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  • why is it so hard to believe i work in auto

    i am a woman who works in the automotive department at sears, its not the first time i have worked in automotive, the first time i worked there i was a tech that installed tires and batteries, that was 13 years ago, so i return due to having problems finding another job as an admin assistant.

    i regularly answer the phone
    "thank you for calling sears auto center how may i help you"

    i regularly get this reply
    "i need to speak to someone in the auto center"
    or
    "automotive please"

    its not once or twice, but about 95% of the people who call in male or female.

    i have had a few people blatantly ask to speak to a male sales person because i obviously do not know what im talking about because im female. (and this is before they let me know what they are calling about)

    it was worse when i was a tech though, people would see me walk out to their cars, and have a fit about me working on it,
    "what do you mean shes going to work on my car, i want some one else shes gonna mess my car up"

    my fave from back then was this guy who had complained about the possibility of me working on his car, demanded that some one else do it, when he was told i was the only one he demanded that he borrow some tools so he could do it him self and then when he finnaly let me work on his car i go to drive it in and the seat was welded so you couldnt move it.

    so i had a regular customer who, always requested me to work on his car he brought in a different car every week (all toyotas for some reason and i dont think that he was a dealer) the guy is standing next to the jerk as he is trying to watch everything im doing from the observation area, i over hear the toyota guy rave about my work and how i am the only one who works on his cars at this shop. the guy just sat there and fumed about the whole issue and all because he was too cheap to buy 2 wrenches to prevent me a feamale from working on his car (oh the horror)
    "Let's connect to some ones cyberbrain who is meditating, so we can download enlightenment" one of the Tachikomas (Ghost in the Shell 2nd gig)

  • #2
    Men...they can be so horrible.

    Don't worry, they'll get what they deserve.
    Unseen but seeing
    oh dear, now they're masquerading as sane-KiaKat
    There isn't enough interpretive dance in the workplace these days-Irv
    3rd shift needs love, too
    RIP, mo bhrionglóid

    Comment


    • #3
      Hey, if you work in the department, I'm gonna assume you know what you're doing. I'll definitely assume you know more than I do...(which wouldn't be hard )

      Kinda reminds me of the people who would come in and automatically ask for a manager, assuming that a young (looking) female (I'm older than you think, folks!) won't be able to handle their oh so complicated problem. Then when I ask what the issue is it's a simple return or maybe something rang up wrong...which I can easily fix. Even better when they wouldn't tell me what the problem was, and I'd call the manager, who would then get annoyed because there was no reason for them to come up. I always warned the manager that the customer wouldn't tell me why they wanted a manager, just so they would get annoyed at the right person

      Bonus points when people would assume the manager must be male. All of my Store Managers have been female, and probably the majority of my assistant and department managers have been as well.
      I don't go in for ancient wisdom
      I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
      It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

      Comment


      • #4
        i do know what im talking about, ok i have a little trouble with plus sizeing just because im bad at math, but i do know the consept. i actually was an automotive major in college.

        i think that people still have a hard time believing that women can do things other than typing and being a secretary.

        *grumbles at the still majorly patriarchal society
        "Let's connect to some ones cyberbrain who is meditating, so we can download enlightenment" one of the Tachikomas (Ghost in the Shell 2nd gig)

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth queenbb View Post
          i do know what im talking about, ok i have a little trouble with plus sizeing just because im bad at math, but i do know the consept. i actually was an automotive major in college.

          i think that people still have a hard time believing that women can do things other than typing and being a secretary.

          *grumbles at the still majorly patriarchal society
          just move to china queen!

          (a cookie to anyone who knows why)

          Comment


          • #6
            if a person, sex aside, works in a given department, i treat them as if they know what they're talking about, since they work there, they have to know more than i do.

            why the bias in this day and age? blame it on mental stagnation and inability to see past old occupational role stereotypes.

            i'm just glad there's someone there to help me; i don't care who/what they are!
            look! it's ghengis khan!
            Sorry, but while I can do many things, extracting heads from anuses isn't one of them. (so sayeth the irv)

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            • #7
              I hate people who discount a persons ability due to sex. There is no special ability to repair machinery imparted by a pair of testicles.

              If it makes you feel any better, I do embrodiery when the mood strikes. I once embrodered the entire back of a jean jacket I had. Everyone asked me how long it took my mom to do it, when I told them I did it in 2 weeks, they were shocked to learn I could use a needle and thread (I can use a sewing machine too!).

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              • #8
                On a related note, I am a complete and total sports nut. I love basketball and football, particularly college/Big Ten. I have pictures up on my desk of hte MSU Basketball team, along with ticket stubs and a field pass from a football scrimmage.

                Because I'm a girl (and a relatively attractive one at that) no one ever thinks I'm serious when I say I love sports and understand them as well. Every time we get new guys on the floor with us, they kind of laugh when they're told by the rest of the guys I work with that I'm into sports. It always makes me laugh when they realize I know more than most of the guys around here--and I usually have the news before they do.
                "In the end I was the mean girl/or somebody's in between girl"~Neko Case

                “You don't need many words if you already know what you're talking about.” ~William Stafford

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth queenbb View Post
                  i do know what im talking about...

                  i think that people still have a hard time believing that women can do things other than typing and being a secretary.
                  Frankly, this MALE would make a far better secretary than he would a mechanic.

                  With my car, I can change the oil, change the tires, change lanes, and change my mind. And that is about it, folks.

                  About the only secretarial skill I don't possess is shorthand. I am very organized, have an excellent phone voice/presence, type like a demon, edit just as well (how many typos do you see in my posts? I don't use spell check, thank you, because I don't need to.), and am familiar with just about every computer program a secretary might need, and learn new ones remarkably fast. I am truly the son of a secretary.

                  I can also do my own laundry (though I retired from that due to laziness), cook, and clean (though I don't really care for the last one).

                  Despite all this, I am not some metrosexual pansy. I am a sports nut and a football fanatic. I a beer-swilling dude whose nickname back home in Zona is "Schlager" for my ability to drain shots of Goldschlager without blinking. I have intimidated men much larger than myself without raising my voice. And I am dating one helluva hot babe (RW).

                  So, if I come into a shop and see a chick approaching my vehicle to fix it, you know what I'm going to do?

                  Hand her the fucking keys and let her fix it.

                  Hell, my stepsister (who is an attractive blonde) probably knows more about what's going on under the hood of a vehicle than most of these insecure chauvinistic asswipes.

                  Frankly, every time a mechanic has screwed up my car or truck, it's been a dude.


                  Oh, wait...I can wash my car too. That's it...give me the wrench...I'm going in!

                  "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                  Still A Customer."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth queenbb View Post
                    i think that people still have a hard time believing that women can do things other than typing and being a secretary.

                    *grumbles at the still majorly patriarchal society
                    In some cases, it's not believing that women can do it, it's finding many women who want to do it.

                    Yeah, you also run into a number of mysogynists. But in some cases, it's not belief that a women can't do something... it's surprise that you found one who's doing it because they want to.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      What difference does it make if the person that works on your car is a woman? As long as they know what they're doing then that's all that should matter. A lot of women know MORE about certain subjects that used to be the domain of men. & you know what? That's GOOD!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth Bright_Star View Post
                        What difference does it make if the person that works on your car is a woman? As long as they know what they're doing then that's all that should matter. A lot of women know MORE about certain subjects that used to be the domain of men. & you know what? That's GOOD!
                        UNACCEPTABLE! I WANT TO SEE A MANAGER!!



                        EDIT:
                        I don't care about sex/race/orientation/whatever as long as you know what you're doing
                        Linux user (Debian and Kubuntu)
                        Programmer in C and perl!

                        I'm "only" 16 but do NOT try and outskill me with machines

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          i also had the experience that if you are a feminine woman, its much harder for people to take you seriously in male dominated fields.

                          i had this conversation with a friend of mine who is a lesbian and a very masculine one at that. she expressed her disbelief that i was a mechanic before i started the job i met her in (i was an admin assistant, i was a good one ok my typing and grammar stinks but at least i do my best to get it done)

                          she said that she had no problem working in a male dominated profession, she was a machinist for precision parts. i told her that it was much harder for me because i am more feminine (being a tiny large breasted and ex model)

                          there was another girl who got a job with me as a tech a few months after i started, she was extremely masculine, and not one person had a problem with her working on their cars, i did feel a little bummed out cause of it.

                          im trying to think of what the china reference is about and i guess my mirgaine is killing my thought process cause i cant think of what it would be.

                          i have met many women who have felt that they cant accomplish things because they are female, i tell them right off i have never let anyone hold me back because of my sex or disability (i have a busted pelvis) and that the only limits that i place on my self are the ones that are nessisary to keep me from hurting my self further. they usually express remorse because they never picked up a wrench or got greasy. so its not a thing about want to do it its a thing about would i be aloud to do it and not feel like less of a woman, or that they felt they would not be aloud to do it because of their sex
                          "Let's connect to some ones cyberbrain who is meditating, so we can download enlightenment" one of the Tachikomas (Ghost in the Shell 2nd gig)

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Ooohhh...hate hate hate. Customers come in asking for the "key man" so they can have their keys cut (Uh...that's me.), the "guy who knows about cameras" (me again) and when I say brightly "Sure, how can I help you?" they demand the manager. I'll give you one guess who that is.
                            There is just one guy working in my shop and guess who he'll come and get for camera advice, photo advice and key cutting awkward keys?

                            In my whole region, there are 2 male maagers out of 15 stores. Company wide there are about 10 male managers out of 90 stores. Us girlies know what we're taling about!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              For people asking for the automotive dept,unless you say "automotive" (or something equally obvious) then I can see it, people today are so used to being bounced around 3-5 times before getting to where we need to be we're just programmed to re-ask for where we need to go to.

                              Quoth BookstoreEscapee View Post
                              Hey, if you work in the department, I'm gonna assume you know what you're doing. I'll definitely assume you know more than I do...(which wouldn't be hard )
                              Same here. I don't care about whether you have XX or XY. I don't care about your skin color, either, whether it's white, black, olive, red, purple, or whatever, as long as you know what you're doing and you can communicate with me. I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt (unless there'a complete nerd working in automotive, then I know they're covering from electronics ). I let people's actions dictate if I feel comfortable working with them or not.

                              Quoth queenbb View Post
                              i think that people still have a hard time believing that women can do things other than typing and being a secretary.
                              Women can do so much more than that, they can sell vacuume cleaners, sewing machines, *and* irons (plus the occasional stove or washing machine / dryer)! They're so versatile! (OK, stop throwing things! I was joking!!)

                              Seriously, I see it too. My district manager was ignored by a customer (my guess was a middle eastern immigrant by his hard accent) because she was a female. He even complained "how can you have a WOMAN a manager?" Um, asshole, this is the USA. Land of the "free". If you don't like it, go back to where you came from. In fact, you have to go pretty high up to get a male in my management chain now.

                              Quoth Sliceanddice View Post
                              just move to china queen!

                              (a cookie to anyone who knows why)
                              Because her parents would have left her on the side of the road so they could have a male child or the fact that she would be a second-class human?

                              Maybe these assholes need to be reminded of where they came from?

                              I just think a lot of men feel intimidated when they meet an intelligent women, but I love it. I'm the guy who tried to date the class valedictorian (although she turned out to be a complete and total snob).
                              Last edited by draggar; 07-09-2007, 10:41 AM.
                              Quote Dalesys:
                              ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

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