I knew once I got a job in retail that it would be difficult and frustrating. It is hard on your feet, if you work with customers they can be frustrating, and the managers send you curve balls.

However, I forgot what it felt like to be powerless. For the past 4 shifts I have just been puttering around the sales floor, helping sales associates and taking out stock. It has been hard on my back, with low pay and bad hours but no conflicts had yet to arise. In fact, I even like my immediate superior. But now my manager is clamping down. I was promised 20-35 hours, with the higher end happening when we were super busy. Right now I have no help, they have not been able to find anyone else who wants this job so when i asked for 24 hours I was given a lecture about changing things.

He had been diplomatic, but incorrect on pretty much every point. I had done the schedule knowing that the person usually responsible for it doesn’t do my supervisor’s schedule, so we just matches ours up. I needed less hours because I am in school and need homework time. Nope, according to my manager i had changed the agreement completely.

Fuck it. I stayed nice out of obligation, out of the assumption that I was needed as a shoulder to cry on. That leaving would be worse.

But it’s not. I was never there in the first place was I? Even at the peak of availability I was not needed. That’s ok. I can handle that. I can watch you crash and burn knowing that I had no control over the results. Not out of a morbid hope but the knowledge that I was able to predict it instead.

I don’t care where you come from, your DNA, your heritage, your culture, your family. You have no excuse for what you do.

I no longer want to be a part of your bad choices.