Women's Work

[xakara]

Did you know women are allowed to work at night? No really, even late at night. It's true. Some of my male customers didn't get the memo and are left aghast and wondering when such things came to be. 

Let me say the for the most part, they are total sweethearts concerned about my safety in a fatherly way. They just can't believe that someone would put little-ole-me on the overnight shift with "so much going on out there". I appreciate it and I understand that many of them have daughters my age (or most often, the age they guess I am) and would just keel over if they were working the shift I work. It's sweet and the interaction ends with "have a good and safe night." I can take a bit of throwback mentality if it ends like that. 

From there we have the men, most who are too young for me, that point out the obvious as an effort to bring game. "Why are working here this late as a female? No disrespect, but where is your man that you gotta be out here? I make enough that my woman wouldn't have to do something like this."  Oookay. Hooray for your side and yay for your woman. Although it's unlikely she'd be happy because there's a reason you're single and hitting on me in the middle of the night. Or, you're not single and that's just so much worse. 

Then there's the college crowd that seems stunned I can work third shift and still make it to my classes the next day. Let me point out that I haven't attended classes in over a decade, but hey, no complaints that it doesn't look that way. For this group, pointing out that I'm a woman on the overnight shift is more of a conversation starter. It leads to the second question of "what does your boyfriend think about it?", which of course establishes whether or not such a being exist or if I might be open to applications for the position.

As 70% of my customers are male, the course of my night goes as above, with a few neutral folks who don't seem to notice I'm female and it's three in the morning. Or if they notice, aren't brave enough to say anything to me about it. It makes for an interesting night. 

To clarify for those wondering, no, I don't get hit on during my shifts because I'm cover model material. The propositions are because I'm short and cute and polite and smiley, and I have a perky retail voice that I could take out a patent on. I'm safe. I'm also behind bullet-proof glass which means that they are behind bullet-proof glass, so if I take it the wrong way, they have time to get away.

I know that's a contradiction, but being a Woman of Color is a contradiction. I'm seen as heartier, sturdier, and generally more intimidating. At the same time, I'm under 5'4, my voice is baby-friendly which means higher pitched, and I'm curvy and retail-perky, so there's only so intimidating I can be until you piss me off. Once you've pissed me off or witnessed someone else piss me off, I'm intimidating period. Most of my friends have recovered, but none of them want to upset me. *grin*. 

Since my customers don't get to see that aspect, (and hopefully never will as there's only one crazy guy so far), the illusion of safety is there to balance the instinct to tread with care and it let's them say whatever they need to say and get away clean. :)

Thanks for hanging for the ramble. I have to work tonight and needed a distraction so that I went in with a different mindset. I didn't want to go, still don't, I don't do weekdays. But at least now I've focused on an interesting aspect of dealing with people through the night and I'm not dreading going in. 

Off to get ready. 

Work Ramble Done 

~X

Comments

[sroit.livejournal.com]

Another fabulous ramble. Now, I've not work a shift like yours in a place like yours, but I do occasionally get the "You're hear all by yourself?" when I'm the last one working as the sun goes down earlier and earlier. You know I'm short, curvy, and often bubbly, so I suppose it's the same male-protect-cute petite female thing. Though interestingly enough, I believe it's more often been women who say it, the few times it has been said, and they weren't hitting on me...
It's a generally safe neighborhood anyway, so I'm often taken aback by those rare comments, and sometimes can't help the feel of wanting to puff out my chest and go "Hey, I can handle it, trust me."

=)

[i-amsherlocked.livejournal.com]

I get that quite a bit...along with the inevitable "are you old enough to be out this late young lady?"
I'm 5'2" and cute and I have a munchkin voice, so a lot of folks don't take me seriously.
Most of the time it doesn't bug, but I've been pulled over and accused of stealing my mom's car before! (and I'm 32!)

[(Anonymous)]

But what do you actually do, that you sit behind bullet proof glass all night long?

http://agentlemansdomain.typepad.com

[moon-chylde.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your job and the customers are so entertaining.

(I just wish I could say the same for mine LOL)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, we short women are like Chihuahuas - small but with temper and a strong bite. Hehehe!

Tempest Knight
http://midnightmooncafe.blogspot.com/

[xakara.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, none of the women have said anything about it. But there have been women who understand why the door is locked and they have to be let in only after I'm back in my area. I get a lot of "I'd lock the doors too" kind of replies.

I guess the fact that they're out there to see me means they don't feel the right to judge about who is out too late. :)

[xakara.livejournal.com]

The phone is worst for me. I've had telemarketers call and ask if there was an adult home. I don't think my voice sounds that young in person, but it sounds younger than I guess I'm expected too as a grown woman.

I get asked for my student I.D. quite often, but I guess the extra 1 & 3/4 inches at least let's me look legal. Thank goodness on that too. As bad as I get it, I know it could worse. My mom is only 5'2 and used to get stopped by the police after walking me to school to ask why she was truant. That's hilarious. I try not to laugh too hard about, but it cracks me up to this day. :D

~X

[xakara.livejournal.com]

First off, I don't sit, it's 9 hrs on my feet from start to finish. Let's be clear about that. Second, I'm not behind the bullet proof glass all night. I'm only there when there's customers in the store as a matter of security.

I work at a 24 hr convenience store, so I spend the night cleaning, stocking, rearranging according to my whim which I then call stocking, brewing coffee, doing temperature checks to make sure the coolers and freezers are okay, that whole gig. Which is all interrupted any time a customer comes to the door because I can't be out in the store while they are inside.

I have to go into an area affectionately called the cage, (which is a casino and banking term as well I believe, for the secured area where the money is kept), unlock the door after locking myself in, and then wait for them to do whatever they're going to do and get out so I can finish my tasks for the night.

I spend about a third of my night behind bullet proof glass, in 3 to 15 minute chunks as a gaggle of folks wander in, mill about and finally leave after purchasing something. Most of the time I'm interrupted it's very direct, they come right to counter, buy something and get out. Others are up late, with no idea what they want, and come in to just look until they find something. That's where the variance comes from.

~X

[xakara.livejournal.com]

I wish you could too since I know how that place gets to you at times.

If it wasn't for the entertaining factor, I'd never go back. It's a hard road moving near continuously for eight hours. (I'm there for nine, but I'm figuring there's about an hour of little moment when all the register time is counted up.) The body doesn't particularly like it and the feet specifically hate it.

We have nurses who come in from the clinic across the street and they talk about how much their feet hurt back in their hospital days but that at least they got to sit down at regular intervals for short breaks. Knowing I don't even get those made them very sympathetic and they're always nice when they come in.

[xakara.livejournal.com]

When you're under 5'5, you gotta take up extra space somehow, we do it with attitude and the intent to back it up.

Speaking of which, refer to my next post on what happened at work this last shift.

~X

[moondancerdrake.livejournal.com]

Yeah, short does often equal need more tude. Hell, I've survived most of my life on tude power, its darn useful. And I'm very happy at the fact half the college age folks I know assume I'm their age. In a little over a year I'll be forty (heh heh)

[xakara.livejournal.com]

Always a great thing that is. :)

And you're the one person here who has seen/felt how much my Sense-of-Self takes up and what happens when you place me in the wrong mindframe. LOL

You gotta do something when height leaves you behind and youth is blessed on you for a long time. Everyone looks and thinks that if you're little you're automatically this cuddly litte Ewok. It helps to remind them the Ewoks smacked the storm troopers up!

~X

[i-amsherlocked.livejournal.com]

I get the truant thing here and there too! (and it's not like I don't have signs of being my age!) The school my little boys go to is on the back side of a junior high school and I have been asked for I.D. by the bike cops twice. I do get asked if an adult is home all the time by telemarketers too. I'll just have to do a voice post. Then you'll giggle because I squeak!