Going OT, sort of, though this kind of speaks to some of the things Bernie Sanders talks about, and I need to vent. Grrr.

My son just finished up a program for adults with varying disabilities. He spent the last 6 months working in a store of a major grocery chain. Not as an official employee of that company but through the state via this program. Even though he trained and wore the uniform. The state paid his salary through this program. They also helped him prepare to put in an application for this chain online and gave him minimal coaching to help him through the interview process. He actually has been hired by the company now, which is good news. However this is what pisses me off to no end.

Before he can begin working he has to go through 20 hours of training at a facility over an hour from our home. To stock shelves for minimum wage. For less than 20 hours a week. The average will be 2-3 days of work a week, maybe 8 hour shifts probably less. He has been working in one of their stores for SIX MONTHS already, why on earth should he have to go through all this? He and I both have severe anxiety related to driving in fast moving or heavy traffic and the times of his training coincide with some of the worst traffic times in an area of Metro Atlanta notorious for accidents and traffic delays. It means I will have to take him there and wait for 4 hours one day and 8 hours the other two days. I am not making this trip 6 damned times instead of three so I have to wait on him. And let’s just say my Husband is being an ass and really unhelpful on this. So two people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, in a car flying through traffic ought to be a blast.

This kind of crap is why companies can’t “afford” to pay their employees decent money. I wonder how much this freaking training costs per employee? I worked in retail for 25 yrs. We never did this shit, we brought people in, schooled them on basic policies and then they learned on the job. We also got paid more than minimum wage. WTF? Doing some digging into other companies and most of them do this now? Again, WTF? This is not complicated work, it’s entry level work and learn as you go. I could see if it was for management, or even cashiering, but for a part time stock clerk who has been doing the job for 6 months? Sigh. And this is going to cost me money I don’t have in gas, we’re not doing well at all financially, my husband hasn’t held a job beyond a couple independent contractor jobs since July 5.

All the work and training my son did is being dismissed as nothing and not counting for anything and it’s pissing me off. Sigh. Scream. Throw something…..sorry, I’m so frustrated right now I want to smack someone.