My graveyard shift ended today with a little overtime (not really). There was a good 20-minute meeting at the end of the normal shift involving all the “freight crew.” That’s including me. The manager was nice enough. He complimented everyone, even me; Tho technically it was only my second day. And I’ve yet to feel as adjusted as I’d like to be. I know I’m working a slightly slower pace than everyone else, but I imagine over time and repetition, I’ll get up to speed …hopefully. At the very least, I’m always volunteering to do most of the heavy lifting on the line. I hope that counts for something.

The manager, freight manager, and the grocery aisle guy, along with some of the other staff have actually worked at Dollar Tree for years-They seem very proud/honored to work there.  I’m not going to knock that at all. I respect their choice of living. If they’re happy and comfortable, that’s excellent for them. However, I’m still questioning if I’m liking it myself.

There is really nothing wrong with the job itself. Of course, I wish it paid more. I’m currently earning eight dollars per hour, 6 hours a night, and only working 4 nights a week. I may be able to get by on that, but definitely couldn’t afford to rent a place of my own and eat-At least not here in the San Francisco bay area. Thankfully my father and his wife are letting me stay with them for free.

My previous and recent job history involved being a temp for Apple One Employment Services. That paid potentially quite a bit more.  In fact my last temp job was as a proctor for the state bar. Four days of work earned me a net pay of about five-hundred dollars. In contrast, a good month of regular work at Dollar tree  may be …about six-hundred

Let’s face it, I just took any job that would hire me at this point. I did retail for eight years at Streetlight Records in the zeroes. That was fun, at least for the first 6-7 years. I love music and the various subcultures that surrounds it. This …stocking-Well I just don’t feel that I’m being challenged in anything other than my physical endurance. Nor is this job socially …stimulating. At this point, it’s just a job. There’s nothing to enjoy about it, and that’s different for me. I doubt I’ll work there beyond the seasonal schedule, if even that.

On the brighter side, it’s not very hard, and with so little hours at work, I can try to dedicate myself to another craft (like this blog), my gym workouts,  and/or find another job that I actually like.

So I suppose I’ll endure for now.

Time for the gym.