The thing about working in retail at my age that keeps irritating me is that customers (and even some of my coworkers) see me and think I'm under the age of 18. I know, when I'm 50 and people are telling me I look 40, I'll be thankful. I get it. But if one more person (specifically coworkers in this scenario) looks at me and says, "You are 18, right?" I might scream. Yes, I'm past 18. I entered legal adulthood more than 6 years ago. I can scan alcohol. I can push the button on the compactor. I can purchase, rent, or see R-rated films. I can buy pornography if I want to. I can also walk into a bar and have a drink, with a real ID. Woah.
Do I really look 16? I don't think so. I can see where people might think I'm 20 or 21, I do look younger than I am, but to question if I'm 18? It just seems a little extreme.
So, beyond coworkers, this looking-young thing is not working for me in most areas of my life or in retail right now. For starters, I teach part-time at the local community college. I look like I'm the same age as some of my students. It undermines my authority a little, though it's not as bad here as it has been in any previous teaching positions I've held. I know I'm young and I've got a lot to learn about life, but I'm not stupid. I also have a Masters degree. They don't just give those out like Snickers on Halloween. It does show that I have some competence in my field. Maybe not a lot, but some.
Anyway, back to retail. Coworkers aside--I can live with that, and even take it as a compliment--I'm continually frustrated by some customers who come in to the store and treat me like an idiot. I have to stand there and listen to them shout at me like I'm some dumbass who can't understand English. It's even worse if I ask questions to clarify what they're telling me (in most cases, complaining about) and have to watch them roll their eyes and repeat themselves slower and louder than before. I'm asking for verification, not deaf.
The real struggle is that I know how capable I am to be doing something more with my life than tracking down UPCs of untagged clothes and restocking diapers. I didn't accumulate $50,000+ in student loans to be talked down to, disrespected, and made to feel like some slave just because I work at KMart. I've never been the type of person to be rude to anyone who works in a service industry, whether it is retail, food service, any skilled trade, but I am extremely careful now when I go out to be more courteous than before because I know that it can take 1,000 "thank-you's" to even put a dent in the disrespectful bitch's tirade.
If those rude people who came into the store ever stopped to consider that just because someone works at KMart doesn't mean that they're still in high school or uneducated, I would hope they'd treat people like me a little better. I'd put money on my being more educated that most of the inconsiderates who speak at me like I'm a stupid child.
For now, I'm stuck. We can't pay our bills without me working at least part time, and KMart is the first fish that gave me a bite. In fact, it is so far the only fish. Regardless, I'm planning my escape route so when the time arrives, I can be out of there faster than Edward Cullen can chase down a mountain lion.
so cathartic. i am living vicariously.
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