#working retail

[dizzy-canary]

Working in retail is crazy because I'm talking in my Bright Customer Service Voice and smiling like my life depends on it all while internally the hate monologue from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is blaring on a loop the entire time

[laughableillusions]

How it feels when you know you have work tmr with that one manager

[livethroughtthis]

Retail aesthetic💫

[injuries-in-dust]

Dumbest customer today:

Holds up a can of sweet corn and asks "is this okay for vegetarians?" With total seriousness.

[llyfrenfys]

Okay so in light of the Suprme Court ruling in the UK which effectively bans trans women and trans men from gendered spaces (e.g. toilets, hospital wards, changing rooms) I feel it's time I speak up about something. And call for a very specific action.

UK folks: Boycott the book and stationery shop The Works

Here's why:

Before my previous job, the job I had before (in 2023) was at The Works. My very first job, years before that, was at a different branch of The Works when I was 18. So it's safe to say I've served my time in the trenches that are corporate retail. It is important to note that I'm a transgender man.

When I worked there - The Works proudly stocked Harry Potter merch. You name it. We sold it. We even had quotas for selling key items, such as bags for life, two designs of which were Harry Potter themed. We sold the books and paint your own Hogwarts Express and so much other terrible, terrible merch. But, having been on the front lines of retail in that place - that shit sold. Oblivious parents buying a plushie Harry Potter or Ron Weasley to give their 3 year old. A well meaning aunt buying the books and a Hermione keyring for her niece. And then of course you had actual Harry Potter fans who either didn't care about JK Rowling's views or were oblivious to them.

The point is - I know Harry Potter merch is sold in places other than The Works. Major supermarkets like Asda and Tesco etc. often stock the books and clothing merch in their stores. Even Lidl has Harry Potter merch in around Christmas. While it'd be nice if we could boycott all major supermarkets - this isn't practical for most people. People need to eat and buy groceries and due to a lack of major supermarket chains which don't stock Harry Potter merch, people have no choice but to shop at those supermarkets. But - The Works is not a supermarket. It is a perfect example of a shop that can be boycotted.

Even aside from them selling Harry Potter merch, The Works gets away with worker exploitation on a massive scale. I faced ableism that actively put me in physical danger at the branch near me when I worked there (story for another time - maybe if someone sends an ask I might talk about that story). But the fact that in order to survive and be paid, as a trans person I had to sell Harry Potter merch day in day out. It was gruelling and soul crushing. Every sale goes to JK Rowling - who has actively donated to the terfs who brought the case to the UK Supreme Court which has just taken away my - and all of my friends' rights.

That's why I'm calling for a boycott of The Works until they no longer stock Harry Potter merchandise.

If - and I'm aware it's a big if - if this boycott is successful, it will eat into the profits of The Works. The management of that company is so fucking money hungry they *will* notice, trust me, if their bottom line is being eaten into. If the management discovers that the reason for the drop in sales is because of their stocking of Harry Potter books and merch - they will be forced to consider not stocking them. (Still very sapient that this is a big if - but we have to try something - and this might just work. Even if it causes JK to lose some sales and have less cash - it's progress).

If you currently work at The Works - my advice to you. If you can, try and work somewhere else (big ask I know - and I know from experience it's not easy. That company doesn't care about you and even if you have nice managers (I didn't) if you need to interact with their higher-ups in any way you will be sorely disappointed to find they only care about you insofar as you make them money). If you can't work somewhere else - join a union NOW. I wasn't in a union when I had a whole bunch of illegal shit happen to me at work there and I wish I had been. I'd recommend Unite or Unison. Speaking from experience, regional managers will try to take it out on you if there's a drop in sales. But hold fast and don't let them bully you!

Thank you if you made it this far into the post 💜

Please reblog and share this - talk to people outside of tumblr about it. I'll get something more official out about this when I can - but for now I think one way we can protest the influence of JK Rowling in our lives as trans people is to hit her where it hurts - her wallet.

Goes without saying to boycott everything Harry Potter related in general too. If you already own merch. I don't care what you do with it. Just don't buy any more.

With your help this could actually work - so hold fast and give this some serious thought. Do you want JK Rowling to keep paying terf groups? No? Then let's make sure she has less funds to do that.

[kategivesup]

Me helping customers at my retail job pretending my feet and knees don’t hurt:

[charish-cherish]

shitty quality comic about what happened at work today. fellow holiday season retail workers we are in this together. persevere as much as minimum wage lets you.

[19agbrown]

Person: Do you work here?

Me: *wearing a uniform and nametag* What gave me away?