Brace yourself cause I am going to let rip. If I don't I may just explode!
Why I hear you ask?
Well I tell you..........you know I will......
This morning I woke up at 5 am as I do each fortnight for my Saturday morning shift.
It is winter, it is cold, and dark, and this morning we can add WET.
I work in a supermarket. Last year they did up the store, and staff were asked not to park in the customer parking area. No problem there.
So for the past 12 months I have parked our car on the road. There are painted parking slots, but it is street parking. A whole year. Never an issue. Perfect too as it isn't so bad when I shop after work to get the trolley back to the safe trolley bay.
This morning at 7.30 am, when the store support manger came in she asked my supervisor to come and tell me I HAD TO MOVE MY CAR NOW. She didn't, she had to assert her power and command from afar.
"Why.... and where would you like me to park it....I wont say where I though I might like to park it...but I think you can guess where I am going with this...?"
I was told...."We have to park around the back past the loading dock."
Wonderful. Not an issue during the day. But at 6 am when it's dark, or at 9.30 pm at night, to walk ALL the way around the back. It is a fair distance, like around the block. It is unlit, no shop windows, no path, in an area known for oddly strange people with mental issues.......Well it is causing a little issue with me.
As I can not run any more, and always find myself coming to and from work on my own, and not in large groups, I have a serious safety issue about this. In fact I am shocked they do not seem to think there is a safety concern!
THEM: "We had an incident with a staff member and a customer out there... we do not want any more accidents"
ME: "Well now we have increased the risk of that by 100, as you have to drive back around the whole car park to get on the right road to drive home, where as before to just had to drive a short distance through..... It took me 7 mins to get out!"
THEM: "Oh there is a highway running along side, people will see you...."
ME: "Well there is also a lot of dark corners, and people driving along a highway do not tend to watch a dark car park at 6 am....."
So on Monday I will seek our safety team member and put forward my concern, and ask that she take that to the meeting. I feel that staff starting and finishing late should be able to park on the street parking close to the store. It is a matter a of health and safety...MINE! If that fails I will go to the union.
If they think I am going to park around there next Thursday night , then we will have a little problem on our hands.
Honestly can't you just think for 5 mins for yourself, and not blanket everyone with the same brush. Staff members starting early, or ending late should me allowed to park in the well lit, close to the store off street parking areas, where most customers hate to park anyway, as it is too far from the shop with a trolley!
Go and have a good orgasm, and stop trying to ruin my smile. I am not even having SEX, for fuck sake, so why are you so bloody jealous? I swear this week, whenever I have seemed remotely too happy, some form of management has shot me down with some kind of bullshit power play. At least my customers like me. BIG RASPBERRIES TO YOU! There that's maturely shown them!
OK, my rant is done....feeling a bit better...but this fight isn't over yet......stay tuned.
It was all a bit rushed as it was the terms of her visa that she must be married within six months or she would have to return to Australia. But they would have married anyway.
I wasn't able to travel to London, although it would have been lovely to have been there, but I am looking forward to the face book pictures, which so far there is just one, but she looks so beautiful and happy.
I saw the above mime on face book and posted it on her wall, as I thought it summed up marriage, relationships, and love perfectly. Don't you think?
I hope your weekend is happy and free of robotic management.
Until such time as you're allowed to park in a safe area I'd suggest you consider buying and carrying with you something like pepper spray or a tazer if that's legal in Australia. I don't believe you're government allows you to own a firearm for self-protection or I would suggest buying and becoming proficient in the use of one.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your niece and her Ben.
I am pretty sure that stuff is illegal to the average person. No Don, I think I will park there on my day shifts, but on my super early's and late nights they can bite me! I will follow procedure, and tell the safety committee, but I will also discuss the issue with the union. There has to be a common sense approach to staff working the odd dark hours. Surely we can meet in the middle?
DeleteHubby being the BULL he is has drawn a red line in the sand. He said FUCK THEM. He is parking right in the centre of the customer parking lot tonight. He works nights, and starts when the store is almost closing. So it really shouldn't impact customer parking at all. It is also late when he comes out so very dark.
Unlike me, he WILL NOT go move the car. So I hope they don't pick a fight with him as it wont end well, and he'll be punished for his defiance with a huge loss of hours. It is what they do to make you conform.
But I would rather meet in the middle if I can. But if they wont see reason, I will fight back using their own codes of conduct and safety procedures. I am pretty sure it would be easier to let me park closer on those 2 days, than hire security to escort us to our cars at night?
I am just wondering if it was just a bad morning for someone and they needed to bully someone to feel better? time will tell.
Wish me luck!
My niece and her new hubby, look positively happy. I hope that smile never fades. To be young and in love hey!
You need to be able to park where it is safe, especially in the early or late hours.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a matter for the safety committee to look into
I brought the matter up today with the lady rep of the safety committee. So fingers crossed it is all good. I did park in the area they wished me too today, and will on my day shifts, but it is a little out of the way, and I'll definitely have to move the car if I plan to shop after work.
DeleteNext step is to call the union and find out if they can actually force me to move my car off a public street parking area???