Working in a supermarket should make any sane person cry.
This is consumerism in one of it's most ugly manifestations. This is pure rotten capitalism.
Luckily, I only work part-time at this place. 12 hours a week. Already that is too much. Can you imagine how unbelievably boring it can get in stores like these? I pass the time by thinking about other things, or about how much time I have left until I can leave.
These people who work here full-time?
Their whole LIFE turns around this place, at least for the time of their employment, which is usually around 3 years. 3 YEARS. Sure, I'm only 17, I can't comprehend time spans lasting longer than a year. Still...
These people, they are wasting away their time. They fill the shelves, they sweep the floors, they ring the cash register. They do nothing to further themselves. They vegetate. They become so bored in this place they become truly crazy. Insane. They stage fake injuries just for the kick, like pretending you've cut off your finger (though this HAS really happened once). Some hang around, just waiting for some punk kid to shoplift something so they have an excuse to beat him up. They tell dirty jokes ALL the time. They ALL take drugs in their spare time. They are so desperate to have a little fun. They work so long, they HAVE no spare time.
This is wrong, so wrong.
This is not the way it should be.
...
And that was just the people.
Do you know how much stuff we throw away? Have you any IDEA how much food we waste? It must TONS per year. Fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, all sorts of dairy products, bread, you name it. If noone buys it, it will go bad and be thrown away. Just like that.
The waste output per year of ONE supermarket could probably feed a complete African VILLAGE.
And this is in Germany, where a "supermarket" is usually the size of two-three general stores in the US. We don't have Target, K-Mart or any of the others. We don't have large supermarkets.
Now think of what is being wasted in the US.
Do yourself a favor: Don't work in a supermarket. You don't want to know.