So I’m a college student, in my second year of studies, and like most college students who commute, I have a part time job in order to not have to beg for money everytime I want to do anything in life. Now, as a 19 year old white male, my priveledge has bestowed upon me two employed parents which means I’m not dealing with actually supporting myself on my own when it comes to paying tuition. but that’s beyond the point.

My part time job is from the local Radioshack about a mile from my home. over the summer, I was employed as “Part time” while working 38 hours a week spread over ALL 7 days. This meant there wasn’t a single day that I could honestly sit back and relax. My week was never “packed” but I could never have a whole day to veg out on a friday night / saturday.

Now the most annoying part of this job is, unlike most jobs, my manager never made a set schedule, EVER. No, it’s on a week-by-week basis, as we had five people including himself to keep the store open seven days. There simply aren’t enough people in the store to have a stable schedule. And my favorite part is how my manager never would do it in the begining of the month, he would do the schedule THE LAST NIGHT BEFORE it took effect. This just happens to be a friday. Now imagine you aren’t at work friday, which happens to me about once a month, or even just working the morning shift instead of the night when he’s there. You have to call and see if you’re working the next morining. Nine out of ten times, this has to be done at 8pm because any earlier and it isn’t done, and any later and it they’re cleaning the store and dont answer the phone. Also worth mentioning is that he never looks at past schedules to make the week ahead, so you can be (and I have) sheduled work 10 days straight, due to having monday off on week A, then Friday off on week B.

Breaks are non-existant, New York Labor Laws dictate an hour of breaks for an 8 hour shift, 30 minute lunch, and two 15 minute breaks on company time. It’s a shame that my manager doesnt believe in “sitting on company time” due to the fact that we “Idle” when there are no customers in the store, and complains loudly if you actually take the30 for lunch (he expects you to sit in the back for 10 minutes, and then immediately go back to work) especially since there are only TWO people ever working at once. But this doesn’t stop him from modifying the timecards to show the 30 minute breaks. and if you’re like me and get scheduled an 11 hour “open-to-close” don’t expect to take the second “mandatory” 20 minute, but expect to not get paid for that time anyway.

So summer comes and goes, now it’s time for me to go back to school. I decided to take a light semester of 12 credits instead of my usual 15, since I’ve bitten off a bit more than I could chew last year and ended up failing out of buffalo (oops!) College I can handle (I think…) It’s my job I can’t.

Then it’s time to ask my manager to cut back my hours.

I ask for 20 MAXIMUM Hours. You know, the actual definition of part time? Well, he needs me for 25, so I don’t get an argument there or I dont get a job…

I hate him sometimes.

So I tell him that some weeks I’ll need less to study for tests. He informs me that I should be fine considering he manages the store and takes a night class.

Clarification time: I’m Taking Physics, Chemistry, and Differential Equations. He’s taking a three credit History course. Also, he DOESN’T manage the store, he lets my bitch of an assistant manager do everything. (she’s from georgia and has a temper to match that drives half our sales out the door)

So I’m stuck with 25 hours, I can manage that.

Except that’s not the case. Oh I WISH that was the case.

No, I’m scheduled for 25.5 Just to annoy me. Then, I’m called in an hour early, asked to stay late, etc. Every week since January without fail, I sign off on 30 hours of work.

Between College Classes and Work, I haven’t had a rest day since the 4th of January. Also, I still have to call friday nights to find out when my schedule is. I would look for a new job, but there isn’t any time. I’m up for school at the7:30, Classes start at 9:25, end at 4, get home, change into uniform, and drive to work. Then I’m there till close at 9:15. I get home, homework, then sleep to get up in time to do it all again.

Well what about Weekends?

Yeah, no. My manager has made sure I never have free time by putting me on both saturday and sunday for 10 hour shifts. Just FYI if you haven’t been keeping up, that’s 20 hours right there, I should be done. I would be fine with that. I don’t have classes friday, and I’d be all set. But that’s not how life works.

No, Life gives you a cookie, and snatches it out of your hand as you’re about to eat it, then apologises and gives you it back, then when you eat it, you realize the cookie is actually made of choclate laxotive and cyanide.