Comments on: View From the Fast Food Window: I Hate This Job

By: Namaste

Namaste — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:30:59 +0000

To add, I’m not down with this, “at least you have a job,” mentality. Sure, the economy isn’t functioning in an optimal way, and while I would much rather have work than be unemployed, I feel like that mentality hurts Americans. It pressures people to put up with unfair conditions in the workplace. Part of living here should be knowing that you won’t be treated unfairly on the job, but far too many people are. While we do have labor laws, which is very fortunate, if we continue to put up with even what seems like minor unfairness on the job, we give power to the employers and take it away from the employees, I think starting a dangerous trend of workers not being able to stand up for their rights and a fair work environment in any job or profession.

I would love to, in my lifetime, see a living wage paid to people in all lines of work. I don’t think 7.25 an hour is enough to live on. It certainly isn’t for me. I make minimum wage right now and am very lucky and thankful to have a partner who also works, or I’d be in skid row even if I worked full time (I work about 25 to 30 hours instead of a full 40 so I have time to study).

By: Namaste

Namaste — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:25:39 +0000

I’m currently a fast food employee while going through college, and it’s hard, thankless work. Your experience there as an employee depends completely on the consideration of your managers along with the location and thus the clientele. Many people end up working there out of necessity, like the subject of this article.

I don’t like the fast food industry. I hate having to work where I do, but there are very few part-time work choices in my city at the moment. I work there for the flexibility of the schedule, and not much else. We all need to pay our bills. I don’t like how some people are treated as employees, and consider myself lucky that at the moment I have a manager who is flexible with her employees and considers all of our personal needs as far as scheduling our shifts.

I’m also thankful that I’ve not had any children so far, and am careful to continue that trend of using effective birth control with my partner so we can some day have a better life for ourselves.

Due to dropping too many courses during my first attempt at college and not completing a degree (essentially if you complete a lot of credit hours without earning a degree, they don’t want to let you use financial aid), I have some financial aid issues and am needing to pay my own way through school, which means taking one or two classes at a time instead of going at it full-time. I’ve come to my own peace about it, and knowing that one day I’ll be qualified to do other things besides work in the service industry is great motivation not to give up. I definitely would be extremely unhappy if I were to have to work in fast food or any other sector of the service industry, for that matter, permanently. I sympathize with people who have few others options, though. They get treated badly and often have no health insurance or any other help in life.

By: rob

rob — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:30:08 +0000

I also hate my job at burger king.
Its like the employees are treat like meat, and the food has to be treat like gold.
Until you give it to the customer.

By: Dataceptionist

Dataceptionist — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:15:31 +0000

That is so incredibly sad. Goodness in Oz you’d get more than that on the dole I think.

By: Feng

Feng — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:31:59 +0000

That’s tough… but at least she has a job…

I can understand very much how she feels.. I hate my job @ Burger King too…