So I’ve been working for two weeks now at the -Mart. I have nothing bad to say about the place beyond the normal complaints I would have concerning any job for a major faceless corporation, namely they think everyone in their employ is an idiot. You can just assume I work for the -Mart of your choice. It’s all the same to me, or them, or you. At least, I see no difference between one or half a dozen other Mart-like businesses.
They’re seriously not giving me enough hours. Two nights a week is enough to mess up my sleep cycle, but not really enough to pay the bills. It’s a lot of work, a lot of running around the store, crouching and standing… it’s good exercise. My legs hurt every day after I’ve worked. I like it. I’m glad I’m not stuck behind a cash register making inane conversation with customers who could care less.
The only complaint I have is with the woman they have “training” me. There’s really not much training going on, but only an idiot or a monkey would need to be trained to read labels and shelve accordingly. My issue with this woman, we’ll call her X, is that she’s a raving Christian. I don’t have issues with Christians normally, but this woman’s attitude equates to a “hostile work environment.” It’s not just that she’s a Christian, but that she’s a Christian hypocrite, proud of her ignorance, and belligerent about things she really knows nothing about. She doesn’t know I’m a Pagan and I’ll certainly never tell her, unless I plan on leaving my job soaked with holy water or crucified or don’t mind the entire town turning out to egg my house. It’s not like I wear jewelry that would make for easy identification. I can’t wear jewelry… my skin doesn’t like it.
My biggest issue with X is her language. It’s a good thing she works at night because she’s not fit to be around customers. There are very few circumstances in which I use foul language. Even if I hurt myself, I say sugar or darn. I keep my language rated G, in other words. If she’s not cursing out her philandering husband, she’s turning the air blue with curses heaped upon Darwin or people who believe in Global Warming or even management at -Mart.Whatever irritates her at any given moment is worthy of a ringing string of expletives.
She is impossible to have a conversation with, but at the same time, she talks so much, you can’t not respond without her thinking you’re giving her the silent treatment. There’s no safe subjects with her. She “doesn’t celebrate Halloween for religious reasons.” She “only reads books having to do with Scripture,” but it’s impossible even to have a conversation about Christianity with her without being told I “read the wrong books.” I can’t even express sympathy for her over her situation with her husband, who “logs into chat rooms while she’s in the room to have cyber sex with his girlfriends,” without her jumping on me and telling me I can’t possibly “know how she feels.” I felt like saying, well, he doesn’t beat you, right? So it’s not all bad. There is only her problems, and everyone else; there is no “I understand your pain” and feel sorry that there is nothing to be done. She prefers to wallow in it over being comforted by another.
I get the sense that the others keep their mouths shut simply to escape a tongue lashing. There’s a huge TV in the breakroom. We all take break together, no matter our personal feelings on the subject. She doesn’t have cable at home, but when the TV’s on, we watch what she wants to watch… namely the Country Music Channel. I’m not a big fan of country music, but whatever. I sit and try to read my book, but it’s hard when she’s sitting right next to me, singing along to the music or calling out answers to “Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader.” It’s a nasty sentiment, but… I have a feeling I know why her husband cheats on her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she murders the man one day. She is one scary old lady and though I have not seen her physically violent, I would not be surprised to hear she’d attacked someone… for religious reasons. I have a feeling if she found out I was Pagan, she’d start quoting “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” at me. Despite the fact that it’s a mistranslation of a word meaning poisoner, I doubt she’d believe me since I read the wrong books.
