My pal the Cashier from Hungary (CH) and I were talking about how we're torn about our workplace. She especially is in a tight place, being a single mother living on near-minimum wage.
She's looking for a better paying job, but she's sad to think of leaving the thrift store because, she said, "I feel safe here", immediately adding, "well, not physically."
LOL. I feel the same, I told her.
The neighborhood is dangerous, and the cashiers are on the front line with crazed customers, but we can be honest with our coworkers, all of whom are down and out in various ways, trusting they will understand.
We who work at the thrift store are like dishware that gets donated:
Many are gorgeous pieces of well-designed pottery, porcelain, or even plastic (mid century!) that are cracked, scratched, and chipped on the edges...
Still serviceable, just don't wash them in super hot water—the glue holding them together will melt.
Price: 79 cents.
Everyone gets how wearing life can be, and nobody, not even Big Boss, tries to jolly you out of the pain of it.
"No one here is going to tell me to take a fucking bubble bath," CH said.
"Right," I said, "or light a candle!"
"A fucking scented candle!" she said.
"Why don't you take a walk?" I said.
"After being on my feet all day," she said.
"But... A nice glass of wine?" I said.
"YES!" she said
People won't try to minimize hardship, but there is a spirit of fun (especially since Ass't Man has backed off from trying to Improve Us).
Last night in the parking lot, those of us who worked till close––
(5:30 p.m., it's not safe for the store to stay open much later, as unofficial business on the street starts to pick up)––
we were all laughing about ...um, I don't even know.
Oh--yeah.
About “dog blossom" which, a coworker was telling us, is a phrase for a dog's butthole.
"This place is like the grade school playground," I said, and everybody agreed.
"Dog blossom" -- LOL! I haven't heard that one.
ReplyDeleteDave and I always joke about his mom, whose favorite advice to stressed people is, "Go take a nice hot shower."
Personally, I'll take the wine.
Do single mothers get any kind of government assistance in your country? Here all mothers are paid a "Family Allowance" with the amount differing based on the number of children and how much is earned in the weekly/fortnightly wage. it isn't a huge amount, although much more than it was when I first had babies and it means having a liveable amount coming in. It cuts out when the child is 18. Here and probably everywhere, children still go without if the parents waste the money on booze and drugs.
ReplyDeleteSTEVE: That's it: Hot showers are nice, but you can't live in there indefinitely!
ReplyDeleteRIVER: Yes, as a single mother, my coworker gets some government assistance, but it isn't enough to cover extras, and something's always coming up--like birthday party--so she's always stressed.
For instance, she got her daughter a rabbit as a supposedly "cheap" pet, but recently the rabbit got sick and was obviously in pain.
The other coworkers were saying "rabbit stew",
but she didn't want to do that to her daughter so she took the rabbit to the vet.
The bill was $350!!!
That's like a hundred dollars a pound.