Few people out there are passionate about their retail jobs, but they certainly have to pretend they are.

What do you do at your job to get through the day? One person recently shared with Reddit all the reasons they struggle to get through theirs. Here’s what they said.

Retail is dehumanising

Yesterday I spoke with a customer while checking out their product.

One of the few nice interactions I have per month with genuinely kind people.

After I’m done, I go to stand in my zone, and my manager comes up to me going: “Nice interaction, I see you took “XYZ customer interaction training scheme” seriously.

That shouldn’t be the case, but it often is.

“That’s how we drive sales, good job”.

And I’m like what the heck?

Is this all we are here for?

That’s certainly how businesses see it.

Driving sales and not having normal human interactions?

I’m a human being and they are more than just numbers!

I HATE micromanaging.

Most people do.

When they walk past telling me to “smile” or stand up straight or put the sticker on the product this way so the customers think it looks nice (they don’t even notice).

I’m standing up for 3-4 hours at a time in the same zone for 1-3 hours staring at nothing, feeling overstimulated with loud music and flashing lights.

Just let me be a human being.

This shouldn’t be too much to ask.

I’m selling a product, I am NOT the product nor an advertisement for it.

I often feel dehumanised by customers, but it’s even more annoying when it’s the people you work the same job with, people who only earn marginally better than you.

It’s hard to be able to listen to people like that.

You were me?

There’s no way you take this seriously.

Can’t wait to leave this job.

These sorts of jobs often leave people feeling empty inside. Let’s see if the Reddit community could provide any validation.

Many comments were able to provide immediate support.

Others questioned the validity of all of it.

Some in different industries could even relate.

One person provided anecdotal evidence.

And another pointed person out how there always seems to be the same script.

Human connection shouldn’t be a product for sale.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.