I'm in kind of a shitty situation at work here
1 / 2
tl;dr
>I am the only employee besides the manager
>there is no air conditioning in summer / no heat in winter
>I work all day by myself on Saturday (manager doesn't come in at all. We're open 10+ hours saturday)
>I work more hours than the manager a week but obviously get paid less
>I work between 35-40 hours a week for "part-time"
>I need time off to get shit done but i cant get any time off
Originally I worked 3 days during the week + saturday, which was fine. I was going to school and studying. The other guy that was working here left, and the manager asked me if I could work everyday.
It's been almost a year and he has not hired a new person. I've told the manager time and time again to hire someone else but he has not done this.
I know it is not my decision, but when I'm alone in a store and get 10 customers waiting for me to help them, it gets fucking nuts. There is literally a line out the door. Sometimes it takes up to 30 minutes for me to help just one customer, and another 9 are still waiting for something - plus it's not always the same thing. I work in a third party pack / ship/ print shop, so could you imagine one person wants me to pack something worth $1000 while someone else wants to print 1000 posters or something and needs it done in an hour? Impossible - but happens every week!
I've only gotten one day off within 2 years - I had to ask 6 months in advance for it. The manager went away TWICE - January and February, leaving me by myself for 4 weeks total in the store. Opening and closing. Counting the money. etc.
I ask for a day off? "I need to see."
The guy takes off once a week and doesn't even show up on Saturdays. I could not go to work at all on Saturday and he wouldn't know about it since our security cameras dont even fucking work.
2/2
I need to make appointments.
I need to go shopping for new clothes ( because I'm trying to get a new job in my career field)
I need to get new glasses - haven't gotten new ones in 4 years
I need to clean up my house.
I need to do laundry.
I need to take my pets to the vet.
I need to replace my lost drivers permit.
I need to do a lot of work around the house because we're getting everything renovated
I need to practice driving during the week and not only on Sundays
I can't do any of this because I work 6 days a week.
It takes an hour and a half to get to work, and I work 5-6 hours a day, then another hour and half to get back. My hours are in the middle of the day till the evening - so by the time I want to do half the things after work, stores are closed.
If I wanted to do anything before work, I wouldn't be able to because I take public transportation and everything else I need to do is far away in the opposite direction
Basically
I need to work LESS so I can get other shit done.
I've worked for 3 years straight now. No vacation. No days off except Govt. Holidays. No time to do anything for myself. I haven't bought anything for myself either in 3 years. No games, no clothes, never went out to parties, never went out to see movies, never hung out with friends.
Literally wake up -> go to work -> go home -> go to sleep -> dont get anything done because exhausted from work or too late to do anything.
Can't change my hours either, the manager wants to get out of work early so he can go do things so I'm stuck with the late shift.
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I'm very close with the owner of the business ( not the manager) and I've spoken about this to him before. All he says is "tell *manager*" because he makes all the decisions.
That doesn't work.
I don't want to quit because the owner of the business would be an excellent reference on my resume for future jobs. I just don't know what to do.
>>17259571
3/3
Forgot to mention that I basically run the store by myself everyday and I get paid less than someone else at the business owner's other store.
>I get paid $10.50 an hour for literally being a manager / only employee in store for most of the week
>New guy gets $11.75 and has been at the other store for 3 months, always has other people working with him
Find a new job.
>>17259581
I'm looking. I send my resume + cover letters to any job opening in my field when they are posted on indeed.com/dice.com/monster.com
Still nothing.
For the time being I need to keep the job because I enjoy having money and I need to use it as a reference. I also do not want a gap in my employment.
>>17259588
Why cant the owner make you a manager and give you better pay at least if you want to keep working.
Honestly it sounds like you are being taken advantage of within whatever is legal.
I would at least log your hours on the Department of Labor app on your smartphone so you can get report to the DoL that you arent getting full time status and benefits.
