God i don't know if i wanna bash some heads in or go bawl my eyes out!! I seriously hate my job. I work nights for a big supermarket chain and tonight i've had it all!! I work 10pm to 7am and get 1 1/2 hours break a night so i used to be working on the shop floor 7 1/2 hours a night. My job involves filling shelves, so i'm lifting and carrying stuff, as well as pushing and dragging cages, and so i was on my feet all this time too. Four months into my pregnancy i requested to go onto tills for a couple of hours a night because i wasn't feeling great and was extremely tired. Now i work 2 hours on tills and the rest on the shop floor still. Basically my collegues have absolutely slaughtered me for this. They hate me and have made no secret of the fact that they think I'm taking advantage of being pregnant and getting away with not doing anything because of this. Some guy told me tonight "you're not an invalid, you're just pregnant", god knows where that came from, i was sat on my break minding my own business and he just came in and started on me. He then continued, "everybody else manages it....like my wife". I replied that his wife works in a doctors surgery as a receptionist and so is most likely sat down all day.
I hate having to justify myself and unfortunately I got upset, which i regret because i'm allowing him to see how much he upset me.
It all seems so tedious. I couldn't give a hoot what anyone does or doesn't do there, why the hell are they so interested in what i'm 'not' doing? To make matters worse my husband and I work together so he's there too and when i get upset he gets angry and wants to give them a piece of mind, but i'm loathed to let him do so because i'm supposed to be a responsible adult, capable of fighting my own battles. It'd be too easy to let him at them but if i can't stand up for myself how can i ever teach my little boy to?

Then it's not just the god-awful staff that make me feel so crappy, there's the customers too and I had a right Madam tonight. We have a strict alcohol policy that if a customer looks under the age of 25 we can ask them for ID. It's basically up to the cashier how vigilant they are about this because the company has made it pretty clear that if you serve alcohol to somebody underage then it's you who gets the fine and possibly even a prosecution. So personally i don't take any risks because i'm not prepared to. It might seem ridiculous to the customer when they're well over the legal age but to me you can never be too careful. Tonight i had this biatch of a customer who got super snotty with me because she didn't have her ID with her so i refused the sale. I attempted to explain to her but she wasn't having it so admittedly i lost my temper a little and said to her "tough!". I'm now half expecting a letter of complaint but the more i think about it i'm not bothered. My employers aren't running the risk that i am by possibly selling alcohol to somone underage, so it's not their problem.
Sorry for rambling and ranting but i feel so wretched now. Horrid, horrid night. It's a real shame i have to go back tonight

Well done if you've read this far btw, i think even i'm bored now

~Bump Buddies with Jox~ ~Mamas little man due 24/1/10~

Thanks everyone for your advice. I've got something sorted now. I told my managers i don't want to go onto days for the remainder of my time there, though they did offer this to me, because my hubby works nights too. They have spoken the member of staff who felt the need to voice his opinion and have pretty much told him to keep it to himself and they've advised me to put in a grievance for bullying if he does it again. When i go back on tuesday i'll officially be on 'light duties', so i'll be working on the tils from 10pm to 1am and then i'll just be filling the cakes and buns lol. They weigh nothing and will be so much easier. Thanks again for your advice and support. i feel much better now.

Ahhh honey
Some people just dont understand how tough and tiring it is to be pregnant,dont let them bring you down and feel bad about it xxxxx

i had that i worked in a salon to which a lady that worked there for years thought it was ok to slag me off to clients while i wasnt there and saying how im such a let down and even went as far as to say im pathetic for getting pregnant and if her daughters got pregnant she would force them to abort. that being said like you i stayed quiet and even a year on she is still going on to clients that ask about me that i left them in the learch and so on. if i could of done things differently i would have made a statment leaving her to believe that im no push over and she cant say things like that too me but i didnt and regret it

Aww hun **hugs** I suggest you speak to management about your collegues attitudes. that does amount to bullying. especially having a go at you.

Have they done a risk assesment?

You can ask to switch to days for duration of your pregnancy as it isnt really that practical for a pregnant woman to work nights. They have to pay you night pay still and any extra bonuses

Yeah, my personnel manager did a risk assessment with me, although it wasn't a practical one, it was just a case of ticking off boxes on a standard form. He said he was quite happy for me to remain doing nights and on the shop floor. I did initially ask to do from 10pm - 2am on tills and the rest of my shift on the shop floor. My personnel manager said this was fine by him but it was essentially up to the nights out of hours manager, who said no but came to the compromise of letting me do two hours on tills a night instead. I agreed to this and so far it's been ok, apart from the horrible backlash from my other collegues of course.
Thanks hun. xx

~Bump Buddies with Jox~ ~Mamas little man due 24/1/10~

This doesnt sound right at all, I worked at a large supermarket chain when I got pregnant with my first, they did the risk assessment and moved me to tills as I was on the counters (deli etc) and that involved a lot of lifting etc, and being on my feet all day. I know the chain I worked for had a number you could call that was kinda like HR but not linked to the store (sorta head office), where you could gain confidential advice, does your chain have this?

I agree it's unacceptable and reprehensible behavior! You don't deserve to be treated like that!

As for the woman without her ID it's her own fault for not having it, I mean heck, did she drive to the store without it? Her problem!