Archived Girls in the backroom

[RedDog]

I dangle over the edge of the WAVe all the time. In signing it's practically a job requirement. And have you ever been in the backroom, trying to wrestling one of the freezer/fridges from the top of the bulk racking onto the shelf of the WAVe? There's some dangling and near-death involved. Everyone who uses the wave on a regular basis knows this.

Yep. Its not like this is a secret. Its kind of like Team Lift items when you have a BR staff of one. Is anybody really calling the few TMs elswhere in the store and then waiting for help every 5 min when they have to lift something with that sticker?

 

[backroomcrew]

I love being being in the backroom!! I love my man crew, but I also love that my TL and I are rockstars and can do everything just as good as them!!!

 

[commiecorvus]

My mom was a volunteer firefighter and paramedic.
She was also a single mom with three boys and ran a truck farm.
One day she was at a feed lot buying a pure bred Nubian goat and the man behind the counter said "That's and expensive piece of stock, your husband paid well for it."
My mom held up her calloused hands and replied "I work for my money."
Then she threw three seventy pound hay bales in the back of the pick up.

I always ask people if they need a hand when it looks like they're struggling male or female.
But my mom pretty much weaned me from assuming women can't handle hard work.

 

[Bullseye Flow TM]

Currently we have one dayside BR TM & none overnights. I work BR overnights & so do two other girls when the need arises. With me it's almost every night I'm there. Helps to know flow & BR. As to the other comments, heights don't bother me. I will not use the top step of the ladder. I'll ask one of the taller guys to get it for me or if it's a heaver box I'm afraid I might drop as I'm coming down the ladder. I've fussed at the guys for climbing the steals rather than using ladders. I'm very safety conscious.

 

[SouthernThunder]

Yes, I hope you wrote a letter to corporate to thank them for making sure that the backroom is staffed with big strong men to help you. Then you should have straightened your apron, batted your pretty blue eyes and made some cookies for them, too. Silly, silly you for being offended that someone should think you are incapable of doing your job or asking for help when it is needed.

I don't think the forum software will let me say what I'd like to say to you and I'm hoping that perhaps we are just misunderstanding one another and so I'm going to try again.

Although, to be honest, I'm utterly at a loss as to what your point is?

I'm all for equality in the workplace, but it's commonsense that a 230 pound man can perform physical tasks that a 110 pound woman can't.

For that matter, a 230 pound man can do things a 140 pound man can't.

It all comes back to the whole, we're supposed to be a team and we're supposed to be working together thing, which was the point of my earlier post.

As for the general tone of your post...

I think you might want to work on your reading comprehension skills.

I've never written a "letter to corporate" in my life, nor have I ever owned let alone worn an apron.

I'm a MALE, which I thought I made pretty clear in my earlier post.

I'm six foot tall, weigh somewhere around 230 and I'm perfectly capable of moving or lifting something by myself.

Oh and my eyes are brown, but I CAN make you some damned good cookies. Homemade, from scratch.

 

[DotWarner]

I don't think the forum software will let me say what I'd like to say to you and I'm hoping that perhaps we are just misunderstanding one another and so I'm going to try again.

Although, to be honest, I'm utterly at a loss as to what your point is?

I'm all for equality in the workplace, but it's commonsense that a 230 pound man can perform physical tasks that a 110 pound woman can't.

For that matter, a 230 pound man can do things a 140 pound man can't.

It all comes back to the whole, we're supposed to be a team and we're supposed to be working together thing, which was the point of my earlier post.

As for the general tone of your post...

I think you might want to work on your reading comprehension skills.

I've never written a "letter to corporate" in my life, nor have I ever owned let alone worn an apron.

I'm a MALE, which I thought I made pretty clear in my earlier post.

I'm six foot tall, weigh somewhere around 230 and I'm perfectly capable of moving or lifting something by myself.

Oh and my eyes are brown, but I CAN make you some damned good cookies. Homemade, from scratch.

Rarejem was referring to me, not you. Maybe if I were 110 pounds, there would be some things that I couldn't do but I'm not that small. I know when things are a little too heavy for me or for any one person and have asked for help when needed. I have also offered help to others when I saw them struggling and always respected their acceptance or denial of my offer.
As for people climbing the shelves in the backroom, it's a good way to get fired (or hurt). The ladders at my store were bad because they had bent steps or they shook as you climbed them, but store leadership and the SFT were good about getting them fixed. Those ladders were still the cause of one or two panic attacks simply because of the two inches of clearance on each side in a light duty aisle...and that's when there are no boxes hanging over the edges of the shelves.

 

[Rarejem]

Yes, I was referring to lac704 and I did get the point of SouthernThunder's post. I took exception to the "be grateful" remark.

Sorry - Yes, I was being facetious with regard to ST's statement that women should be grateful that the men in the backroom are gracious enough to offer to help. I am a middle aged (if I live well past 100) tiny woman that does all of the repair work at my home, fixes my own car, has thrown the truck, works in the backroom and takes care of a disabled kid that is bigger than I am. I know when to ask for help and get ticked off when people assume that because of my gender and size that I am incapable of doing a job that I have accepted knowing what the requirements are. Perhaps I am a bit too sensitive with regard to the topic, but it is an attitude that I encounter frequently. I do not consider my gender to be a factor in what I can or cannot do nor do I make assumptions as to what others can or cannot do based on their gender, age or size. Observation and experience are considerations that I think are most useful. That being said, I will take those cookies. Some of the best cooks and bakers that I know are men. I have a strong liking for chocolate.

I comprehend quite well. I understand that stronger people can lift and carry bigger and heavier items and that weaker people cannot do this. I understand that we are One Team with One Strategy, etc. and that helping one another is not only kind, but oftentimes necessary. Condescension and mysogyny are not.

 

[spikegrouchy]

How many girls are Backroom TMs in your store?

When I was hired, it was just me and my TL. Then we brought on 2 more over the last few months.... the TL doesn't want any more. Is it really such a male dominated position everywhere?

When I was a team lead in the backroom, I wanted ANYONE who was a worker, male or female. At the six stores I have worked at over my 12 years, I would say that the backroom IS male-dominated. My wild guess would be 85% male vs 15% female. We have two female backroom team members (out of 12) at my current store. That's pretty typical.

 

[dek067]

i don't consider gender to be a factor in what i can or can't do either... i'm just a wuss :crazy:

when i was younger, i use to unload trucks for a living during school, and i could hold my own against any guy there. there's a difference in taking on a workload you can handle and one you can't.
today i asked for help with shoe transition which was stock on the tippy top and only accessible by ladder. the only thing i could do to get it down was push it off the shelf. i didn't want to damage it, so i called a backroom tm to help me. so he got up the ladder, picked up the box easy as pie, and... threw it to the floor, crushing the boxes inside. :beat:

our brtl is female, we have 3 brtm that are female officially, and around 10 more that help out from flow. the last couple of years, we've hired tons of females for flow, which is required before going to backroom. most of them quit or choose to stay on flow so they don't have to work weekends.

 

[team member 316]

None but there are a bunch of female instocks, pricing, and flow teams that do work that backroom TMs do.

 

[Formina Sage]

None but there are a bunch of female instocks, pricing, and flow teams that do work that backroom TMs do.

Ok doing a POG/RSCH pull is one thing, but when do these people ever backstock 3 pallets of Chemi's case stock, let alone in the same time a seasoned male backroom TM can? Sorry but this is a pretty unavoidable fact that those guys can do it quicker.

 

[SouthernThunder]

Yes, I was referring to lac704 and I did get the point of SouthernThunder's post. I took exception to the "be grateful" remark.

Sorry - Yes, I was being facetious with regard to ST's statement that women should be grateful that the men in the backroom are gracious enough to offer to help. I am a middle aged (if I live well past 100) tiny woman that does all of the repair work at my home, fixes my own car, has thrown the truck, works in the backroom and takes care of a disabled kid that is bigger than I am. I know when to ask for help and get ticked off when people assume that because of my gender and size that I am incapable of doing a job that I have accepted knowing what the requirements are. Perhaps I am a bit too sensitive with regard to the topic, but it is an attitude that I encounter frequently. I do not consider my gender to be a factor in what I can or cannot do nor do I make assumptions as to what others can or cannot do based on their gender, age or size. Observation and experience are considerations that I think are most useful. That being said, I will take those cookies. Some of the best cooks and bakers that I know are men. I have a strong liking for chocolate.

I comprehend quite well. I understand that stronger people can lift and carry bigger and heavier items and that weaker people cannot do this. I understand that we are One Team with One Strategy, etc. and that helping one another is not only kind, but oftentimes necessary. Condescension and mysogyny are not.

Well, I think you largely missed my point.

I wasn't at all being condescending or misognyist.

Quite the contrary.

I was saying you should be grateful if you work with men who are willing to help you because I've worked with men who not only wouldn't do anything to help a female team member but would go out of their way to make things harder for her and flat out told me that's what they were doing.

 

[SouthernThunder]

As for people climbing the shelves in the backroom, it's a good way to get fired (or hurt).

Yeah, I wouldn't necessarily recommend climbing the shelves.

Just like I wouldn't recommend riding an electric jack off of the truck.

BUT, they both have the benefit of expediting the process.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

At least, the cashier was a team player.