All posts by Worker Person

Good Reasons to Keep Job

Yes, there are good reasons.

  • Feel spark in loins while watching Giovanni pick up boxes.
  • Need to mitigate high self esteem.
  • Good coffee is expensive, but free coffee is tolerable.
  • Waiting on parole board’s decision.
  • Need to stay in cockpit while plane in air.
  • Can’t storm out until car done charging.
  • No chance they’d write a letter of recommendation.
  • Need to remind Sari about scheduled hookup.
  • Enjoy feeling the sharp cut of self righteous indignation while observing plebes.
  • Want to see if they manage to get the raccoon out of the building.
  • Still planning epic departure prank.
  • They want you to quit.
  • Don’t want to have to memorize locations of fire exits in a new building.
  • Molly just got on the train.
  • Want to be a role model to the children, showing that hard work and perseverance will lead to misery.
  • Health insurance company cares more about my health than government does, which is saying something.
  • Still on break.
  • Sensation of being lovingly embraced by failure is comforting.
  • N/A

Reasons to Quit

You don’t have to wait if you have one of these reasons.

  • Valiant efforts to not quit waning.
  • Driven to the brink of caring too much to endure further bullshit.
  • Everyone else is quitting.
  • None of the new products are even worth the 20% discounted price.
  • Cinnamon brooms psychosis!
  • Just really tired of answering questions about flowers.
  • Got shit to do.
  • Stopped working last week, should let them know.
  • Want every day to be a no-call-no-show day.
  • Excuses for the missing cheese increasingly questioned.
  • Want to park right up front just once before dying.
  • Starting competing dropping-jars-on-concrete-floor business.
  • Unfortunate misunderstanding of how unemployment works.
  • Speculative research to find out if freedom is really just a word for nothing left to lose.
  • Bluffing.
  • Need to use drugs, can’t use drugs on job enough.
  • Only way to sleep with mate.
  • Want to be tired on own terms.

Crew Book List Winter 2024

The latest Crew wisdom, printed for you.

  • Quitting on a Budget [Revised Edition, McGraw Hill]
  • Double Thickness Bags Are Not the Answer [MIT Press]
  • Switch Door to Off: Spawn Point Toggle [Microsoft Press]
  • Other Stores Literally Carry the Same Thing [Razorbacks Retail Classics]
  • Cheerfully Offensive [Taschen]
  • I Hope Your Gerolsteiner Is Full of Worms That You Don’t See Until It’s Too Late (And 13 Additional Poems) [Christian Salvation Press]
  • The German Man Behind the Shadow Veil Wants Us to Sell Panettone [Kraftwird Einsicht]
  • Tired, Tired, Tired (of You, of This, of Life) [Western Glory Press]
  • Speedy Service Is Earned Not Requested [Beginner Books]
  • A Treatise on Why We Needed More Fancy Guacamole [O’Reilly]
  • Suspended Transaction: Retail Save Point [Blizzard]
  • Diamonds in the Dust: A Tale of the Glass Lost to Time Under the Shelf [National Geographic]
  • QIL: An Alternative Definition of Quick [Pasadena Free Press]
  • 28 Days of Questions: Sold Out Before the Holiday [screenplay, Hallmark Channel]
  • You Said You Would Wait for Me to Find It but You Betrayed Me [Harlequin]
  • Can Quantum Mechanics Explain Why They Don’t Take The Carts With Them? [MIT Press]
  • Unless Someone Is in Danger You Need to Hang Up the Fucking Phone and Pay for Your Goddamn Groceries [Hearst]
  • Temporarily Out of Season: A Rigorous Analysis of the Nomenclature of Availability [Cambridge University Press]
  • Felted Nightmares [Nepal People’s Press]
  • Vast Profit Through Adding Any Goddamn Flavor to Cheese [Wisconsin Dairy Advisory Board]
  • Banter Breakdown, Uncomfortable Efficiency [Henry Ford Institute for the Destruction of Humanity]
  • Barely Hanging in There: The True Story of How Is Your Day [Scholastic]
  • Not Almost Out of Here: The Public’s Misunderstanding of Retail Schedules [Bloomberg]
  • Put Everything in One Bag That Isn’t Too Heavy [Uline Publishing]
  • An Argument in Favor of Perfume MSDS Requirements [OSHA Required Publishing]
  • Register of Love: Feelings Bounded by Transactions [Penguin Classics]
  • The Very Quiet Voice That Was Not Heard So They Didn’t Get Their Cornichons [AARP Quarterly]
  • Desktop Compendium of Ways to Check the Eggs [4th Edition, Oxford University Press]
  • If You’d Prefer to Be Disappointed in Five Minutes I Can Check the Back Room [PolitelyDisappointing.edu]
  • No, No, No (We Don’t Have It, You Can’t Buy It, I Am Not Happy About It Either) [HarperCollins]
  • Shhh…the Discontent We Share Transcends Words [Phoenix-Namarayu Press]
  • Fireball in the Shitter: Determining Mental Health Issues By Evaluating Trace Evidence in the Bathroom Trash Can [Physician’s Desktop Reference]
  • Buddy, Pal, Boss, Chief, Dude, Man, Bro, and Other Incorrect Identity Assumptions [Wired]

What’s the Attraction Between Them?

They are so perfect for each other

  • Beauty
  • Pronoun uniqueness
  • Taste in music
  • Feeble ethics
  • Same lunch time
  • Car broke down, in same car
  • “Car broke down”, in same car
  • Same work schedule
  • Need for convenience
  • Willingness to settle
  • Desire to disgust and annoy coworkers
  • Appreciate willingness to listen to stupid shit they say without being judged
  • Made of electrostatic material
  • They are customers wanting to block a narrow aisle for 12 minutes to discuss how Steph now attends TCU and is loving it

Innovative Trek Mixes

Taste great by themselves. Taste even better together!

  • I Can’t Believe It’s Only Peanuts! (Unsalted)
  • Tangy Weirdo Trek Mix (Pignolias, Pepitas, and Pickle Chips)
  • The Leguminator (Peas, Peanuts, Garbanzos, Lentils, Edamame)
  • Long Island Iced Trek (Almonds, Rum, Tequila, Cola, Triple Sec, Seltzer)
  • Scandinavian Starches (Potato Chips, Tortilla Chips, Basmati Rice, Fusilli, Just the Lobsters)
  • A Fine Start to the Day (Unbleached Flour, Ground French Roast Coffee, Turbinado Sugar, Flax Seed, Chia Seed, Dukkah)
  • Just A Handful of Things Goats Will Eat (Kale, Shreds of Paper, Shoe Laces, Ice Cream Cones, Alfalfa Pellets, Orange Filled Chocolate Sticks)

Good Reasons to Call Out of Work

Management may disagree, but these are valid.

  • Feeling panicky because you learned that a bounty hunter is in town looking for you, and he knows where you work.
  • Feeling panicky for no good reason and you can’t control it.
  • Feeling panicky because you know you have to go to the bad place and clock in.
  • Feeling depressed and hopeless and unable to get out of bed
  • Contemplating suicide, and know that removing your ability to think things through in a constructive way because you are around people all day long might take you one step closer to the last step.
  • Too many thoughts, which will inevitably result in staring into the middle space until someone notices and asks what you are doing, and it will be impossible to explain what is going on in your head, what you are actually doing, and this is an actual predictable thing that will happen which should be avoided.
  • Allergies and any other unpleasantness of the nose, diagnosed or otherwise.
  • Medical conditions that cannot be seen, like STIs, or cancer, or any mental health condition, all of which can be valid reasons to miss work.
  • Quiz: Are mental health conditions valid reasons to miss work? Answer: Yes, the federal government even says so. 
  • Overwhelmed by work because someone treated you bad the day before. 
  • Overwhelmed by life, just need to do your own shit for a day without any interruption. Many people think this is an irresponsible reason to call out, but that’s just because they were feeling fine that day. We all need this day sometimes. Be reasonable.
  • Resignation letter not finalized.
  • Steve.
  • Car accident, plumbing problem, electricity about to be shut off, any one of thousands of unfortunate car problem, childcare issue, family emergency, freezer defrosted, water/electricity off, child trapped in well.
  • Found rich vein of gold directly under apartment while violating tenant rules and digging a hole in your living room. Need to mine as much as possible without getting caught before giving notice and moving to Aruba.
  • They treat you like you are an unimportant cog every day, so fuck them if they don’t want to treat you with respect then they can live without you for a day. 
  • On last chapter/episode of book/show.
  • Reckless abandon.
  • Unrequited sexual opportunity.
  • Attacked/infested by wildlife.
  • Don’t want to get caught not working.
  • You are imagining hurting people or things at work.

Good Reasons to Give If You Are Calling Out of Work

If your reason is bad, then use one of these instead

  • Think you have flu, cold, COVID-19, tuberculosis, chicken pox, shingles, mononucleosis, malaria, dengue, yellow fever, polio (solid documentation required), allergies from hell, nondescript fever, rash, uncontrolled sweating, diarrhea, vomiting air.
  • Broke glasses, waiting on appointment.
  • Fell, things hurt, waiting on appointment.
  • Total bullshit, bail not yet posted. (Use as last resort.)
  • Burned by scalding coffee while making good faith effort to prepare for day at work.
  • You are the Statue of Liberty and you can’t move.
  • Although you are covered in blood, you are not guilty.
  • Still haven’t finished spending previous paycheck, so okay for now.
  • Thirsty for the joy of life! (French citizens only)
  • Rioting/road work near house
  • They have not yet received the ransom! What are you doing about the ransom!
  • Undercover investigation is complete.
  • Pedestrian stuck in wheel well.
  • You are the CEO of any goddamn company in America and you can do whatever the hell you want and nobody can do a damn thing about it.
  • Partner flipped the fuck out. Need to protect possessions/life.
  • Mother in law trapped in cellar, but if I move she’ll get out.
  • Waitress hasn’t brought change or a box for the hashbrowns.
  • Already called during my lucid dream
  • Bee swarm
  • Something awful on carpet that needs to be cleaned immediately
  • Tree fell on house.
  • Meteorite fell on house.
  • ISS fell on house.
  • Volcanic activity
  • I let 911 services know why I didn’t want to go to work and now I’m face down on my rug with a knee on my neck.
  • Breakdown of government infrastructure
  • Collapse of society
  • Delaware no longer providing tax advantages to corporations, so mumble mumble mumble mumble something about your bank. (Be prepared to present supporting documentation.)

Reasons Inappropriate for Calling Out of Work

Don’t say this. You’ve been warned.

  • Ran out of Post-It notes.
  • Need to snack. (Possibly defensible for a limited period of time.)
  • Tried dividing by zero.
  • Fortune cookie hinted at a non-optimal day.
  • Tequila.
  • Mercury in retrograde.
  • Rob said it’s probably cool to stay home.
  • Why do you need a reason?
  • Made a million bucks today from everyone else’s labor and just want to kick back in Bermuda for a while, okay?
  • Livestream cannot be rescheduled.
  • PTSD caused by harassment not defined as harassment.
  • Overdosed on Altoids, suffering from acute freshness.
  • Ran out of ink and can’t print resume so need  to go print it at FedEx and I’ll probably be about 45 minutes late.
  • Drunk, but in my defense I didn’t know it was daytime.
  • Don’t believe in the permanence of time.
  • Experiencing quantum entanglement with sofa.
  • Accidentally don’t want to work today.

Risky Activities

Risk aversion is life aversion

  • Arriving at work
  • All assigned activities
  • Discussing nihilist philosophy with the regional
  • Putting the ice cream you bought in the break room freezer
  • Humor
  • Expressing opinions about life, the universe, or Sandy
  • Treating customers like regular people
  • Asking a customer if they found what they were looking for
  • Having knowledge
  • Suggesting good ideas
  • Trapping raccoon
  • Expressing a desire to learn
  • Asking questions
  • Adding vodka to your water bottle
  • Adding vodka to Captain’s water bottle

Trader Wisdom Cookie — November 2023

…a fortune for every day of the month!

  1. Hold your horses! It’s only November first and you’re already hounding us about Jingle Jangle!
  2. Training is useful because it affords the new hire the chance to get their questions answered. However, training cannot answer the Crew’s questions as to why the fuck this person was hired.
  3. Q: Is this Chardonnay oaked? A: Your mom is oaked.
  4. Taxonomic distribution is never talked about in the store. Instead, it is discussed using the veiled terms “aisles,” “shelves,” and “it doesn’t matter where we fucking put it because they won’t find it anyway.”
  5. Members of the Art Team will be angered by your temp sign.
  6. Maintaining a single beverages shelf is a way to prevent customers from learning the terrifying truth: that they can tear open any package of drinks to get one, and then leave a huge mess on the shelf. For civilization to stand, customers must never be allowed to learn this.
  7. Mini Taco Flavor Roulette: No one actually loses, but no one truly wins
  8. Whether you quaff an entire bottle of Charles Shaw White Zinfandel in a single sitting, or an entire bottle of a French Rose in a fancy bottle, both will be equally regretted when peering back through the lens of time while upside down in a ditch soaked with gasoline and being smothered by a deflated airbag.
  9. TikTok plants the seeds of stupid in the fertile loam of customers’ heads, which when nurtured by their need for shallow excitement will result in annoying questions after mere minutes of incubation. You can write a cease and desist letter if it makes you feel better, but it won’t stop them.
  10. Who are the members of the Safety Team? Attend their monthly meeting in a dim top-floor conference room at the Hilton to find out. To maintain secrecy wear street clothes, not your uniform.
  11. A box with “LIVE” written on it may actually be a GO BACK that has not yet been checked. A box with “GO BACK” written on it may actually go up if it is part of a boat pull.
  12. One must understand facings to understand the concept of GO BACK. One must understand @TOS to understand facings. One must understand QIL to understand @TOS. One must understand the supply chain to understand QIL. One must understand Regan, Category Manager for Quinoa Dry Line, to understand the supply chain. You must come to peace with the truth that a person who lives in a dumb California suburb controls how many times you pick up a box. Regan believes that you are a robot.
  13. Falling in love with your coworker is probably a bad idea, but it feels so good. It feels weird. It feels good weird. Equalizing AR reserves is key to making it last.
  14. Welcome to The Holidays! Time to move everything from one side of the back room to the other side of the back room.
  15. Bane’s First Rule: Any product a customer asks you to find is either discontinued, or will be arriving on a truck in 4 hours.
  16. We are a national chain of neighborhood TikTok franchises.
  17. Don’t be fooled. Shallots are just weird onions.
  18. Three out of four American adults suffer from Jingle Jangle addiction. The rest are lying to you.
  19. Spiced wine is a gateway drug, a slippery slope leading children to switch to vomiting surprisingly quickly.
  20. Fun fact: most aisles are more than a thousand “EXCUSE MEs” long during the Holiday Season.
  21. When you stop and think about how magical the Holidays are… You don’t have time for that! Get back to work!
  22. Remember when you looked under the shelves before inventory and found all that weird stuff? It was kicked under there LAST Holiday. Now the cycle begins anew.
  23. Policy update: Instead of putting half-dollar coins in the tray section for large bills, they should now be thrown directly into the trash.
  24. $2 bills are for grandchildren, not me.
  25. When did we get THAT? Not customers, not Crew, not Mates, not QIL, nobody knows the answer.
  26. Make time to set aside the Limited Buys that you want, because otherwise they will be gone and then what was even the point of all this?
  27. “The wine is actually not too bad,” and other unbelievable tales from the Tall Blue Bottle Universe.
  28. Every customer interaction is actively whittling away your telomeres. By January you may only have a few peptide bonds remaining. Wear comfortable shoes I guess.
  29. When the oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, definitely put yours on first before assisting any customers, because they are going to try to suck the life out of you.
  30. Label every register “EXPRESS LINE 9 ITEMS.” Enforce rigidly, no more items, no fewer. Then put on full riot gear and allow one person through with a full cart.