Thank you, Ann. I hope your published book opens doors for more working class people who are interested in writing (like me!). Your experience reminded me of being raised my an immigrant parent, and the culture of Hawaii, where, when they ask, "Where did you graduate?" they mean high school, not college, where holding a job, no matter what it is, is not judged as demeaning.
To be honest, I love the idea of working at a grocery store because you must get discounts, right? But the brutality of being overeducated and underpaid is what the American dream has turned into.
Nice article. I can relate, as I work in a grocery store now, too. I was an RN, but the career has been too much for me. I wanted to step away and try something different. I am a cashier. I enjoy my work and the people I meet. I am also taking some billing and coding classes to maybe change professions. It would be nice to make more money again.
When I was in high school, I longed to have a job at the grocery store like the other kids. But when I applied they wouldn't hire me. I was so disappointed. I don't know why they wouldn't hire me. So now I think that I have my dream job.
Thank you for pointing out what demeaning really is. People at the top make so much money off cheap labor in the US; it’s so frustrating. I’m living in Bangladesh where there is cheap labor (people being severely underpaid) and I wish it were different.
Wow, could I ever relate to this topic! I'm 60, and have an odd tendency to announce this as a preface to sharing my take on things. It's also a bit masochistic. Oh how brave of me, right?? Anyway- your essay about working in retail brought back many years worth of memories, and then I realized those memories really aren't that long ago. (and I have done far more "demeaning" things for money, anyway) I've waitressed in establishments from McDonald's to very high end restaurants~including hostessing at a charming but intimidating place I'd describe as "genteel for the well-heeled". It wasn't at all uncommon to meet and seat big name celebrities. I've worked in clothing stores, pet stores, card stores, delis etc. I swept up hair from the floors of hair salons. I've cleaned 24/7 laundromats overnight. Alone. It's truly not an exaggeration that , since my teens, I've worked more jobs than I can list. I know this because I've tried. It's sad, hilarious, and kinda funny...all at once. All these experiences have afforded me the unique perspective of being a part of diverse communities , and definitely gave me material to write about! The reasons behind not having a proper career are really complex and would make this comment inordinately long. Clif notes: I'm writing a memoir about how being raised in an end-times cult ( and coerced to drop out of high school 2 months shy of graduating) informed the trajectory of my life. No college degree OR high school diploma?? Frankly it's amazing I was hired over a hundred times. For anything! Before I was late diagnosed with adhd with autistic overlap (good times) I failed the math/science half of the GED requirements. The library system assigned me a tutor (a curmudgeon with a dry sense of humor I found hilarious) but I never got past 10th grade algebra. Funny how people uninformed about neurodiverse learning styles might assume I was stupid (and I use that ugly word because I actually have been called it). I wasnt stupid. Never was. I found out I have Dyscalculia, often a feature of ADHD, and put me under the umbrella of *learning disabled". That was a tough pill to swallow. However, it still doesn't mean "stupid". As a matter of fact, I aced the English/Writing Skills portion of the GED with a score that put me at "well above college graduate". Back to supermarket work. It is not for the weak. I've had managers who must have been trained in hell. Some were absolutely cruel. Most hated their jobs -and you know what they say about shit trickling downstream. I was sexually harassed by several male "supervisors" as well. I remember finally telling one old gal to F herself because she said I'd be fired for not working every Dec holiday. Found out later you can't collect unemployment when you're "insubordinate". Go figure. I'll wrap it up here. The one specific incident your essay brought to mind was the time in 2012 I worked at a privately owned bougie gourmet market. A man came through my line and made a comment about colleges. He was shopping for a grad party or something. I am usually friendly and chatted a bit as I rang up his goods (400 bucks in 2012!) He then looked up and asked me "so what are you doing here?" I thought that was weird. "Excuse me?" I replied. He said "well where'd you go to school?" I could have lied. But screw him. I chuckled and answered "I didnt". He smirked at me, took his change, and said; "well that's what you're doing here.". I kid you not.
You need to start writing seriously and get your story out there.
People are cruel. When I first moved to LA in the early seventies I scooped ice cream. Oh, the cruel comments I endured....similar to yours. It took me ages to put it all in perspective. Those slurs and actions spoke mostly about those people slinging them rather than about you or me.....
Cruelty never computes with me. Every job experience I've had has taught me about empathy, humility, community, humanity! Thank you for your comment. I definitely have to keep going with my memoir...and include a FAT chapter on the myriad jobs which taught me so much about myself, and how I'd much rather be *kind* than entitled. Just three days ago, I waited out a long caregiving shift despite being in absolute agony from kidney stones. I informed the client's wife that my pain was why I couldnt get to "all the things" (though they weren't even part of my job duties) and that I was going to go to the hospital. (ended up calling an ambulance) Her reply was "well, were the dogs fed?" Unreal. May the kind of wealth that breeds such callousness never find me.
The wages (and sometimes conditions) can be terrible, but I certainly never thought of the work the staff at my grocery store does as demeaning. Instead, I remember something my father used to say: "There's nothing wrong with honest work."
Great essay! Working any job is not demeaning. Working indicates facing reality and doing what needs to be done. It shows ambition and true grit.
When I could no longer work in the LA school system due to many issues, I quit to write books for children. After my retirement funds ran out I'd had only a smattering of successes, so I opened a house cleaning biz in the Hamptons. Yes, several "friends" criticized and shamed me, but I don't define myself by what I do for a living. Within a year I was making twice what I earned teaching, loved the work, enjoyed being my own boss, setting my own hours, and writing in my spare time.
I am now a traditionally published picture book author.
Thank you, Ann. I hope your published book opens doors for more working class people who are interested in writing (like me!). Your experience reminded me of being raised my an immigrant parent, and the culture of Hawaii, where, when they ask, "Where did you graduate?" they mean high school, not college, where holding a job, no matter what it is, is not judged as demeaning.
To be honest, I love the idea of working at a grocery store because you must get discounts, right? But the brutality of being overeducated and underpaid is what the American dream has turned into.
Ann - I bristled before starting your piece and I immediately went into preemptive defensive mode.
Instead, I loved it. Your writing has the warmth of someone you’d want to be friends with. (I just pre-ordered your book. Looking forward to it!)
Nice article. I can relate, as I work in a grocery store now, too. I was an RN, but the career has been too much for me. I wanted to step away and try something different. I am a cashier. I enjoy my work and the people I meet. I am also taking some billing and coding classes to maybe change professions. It would be nice to make more money again.
When I was in high school, I longed to have a job at the grocery store like the other kids. But when I applied they wouldn't hire me. I was so disappointed. I don't know why they wouldn't hire me. So now I think that I have my dream job.
Thank you for pointing out what demeaning really is. People at the top make so much money off cheap labor in the US; it’s so frustrating. I’m living in Bangladesh where there is cheap labor (people being severely underpaid) and I wish it were different.
Very nicely expressed. An important piece.
Wow, could I ever relate to this topic! I'm 60, and have an odd tendency to announce this as a preface to sharing my take on things. It's also a bit masochistic. Oh how brave of me, right?? Anyway- your essay about working in retail brought back many years worth of memories, and then I realized those memories really aren't that long ago. (and I have done far more "demeaning" things for money, anyway) I've waitressed in establishments from McDonald's to very high end restaurants~including hostessing at a charming but intimidating place I'd describe as "genteel for the well-heeled". It wasn't at all uncommon to meet and seat big name celebrities. I've worked in clothing stores, pet stores, card stores, delis etc. I swept up hair from the floors of hair salons. I've cleaned 24/7 laundromats overnight. Alone. It's truly not an exaggeration that , since my teens, I've worked more jobs than I can list. I know this because I've tried. It's sad, hilarious, and kinda funny...all at once. All these experiences have afforded me the unique perspective of being a part of diverse communities , and definitely gave me material to write about! The reasons behind not having a proper career are really complex and would make this comment inordinately long. Clif notes: I'm writing a memoir about how being raised in an end-times cult ( and coerced to drop out of high school 2 months shy of graduating) informed the trajectory of my life. No college degree OR high school diploma?? Frankly it's amazing I was hired over a hundred times. For anything! Before I was late diagnosed with adhd with autistic overlap (good times) I failed the math/science half of the GED requirements. The library system assigned me a tutor (a curmudgeon with a dry sense of humor I found hilarious) but I never got past 10th grade algebra. Funny how people uninformed about neurodiverse learning styles might assume I was stupid (and I use that ugly word because I actually have been called it). I wasnt stupid. Never was. I found out I have Dyscalculia, often a feature of ADHD, and put me under the umbrella of *learning disabled". That was a tough pill to swallow. However, it still doesn't mean "stupid". As a matter of fact, I aced the English/Writing Skills portion of the GED with a score that put me at "well above college graduate". Back to supermarket work. It is not for the weak. I've had managers who must have been trained in hell. Some were absolutely cruel. Most hated their jobs -and you know what they say about shit trickling downstream. I was sexually harassed by several male "supervisors" as well. I remember finally telling one old gal to F herself because she said I'd be fired for not working every Dec holiday. Found out later you can't collect unemployment when you're "insubordinate". Go figure. I'll wrap it up here. The one specific incident your essay brought to mind was the time in 2012 I worked at a privately owned bougie gourmet market. A man came through my line and made a comment about colleges. He was shopping for a grad party or something. I am usually friendly and chatted a bit as I rang up his goods (400 bucks in 2012!) He then looked up and asked me "so what are you doing here?" I thought that was weird. "Excuse me?" I replied. He said "well where'd you go to school?" I could have lied. But screw him. I chuckled and answered "I didnt". He smirked at me, took his change, and said; "well that's what you're doing here.". I kid you not.
You need to start writing seriously and get your story out there.
People are cruel. When I first moved to LA in the early seventies I scooped ice cream. Oh, the cruel comments I endured....similar to yours. It took me ages to put it all in perspective. Those slurs and actions spoke mostly about those people slinging them rather than about you or me.....
Cruelty never computes with me. Every job experience I've had has taught me about empathy, humility, community, humanity! Thank you for your comment. I definitely have to keep going with my memoir...and include a FAT chapter on the myriad jobs which taught me so much about myself, and how I'd much rather be *kind* than entitled. Just three days ago, I waited out a long caregiving shift despite being in absolute agony from kidney stones. I informed the client's wife that my pain was why I couldnt get to "all the things" (though they weren't even part of my job duties) and that I was going to go to the hospital. (ended up calling an ambulance) Her reply was "well, were the dogs fed?" Unreal. May the kind of wealth that breeds such callousness never find me.
One can hope....it's everywhere now.
Oh and...I still make very little money. I'm a home health aide with chronic back pain. We "under-earners" make the world go 'round.
The wages (and sometimes conditions) can be terrible, but I certainly never thought of the work the staff at my grocery store does as demeaning. Instead, I remember something my father used to say: "There's nothing wrong with honest work."
Great essay! Working any job is not demeaning. Working indicates facing reality and doing what needs to be done. It shows ambition and true grit.
When I could no longer work in the LA school system due to many issues, I quit to write books for children. After my retirement funds ran out I'd had only a smattering of successes, so I opened a house cleaning biz in the Hamptons. Yes, several "friends" criticized and shamed me, but I don't define myself by what I do for a living. Within a year I was making twice what I earned teaching, loved the work, enjoyed being my own boss, setting my own hours, and writing in my spare time.
I am now a traditionally published picture book author.
Haters be damned.