Foo - New Job is killing me

Hey guys I'd like to have to opinion of other people on the subject, I've got a new job in a convenience store and it feels like hell to me.
Here's how it go.
Minimum wage, I usually work from 6am to 3pm ( I have to be there at 5h30-45 to open it and get everything checked and counted and that 15-30 min isn't paid)
or 5pm to 8pm those are the best shifts since I work in the backstore and pile up/unpack stuff.
or 3pm to 11pm, and at the end of the shift I have to calculate my whole shift and do the whole work report and accountancy for my shift and the day. Which means I'm not out of the place until 11:30-midnight and after 11:15 I'm not paid.
I have no break at all and there's almost always someone in the store to buy stuff, I'M all alone, and I got no time to eat... and they want to give me more hours, I'm going into depression. I'm starting to hate it and my diet and life schedule is going to hell what should I do?

even though most of my shifts are like 9hours no break at all, I almost always end up doing 10hours long shifts, and at the end of it, I'm too tired to go and ride and just enjoy the rest of the day.

Stay with it.
Someday you will be the manager.

You should be paid for the set-up time before the store opens. If they expect you to count things ahead of opening the store, you should be paid for your time.

Other than that, what is killing you about the job? It sounds like they have lots of open shifts.

well 10hours long shifts, No lunch time and being all alone during that time without any help is killing me since there is a lot of place for a second employee at the same time as me plus I totally hate to do the accountancy after my shift. my shift is officially over at 3pm per exemple, but the other guy only starts at 3pm so at 3pm I have to check and do all the accountancy and stuff and I have at least 30-45 mins more to do.

what a masochistic job that is...

Sounds to me like they are violating some labor laws. I'd LOVE to get at them. You know, you CAN make some anonymous calls.......:D

I'm not sure of the specific laws in quebec, but I'm pretty sure that stock check should be paid.

just look here.
http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/home/index.html

I'm not sure of the specific laws in quebec, but I'm pretty sure that stock check should be paid.

just look here.
http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/home/index.html

Thanks I'll at least look over that and talk about it with them since if it keeps on like that, I'll just leave and look for another job.

You are in a difficult situation.
Anyone in the business you can talk too?

Vous avez un travaille tres difficile! Vous serez le patron ou chef, un certain jour!


Hey guys I'd like to have to opinion of other people on the subject, I've got a new job in a convenience store and it feels like hell to me.
Here's how it go.
Minimum wage, I usually work from 6am to 3pm ( I have to be there at 5h30-45 to open it and get everything checked and counted and that 15-30 min isn't paid)
or 5pm to 8pm those are the best shifts since I work in the backstore and pile up/unpack stuff.
or 3pm to 11pm, and at the end of the shift I have to calculate my whole shift and do the whole work report and accountancy for my shift and the day. Which means I'm not out of the place until 11:30-midnight and after 11:15 I'm not paid.
I have no break at all and there's almost always someone in the store to buy stuff, I'M all alone, and I got no time to eat... and they want to give me more hours, I'm going into depression. I'm starting to hate it and my diet and life schedule is going to hell what should I do?

even though most of my shifts are like 9hours no break at all, I almost always end up doing 10hours long shifts, and at the end of it, I'm too tired to go and ride and just enjoy the rest of the day.

dump that ****! quit that crap!

Those types of jobs are important reminders as to what you don't want to do in life. Crappy job + ounce of ambition = enlightenment.

Quit? It is a minimum wage job. Or keep it for 6 months and start looking elsewhere.

^^ This. It's a minimum wage job. Quit and find another one.

Stick with it until you find another job. Don't leave them hanging. Even though it is minimum wage, they still deserve a modicum of respect.

I'm sorry your employer is so crappy. I too, have a minimum wage convenience store job and I'm the only one working during my shifts (unless we're doing something big like moving shelves around), but my bosses are made of win. Most days the bosslady comes in the morning to do the before-work setup, and at night bossman comes in at the end of the day to do the accounting stuff. I second the advice of other people here telling you to find another job. Seriously, minimum wage is not worth that level of stress.

Those types of jobs are important reminders as to what you don't want to do in life. Crappy job + ounce of ambition = enlightenment.

Yeah really. Education is the key to happiness
__
And lol at the guy that found out I was french( seriously I'm doing my best and it shouldn't be that bad actually but I will make some weird mistakes that are going to sound awkward in english lol. Same applies to english people trying to speak french so... I get it)
__

well I think I'll talk about it with the managers and if nothing changes I'll look for something else.

thanks to everyone!

So your working 3 sets of shifts, weekly rotation?.

If its mentally draining you, a physical drain is imminent.

It could be the constant shift pattern & not getting into a daily routine that could be the off-set.

Pack it in, claim benefits, get your mental/physical health back in shape & look for something which isn't shift work, constant pattern, less hours.

Thankgod I trained hard.

Let me introduce you to a concept called leadership from the middle of the pack. In a nutshell, it means be better than you are now and lead where others *****, gripe and complain. Not happy with what you are doing? Then change you - and then change what you do.

Bottom line, if you aren't planning to excel at whatever you are doing, then don't be surprised by sub-standard results. That is the same no matter what job you have.

I've worked more than my share of crappy jobs, and some were much worse than what you are describing. Get back to school, get a degree of some sort (stay away from vocational school crap, get a real degree), then find yourself a decent job. Work hard, and work smart.

After years of working for someone else, I've begun working for myself. I have a small business selling on the big auction site, and I'm nearly to the point where I'll be making more money that I am at my reguar job. It's fun, and the extra money is nice to have.

Cant speak for Canada but in the US, lunch break is required by law. 4.5 hours and you got a lunch break. I would think something similar there too.

Or...

Let's play... "LET'S PRETEND THIS IS IN THE ROAD FORUM"


Hey guys I'd like to have to opinion of other people on the subject, I've got a new job in a convenience store and it feels like hell to me.
Here's how it go.
Minimum wage, I usually work from 6am to 3pm ( I have to be there at 5h30-45 to open it and get everything checked and counted and that 15-30 min isn't paid)
or 5pm to 8pm those are the best shifts since I work in the backstore and pile up/unpack stuff.
or 3pm to 11pm, and at the end of the shift I have to calculate my whole shift and do the whole work report and accountancy for my shift and the day. Which means I'm not out of the place until 11:30-midnight and after 11:15 I'm not paid.
I have no break at all and there's almost always someone in the store to buy stuff, I'M all alone, and I got no time to eat... and they want to give me more hours, I'm going into depression. I'm starting to hate it and my diet and life schedule is going to hell what should I do?

even though most of my shifts are like 9hours no break at all, I almost always end up doing 10hours long shifts, and at the end of it, I'm too tired to go and ride and just enjoy the rest of the day.

HTFU.

Every job has its' drawbacks. Try teaching sometime. Some days are excellent, some days make you want to take a job at the 7-11.

I've worked more than my share of crappy jobs, and some were much worse than what you are describing. Get back to school, get a degree of some sort (stay away from vocational school crap, get a real degree), then find yourself a decent job. Work hard, and work smart.

After years of working for someone else, I've begun working for myself. I have a small business selling on the big auction site, and I'm nearly to the point where I'll be making more money that I am at my reguar job. It's fun, and the extra money is nice to have.
well I'm a college student so studying isn't a problem...

Or...

Let's play... "LET'S PRETEND THIS IS IN THE ROAD FORUM"



HTFU.

LOL! ( I wrote that on my cellphone banner about 2 weeks ago, you guys are teaching a lot to me)

Cant speak for Canada but in the US, lunch break is required by law. 4.5 hours and you got a lunch break. I would think something similar there too.

+1. Just a technicality, but I thought it was a paid 15 min break every 4 hours as well? I get 30 minutes of paid break over the course of the day and an hour -- unpaid -- lunch break, for a total 9 hour day. The 15 minutes break has been the case at my other jobs, though most have not gone out of their way to remind me of that :rolleyes:

I could be wrong, but I think that the labor standards are different from province to province.

Hey guys I'd like to have to opinion of other people on the subject, I've got a new job in a convenience store and it feels like hell to me.
Here's how it go.
Minimum wage, I usually work from 6am to 3pm ( I have to be there at 5h30-45 to open it and get everything checked and counted and that 15-30 min isn't paid)
or 5pm to 8pm those are the best shifts since I work in the backstore and pile up/unpack stuff.
or 3pm to 11pm, and at the end of the shift I have to calculate my whole shift and do the whole work report and accountancy for my shift and the day. Which means I'm not out of the place until 11:30-midnight and after 11:15 I'm not paid.
I have no break at all and there's almost always someone in the store to buy stuff, I'M all alone, and I got no time to eat... and they want to give me more hours, I'm going into depression. I'm starting to hate it and my diet and life schedule is going to hell what should I do?

even though most of my shifts are like 9hours no break at all, I almost always end up doing 10hours long shifts, and at the end of it, I'm too tired to go and ride and just enjoy the rest of the day.

Not worth it, find another job then quit.

Ah, yes, I have had jobs where you just feel like you are dying a slow death inside while you are working, then you feel it outside of work, too. I isn't a "quit whining and do your job, you have to start somewhere" type of thing; you have some ligitmate complains and reasons for feeling that way.

My solution for myself was to simply find another job. Any other job certainly couldn't have been any worse! The weirdest part was always my co-workers who loved the exact same job that made me want to die.

GAH! This thread fires me up. :mad:

Maybe it's the Union Rep in me...:notamused:

The weirdest part was always my co-workers who loved the exact same job that made me want to die.

Lets be frank. You aint likely to get convenience store management to make changes over your concerns and welfare. My former wife worked in them and it was always the same, much as you describe. Complain all you want, they'll have an excuse for doing nothing.

Having said that, she got on fine working there for one simple reason:

She was determined to do a good job, no matter what.

Crappy shift hours, whacky customers, overloaded work schedules- it didn?t matter. She would make the best of it. You can thank goodness you aren't enduring all you describe AND doing it on the graveyard shift, too. I was always amazed at her for remaining so upbeat through it all.

What I learned from her is that your attitude is the most important thing. You gotta be determined to take ownership, instead of waiting for others to change things... that's what work entails. You do that by gritting your teeth, digging in and being determined to emerge smelling like a rose. But you must really want that, otherwise you end up just feeling low.

If you must remain in an entry level job for some reason, really knuckle down and make the best of it until you can find something better. Unless you are being made to perform slave labor, dont whine, complain or talk yourself into feeling bad.
As corny as it sounds, be determined to kill everyone around you with kindness. It will be weird at first, but it works.

Yeah really. Education is the key to happiness

OK, but that's not really what I meant. Higher education opens some doors, no doubt, however more importantly a person who is ambitious will make things happen in their lives. You just have to look for, and create your own opportunities. It may include furthering your education, or getting a better job, or creating a business, etc.

Quebec Labour Standards: http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/home/index.html

Work hard, get a good reference, get out as soon as you can. It helps to have a long-term plan when you're feeling stuck in the dumps, that way you can review it when you're getting depressed and frustrated. If you know they'll have a hard time filling your job, push for a lunch break and pay for your stocking and take-down.

Unless you're lucky or talented, it's going to be hard to claw your way up the ladder without some sort of education.