As we all know, working in every sector comes with some challenges that employees need to face. There is no doubt an occupation in customer service is any different. Let’s take, for instance, deli staff. People working there need to do their best to provide excellent assistance to customers, but we must not forget that their responsibilities aren’t limited to smiling and chatting with people. They have a list of difficult tasks, starting with manning the deli counter, placing orders for the next day, keeping track of the inventory, stocking shelves, and more. These workers form the backbone of the food retail sector, playing a vital role in our daily lives. The problem is that they are often not appreciated by their employers and are underpaid considering their hard work.

Nowadays, social media platforms serve as spaces for sharing our personal experiences and voicing concerns. Reddit user u/Jacq1987 decided to share her story with the community on r/antiwork. The woman, who recently quit her job at a local grocery store deli, expressed her frustrations about the difficulties of living on a meager wage while being a single mother.

Deli staff are often underappreciated by their employers and are not adequately compensated for their hard work

Image credits: Lazy_Bear (not the actual photo)

A netizen decided to share her story with the community on Reddit

Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Jacq1987

The situation described in the Reddit post was just the final straw for the OP in making a decision about quitting her job

Bored Panda has reached out to u/Jacq1987 to learn some more details about her story. We asked the netizen what prompted her to share her story on Reddit. We were also wondering if the OP expected her post to gain such attention. The woman shared with us, “I’m kind of overwhelmed with the response this has gotten. I mostly posted this here as a way to vent and to see if anyone else has had similar experiences with their manager. I, in no way, expected it to blow up like this.”

When asked if there were any other factors that contributed to the woman’s decision to quit, u/Jacq1987 told us, “This was just the final straw in my decision to quit. I’ve worked for the company for 3 years, and the only reason I make $0.50 over minimum wage is because I used to be the assistant department head of the meat department with my soon-to-be ex-husband.” The Reddit member shared with us some personal reasons for her decision to request a department switch: “We separated, and I thought it would be best to switch departments. He is still the department head of the meat department and makes $2 more than I do. Once you go back to part-time, you will not receive any more raises.”

Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)

Compensation for hard work doesn’t seem to be fair and it is not even enough to cover all the necessary expenses a single parent has

We found out that the initial impression of the deli department wasn’t too bad; however, it changed rather quickly. “The deli manager was nice at first, but then I noticed that I was getting in trouble for things that no one else was getting in trouble for, like taking smoke breaks. I would go out every two hours in an 8- to sometimes 10-hour shift and was told that I was taking too many breaks, yet other coworkers would go out every hour, and she wouldn’t say anything to them. Other people that worked in the same department as me could just walk out of the deli and go do something else and not tell anyone where they were going, and I would be left to wait on customers by myself. Customers were rude and hateful. I barely make enough money to pay my rent, and my car is broken down, and it’s going to cost more to fix than what I make in one week, so I have to rely on people to give me rides to work.”

We were curious how other coworkers reacted to the woman’s decision to quit her job after the whole situation that had occurred. u/Jacq1987 summed it up shortly: “My manager’s response made me angry, and I decided that I don’t get paid enough to keep putting up with the abuse.” Lastly, we asked the Redditor how, in her opinion, employers should address and respond to employees who express their frustrations online. We were told that “I think companies that don’t pay their employees a livable wage but brag about making record profits should not be in business, and if they are upset about people finding out about how they treat their employees from a public post, then maybe they should treat their employees better.”

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)

Other Reddit users shared their opinions on the situation in the comments

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