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Merchandiser

Inside the Work Day

Careerleak's Typical Day Series goes behind the scenes in everyday careers, with articles written by the employee themselves. Find out what they are excited about, what issues they confront and more.

A Typical Day as a Soft Drink Merchandiser

Every night I set two alarms; one for 5:30am and the other for 6:00am. I always intend to wake up after the first one invades my dreams. However, slipping out of the covers that envelope me in comfort and then adorning my skin with a drab uniform I often find myself waiting for the second alarm.

I am a merchandiser. I arrive at my first store by 7:15am every day. No matter how hard I try to get there on time, somehow I lose 15 minutes on the drive from my house to the store. On a good day, the grocery store has not blocked my pallets of merchandise with pallets of their own items. If I'm really lucky, I will also find a pallet jack that does not squeak, leak, or have busted bearings. It is not unusual for me to discover that some customer has dropped a 12 pack in the store and then left the mess half-hidden among perfectly fine cases. I guess it doesn't concern them that not only did they damage the one case, but now that one is dripping sticky soda all over the shelves and floor.

After I clean up the mess and pull off the cases that were soaked in pop, I then begin to stock the shelves. This is when I usually discover that my manager has ordered far too many of the wrong types of flavors. I stand there and scratch my head as if the correct soda will magically appear if I can just will them there. Alas, I am forced to either place Diet-Caffeine-Free-Flavor-Free-Dye-Free-Zombie Soda in an eight foot line across the shelves or just take it all to the back and grumble. I rarely do the former.

 After a couple of hours of pretending to labor far more than I really do, I get into my car and drive to my next stop. Most of the time I stop by my favorite gas station and purchase whatever item gets me 100 extra bonus points on my "rewards" card. I then show up at my next stop with slightly less enthusiasm, if that's even possible. I dig through piles of cases that I don't need, avoiding the roaches and mouse droppings. I must also add that I wash my hands in between each stop because I have no idea what kind of germs I might have come into contact with. I chat it up with employees and other vendors while filling shelves, rotating, and condensing product.

Then I am off to my next store in a lather, rinse and repeat sort of way. I take my "lunch break" when I feel hungry. This means that I grab a quick, hot, and greasy item from whatever fast food joint I happen to feel like patronizing that day. All in all, the job is not bad, but it is not good. Some days I work my rear off, others I do not. Summer can be very heavy, while winters are a lot easier.

After my lunch break, I head back to my first store and do a touch-up job. This is pretty much what it is like to be a merchandiser.