“I quit my job, “
The most scrutinized phrase in the U.S. As working class American’s, we are conditioned to believe that if you are jobless, a crisis must be at hand. This explains the concern and disapproval I received when I told my friends and family I quit my job. However, I am not in a crisis, I just hated my job. It was retail for crying out loud. It was fast-fashion retail, arguably the most corrupt industry in the world. For a definition and clearer understanding, click here.
I digress; I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the type of person who feels the need to constantly justify their actions because I definitely am. If people don’t understand the background story, the most erroneous, annoying, assumptions are made. Like my best friends always says, “when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.” That being said, it is completely appropriate for me to outline the factors resulting in my sayonara to retail.
- The Wastefulness
- Lack of recycling: It wasn’t enforced, and I believe it simply wasn’t practiced. I asked numerous managers about the recycling policy and no one gave me a clear answer as to what happens to the waste collected at the end of each day. This is irritating when you are pro-saving-the-planet.
- “The Slips”: There were two massive piles of slips that had fallen out of their original dress/blouse. I was informed that the slips would all be thrown away. Hello, wasteful? Again, when I double checked with various managers, they gave me nervous, unclear answers when I showed contempt. (Aka, me bitching about the wrong in trashing usable garments.)
- Polarity of Personalities in Retail Philosophy: The gals were either kind to the point of concern and referred to the garments as “she” (happy pills?) or evil to the questioning of satanical worship. Rare specimens (like myself) fall in the between. I believe that the polarity created an energetic balance, one that I couldn’t stand to partake in.
- Dressing for the Aesthetic: Sorry I can’t afford your $300 bullsh*t, that probably cost $5 to produce, and sorry I like when my bralette is showing, and sorry I like my dresses to be above knee length. Actually, that’s the biggest lie, I’m not sorry. Don’t tell me how to dress myself, it’s an outlet of expression, asshole.
- Opportunity Cost: Pay Grade Vs Misery: I was so miserable; I was probably making the store lose money. I was literally almost in tears every day because I wasn’t sleeping, dreams about size running and standardizing clothes haunted me. I wasn’t making enough money to: (1) look like a crack head (2) make it worth my exhaustion/unintended b*tchiness (3) afford groceries and transportation. (My commute was two hours, one way, might I add.)
- The Lying: Because I really don’t think that dress looks good on you: Am I sorry I just offended you? No. Should you thank me because I saved you from looking like a cow/cherry explosion (seeing as a rife of the dresses were red)? Yes.
These may sound like petty issues, but for any (sane) woman in her early twenties, (who is also an activist) this is a glut of factors that would result in a sufficient amount of distress/insanity/neuroticism, leading to resignation. If you disagree and say you like working fast-fashion retail, then maybe you have an unfortunate lack of self-awareness and poor observation skills to understand that you have to be out of your f***ing mind to sustain such a façade. Don’t think for one second that my complaints went unnoticed. I have emailed headquarters with questions and suggestions to transition towards more sustainable practices, e.g., recycled receipt paper, recycled bags, limiting tissue paper usage, enforcing proper recycling practices, buying from ethically sourced designers, etc., I even suggested to strive for a sounder collection of employees who, preferably, don’t practice any form of passive-aggressive conversation.
Conclusion: I don’t have a clear idea of what I want to do with my life, but at least I know I don’t want to do retail.
- Disclaimer #1: many of my co-workers were lovely humans, the hyperbolizing is for my amusement, and yours, of course.
- Disclaimer #2: Many nitty-gritty, less mock-worthy/entertaining/seriously concerning issues were factored in my decision to leave the company, one’s that I probably can’t legally discuss…
