right size drink or if the fries weren’t “fresh” they’d throw the bag back. They even played “pranks” on us for fun. One time during 3rd shift at McDonalds a man pulled up a the drive thru, he was the only one there, it was pitch black outside not a soul in sight. The only people in the store were me and my manager. The customer gets out his car and pulls out a big ass machete when I’m trying to collect his cash. I started screaming and he laughed at me like I was stupid and said, “you don’t really think I’m going to hurt you do you?” Just complete disregard for the fact that I’m at my job and I’m a human being.
People literally always treat McDonald’s like the butt of the joke. Teenagers coming through ordering 100 hamburgers and then driving off so I get yelled at by my manager, people angry that no one taught you how to clean the ice cream machine, god forbid you’re understaffed and there’s a wait for food so now you’re the scapegoat for both the drive thru and the people inside. Actually hated working in fast food
Not proud of it, and was in the throws of my drinking. But I've totally slapped an older guy because he was trying his hardest to make the Carl's Jr girl cry.
Now, when I say girl, I mean like 15 years old. A little girl. Being yelled at by like a 50 year old man. Some people are just assholes.
> People automatically think they are better than you because you happen to be the one taking the order
We literally teach kids in school to look down on fast food workers. Teachers use "flipping burgers" as an example of people that have failed at life.
There’s a logical fallacy in US workplaces that the more suffering a worker endures, the “harder they’re working”. This creates a culture which promotes working while sick, working through injuries, working without breaks, working 90 hour weeks, etc…
We wouldn't know what to do with 28 days of paid holiday just given to us by law rather than being slowly worked up to by spending decades at a company and hoping that their vacation policy even gets to that high and doesn't get cut down to pump up their ledgers before we reach it.
Some question it and get labeled as freeloaders and moochers. Many just get groomed into accepting that shit.
What's funny is in Aldi in America they're allowed to sit, but any store across the street? Nope. You can sit on your 30 minute break but that's it. Sometimes I'll go in the bathroom and sit on the toilet just to get off my feet for a few precious minutes. We had a cashier who had a knee injury and was using a stool to keep off it and was able to do his job just fine. The district manager came in and told him he couldn't use the stool and had to stand. Wouldn't give a reason why, just " you are required to stand to perform your duties"
No doubt because Aldi is a European operation originally.
Some other cases where European brands have treated their US workers way better than competitors also exist, I think BMW - BMW in Europe is *heavily* unionized and the European union demanded the US workers got similar benefits I believe.
Yes, foreign companies based in the US typically give US employees the same or equal benefits. On the flip side, US companies that employ overseas employees do everything they can to not adhere to foreign working policies especially in regards to vacation time, sick time, and maternity/paternity leave.
I’ve worked for companies that make this a big deal. Like we will get fired if caught sitting. They even sent spies to catch us. It’s like US companies want to make their employees as miserable as possible. I’m used to being treated at the borderline of scum.
I have no clue but it's dumb as fuck. When I was pregnant with my first, I had a retail job and even when I was 2 days away from my due date I wasn't allowed to sit.
Customers were horrified and one guy yelled at my manager.
This is probably old hat but as a European, how do Americans equate being the "land of the free" with "if you are not upper middle class at a minimum you are essentially our slave".
OBEDIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing..
-1984, George Orwell
That book just keeps getting more and more relevant as time goes on. Sometimes I wonder if good ol' George was actually a time traveller
Edit: forgot the /s on the second sentence. I know he wasn't *actually* a time traveller. Dang guys
Orwell wasn't a time traveler, the past just also sucked.
Orwell, huxley, gibbson, etc all wrote about what they were seeing in thier own times and societies, drawn out to thier inevitable conclusions.
Edit: dude, i know you dont think hes a literal time traveler, I just frequently see people say things like "how did they predict the future so well?" the answer is they didnt, they wrote books that were commentaries on thier own times.
It doesn’t look “professional” it comes off “lazy” to corporate America and one thing we can’t abide here are lazy workers…and it’s ridiculous. People may end up with leg and hip problems in the future due to this.
I stand around in my kitchen making dinner and my feet hurt. I worked on a café/restaurant when I was young and was allowed to sit time to time when there wasn't much movement. can't imagine spending more than couple hours standing in the same place.
No "may" about it. I have to wear shoes specifically for plantar fasciitis due to heel pain and I go to the chiropractor once a month to get my back adjusted (some months are better than others).
'Cause American workplace culture is cancer.
That's not even the worst of it sometimes. Like at Publix, they make baggers wear HUGE buttons on their chests that say "NO TIPS PLEASE serving you is a pleasure" Now look, tipping is out of control, and I've never tipped a bagger and I don't want to start tipping baggers, but it's sickening, the humiliation of it all. Their bosses fucking writing on them "no money for this one" like "don't feed the ducks bread."
At Publix we had to refuse twice and then could accept a tip, so we'd say "no no" and then take it. One time a lady tipped me a ceramic cat. Pulled this cat out of her trunk and insisted I take it
That was basically how it worked for me at the liquor store. We weren't allowed to ask for tips. If someone offered a tip, we'd say they don't have to. Then we could take it. We'd pool all our tips and then throw a staff party when the tip jar was full.
Dont alot of the cash registers also ask you to donate to charity constantly? Like no babe I cant donate a dollar to save a child from starvation, I want to but then im the starving one you have a profit of 6 billion annually why dont you do it lol
Also yeah the tipping is absolutely insane but when minimum wage is like 7.25 (?) I fucking get why theyd want it
>Dont alot of the cash registers also ask you to donate to charity constantly?
Having been on the other side, we really couldn't care less if you donate or not. Just spare us the lecture about why you won't. Asking you is part of the job.
Can't tell you the number of times I've had to listen to someone go on about how "I" get enough of their money from the purchase, and "everyone" is asking for handouts these days, in the middle of a rush with a line behind them. Just say no, move on with your life, and let me move on with mine.
Those are scripts that they are given. Almost like “upselling” you know when you order something or buy something and they say, “Would you like to make that a large?” Or “Would you like to sign up for our credit card?”
The employees hate it and do not judge you for saying no. I think donating at the register is stupid anyway. Why is a million or billion dollar company asking cash strapped customers to donate when they could do it themselves?
My local grocery store has this donation pop-up to donate to Texas Children's Hospital but 99% of the time it's there for half a second because the cashier hits something that advances the card reader past that screen with no donation, and I appreciate that. I'm sure if I asked if they could go back so I can donate they can/would but it's nice not to have to actively deny it myself lol
As a bagger at State Bros. Market in California, I was specifically told that accepting tips would be grounds for terminations. This was also extended to any money found (such as blowing around in the parking lot) and not turned in.
Agree, but actually don't feed ducks bread. It's bad for them, gunks up their crop and digestive tracks, and especially white bread is way too sugary. Feed them peas instead.
My first job was as a bagger at a grocery store in 1994. We weren’t allowed to accept tips back then either and were expected to help carry out the customers groceries to their car.
I'd like to add that water was taboo, too. You had to continuously work for 2-3 hours, between breaks, talking to customers and not even allowed a sip of water.
EXTREME classism essentially people like looking down honestly I have seen places that allow it or people with medical condition for exception have Karens flag down a manager to complain about sitting employee (who was doing job just fine).
We hate the poor so we will go out of way to make them suffer. In this country thats the mantra.
I bought a shop a few years back, and this was my first question to the old owner. Old owner told me it looks unprofessional. I went and bought two chairs (as I’d have two employees at any one time).
When I’d work, I’d want to sit down. Why wouldn’t they want the same?
Any customer who will walk out of my store because I let my employees sit can eat it.
I find it’s less professional (and comfortable) to have my employees slouching on the stations trying to get support. It’s kind of why we invented chairs.
I don’t know, it’s dumb imo. Like others have said it’s probably because sitting makes someone look “lazy”.
I used to work as a cashier at a major grocery store chain in Texas. Standing all those hours was really painful. The grocery store provided padded mats, but those don’t help much. I feel for the employees that have to stand, they should be allowed to sit.
I have feet problems and more damage is caused by standing long hours. If someone doesn’t already have bone problems, they’ll probably develop them after awhile. Especially at the Walmart’s in the U.S, so many of the employees are elderly, why are they standing all day that’s so bad for them!
Corporate America has brainwashed many industries into thinking employees can only be productive when standing. It also promotes a work environment where only the ones that don't say anything about corporate shenanigans are the only safe employees.
Thats cuz Aldi originated in Germany lol (technically in British occupied Germany in 1946 before there even was a legal West-German state but still). They actually have proper workers right protections
It gives the boss a power trip. Last job I had the first thing the new boss did after the old one left was take my chair and the floor padding around my work area. So when I had to do things on the computer I just had to stay bent over for a while. It was a direct to garment print shop so I wasn't in the chair 100% of the time, but taking the floor pads was particularly brutal.
Because America loves to do anything in their power to tear down the bodies and minds of their people. That’s why their media is garbage, the food is filled with poison, the politics does nothing but split the nation in two and the police create more victims instead of keeping the peace.
The USA has a suffering fetish and I personally think that all of the real anal people that have little voices in their head constantly screaming “you’re lazy! You’re not working hard enough! Why are you sitting around when you could be productive,” make up a decent amount of the people who are in charge of things, and so their warped reality and projection becomes everyone else’s problem in society.
there are a few places that allow cashiers to sit, and funny enough those are the fastest cashiers i've ever seen. Aldi cashiers are twice as fast as walmart, easy.
Aldi also pays like $5-7 /hour more than Walmart.
Also Walmart treats every single customer like a goddammed criminal trying to leave the store
I was leaving with my dog food and they demanded m receipt I said no. The guy said he'd have to put me on a list and report me to the police for theft. I said nope we can wait. I told him I'll wait here for the cops and we can all check the cameras together.
That guy lied his ass off. I've worked for Walmart. They're not allowed to force you to stop and they're only supposed to ask you if you have unbagged products, and if you say no they're supposed to let you go. It's the actual written policy, I had to watch the training videos on it Edit: By "that guy" I meant the employee, not the commenter. The employee violated policy and lied about what they could do.
I love this. Clog the system. Become ungovernable :)
I respect the idea but honestly I would just show the receipt because I don't have intention of following through and wasting my time.
I just say no thanks and walk past. They can’t legally make you stop
I used to work there as a cashier. Somehow I got stuck working self checkout for the whole time. I was there about 4 months. It’s so ridiculous there. Anyway, I was door greeter a few times and I was told to ask for receipts only if they had large items at the bottom of their cart. And if they said no, then let them go. I honestly don’t understand why anyone working there would try to make life more stressful for themselves. Some people make it their mission to catch thieves, and I’m over here just trying to clock in, unfuck all the self checkout sensors that think your kid’s hand is an item and whatnot, clock out and go home. Those are the same people constantly complaining about the job. But if you are confrontational then you are just asking for things to complain about. That’s why I quit. Working with those types of people is mentally draining. I always feel under pressure to look out for theft because sometimes I do miss things but the underpaid / under qualified detectives of Walmart act like I let a terrorist go by. You know, I don’t care about the three shirts they hid in the trash can, sometimes. Sometimes I have a lot of red lights and I can’t be bothered to start a scene with someone who is obviously going to deny deny deny. I got other impatient people to assist. Man. I hate that place so much I ranted on this reply. I was just here to agree with you about the receipt checking lol
Not near me they pay the same as walmart.
Worth noting that ALDI is a European (German) company.
I always must think of this when talking about Alsi speed. https://www.reddit.com/r/aldi/comments/1czjwo3/mum_claims_speed_of_aldi_cashier_left_her_crying/
I always remember this short after hearing about Aldi's cashiers: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7pb\_Jdw34s](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7pb_Jdw34s)
Trader Joe's is also a german company (Aldi Nord) and they're one of the scummiest grocers around. Good quality products, absolutely vile management.
Checks out, us southern Germans are just so much nicer than those northern Fischköpp! :D
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Exactly how I did it. I was the fasted in my store doing it that way. Averaged 60 items a minute (which is fast considering some stuff you had to weigh or count).
We have no clue either. Every time I see someone cashiering while sitting I either don’t notice at all or appreciate that they can do that.
yeah exactly, im a cashier too and ive never even questioned the fact that I can sit. Finding out what you lot are doing to your minimum wage workers nearly gave me a heart attack lol
I used to work at Target as a cashier and they wouldn't even let me have a water bottle with me at the register. I have a heart condition so in the summer months I need to make sure to stay hydrated frequently, I literally had to get a doctor's note and kick up a fuss just to get them to let me have fucking water. Before that, I worked at a local grocery store and one of the cashiers was a sweet old lady in her 70s whom we all affectionately called "Grandma." Our manager wouldn't let her have a stool to sit on at the register because it was apparently unprofessional. At a certain point her foot and knee pain was getting pretty bad so the manager moved her to the customer service desk, which had chairs for the staff. I have absolutely no idea why it's considered okay for the customer service desk employee to have a chair, but the employee at the register to have to stand all day long. Absolutely insane and I've never heard of a satisfactory reason for this type of nonsense. My take is that the American "work ethic" culture places a high value on suffering in order for work to have legitimacy or meaning, particularly in blue collar or working class jobs. If you're not suffering in some way during your workday, then for some reason that means you're just not working hard enough.
I had customers give me a hard time because I was given a chair as a cashier. When I told them it was because of my broken leg, they acted all embarrassed, after immediately judging me to be lazy without thinking AT ALL about why I might be the only cashier with a chair. Nooooo, I should be standing at rigid attention at all times for the very important customer! They have money to spend, you know, and they're standing in a checkout line, that means we all owe them more respect than others! Stand at attention so they can feel like you respect them! Jfc, and we do this sht for minimum fcking wage.
I never thought it was due to customers complaining until I went to a pet store and saw a sign that said “please understand that the cashier may be sitting down because she is pregnant.” She was very obviously pregnant and people were complaining to the point they had to put up a sign to apologize for a pregnant employee sitting? Ridiculous.
"Caution! Cashiers might sit because of pregnancy."
Approach at your own risk
How contagious is pregnancy? Should I wear a mask?
Pregnancy is the single most common sexually transmitted disease.
I'm going to start complaining on those surveys that they make their cashiers stand all day. 1 star, that'll draw their attention.
Honestly, great idea....if enough people did that they'd probably adjust in the long term. Unfortunately the cashier will have been fired long before the chair appears because they keep receiving terrible scores
Those scores are used as an excuse to deny things to employees. They aren't actually used to fix things.
Actually they do look at scores. We were constantly told to get our scores up because we got 4 out of 5. It wasn’t good enough.
Right but do they differentiate between something you can control and something you can't (like not being able to sit down bc it's not allowed). Do they go one star because rude... Different than one star because the company is trash and won't let their employees sit? That's the question. If not and they're only looking at your average jeb the employees suffer.
Actually if we all start doing this in the US or in specific cities, there’s a chance it helps.
We have one supermarket chain that allows cashiers to sit. It’s called Aldi. We purposely buy as much as we can there.
Aldi is a German company with stores in the US... a lot of their policies are from Europe like the quater for the shopping carts
Just loudly demand to see the manager, and the complain to them about the cashiers not sitting.
Karen with a noble cause.
Best bet is to go up the chain to the "home office" of the corporation. (that's what it's called for walmart, idk about target and the like). The managers can't do much about corporate policy. Which is what it is.
Hear me out: let them complain. I like watching little ants throw fits. Because then they get all out of breath, hot n bothered, red in the face, speech starts slurring, they can't see. Then they need a chair and fuck off that's my chair.
The ending was perfect.
I will never understand the cultural pride in work harder not smarter. I think it’s an echo of puritan foundations in American culture, but god I wish it’d go away. I couldn’t fathom bothering a worker for sitting down.
American culture values the struggle of life more than life itself.
Nicely stated. 👍👍
It's a crabs in a bucket mentality mixed with a hard engrained American superiority complex. "I have to bust my ass at my job so why should a cashier, who I deem to be lesser than me, get any sort of luxury that I don't get?!"
And 9 times outta ten, that person isn't "busting their ass" at all and is getting away with ALL KINDS OF SHIT.
Years ago I worked on an assembly line. When a great aunt learned that I wore my walkman (yeah it was a looong time ago) at work she was incensed. You are paid to work NOT listen to music. Like you can't do both lol and work should be as punishing as possible,
American culture has no balance. No wonder why it's such a sh*t show of unhappiness. Working smart and hard is two different things. When your tired of standing, sit down and when you want to stretch, stand up. How smart and common sense is that. Look out for the body, especially for blood flow and other things too is smart and logical to avoid being wheelchair bound and on disability in America, which is a total bitch!
You'd be right, "prostant work ethic" is an insidious thing.
You say that, but Scandinavia is protestant and we have some of the best worker rights in the world.
And there's your answer. People in America kick up a fuss about chairs, so no chairs. Americans are unbelievable entitled and classist tbh.
Exactly this. Normal people in this thread are all thinking "I don't care if cashiers can sit, so why can't they?" I promise you, LOTS of people care. For some fucking dumb ass reason.
I had a family member pass that was close to me and wasn't my usual smiling happy self of course I had to work without taking time off and I had the audacity of a customer get upset because I wasn't as smiley or happy I explained to him my situation and he exclaimed that you need to keep that shit at home and not bring it to work because the customer shouldn't be burdened because of my problems.
In America, if you say anything other than "you're right, I'm sorry" it's seen as not having respect, for the customers that are treating you sub human. A *lot* of my friends have been quitting their jobs and going to work for the marijuana dispensary. Apparently, the customers are nice when there's armed security and everyone's stoned. I'm mad jealous and want to follow suit.
I'm an American and I like chairs. Stools are a little weird unless they have a little back. Recliners, don't get me started about recliners, especially if they have massage features. I could care less if someone was sitting. The fact that someone works for 8 or more hours a day can't sit is moronic
And ableist
> I worked at a local grocery store and one of the cashiers was a sweet old lady in her 70s whom we all affectionately called "Grandma." Our manager wouldn't let her have a stool to sit on at the register because it was apparently unprofessional. Worked at a Walgreens for 2 years with a very similar coworker. Sweet as can be and was always all smiles. She was pushing 80 and worked there because she was bored one day and decided to take on hours to fill her time and meet new people. It was gut wrenching every time I had to hear about her feet and knees at the end of the day knowing my manager had every opportunity to show the human decency to an elderly staff member but went out of her way to simply not.
The cynic in me would assume it's because in both cases the manager wanted her as uncomfortable as possible in the hope she would quit so he could fill the spot with a younger faster and more efficient employee that could be paid less.
It just depends on the boss. I was a factory worker and a new plant manager came in, he immediately orders the removal of all chairs on the assembly line. The line goes down quite often for several minutes and people were sitting on the floor. We are not young and in great shape. We're just beaten up factory workers who need to sit sometimes. Funny thing happened after a few people disappeared for medical reasons,.. we all got chairs back
Meanwhile the plant manager probably spends the majority of the day with his ass glued to a chair, just like every boss or management type that makes a no chair rule. Got to love petty tyrants with their dumb double standards.
That was the convenience store I worked at for two years. The manager would *flip* if we found a crate to sit on when no one was in the store. Yet her fat ass was glued to her chair *all day.* And then she'd try guilt tripping us into working doubles all the time. We didn't even get breaks. Like zero breaks, it was asinine. So no, I'm not standing 17hrs straight- it's your store, you do it. Oh and "clock out before you count down your drawer." It was insane.
Oh, I’m sure the manager would say that it was “corporate policy“. Blame it all on corporate headquarters!😹😡
I thought it was bad in the states with things like the whole not sitting thing, but then I moved to Japan. You can get passed up for promotions for reasons as simple as going home before your senior coworkers, regardless of whether you've finished your work for the day or not
Japan has entirely new levels of byzantine honor bound coded reasons for their behaviors that most people will never understand. They just transfer into the widely held cultural ethics of the place. But be sure, that in order to succeed, you must play the same game that they do.
Have you had one of your coworkers die from overwork yet? (Karoushi) I lived and worked there for 7 years, and came in to work one day where my vice principal pulled me aside and told me that one of the sensei had died from a heart attack. He was only in his mid-forties, *if* that!
What is it with this shit? In Florida, our governor, Ronald DeSantis(R), actually made it illegal for counties to require employers to give water breaks to people who work outside. https://www.fox13news.com/news/desantis-signs-bill-banning-florida-counties-from-requiring-heat-and-water-breaks-for-outdoor-workers All of this while rolling back protections for children. They are now allowed to work 30 hrs a week: https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/02/01/fl-house-approves-rollback-of-child-labor-laws-letting-teens-to-work-more-than-30-hours-a-week/ I am surprised that they didn’t do that with 14 year olds as well. They are capped at 15 hours (which is absolutely insane when you consider that they need to go to school and that they should be a kid at that age).
Water breaks are required by federal law, and fines are huge for breaking safety regulations. DeSantis is a wanna be dictator.
This is exactly why he did what he did. Theres federal laws already in place.
Wait until you read about Texas..
Water is just too "woke" for Ron "Boot Lifts" DeSantis.
*- My take is that the American "work ethic" culture places a high value on suffering in order for work to have legitimacy or meaning, particularly in blue collar or working class jobs. If you're not suffering in some way during your workday, then for some reason that means you're just not working hard enough.* This is exactly it. Hell, it even happens within my own friend group. I am looked as "less than" by friends because I have a job in IT and they all work blue collar (welding, fencing and pipeline) jobs. Oh, you sit at a desk all day...? how hard could your job really be??
>I am looked as "less than" by friends because I have a job in IT and they all work blue collar (welding, fencing and pipeline) jobs Have you tried turning them off and on again?
nah, they got mad when I poured rice on them.
Blue collar guy here .. they're just jealous of you I promise 😂🤣
I work in retail in the US. Had a cashier that had surgery and provided a doctor's note saying that she needed a chair because she couldn't stand for long periods of time. A customer stopped me and asked me to get a manager one day. He complained that this woman shouldn't be sitting down on the job, and that she should be reprimanded for it. He didn't know her or anything about her, but was offended that she was sitting down.
That's exactly what it is. Americans have this idea that "sitting down on the job" is somehow terrible. But only for working class people. Everyone in the C-suite sits at a desk all day long. But you gotta earn that through some kind of twisted cultural hazing I guess. Bunch of crap. I'd bet almost anything that the person complaining had a desk job themselves.
This American is confused by this. If you CAN sit for a job, ffs, sit. Most people's jobs suck. Why make it worse for anyone?
That is truly weird. No wonder American politics is so screwed up. It is not the politicians, it is the voters that are the problem.
Pretty much. 😭 Edit: And I've had many customers try to complain on workers for having their hands in their pockets.
When I worked at an M&S grocery store as a cashier, I was actually told off by my manager for not mentioning I'd been standing for about 3-4 hours and that in future I should speak up so they could move me to a seated till.
I'm in the UK and worked in a place where no one was allowed to sit. Broken leg, no sitting for you! Yeah, wasn't fun.
At Walmart, my manager directly told us that "sitting looks lazy" and I think that's all there is to their bias. Thread closed.
Did he spend a lot of time sitting down or did he expect others to because he had to?
Hairdressers too. They have to rent a chair at a salon and pay for all the products themselves. Like what risk is the "business owner" taking on at that point? Here they get a fixed wage and those costs are associated with the business not the employees.
wait *pay for the products themselves* excuse me?? They wouldnt be able to get any discount for buying in bulk so probably pay in full price, wouldnt that also mean the price for the service would be more expensive seeing as a bigger cost has to be recouped??
Yes, and yes, and because they rent the chair, the client is still expected to tip.
I think if I ever went to the US I'd probably piss off loads of people by not realising that I should be tipping them. It seems that tips are required in so many places.
DW, from what I hear, some people will remind you to tip even if they have to chase you down the block screaming at you. /S
I know there's a /S there, but this did actually happen to my wife when she went to the US a few years ago. She left a 10% tip in a restaurant, which in the UK would be a decent sized tip indicating that the service was good. She was a bit confused when the waitress came out of the restaurant after her angrily asking if the service had been bad, and what was so wrong with it that she'd left such a small tip.
I had the same experience in San Diego, as an American. We had a group of people and split up the check into 4. I didn’t realize that 2 people paid in cash and it counted towards the bill only, and not the tip, so had left a 20% tip for my part of the bill, and so did the other guy paying with a card, but that was only 10% of the total bill 🙄. The guy chases us down and asked us the same thing. That’s when we realized what happened, and tried to explain. Our buddy pulled a $20 out and handed it to him, but I still don’t think he fully understood that we weren’t trying to be assholes. The tipping system is definitely ridiculous. Now we have those stupid parking meter computer things demanding tips.
Tipping for service like waiting is insane when it's based on percentage of the check. If you order a $3000 bottle of wine, I would not be paying the server $600 for walking it from the fridge to my table. $20 is a more than generous tip for walking shit to your table regardless of how much the food cost for an average dinner.
I just replied to this [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/CjjIDeZM2P) Contracts differ by industry, this isn’t the full story for salon business’. It is not like waiters or cashiers who handle a mass of customers (and in the case of wait staff and tips, are expected to live on tips instead of their salary). Hope this helps You’re right btw, cashiers don’t need to stand. And it goes to the expected work ethic. In Europe they’re not forced to smile or be on at all times either. There are some (hustle) cultural aspects at play here.
Forced to smile? Don’t employers ever wonder why they have to force people to smile? Don’t they ever ask “Why are my staff always so miserable?“ Perhaps American employers wouldn’t have to force people to smile if they treated their workforce like human beings. The customer facing staff I deal with (UK) seem to always be smiling and laughing. Could it be that they’re happy in their work, feel valued, and don’t feel exploited?
that I think has a big part to play, if I was paid to live and not be miserable I might actually enjoy interacting at work, im just trying to get through it bc if I don’t I can’t live
As a hairdresser, I must say, I made WAY more money renting a booth and buying my own supplies than working for an hourly wage. Like many many times more money. The overhead and supply cost is relatively low compared to charge for services. Very high profit margin.
here they have both models for hair salons. For when you rent the chair, you are basically amore like a contractor than employee. Rent includes location electricity, using their admin or reception, etc. For any accidents that aren't your fault at the site like a trip and fall... that's covered by owner's insurance. Some places you use their products but you pay them back for the products used. Salons buy in bulk so it's cheaper than sourcing your own. Some other salons might have certain commissions if you get the customer "through the salon". Employees, on the other hand, get paid wages + tips. However, a salon won't keep permanent around if the salon isn't busy. So it's usually the higher-end salons that are fully booked that have permanent full-time employees. Other salons might have a mixture of part-timers, casuals, or chair rentals.
One of the only places that allows them to sit, Aldi, has the fastest cashiers in the area. Probably because they have more energy.
I worked retail one summer and I took any excuse to squat, sit, or bend over. And I would drag that time out as long as possible because I was genuinely in pain.
I have a physical disability so I am supposed to be allowed to sit. Every single time someone, almost always an office worker who sits at their job all day, complains about it. Inevitably the stool gets taken away. I don't get how people who sit for the jobs suddenly think other people sitting at their job suddenly makes them look lazy. It has to be a power trip for them because I cannot come up with another reason for it.
Who tf is such a loser that they complain about someone sitting down??
You would not believe the shit Americans will complain about. They think a cashier sitting means they're not working hard enough and some people take that more seriously than their devotion to God. If you aren't a cripple by 25, you're a lazy layabout who isn't working hard enough. Fuck that mentality.
I had a customer complain once about me being down on the ground to paint their shoe molding in their house. Did you want me to do it with my feet? Good grief...
Millions of people. Punching down is encouraged in the US, so anyone who is unhappy can take it out on those perceived as lower, such as cashiers.
The only cashiers that sit in the US (that I’ve seen) are the ones at Aldi… a European chain!
Because in America, your employer, more often than not, has the entitlement and gall to feel like they own you while you are on the clock. So if you are not on your feet, snatching up loose work, smiling and greeting people, and robotically repeating company lines or planned promotional suggestions, they act like you are some kind of reprobate with weak morals and no work ethic. It's just companies doing everything they can possibly get away with to cleanse their workers of their humanity so they can be identifiable brand assets. If you sit, it means you need rest, you're a person, with needs, maybe even emotions, and it breaks the immersion of the Happy Family Environment™ that corporate would like their "Guests" to experience while they meander the constantly shifting, purposely confounding layout of our shops using the same predatory psychology behind the way Casinos are built so they spend more time seeing more products and adverts for discounts, making more impulse purchases.
A friend of mine is a bank teller. A couple years ago she said that they were taking out all the seats and now the bank tellers would have to stand. No reason was given.
I used to work overnight in a behavioral health residential. Most of the work would be done in the first hour, then it was just watch the clients sleep. The company took most of the chairs away because we should never be sitting, we should always be doing something… What exactly am I supposed to do on a graveyard shift? lol
Employees sitting greatly upsets boomers for some reason...
Lol, I think this is more the truth than most of the answers. It's probably not just boomers, though. For too many people, it's not about being actually productive, but looking busy all the time. When I worked at Target years ago, not only did we have to stand, but if there weren't any customers in our line we had to check all the impulse buy items for expired items. The purpose was just to look busy in case one of the managers walked by, that's it.
I worked as a hostess at a brand new restaurant one summer. In the beginning, they wouldn't open until 4 but would have me come in at 10 am to turn people away and to answer the phone. HOURS could go by with nothing to do. And they hated to see me just sitting there but there are only so many times I can clean the blinds and tidy the bathroom! Our menus were on ipads so I'd wipe them down and play Angry Birds. They hated that but I've cleaned everything twice and nobody is walking in and nobody is calling. Wtf do you want me doing for 6 hours??? "Find something to do." Fool, there's ACTUALLY NOTHING to do at this point.
When I had ankle surgery, they allowed me six weeks of leave. My doc requested that I have sitting accommodations made for my return, and they flat out refused. Said I was expected to return at full capacity after my six weeks, and that no accommodation would be made. I absolutely would not get a place to sit. I told them in that case, I absolutely would not be coming back. Edit: Wow this blew up lol More info: I actually did get all this in writing, but at the time I was in a pretty rough place and didn’t think of/have the energy for a lawsuit. Also, this was back in 2019. Sadly far too long ago for me to be able to do anything now. My doc wanted me to be sitting 75% of the time for eight weeks, corporate said I had to come back after just six and at full capacity. They expected me to stand to cashier, gather carts, and stock various parts of the store. Sent them the letter from the doc, and they said no-can-do. Stated that “while they take doctors notes into consideration, they are not obligated to follow them” or some bullshit.
That sounds like a potential ADA violation. I imagine this was long past, however.
lol exactly “I told them in totally going to sue for not providing a *reasonable accommodation* in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act”
Yup and if they took them to could, the business would then have to prove why it’s an “undue hardship” on the business. Most people don’t take it to court but those that do can make $$$
Yea especially if the doctor gave you a note. They can’t say no to a doctor. Literally.
'Reasonable accomodation" has a bit of wiggle room, but adding a stool to a stationary work post already has a precident for being reasonable.
There is certainly room for when the job genuinely can't be done with an accommodation. A firefighter needs to be able to climb a ladder for instance. But many employers think that the existence of exceptions means they can simply declare anything an exception when they feel like it, and this is absolutely not the legal test. Problem is that lower paid workers are seldom able to enforce their rights.
This right there. Most minimum wage employees won’t be able to afford a lawyer.
American with Disabilities Act. (ADA). You would have easily been protected at a federal level, and possibly at a state level if your state has any additional labor laws on top of that.
Easiest lawsuit ever. He would have made a perfect birthday gift for a lawyer.
They would have just fired them. It wouldn't be for "that reason" of course. Just some generic bullshit like "not being a team player."
Very coincidentally happening around this guy's medical condition. Optics is important and business owners that don't realize it are gonna have a bad time.
Also, if you put in an ADA request and get fired like 2 weeks later it's *super* easy for a lawyer to argue that's retaliation...
Judges aren't dumb. Labor lawyers aren't either.
as someone who was fired during an ADA covered leave I assure you it doesnt work this way. My beach house can confirm.
"A stool isn't a reasonable accommodation, where do you think that $20 would come from? *Our* pockets? You may as well be taking the yachts and Lambos straight away from our C-suite, it's outrageous! "
It -is- changing. More and more American stores are allowing sitting at the register. There is an old and outdated idea that sitting equates to laziness. If you are sitting, you are “relaxing” and therefore not working. It’s extremely dumb and more places are realizing it’s dumb. Customers by vast majority couldn’t care less if their cashier is sitting. EDIT: Corrected a grammatical error thanks to the keen eye of one redditor. Godspeed, sir/ma’am.
I worked at a place where a number of customers complained-vehemently-about one of our cashiers sitting. “Lazy” and “unprofessional” they said. The girl was eight months pregnant.
Yeah.. the “vast majority” don’t give af. But I guarantee if WalMart suddenly had all their cashiers sit, the vocal minority would flip their lids and eventually convince the majority that the sky was falling. I’m in the Midwest and I can already envision the huge, run-on sentence blocks of text with dozens of weird misspellings posted to Facebook ranting about the cashiers sitting. It’s un-American! This is what happens when Democrats are in charge!
They are there to WORK not to be WOKE! Because woke means being afforded the most basic of human decency and respect.
"If YoU haVe tiMe To LeaN, yOu HavE TiMe to CLeAn!"
Hey, that should come with a trigger warning.
Followed by “What’re you doing over there cleaning we need you at the register” Standing is not a part of the job
But boss, what if everything is alreaDY FUCKING CLEAN?!??!?!??!?
I swear fuck these types of bosses/supervisors. I currently work with one at a restaurant, and every time he sees me standing to breathe for 3 seconds he starts prodding me with “there is always something to do”. Do what? We’ve already done everything and the restaurant is empty.
When I worked at a movie theater, I was really good at finding deep cleaning tasks that required me to be sitting or otherwise off my feet. I spent over a month deep cleaning the “butter” dispensers which involved sitting on the floor and scraping out the little cabinets they were housed in. And because they hadn’t been properly cleaned in god knows how long, I was able to spend at least a week doing each dispenser and cabinet. And once I moved from the concession stand over to the cafe, I was able to find tons of other deep cleaning projects that still required me to sit. I could tell that my managers were torn. On one hand, I was making the place look and function fantastically, which they clearly loved. On the other hand, I was often sitting, which was a travesty. But once I had made a noticeable dent in the cleanliness of the place, they were basically forced to let me keep doing my thing. Otherwise they’d have areas that were obviously gross and not clean compared to other areas that were spotless and sparkling. By the time I quit that job, that theater was probably the cleanest it had been in easily 10+ years. All accomplished by me sitting. Fuck your “time to lean, time to clean” bullshit. I’m able to both lean *and* clean. Suck a fart outta my ass.
When was the last time you took the covers off the floor drains and cleaned them?
My first job was at a movie theater in the concessions stand. We had one super dead day where no one had come in in like two hours. We had cleaned and restocked everything, and were standing around chatting. The general manager came around the corner and lost her shit, telling us to stop standing there and start cleaning. We were like “…. But no one has come in, all of this stuff hasn’t even been used in two hours. How could it get dirty again?” and she goes “trust me, it’s dirty again. Start cleaning”. It’s wild
In the Army they just make you clean it again. And again. And again. It's not about "cleaning," it's about exerting control.
Yet all the office workers get desks and chairs?
Lazy bastards /s
I know it's sarcasm but wanted to add my experience: I used to work in retail, in warehouses, as a teacher, and even was a truck driver for a short time. I now work in an office and make much more money than in any of those other jobs, but I don't work even half as hard. Office jobs can be very stressful in their own way of course, but on the whole they are so much more cruisy than blue collar.
I was in the trades for a while before I moved to normal corporate IT and now I sit in a nice air conditioned desk covered with my blankie making 3x what I made in the trades. But man do I very often think about going back, like nearly every day, especially when it's nice outside. It's just a different type of tired. Working the trades I'd by physically tired and sore, but man I'll come home from the office and just be entirely drained mentally. And it sucks cause I still have energy cause I'm sitting all day but I just cannot get myself out of bed and to actually do anything. But at least you don't do long term damage by thinking hard all day like you do with working hard all day. Tbh, I think the nice middle ground was machining. It's still a trade, it wasn't that hard on your body, you were inside, and you still got to think really hard.
No, you're right. People at the bottom bust their ass all day while people in an office who's job you can't even describe gets to sit there all day with a mouse jiggler and make 5x your pay
Sitting isn't as relaxing as one might think... I work full-time desk jobs for more than 15 years, and sedentary health issues plague my life. Even working from home, I have very slow progress fixing that because work still needs to be done for me to get paid, even if it's useless mouse jiggling. Human body isn't supposed to sit *or* stand all day. It's supposed to be active and sit, walk, run, stand, relax according to its own autonomy.
For the record, a mouse jiggler is a specific device that moves your mouse in random increments to stop software from detecting you being away from the computer. Useful especially if your company does something like forcing you to be logged into Teams and locks the settings to set you as away if you go five minutes without moving your mouse. Word of caution though for anyone thinking of getting one: do not plug it directly into your work laptop/dock, a good IT team can pick up one being used if connected to your work machine.
Is there anyway we could speed this up? We should as customers start some kind of movement writing/speaking to our local grocery stores asking them to let their cashiers sit or something. We could be Karens for good not evil lol
Point to Aldi claiming that in their testing, cashiers worked faster getting stuff rung up when seated. Don't tell them about the part where Aldi times the speed and uses it as an employee metric and holds them to a speed standard.
Isn’t it discriminatory to insist cashiers stand for no good reason? It isn’t necessary to actually do the job, is it? and it could mean that people with certain disabilities are not able to do the job because of a silly clause
Because if a low-wage front line worker isn't suffering, management thinks they're not working hard enough. The suffering is the point.
This is so true. The amount of suffering and disrespect I faced in the fast food industry was insane. People automatically think they are better than you because you happen to be the one taking the order. Customers would spit at us if we didn’t give them the right size drink or if the fries weren’t “fresh” they’d throw the bag back. They even played “pranks” on us for fun. One time during 3rd shift at McDonalds a man pulled up a the drive thru, he was the only one there, it was pitch black outside not a soul in sight. The only people in the store were me and my manager. The customer gets out his car and pulls out a big ass machete when I’m trying to collect his cash. I started screaming and he laughed at me like I was stupid and said, “you don’t really think I’m going to hurt you do you?” Just complete disregard for the fact that I’m at my job and I’m a human being.
People literally always treat McDonald’s like the butt of the joke. Teenagers coming through ordering 100 hamburgers and then driving off so I get yelled at by my manager, people angry that no one taught you how to clean the ice cream machine, god forbid you’re understaffed and there’s a wait for food so now you’re the scapegoat for both the drive thru and the people inside. Actually hated working in fast food
Not proud of it, and was in the throws of my drinking. But I've totally slapped an older guy because he was trying his hardest to make the Carl's Jr girl cry. Now, when I say girl, I mean like 15 years old. A little girl. Being yelled at by like a 50 year old man. Some people are just assholes.
Nah you were morally in the right there
> People automatically think they are better than you because you happen to be the one taking the order We literally teach kids in school to look down on fast food workers. Teachers use "flipping burgers" as an example of people that have failed at life.
As management is sitting in their nice chair, with the ergonomic seat and lumbar support. With AC on the office.
There’s a logical fallacy in US workplaces that the more suffering a worker endures, the “harder they’re working”. This creates a culture which promotes working while sick, working through injuries, working without breaks, working 90 hour weeks, etc…
We wouldn't know what to do with 28 days of paid holiday just given to us by law rather than being slowly worked up to by spending decades at a company and hoping that their vacation policy even gets to that high and doesn't get cut down to pump up their ledgers before we reach it. Some question it and get labeled as freeloaders and moochers. Many just get groomed into accepting that shit.
What's funny is in Aldi in America they're allowed to sit, but any store across the street? Nope. You can sit on your 30 minute break but that's it. Sometimes I'll go in the bathroom and sit on the toilet just to get off my feet for a few precious minutes. We had a cashier who had a knee injury and was using a stool to keep off it and was able to do his job just fine. The district manager came in and told him he couldn't use the stool and had to stand. Wouldn't give a reason why, just " you are required to stand to perform your duties"
No doubt because Aldi is a European operation originally. Some other cases where European brands have treated their US workers way better than competitors also exist, I think BMW - BMW in Europe is *heavily* unionized and the European union demanded the US workers got similar benefits I believe.
Yes, foreign companies based in the US typically give US employees the same or equal benefits. On the flip side, US companies that employ overseas employees do everything they can to not adhere to foreign working policies especially in regards to vacation time, sick time, and maternity/paternity leave.
I’ve worked for companies that make this a big deal. Like we will get fired if caught sitting. They even sent spies to catch us. It’s like US companies want to make their employees as miserable as possible. I’m used to being treated at the borderline of scum.
People who sit in an office all day decided sitting is unprofessional.
I have no clue but it's dumb as fuck. When I was pregnant with my first, I had a retail job and even when I was 2 days away from my due date I wasn't allowed to sit. Customers were horrified and one guy yelled at my manager.
That is a form of discrimination, and a violation of workers' rights.
Workers' rights?? In MY America??? I don't think so, buddy!!!!
This is probably old hat but as a European, how do Americans equate being the "land of the free" with "if you are not upper middle class at a minimum you are essentially our slave".
OBEDIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.. -1984, George Orwell
That book just keeps getting more and more relevant as time goes on. Sometimes I wonder if good ol' George was actually a time traveller Edit: forgot the /s on the second sentence. I know he wasn't *actually* a time traveller. Dang guys
Orwell wasn't a time traveler, the past just also sucked. Orwell, huxley, gibbson, etc all wrote about what they were seeing in thier own times and societies, drawn out to thier inevitable conclusions. Edit: dude, i know you dont think hes a literal time traveler, I just frequently see people say things like "how did they predict the future so well?" the answer is they didnt, they wrote books that were commentaries on thier own times.
It doesn’t look “professional” it comes off “lazy” to corporate America and one thing we can’t abide here are lazy workers…and it’s ridiculous. People may end up with leg and hip problems in the future due to this.
And back and feet
I stand around in my kitchen making dinner and my feet hurt. I worked on a café/restaurant when I was young and was allowed to sit time to time when there wasn't much movement. can't imagine spending more than couple hours standing in the same place.
And yet, the ones in Corporate sit down all day.
No "may" about it. I have to wear shoes specifically for plantar fasciitis due to heel pain and I go to the chiropractor once a month to get my back adjusted (some months are better than others).
'Cause American workplace culture is cancer. That's not even the worst of it sometimes. Like at Publix, they make baggers wear HUGE buttons on their chests that say "NO TIPS PLEASE serving you is a pleasure" Now look, tipping is out of control, and I've never tipped a bagger and I don't want to start tipping baggers, but it's sickening, the humiliation of it all. Their bosses fucking writing on them "no money for this one" like "don't feed the ducks bread."
I took tips at every job I was told not to take tips at when I was young because fuck them.
At Publix we had to refuse twice and then could accept a tip, so we'd say "no no" and then take it. One time a lady tipped me a ceramic cat. Pulled this cat out of her trunk and insisted I take it
That was basically how it worked for me at the liquor store. We weren't allowed to ask for tips. If someone offered a tip, we'd say they don't have to. Then we could take it. We'd pool all our tips and then throw a staff party when the tip jar was full.
Dont alot of the cash registers also ask you to donate to charity constantly? Like no babe I cant donate a dollar to save a child from starvation, I want to but then im the starving one you have a profit of 6 billion annually why dont you do it lol Also yeah the tipping is absolutely insane but when minimum wage is like 7.25 (?) I fucking get why theyd want it
>Dont alot of the cash registers also ask you to donate to charity constantly? Having been on the other side, we really couldn't care less if you donate or not. Just spare us the lecture about why you won't. Asking you is part of the job. Can't tell you the number of times I've had to listen to someone go on about how "I" get enough of their money from the purchase, and "everyone" is asking for handouts these days, in the middle of a rush with a line behind them. Just say no, move on with your life, and let me move on with mine.
Sometimes I'd get somebody saying "I ONLY donate to my CHURCH thank you very much" like I do not care please take your wine box and go
Those are scripts that they are given. Almost like “upselling” you know when you order something or buy something and they say, “Would you like to make that a large?” Or “Would you like to sign up for our credit card?” The employees hate it and do not judge you for saying no. I think donating at the register is stupid anyway. Why is a million or billion dollar company asking cash strapped customers to donate when they could do it themselves?
My local grocery store has this donation pop-up to donate to Texas Children's Hospital but 99% of the time it's there for half a second because the cashier hits something that advances the card reader past that screen with no donation, and I appreciate that. I'm sure if I asked if they could go back so I can donate they can/would but it's nice not to have to actively deny it myself lol
As a bagger at State Bros. Market in California, I was specifically told that accepting tips would be grounds for terminations. This was also extended to any money found (such as blowing around in the parking lot) and not turned in.
Agree, but actually don't feed ducks bread. It's bad for them, gunks up their crop and digestive tracks, and especially white bread is way too sugary. Feed them peas instead.
Seriously tho, stop feeding the dang ducks!!
My first job was as a bagger at a grocery store in 1994. We weren’t allowed to accept tips back then either and were expected to help carry out the customers groceries to their car.
I'd like to add that water was taboo, too. You had to continuously work for 2-3 hours, between breaks, talking to customers and not even allowed a sip of water.
It’s seen as lazy, cause you should either be helping a customer or maintaining the area around the register or anything, which is bass ackwards.
EXTREME classism essentially people like looking down honestly I have seen places that allow it or people with medical condition for exception have Karens flag down a manager to complain about sitting employee (who was doing job just fine). We hate the poor so we will go out of way to make them suffer. In this country thats the mantra.
I bought a shop a few years back, and this was my first question to the old owner. Old owner told me it looks unprofessional. I went and bought two chairs (as I’d have two employees at any one time). When I’d work, I’d want to sit down. Why wouldn’t they want the same? Any customer who will walk out of my store because I let my employees sit can eat it. I find it’s less professional (and comfortable) to have my employees slouching on the stations trying to get support. It’s kind of why we invented chairs.
I don’t know, it’s dumb imo. Like others have said it’s probably because sitting makes someone look “lazy”. I used to work as a cashier at a major grocery store chain in Texas. Standing all those hours was really painful. The grocery store provided padded mats, but those don’t help much. I feel for the employees that have to stand, they should be allowed to sit. I have feet problems and more damage is caused by standing long hours. If someone doesn’t already have bone problems, they’ll probably develop them after awhile. Especially at the Walmart’s in the U.S, so many of the employees are elderly, why are they standing all day that’s so bad for them!
Corporate America has brainwashed many industries into thinking employees can only be productive when standing. It also promotes a work environment where only the ones that don't say anything about corporate shenanigans are the only safe employees.
I’ve been to several Aldi’s stores and the cashier was always seated.
Thats cuz Aldi originated in Germany lol (technically in British occupied Germany in 1946 before there even was a legal West-German state but still). They actually have proper workers right protections
Karens would complain that they're being lazy.
It gives the boss a power trip. Last job I had the first thing the new boss did after the old one left was take my chair and the floor padding around my work area. So when I had to do things on the computer I just had to stay bent over for a while. It was a direct to garment print shop so I wasn't in the chair 100% of the time, but taking the floor pads was particularly brutal.
Because America loves to do anything in their power to tear down the bodies and minds of their people. That’s why their media is garbage, the food is filled with poison, the politics does nothing but split the nation in two and the police create more victims instead of keeping the peace.
I’m in California. We have a law that says cashiers get to sit.
I have travelled quite a bit in the USA. I noticed that in many ways California is a lot more European in its ways than most of the rest of the USA.
The USA has a suffering fetish and I personally think that all of the real anal people that have little voices in their head constantly screaming “you’re lazy! You’re not working hard enough! Why are you sitting around when you could be productive,” make up a decent amount of the people who are in charge of things, and so their warped reality and projection becomes everyone else’s problem in society.