So I work at a roadrunner and my first experience was part time at a run down store on graveyard where it would be dead for hours on end, even on the weekend. Basically I had to clean the store, handle customers, and any down time was just a paid break, and that was fine because of how slow it was. Plus the manager just didn’t care about what we did during the break as long as nothing was destroyed, no one was robbed or hurt, and it was nothing illegal. It was fun, but it didn’t pay well.

So I left for another job after getting called back from a layoff, and got fired a few months there for bullshit reasons. In the meantime they replaced my position and I went to another store for full time work, hoping for graveyard bit instead I got a schedule that goes anywhere from starting at 2 pm to finishing at 7 am that changes.

Basically I’m either working 2nd, overnight, or relief all in the same week. Plus while we do work 8 hours usually, we don’t get breaks at this store where it’s so busy, even though the other store during the busier shifts on 1st and 2nd would let the other clock out for 30 minutes for lunch, the only shift not doing so is overnight but again, it was so dead you’d think it was a cemetery so it made up for it.

Hell I got yelled at because when I went to do the trash outside at 18 pumps I locked the door and just told a couple potential customers to hang on a minute at around 1-2 am. It would’ve taken me a couple minutes to finish that trash can, drop the trash off behind the store and secure the trash cart before letting them in for whatever they needed.

Just yesterday they started to call me in 4 hours before my shift started just because the person who was supposed to be working 2nd was running a few minutes late and they didn’t have a phone number listed for them to call. But when I was just about to leave they showed up and I was back to my regularly scheduled time yesterday. I kinda get it if they’re a no show but almost everyone is late there anyways, especially the manager, but I also don’t know their whole life so I won’t get too into it.

But it’s gotten to the point my sleep schedule is a nightmare to try and figure out, I’m borderline passing out on the road home which is like 15 minutes out, and even a couple times genuinely hallucinating either hearing voices calling my name or thinking I see a silhouette reeling into the darkness just off the road.

Even with stuff like 5 hour energy it doesn’t help anymore as much as I abused caffeine and sugar in my pre-teen and teen years, it has no effect on me. The job is taking a big toll on my health physically and mentally. And the payoff? $11.50/hr, with night differential on 2 days, if even that, equating to $12/hr for customers to berate me because of a broken, glitchy system, and complaints being echoed from a manager who is concerned about customer satisfaction and not taking very beat up bills.

I do get that it’s a job, and that not everyone’s gonna be happy with the service, even if it’s important it’s stores, but when a manager places that over the safety of their employees, idk.

I’m honestly considering calling in to try and go job hunting for something better. At least if I’m gonna be berated and expected to clean up all the time I figured it could be a government job like the VA or something.

Update: I called in. They got upset because it was their second day off this year which does suck and I kinda feel bad for but I didn’t know. Also they supposedly talked to the other guy I worked with and they said I felt fine yesterday… but tbh I was borderline throwing up and had no appetite anyways. Based on the texts I got it feels they’re more concerned with their time off. Also I did call the store and told them. I haven’t responded to the texts yet, my plan is to just say I didn’t get them or I was asleep. Truth is, I do feel sick, borderline throwing up, but idk if it’s a stomach bug or not. Here’s the texts: https://imgur.com/a/w6tzycP