Your worst job

[the_only_turek_fan]

I was a ride operator at Calaway Park. Nothing beats being yelled at by a mom for telling her that her kid is too small/big to go onto a ride.

Working at Superstore sucked too.

[Mass_nerder]

Worked at the Chinook theaters as part of the floor crew. The job was actually mostly okay, as I could sneak away between cleaning theaters and watch 15-20 minutes of a movie, plus I got unlimited free movies.
When it was bad though, it was the worst. Multiple times while on washroom cleaning duty I had to clean explosive diarrhea up from a stall. I'm talking like up the walls, on the stall dividers etc... After having to do it 3 times previously, the 4th time it happened, I told them they could fire me, but I wouldn't be doing it again.

[Locke]

Another good one...

I worked at Canadian Tire in Auto Parts for a couple of years.

That was a nightmare. The second people walked in they were already pissed off because their car was broken.

You cannot get cheaper parts than at Canadian Tire but still people would complain. It was just an endless cavalcade of the angry and belligerent. Good times.

"Can you test my car battery?"

No.

"You advertise free battery testing though!"

Uh huh. But that battery is frozen. You can see the sides bulging out. You slam that thing in the tester and its going to explode. I'm not dodging battery acid for barely more than minimum wage. You want to test it? You do it.

"Can you test my alternator?"

No.

"But, but, but....you guys say...."

Dude. The gear is jammed. You cant even turn it by hand, its not going to spin. I dont need to put it on the tester to tell you its toast. I dont need to have the thing literally explode in my face and then have you blame me.

"What do you know??"

Sure man, whatever. Let me guess, you want to talk to my supervisor? Have at it.

[bossy22]

Worst job in Edmonton was with Transport Canada. Did electronics and we took care of AB, Northern BC, the Yukon and what was the NWT. The work itself was fine, and I got to see a lot of Canada I wouldn't otherwise get to see. The culture of the place was horrible.


Worst job in Calgary was with Transalta. I was in application support. My manager was a former manager from a previous company and he hired me. It was great to start, but then he moved onto a project and they hired a lady who should not have been there. She was Dawn Ferrell's friend so she was untouchable, and she was the biggest bully I've ever encountered. Actually the only bully I've ever encountered in the workplace. It's the only time I lost my temper and we had it out. From that point on she was out to get me. I went from numerous companies doing App support and won numerous awards to being treated like absolute garbage. A lot of people left because of her. HR was handcuffed. I eventually quit as well. IT was getting decimated because nobody wanted to work with her. When she was eventually let go about 6 months later, the new manager called me up and asked me to come back because my replacement wasn't cutting it. I politely turned him down and told him I've moved on. It was that job that kicked me out of IT. I couldn't do it anymore.

[Madman]

Soundsaround.

/thread

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Madman

Soundsaround.

/thread

Oh man...what was the name of the Persian man that used to work there? I cant remember his name.

He perfected the 'Full Court Press' sales technique.

[Madman]

Firoz

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Madman

Firoz

Oh yeah! That guy! He was a piece of work.

[Madman]

Yep, I worked there when they hired him - he definitely became the epitome of greasy electronics sales guy.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Madman

Yep, I worked there when they hired him - he definitely became the epitome of greasy electronics sales guy.

I remember going in there with a friend one time and thinking:

"Sir...you need to take a couple of steps back and slow your speech. You are making me uncomfortable."

[Madman]

Lol, was that before or after he made you close your eyes and sit through the Nuance speaker demo.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Madman

Lol, was that before or after he made you close your eyes and sit through the Nuance speaker demo.

Is that some sort of strange sexual euphemism?

I didnt do that. I wasnt buying anything. I was broke.

[Madman]

Haha, well you were definitely being taken advantage of. Was just another one of their slimy sales tool that made you think the "Made in Canada" speakers were somehow blowing your mind and transforming sound properties.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

I was a ride operator at Calaway Park. Nothing beats being yelled at by a mom for telling her that her kid is too small/big to go onto a ride.

Cleaning up vomit for 5.90 an hour, being yelled at by jerks, with a complete lack of any actual leadership or management. Creepy full time staff who hit on underage high school girls... The fact that they had a work experience credit for high schools is something I find awful as the only thing I learned was not to work there.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Madman

Soundsaround.

/thread

Did you ever have to chase someone out into the parking lot when they said no. That was big with Soundsaround.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Locke

Another good one...

I worked at Canadian Tire in Auto Parts for a couple of years.

CT Dalhousie Parts Counter in the house. Perhaps it was the 5.75/hr, perhaps it was the 18 yr old in me, maybe it was some of the jerk managers, but there was a certain level of joy in not giving a damn about excelling at your job.

Totally agree about the angriest of society lining up at the parts counter.

"I've installed this Weber carb, mangled the bolt holes and it reeks of gas. Can it return it?" (and freaking Customer Service did - what do I do with this thing now?"

"Hey what kind of hitch do I need to pull this tiny trailer?"
"Class IV. Just to be safe."

"I can't get this oil filter off. Can I torch it to give it some heat"
"Uhh don't do that. You'll die"

The number 1 thing that constantly flew off the shelves that I'd have to restock up to 2x a day - the cheapest grade of 10W30 Motomaster oil. Like a buck a bottle.

Safety was a nightmare looking back - lucky to still have my eyesight. Batteries came shipped dry then and we had to fill them with acid. Pump was support to shut off when a cell was full and it never did, spraying acid everywhere. Zero PPE other than a box of Cow Brand baking soda. (stolen from Housewares)

It did, however made me realize that I'd better dial up the education thing or I'd end up there forever.... Ironically that crop of parts and services counter monkeys yielded 2 dentists, 2 CA's, and an investment banker.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

CT Dalhousie Parts Counter in the house. Perhaps it was the 5.75/hr, perhaps it was the 18 yr old in me, maybe it was some of the jerk managers, but there was a certain level of joy in not giving a damn about excelling at your job.

Totally agree about the angriest of society lining up at the parts counter.

It was always hilarious to me.

"Why is it at the beginning of the day that Locke is the first and only person to volunteer to stock shelves?? Hes our best parts guy!! He should be on the counter!"

Because I get paid the same.

Stocking shelves is easy, mindless work. The worst you get is:

"Excuse me, do you work here? Where are the Oil filters?"

- "No, I dont work here, I dress like this because I'm an escaped Mental Patient and find the social interaction entertaining and fulfilling. The Oil filters are in aisle whatever."

People whose cars are broken and are trying to buy parts have way less of a sense of humour than most people.

"But it says here that you have 10 of these brake rotors in stock!!"

That is a lie. It was always a lie. If you understood Canadian Tire at all you would ask that someone on staff actually lay eyes on these mythical brake rotors. They dont exist.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

CT Dalhousie Parts Counter in the house.

Oh yeah. Macleod and Southland here. Did a couple years on that stretch.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Locke

"But it says here that you have 10 of these brake rotors in stock!!"

That is a lie. It was always a lie. If you understood Canadian Tire at all you would ask that someone on staff actually lay eyes on these mythical brake rotors. They dont exist.

At CT Dalhousie there was the mezzanine. Kind of like the warehouse in Indiana Jones after a 8.2 Richter scale earthquake. The other 9 rotors are technically here somewhere. They will never be found. They can not be found. You only need 1 rotor right?

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

I'll contrast two jobs. One that should have been bad but wasn't, and one that couldn't have been bad but was.



Cleaning the grandstand at the Stampede. Garbage, too many staff for the managers to properly supervise, low pay. But there was a clear start and finish and clear expectations. Quantity mattered more than quality. When you're a 15 year old the few hundred bucks you got was a massive windfall you've never experienced before. Plus my friend worked concessions and would always hook me up. We would have gotten caught and fired but since it's only 11 days, Stampede ended before they got wise to us. Plus shift end would line up really well with the start of the good shows at the Coke Stage so I got to see a lot of bands I wouldn't have otherwise seen. So on paper it seemed like a crappy job, but turned out to be great for a 15 year old.



Go Karts and Mini Golf in the Columbia Valley? Work a shift, then head over to a bonfire at somebody's place on the lake? How could this be bad? Owners just hated the people they were making money off of. Only thing they hated more were the staff they'd have to hire because 'they didn't need jobs, our parents just wanted us out of their hair' and assumed we'd quit the second anything got tough. Then you realize why the locals hate all the people with second homes when they're your customers all the time. #### those people (I learned to hate myself and my family). Entitled, whiny, look down on people who work at a go-kart track. End of the ####ing world if they lost a golf ball into the water and had to walk the 30 steps to get a new one. Always the one guy who would try to get the free game at the end because he knows the 18th hole is rigged and thinks any of the teenagers making minimum wage give a ####. Plus the go-karts and track sucked so it wasn't even fun to rip around during down hours. So that's the one I hated.

Oh man, it's called Ozzie's now. I remember when it had that old dutch looking cafe and a couple old arcade machines. Then they knocked it down.. ?? 15 years ago. That go-cart track does indeed suck.