So, I need a 2nd job (see my thread why here here.) Either as a coffee barista (the coffee shops hours are 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.) or a grocery store cashier (6 a.m. to midnight hours).

I'm thinking maybe coffee barista (in person interviews are next week) because you just learn to make different types of coffee drinks for people and serve bakery items that are pre-made. The grocery store cashier job would be ok, I guess, but for the math involved in case I'd forget to add a discount on a food item if the customer brought a food item with no price on it that was discounted.

I'd much rather just find a better paying full-time 12 month a year job. Not as easy as I thought it would be, and having joined 6 temp agencies has done nothing to help me either. I'm very frustrated. Being overeducated with a masters was supposed to help me get a job. Nope. And my social security is only $800 a month because I"m single. That means, I'll be working that 2nd job until I died (unless by some miracle I can find a full-time well paying job that wouldn't force me to retire). The good news is that on my income-based repayment plan for my student loans, the rest of my student loans will be wiped out when I turn 71 (if you stay on IBR for 25 years).

[seesaw]

Have you considered moving to a different city to find a full-time job in your field?

Seesaw

Seesaw, I can't financially afford to move to another city or even to another state. I decided to take the grocery store cashier job and figured out that I will net enough every month to set aside for the next 5 months, that will cover my rent from June - September in 2018, which is the goal/reasoning for getting this 2nd part-time job.

I don't think my luck would be much better in a new city, either. I think I will reach out again to my university's Alumni Association and see if I can reconnect with some old classmates for job hunting purposes, and see if there is a career center still at my university that helps alumni find jobs.

[Mountaindewed]

I am in the receiving department at my job. I don’t usually deal with the customers. I am mostly in the back opening boxes.

I was in the back processing for my 7 hour shift Yesterday. It was pretty much a regular work day for me instead of a crazy 12 hour Black Friday shift where it’s all hands on deck. We didn’t even get a huge crowd. I’ve seen the store more crowded on a Thursday during lunch hours.

Some retail jobs are ok but some are not. Also a lot of them are struggling financially so I personally wouldn’t work at Sears or Kmart or places like that.

Originally Posted by Bozdickens

I am in the receiving department at my job. I don’t usually deal with the customers. I am mostly in the back opening boxes.

I was in the back processing for my 7 hour shift Yesterday. It was pretty much a regular work day for me instead of a crazy 12 hour Black Friday shift where it’s all hands on deck. We didn’t even get a huge crowd. I’ve seen the store more crowded on a Thursday during lunch hours.

Some retail jobs are ok but some are not. Also a lot of them are struggling financially so I personally wouldn’t work at Sears or Kmart or places like that.

The only thing I'm questioning about this part-time job is the Union dues that will be deducted monthly from my paycheck. While I think it's awesome that this grocery store chain has a union for its hourly employees, I don't know what good the Union will serve me while I'm there. I don't know if any retail stores even have unions, or if its just grocery stores that do.

I think retail stores should have unions though.

Black Friday and Black Monday are horrible to store employees because of the insane hours and crazy customers. But, if you have to make ends meet, you take a 2nd job. Or 3rd job.

[Mountaindewed]

My store advises against joining a union. I am not a fan of unions so that works for me.

I worked at a grocery store 2014-2015 and I ended up leaving because of the seniority. I had such bad anxiety working the middle of the day on a Saturday. And I couldn’t have the early hours during the week like 8-12 because they went to a guy who had been there since the 80s. I guess maybe I was upset because I couldn’t get my way, but it just caused too much anxiety. The customers were the worst I ever dealt with at any of my jobs.

[Seth412]

Originally Posted by cielpur

The only thing I'm questioning about this part-time job is the Union dues that will be deducted monthly from my paycheck. While I think it's awesome that this grocery store chain has a union for its hourly employees, I don't know what good the Union will serve me while I'm there. I don't know if any retail stores even have unions, or if its just grocery stores that do.

I think retail stores should have unions though.

Black Friday and Black Monday are horrible to store employees because of the insane hours and crazy customers. But, if you have to make ends meet, you take a 2nd job. Or 3rd job.

Union dues are typically well worth it. In terms of pay, job security, benefits, and working conditions, you're netting more even paying union dues than you would without the union. Think of your dues as an investment.

[Seth412]

The only downside of unions is that it's often seniority based rather than merit based. You can bust your butt for a year and the lazy person who has been there 5 years gets the promotion before you. That's how it was at UPS, can't speak for all of them. The people with the most seniority got first dibs on becoming drivers, even if they work half as hard as the newer people.

Depends on the company, but grocery store cashiers can make good money, being a union job and all.

Personally I'd do that over being a barista. Both can be stressful, but believe it or not, you can make a career for yourself in the grocery biz.

Just saying.

Well I don't plan to make cashiering a career. But it will definitely help me save up 4 months of rent money ahead of summer time, which I need so that what happened to me this summer never happens again. I agree that being a barista would be stressful. If your customer doesn't like the way you make their coffee drink, and you have to make a new one, in addition to making other customers' coffee drinks. Not for me. But cashiering is much easier I think, esp. now that most registers are automated and all you do is push buttons.