Misu Of Misery Short Story

Sammy’s experience gave me a personal insight to an experience I once had while being employed at Kroger. The location of the Kroger I was working at was just about to have a grand opening. We had all gathered to the front of the store to have a store meeting to prepare for the opening. Our manager at the time was speaking to us and just telling us about how he was expecting everyone to be on his or her tasks. He wanted to make sure that no one had any questions or concerns of their jobs.

Ehrenreich chooses Minnesota at whim. After some internet-based research, she is convinced that there will be a comfortable correspondence between rent and wages. She decides she wants to work for retail, and applies to Wal-Mart. After the process of applying which includes a survey and a drug test, she is later hired for $7 per hour. Working at Wal-Mart makes Ehrenreich realizes there isn’t much human interaction in retail. “I could be a deaf-mute as far as most of this goes” (Ehrenreich157). There are also the people in the store who tend to make work a living hell and can turn regular chipper people into angry, cranky pushovers. “Once I stand and watch helplessly while some rug rat pulls everything he can reach off the racks, and the thought that abortion is wasted on the unborn must show on my face, because his mother finally tells him to stop” (165). In many cases the “smiley” greeters who welcome people into the store, are very unhappy and think unkind thoughts about everyone who comes to visit the store, “I even start hating the customers for extraneous reasons…” (165). This sudden change in character can be strenuous on a worker, regardless of their personality. Resenting the people who workers work for isn’t a healthy trait. “ ‘Aggressive hospitality’ gives way to aggressive hostility” (165).

Mr. Braaksma worked a string of 12-hour days, and at the end was taken back by how small his paycheck was. While this was frustration for Mr. Braaksma, the most stressful part was understanding that line of employment could disappear overnight. (Braaksma, 2005)

The name is Roger, Roger Felix; I’m living in the the worst few years anyone ever could live in 1932. It all started in 1929 when the stock market had crashed, from that moment on the rate of unemployment had risen significantly. The only thing I have going for me is that I got a job building that Rockefeller Building in the one and only New York City. Personally, I don’t know how that the big shot Mr. Rockefeller can fund over 40,000 jobs in this economy but he manages to do it. So, The days begin at 5:30 A.M usually; I have to wake up an thirty minutes before work so that I can walk over to the fancy dancy building on time. I live in the city, and I share an apartment with Tommy, Johnny, and Robert. We all work together, but I still feel

Writing back to back examples of not just blue-collar workers, but of loved ones really help to hone in on his point. Rose attempts to achieve an even deeper connection with his readers. Rose reveals memories of his uncle Joe by saying, “When I was a young man, Joe took me on a tour of the factory. The floor was loud—in some places deafening—and when I turned a corner or opened a door, the smell of chemicals knocked my head back. The work was repetitive and taxing and the pace was inhumane” (248). Rose is giving another example of blue-collar work that his audience can possible relate to. His uncle’s everyday duties required him to be sharp, focused and proactive not only in order to get the job done, but to get the job done in a safe manner. Rose then goes on to describe his uncle Joe’s blue-collar work as one who, “Joe constantly faced new problems and became a consummate multi-tasker, evaluating a flurry of demands quickly, parceling out physical and mental resources, keeping a number of ongoing events in his mind, returning to whatever task had been interrupted, and maintaining a cool head under pressure of grueling production schedules” (248). Rose’s intention is to express the high demands blue-collar workers face. Rose wants his readers to understand that blue-collar work in not all physical; moreover, by

My perceptions of blue-collar Americans were transformed by Nickel and Dimed. By reading this book, I feel like I’ve begun to understand more about waiters, maids, and salespeople. I notice some people don’t really appreciate them but only see them as someone who serves them. I personally don’t really recognise blue-collared Americans but when they serve me, I usually say thank you. I haven’t really thought about how their life may be but how I am being served. However, in Nickel and Dimed, it’s a different story. When Ehrenreich was working as a maid, people looked down on her. They didn’t talk to her or even give her one look. However, there was one person who offered Ehrenreich a glass of water. I think I would’ve done the same if she was

“ What will you strike for?” The interviewer asked, as the messenger boy replied, “For a raise from 3.50 cents -what we get now- to four dollars a week and pay for overtime. They make us pay thirteen dollars for a uniform, and one dollar for a hat , and 2.50 for rubber boots, and two dollars for a rubber coat...I only made 65 cents my first week.” Not only were the uniforms expensive by nature, but the the final ‘blow’ in a sorts was that Pulitzer and Hearst raised the price from 50 cents per one hundred bundles, to 60 cents where some even claim it was higher, up to 70 cents per

She had felt all that pressure that was recently put upon her fly away, “That’s literally the best word for it; relieved.” Aldina had gotten hired the three months after she had finished college and began working at Garden Court Retirement in Everett. Five years was the amount of time she spent at her very first job after college. “When you realize how good you get at your job and how awesome it is once you’re actually doing it, it’s an amazing feeling. You don’t have to think about it. You’re just a pro at your job,” Aldina

Not much is said about the managers, but there is a lot said about the employees. This is because the managers are so involved with the company they don’t have a personal life. As well as the managers, the workers who have been with the company the longest, have the worst personal situations of them all.

There was much dissatisfaction throughout the plant among the workers due to workers being treated unfairly by management (Engelmann, 2014). According to Engelmann (2014), “Foremen “traded” workers back and forth between departments – one of them laying off a worker and the other hiring him back at a lower wage”. Many workers throughout the plant would complain about being denied a day off to attend the birth of a child or a funeral service of a friend or family member or to care for their ill spouse or child. Furthermore, company foremen were instructing workers on how to vote in local and national elections, and threatened with layoffs if they did not comply (Engelmann,

One of the most important things I've learned while working in this factory is to never forget the little details. Never forget the way the birds looked when they would take off into flight; never forget the bright blue of the sky, and the clouds that cover the sun's modesty; and to never forget how important this job is to my family. Before I had gotten my job working at the Bibb Mill, I imaged I would work in a quiet factory with only the chatter of employees breaking the silence. I wouldn't have imagined the loud spin of the mills deafening both my mother and I. I certainly didn't imagine waking up in the wee hours of the morning, changing into my second pair of overalls, eating whatever I leftover from dinner, and heading to work. I wasn't really assigned to any specific work, but I would help my mother to whatever she couldn’t handle. Often times covering for her during her break to add a few extra cents to her paycheck. Whenever I was unsure of what to do, I would follow the lead of the children I work next to.

A 27-year-old man named John came to see me with the following litany of complaints, "I've reached a point where I can't go on....Got no fight left in me. And not enough guts to end it here. Best damn job I ever had almost can see

Crash. One, two, no, three plates hit the floor. I could for all intents and purposes feel my spirit drain from my body as that sound rung throughout the restaurant. I paused for a moment to recollect my thoughts, looking up to see a collection of dirty plates, bowls, and pans stacked nearly a foot high on the shelf and beginning to collect around my feet as there was nowhere else to put them. With a stack of plates so tall, the grease had allowed a plate to slip and take several others with it to crash onto the stone floor. Ah yes, this was dinner hour, the busiest hour of the night, on Friday, the busiest day of the week in general, and it was my first week on the job. Straightaway came the manager, Rachel, as well as a few of my coworkers. She looked to see glass scattered

Commins was the go-to person throughout the company when work and/or personal issues arose. Don Head, marketing manager, “was considered a ruthless operator” and seemed to be more trouble than he was worth (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013). Yet he contributed to the continuous rising sales and was a marketing guru. Jason Palu, production manager, “was a soft-spoken man” who worked hard to get to his current position (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013). Although revered for his expertise and efficiency, his autocratic mindset left many of his staff jaded. Heather Berkowitz, chief webpage designer, had a very eclectic work lifestyle. She dressed provocatively, had blue hair, and seldom arrived to work before 11:00am. Yet, like many of the others, her quality and quantity of work outweighed her undoubtedly unprofessional demeanor.

A Wal-Mart photo lab associate, Claude is facing a difficulty concerning attending his father’s major birthday dinner.( Brotheridge, C. 2005) Claude comes from a tight family, and he didn’t want to miss the celebration. However, there is a conflict between his working schedule and the dinner plan. Owing to the inflexibility of the auto scheduler program and his manager’s non-negotiable management style, he was sure that his manager wouldn’t give him the time off. Additionally, he didn’t want to call a sick day, not wanting to bend the truth. He also couldn’t feel there was a cold coming. Yet, the main problem is Wal-Mart’s organizational management. Managers do not treat their employees with dignity and respect