I just cannot get ahead

[Food Lady]

So, some background: I've worked at my store for 5 yrs, working my way up the pay scale. I'm higher than some mngrs. The hours, however, aren't guaranteed. This year alone they've ranged from 0 to 34. So I've incurred a lot of debt over the last few years, & I'm drowning. I just "interviewed" for 5 min @ a department store for what was a full-time position. Now it's part-time due to budget cuts. I'm currently getting FT at my store. I'm not gonna leave for a PT job, just because of "conflict of interest."
What I wanted was a new FT job & to cut my current one to PT, and cut loose my side job. I guess I'm stuck with wildly varying hours and fast food on the side, because I keep running into this.

[fireheart]

I can think of worse. The magical words here are "junior pay rates."
Basically, up until the age of 21, your pay increases on your birthday. IIRC, it's something like this:

16 and under: 50%
17: 60%
18: 70%
19: 80%
20: 90%

Try going into an interview for most stores where there aren't any age restrictions on products. If the store itself is a popular breeding ground for 15-year-olds looking for their first job....ooooh tough luck. Go find another job.
And around the job market I go until I find somewhere that doesn't care about age.

It gets better as well. THe current job I'm at is part-time, rather than casual, so a bit more security etc. The one annoying thing is though...

I want to be trained up to work the smoke counter. You can be trained to do so and not be a supervisor. I have asked my manager twice to be smoke trained and each time I've been told "there are too many people" and he'll consider me for when there's a free spot. Yet recently, we've had three more people be smoke trained! One of them is a coupe of years younger as well. There's no extra pay for it.

[XCashier]

This economy just absolutely sucks rocks through a straw. Employers have us over a barrel and they gleefully know it, using it to their advantage to drain the employees of everything they can.

And knowing that you're not the only one having difficulty does not make it any easier. I wish I had an answer for you; unfortunately, all I can offer is my sympathy and hopes that things will get better very soon, for all of us.

[Food Lady]

Thanks anyway, X. (I needed a hug).

[Keiara]

Don't give up. I start looking for a new job in the last part of April and I finally got a new. It will take a bit longer than you want or expect, but be patient and keep looking.

[JLG]

So, some background: I've worked at my store for 5 yrs, working my way up the pay scale. I'm higher than some mngrs. The hours, however, aren't guaranteed. This year alone they've ranged from 0 to 34. So I've incurred a lot of debt over the last few years, & I'm drowning. I just "interviewed" for 5 min @ a department store for what was a full-time position. Now it's part-time due to budget cuts. I'm currently getting FT at my store. I'm not gonna leave for a PT job, just because of "conflict of interest."
What I wanted was a new FT job & to cut my current one to PT, and cut loose my side job. I guess I'm stuck with wildly varying hours and fast food on the side, because I keep running into this.

At my current job I need to have open availability. I can start work at 5am on day and start 2pm the next. I really want a second job so I can pay some things down. My plan is to get a full time job with set hours and then keep the one I currently have but only work part time. That means that I would have to step down to a "regular" associate and then I can have availability to work only after a certain time. I have worked at my current job for six years and it seems like I am not going to move up anytime soon like I wanted. We have new management and well that is another story.