Resign my job (retail) or not?

One other thing: If you live your life trying to please other people, that's not a good thing. You need to do what is right for you. Their opinions may be worth taking into account, but that is the extent of it.

Definitely a lot of food for thought here. I can see all perspectives, really. At first, I was deadset on resigning, but now I'm thinking about maybe doing part-time instead. I do remember feeling much less stressed as a part-timer. It's weird thinking of going back to part-time, with the pay being reduced (same hourly rate, just earning less), but health insurance is still offered at the part-time level. And my store is in a mall, which may be part of the reason it's not the healthiest environment. One thing of note: the attendance system is not common in retail. I've spoken to people who work at Best Buy, Target, Office Depot, Staples, among others, and they said there were no points. My co-worker was sick for a week, had a documented doctors note, and still got a point. Very unfair and inhumane. I've known of some people who were fired despite having valid, documented health issues, because of the points they accurred while sick. Another point to note: when I interned for the federal government, I teleworked for 3 days a week and went into the office 2 days a week. I didn't have any job experience in-between, so that may be why this is such a hard adjustment. Especially in a chaotic mall environment.

I've done a lot of retail. You have to have a positive attitude towards customers, or you get miserable. It helps if you like the product. Drink coffee, and smile and be upbeat. Compliment people: Nice scarf, Those jeans accentuate your long legs, Where'd you get that great haircut, etc. Don't lie, just look for nice things to say. Go out with co-workers, and vent a little. Get sunshine - go out at lunch and breaks and have a quick walk, or sit on a bench in the sun; malls are deadening. Do a great job - help that doofus find the perfect tshirt, assist that Mom with a gift for her kid, make sure the shirts are folded with military precision, and take pride in it. If the job isn't worth doing well, then get another. Who cares if it's cool if they treat you like a thief, and probably underpay you. Ask around, see who's hiring. More $ is cooler than working at a cool place.

Well, welcome to the RW. What you are describing is a typical retail job. Now you know, you don't like retail. Hang in there, and apply for other jobs. If you liked working for the federal government, then start applying for jobs at USAjobs.gov. It will take awhile, but eventually, you'll get a good job. In this economy, I'd hesitate to just quit, without having another job. This is because I'm a grownup and I am responsbile for keeping body and soul together. Yes, being on vacation is awesome! It would be nice if we could always be on vacation, but alas, unless we win the lottery, that's not in the cards. One thing I might recommend is working for the IRS. They work from January through August, then they're off for 4 months. It's a good job for someone who like a alot of time off. You're in DC, so you have a TON of federal job options. Gird your loins and power through your current job and work like hell to find one you like more.

All the things you dislike about this job are part and parcel of retail. I'm sorry. I've been in retail for like, fifteen years. No retail job will ever deliver you customers who are not demanding, bosses who are not inflexible, and work that is not frankly servile and demeaning. And honestly, eight hours a day with lunch breaks and other rest periods? Sign me up. Sounds like they aren't actually that bad an employer, just not suited to you. Retail is just not for you. No fault of yours. Time to move on. You need to find yourself another job away from retail. If you can afford to just quit, just quit, and screw the haters.

You are obviously not cut out for retail, and I'll go farther: avoid customer-contact jobs in general. The problems you have with this current retail job (and it doesn't really matter what company it's with or what they're selling) would be the same at any OTHER retail/customer-contact job: a requirement that you be on your feet, on the sales floor, answering questions. When it comes to managers being "inflexible, not very understanding about schedule-related needs" ...... ummm, do YOU understand that they're there to run a business, not work around your social life? It's one thing if you're OCCASIONALLY asking, in advance, to be scheduled around things; it's a whole 'other ballgame if you're demanding to take off tomorrow because something fun you want to do just came up. And "always on our backs to be on the floor" where you're "on [your] feet 8 hours a day" and those "customers [are] demanding, asking stupid questions" is pretty much the DEFINITION of a retail job. The "inhumane attendance system" was probably put in place because too many employees were taking advantage of the previous system (coming in late, taking off early, etc.); ditto the strict security checks. tl;dr: find another job, one that's NOT retail/customer-contact --- you'll be happier.

Just wanted to let you know that I used to work at an organization that's relatively well known and most people who know of it feel that they do good work (and I would agree). My father was proud of me for working there and respected the organization. But over time, he learned how it was rough there. I eventually got a new job at a different organization. Now whenever I mention the previous organization to my father, he says, you know, I had always thought that would have been a good place to work. But he gets it and I'm pretty sure he's still proud of me and still loves me. It's your life. You have to live it for you. You wouldn't want your friends and family to spend 20-40 hours a week doing something that made them unhappy. Anyone who thinks you should do that is not a friend or someone who loves you. When you get a new job, if people ask why you left this organization, feel free to say, I wasn't happy there. If they ask for more info, you can say, I just didn't like working there. You can even crack a joke like, but if you want to find out for yourself what it's like, I heard there's a job opening. You shouldn't feel like you should just be grateful to have any job because the economy sucks. You deserve to be happy and you owe it to yourself to pursue happiness. Good luck - you can do it.

There's also strict security checks as we leave. There's this inhumane attendance system where points are issued where even if you get sick, you get a point, and beyond certain points, you're fired. No matter what, end of discussion. Security Checks...not common at most jobs. Your attendance system? Very common. Customers expect A LOT from us, and we're expected to pretty much do whatever it takes to make the customer happy (which is a good thing, granted, but can border on the verge of being unreasonable/demanding). Then make them happy. People want what they want and you're empowered to do it by the company. If it's an impossibility due to science, then explain it to the customer and put the onus on escalation on them. People will yell at you. That's the business of customer service. But don't jump until you have a place to jump to...and if the place you work is cool enough, it might unlock doors to other places that would love to have someone who worked at the place we can all pretty much guess you are working at. As for your trip to California, well, yeah, vacations are fun because you don't have to work. But if you got somewhere and did have to work, the perspective changes. I'm not saying that California isn't the place you oughta be, but before you pack up your bags and move to Beverly, think about what you loved about it more. The not working or the place?

Bottom line: I am so afraid of my family, roommates, and friends' reactions. I'm guessing that your loved ones would like to see you happy and healthy. (And if not, perhaps they aren't loved ones, or not loved ones worthy of contorting your life to please.) It sounds like dialing down to part time might relieve you of some stress, and free up some time to hatch a plan (and look for a new gig). You might approach small mom-and-pop places that specialize in the products your Big Famous Company sells and services. Look for a niche. For example, there's a little business near me that specializes in repairing broken screens on i-devices. Their business is booming, and they seem to have a No Assholes Tolerated policy. I suspect having Big Famous Company on your resume will really help separate you from the pack of other job-seekers. Chin up. You have options.