#pushing carts

I come back from my lunch and the guy points and says to me "The radio's over there. I'm going over there for the night (to the GM side)".

He starts trying to walk away but I tell him he's going to have to take it. He refuses and I tell him if he's working on the slower side, he has to take it. Still refuses.

"If you're gonna volunteer yourself to work on the slower side for the entire night (how noble of you btw), you're taking it". Nope, won't do it.

I tell him that if he wants to work over here, then I'll take it with me onto the GM side.

"I'm not working over here!"

"Then you have to take the walkie."

He then says "There's no set rules for it."

Okay bud. I've been working here for 6.5 years. I must have no idea what I'm talking about. You're just some newb, high schooler. But you must know more than me. Let's just say I have no idea what I'm talking about or I'm lying about the rules. Let's use logic! What does the logical thing suggest? 1 guy on each side, one side that's busier and the other that's slower. Who should get the walkie?

Or better yet, how about because you're cowardly retreating to the easy side you man up and take it because that's the decent thing to do.

But he can't. So I have to throw down the CSM card. "Are you really going to make me go get a CSM and have them force you to take it?"

"Fine, I'll take the damn radio" and he goes and gets it.

To skip all the details, just go to the last paragraph for a brief summary!

‘14 Bully Coworkers Season is almost over. I guess it makes sense that the bullies would strike today since it's the first day of the last month of the season.

Butch and his ex-roomie (we'll call him Chuck) decide to pick a battle with me that they have no chance of winning. Everybody should know by now that I don't participate in workplace conflicts unless I'm getting screwed over and I can win them.

I come into work and Butch goes on his lunch, leaving me the walkie. Of course, Chuck goes to cover the easier/slower GM side, leaving me to do the Grocery side all by myself for the next two hours. This pattern has occurred every single Monday I've worked since September. But I don't care, I'll work the harder side, like I always do with no problem.

But I had a feeling when Butch gave me the walkie, instead of giving it to Chuck, who was right next to me. I could tell he wanted me to have it and not Chuck, even though he knows Chuck will be covering his side, the slower side. I could just tell these two had already decided I'd get the walkie because that's what they wanted to happen. So I walk over and because I can already foresee what's about to happen, I'm prepared for an argument. Chuck won't take it, saying "I've had it all morning." I tell him I'll be by myself for the next 2 hours on the Grocery side and of course he plays dumb. So I explain to him that once Butch comes back from his lunch, that he'll be going on his. I left the walkie on the cart machine and he says he'll just bring it back to my side and leave it for me. So I pull the ultimate trump card and say "Let's go talk to a CSM and see who they side with." He shut up pretty quickly then and ended up taking it.

But we all know that this won't be it. Hence why I tried finding a CSM before Butch came back. I wanted to tell them that at 1:00 when I'm still by myself that I'm not taking the walkie. But no CSM was to be found. So at 1:07, Chuck dumps the walkie on me. And I don't argue. And I don't waste my time going over to Butch and trying to reason with him because I don't want to deal with his hostility. I give the walkie to the CSMs and tell them the situation and they go give it to him.

Now because I tried avoiding a conflict with bully Butch, you know he has to come over to my side to confront me. "Why can't you take the walkie???" he asks as he stares me down. I respond calmly, "There's a guy on both sides and you're on the easier side, so you have to take it." He gets so angry so quickly, it's amazing. "You never have it!" and he goes on protesting all aggressively, so I start walking away. He calls me a baby for turning him in back in June for calling me a "fucking bitch" in front of customers. He says I'll probably go to the CSMs right now because I'm a baby. And he finishes it off by telling me I should quit.

Good job Butch, you're mom would be so proud of you. You've been working here for 8 or 9 months and you still haven't worked a single day on the Grocery side. And I could complain because it's not fair in the least, but I don't. I've already brought a situation like this years ago to management and I know how it would end. They would end up telling us every day what side all the stockmen would be working and who we'd be working with. And that's the last thing I want.

So really? I always have to work Grocery and they always work GM and on top of it I also have to do all the carryouts? I'd love to know what's going through these guys' heads. Like, do they really think that's fair? How about this? Yo Butch, why don't you work the harder side a day in life and I'll gladly take the walkie talkie. But I'm not going to take it when I'm by myself over there and there's another stockman on duty. What universe are you living in? And you can call me a baby, a snitch, whatever, for defending myself. Here's an idea, stop attacking me and just do the right thing and there'd be no problem! It's really that simple. I'll even let you keep working the easy side like you want! You already get to work the slower side EVERY SINGLE DAY and that's still not enough for you. You want to do the absolute least amount of work so you can just stand over there and talk to Chuck on his lunch, while I relentlessly retrieve the carts. Maybe this is why I disliked you the moment I saw you because I knew exactly what kind of human being you are just by looking at you.