Funny,Social Issues,CuriositiesMAR 15, 2021

"What Is Your 'I Don't Get Paid Enough For This' Moment?" 30 People Reply

Austėja Akavickaitė and Jonas Grinevičius

176

Pretty much anyone who’s ever worked an honest job in their lives has had a “they don’t pay me enough for this [insert unPanda-like words of your choosing]!” moment. Or even several. It’s that dramatic moment when you feel the final straw metaphorically breaking your back and you decide to make your exit, stage left. Preferably while singing, “Fudge this manure, I’m out!”

Well then, you’re likely to relate to a lot of these stories. Redditors have been posting their “they don’t pay me enough for this” stories that made them give up and leave or raise their voices after user Indian_boy786 started up a viral thread. Grab some popcorn, have a scroll down, and upvote the stories that stunned you and made you laugh. A sense of humor helps when you have to deal with stuff like this!

In an in-depth interview with Bored Panda, the author of the thread and a salesperson in India by trade, Indian_boy786, told us all about what inspired them to strike up the topic on Reddit, gave us some advice on how to deal with rude customers and managers, as well as what you ought to do if you find that you can't stay at your current job even a moment longer.

#21

"What Is Your 'I Don't Get Paid Enough For This' Moment?" 30 People Reply

I used to work in a mall music store, back when that was a thing. There was a corporate policy to play new music regularly, y'know, because that's the thing you're trying to sell.

My boss, every single day she worked, would play the entire Madonna album, Ray of Light. Hours of the same eight [goddamn] songs. For most of a year, until it was either go mad, commit murder, or bail. I bailed.

That music franchise went under a little over a year later. I hold Madonna and my old boss responsible.

Eeyores_Prozac, jnate09

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107points

If your manager doesn’t react to subtle or more overt hints, then it might be time to ask for help. Think about talking to your Human Resources department. Provide them with all of the necessary evidence and speak to them about what can be done.

While some HR staff are absolutely wonderful and will do their best to solve your problems, the fact is, you don’t get these wonder employees in every company. In some HR departments, the staff see it as their responsibility to protect the interests of the company itself rather than those of the employees. The latter tend to get the short end of the stick and have to fend for themselves, grit their teeth, and accept that some issues will never be fixed.

In those cases, when you’re left well and truly alone, it’s best to consider changing departments within the company, finding another job entirely, or (in extreme cases where rudeness and demands turn to harassment and exploitation) even seeking legal advice. Everyone has a different limit for what they can tolerate and it’s important to respect your own boundaries. Easier said than done, of course, but vital nonetheless.

#22

Bagging groceries at a major supermarket. The manager came over to tell me that I needed to clean up the bathroom. An elderly gentleman fell off the toilet while pooping and it was a literal s**tshow. Apparently I was the most qualified because I was 16. I was handed a broom and a dustpan. I s**t you not (sorry had to.) My reward for going above and beyond the call of duty? Five dollars in store coupons. Sometimes dreams really do come true.

Frgmn7669, Matilda Wormwood

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100points

#23

Doing volunteer work and some busybody started bossing me around like they were in charge (a neighborhood association type person). I told them to back the [hell] off. It took a couple of seconds for people to realize that the person barking orders wasn’t a boss, but an a-hole that was used to being in control.

stateofyou, Alex Green

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98points

#24

Assistant manager at a movie theatre, fight breaks out between two teenage guests that we had to restrain, fill out police report etc.

Police seized one of our garbage can lids as evidence (teen A hit teen B in the mouth with it - blood was all over it)

Got in trouble for losing a can lid whilst on duty

Eternal__Optimist, Pixabay

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91points

On the other hand, if it’s a customer that’s causing the “they don’t pay me enough for this” situation, things are a tad different. Here, you always have the possibility of simply telling them ‘no’ in a firm but polite way, refusing to serve them outright for failing to treat you like a human being, or asking for backup from your coworkers or manager.

It’s best, however, not to give rude customers a taste of their own medicine. Fighting fire with fire only escalates the tension. And even though it can be dramatic and entertaining to watch from the sidelines, it’s not doing wonders for your reputation or that of the company. It’s always better to err on the side of cold professionalism rather than passionately looking for justice (choose to be the English butler rather than the charging crusader… at least at first).

#25

My boss demanded I work 12 hours/day 6days/ week paid by the load. The first day I spent 12 hours and didn’t haul anything. Second day same story. Third day I pulled one load. $50 in 3 days. He refused to pay me or the other drivers hourly so we all quit. I still have the voicemail of him yelling at me and the one of him begging me to go back and he’ll pay me hourly. Nah.

srcorvettez06, Craig Adderley

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86points

#26

Working for a popular grocery store, the amount of people that think the workers are stupid are astounding.. the produce all have codes and sometimes I forget. To the customer, this looks like I simply don’t know what a broccoli is. They’re like “it’s broccoli” in a condescending tone, and I just have to brush it off. It happens so many times, and though it’s not terrible it really gets me down sometimes. Most people assume retail workers are people with no goals, or even bums. That’s not true at all, everyone I work with including myself is planning to go to college or already enrolled.

ghostposer, Walmart

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85points

#27

Manager at a grocery store I worked in my teens refused to pay the waste management bill for several months. When they finally came and emptied the dumpster, there were still mounds of trash laying about around the area.

He had me go out and clean all of it up alone. I didn't have any protective gear or supplies whatsoever, and was out in 100+ degree weather. I was only given a bunch of trash bags to put it into, and when I went in to ask for help, I was just given a shovel.

I worked one more day after that, and after just being given more work to do without so much as a "good job" or "thanks", I never went back.

herpty_derpty, John Cameron

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81points

Whatever you do, don’t take things personally when you have to deal with a privileged customer who’s stepping on your toes. They usually don’t have a problem with you; rather, they have a problem with the company and how things are done. They’re just taking it out on you because you got ‘lucky’—they spotted you first.

Ironically enough, if you empathize with a rude customer’s concerns, you might end up turning a foe into a friend. There’s always a win-win possible, no matter how badly you might think the odds are stacked against you.

Other customers simply need to vent. They’re not here to listen to rhyme or reason: they need to offload because they’ve had enough. And even though none of us deserve to be their proverbial punching bags, sometimes there’s no getting out of the situation smoothly. So listen to them, apologize where necessary, and show them that you’re here for them. We’re all human after all and at some point in time, we’ve vented when we shouldn’t have.

#28

Worked at a retail store. Fiends would come in occasionally looking to steal stuff and the worst we could do legally was ask them to leave but my boss insisted we get physical with them, to which I obviously told her [hell] no.

I watched her chase one out of the store one day and she screams at me since I’m standing by the door like “TACKLE HIM” and I’m like uh no lmao

TKOism, .wikipedia.org

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78points

#29

When my patient threatened to kill me and my family, then brought out a hand-made wooden knife from under his bed.

s-van, Alex Green

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78points

#30

Working at a large chain retail store, come across a spot of s**t in the toy aisle. Oh, look! A mess for me to clean! And what’s that over yonder? Another one not far away! Nice little trail of brown nuggets left behind and leading me on the worst scavenger hunt ever all the way across the store to the bathrooms. What do I find waiting for me inside? The mothership turd, sitting proudly in a small heap on the floor in the corner. Merely a few feet away from an actual, factual, functioning toilet.

Turns out a kid was in the toy aisle with their parent, and couldn’t hold it in any longer, followed by a mad dash to the bathroom. My supervisor literally said they felt bad for me, and I didn’t get paid enough by corporate. Raise? No. 5$ gift card? Yeah.

PirateDuckie, Dan Keck

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73points

Having a stoic outlook helps in these kinds of situations… however, there really does come a point (for everyone) where they don’t pay you enough for dealing with this kind of stuff! Have you ever been in similar situations, dear Pandas? How did things end? Share your stories in the comment section below!

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Austėja AkavickaitėAuthor

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