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So as you may know I am a cashier at a supermarket this incident happened a couple days ago and it was not a one time occurrence and I need to know if I am making too big a deal or should i say something to my boss.
When we are approaching the end of a shift we have to ask the front end person in charge if someone will be coming in to our register ( a cashier coming in at the same time you are leaving) if the answer is no you can shut your lights a couple minutes before quitting time and clean up and take your till up to the booth. If the answer is yes when that person comes in they will get a till and come to the register and we will swap tills and I will take mine up and ask the booth for a reading so the new cashier can start.
The other day there were three of us leaving at 5 pm all with reliefs coming in before the reliefs arrived they were assigned on paper to which register they were going to of the three of us I had the longest shift ( 7 and a half hours with a 30 minute lunch and one fifteen minute break) it just so happened the person assigned to come onto my register was late and a minute before 5 a huge order came to my register then the front end manager turned off my light so i was still forced to do this large order and wound up leaving nine minutes after my shift (the late cashier finally showed up 5 after the hour.
Now in this instance I got paid for my extra time our time clock works on 7 minute intervals but there have been times with the same situation where i have worked 5 minutes extra for no pay.
My point is that the person that has been in the longest should be relieved first and not preassign incoming cashiers to registers and let the cards fall where they may. Should I talk to my boss about this or just drop it you decide.
Just drop it
yes, just drop it. Sounds like a petty issue. Be glad you have the job.
While I agree with the two previous responses not too make too much of an issue which can potentially cost you your job, r”l, it may not hurt to ask your peers how they feel about it (assuming it’s happened to them, too).
If you find that there’s consensus among many cashiers, consider writing up and presenting respectful feedback (emphasis on “respectful”) to your supervisor that for his/her consideration.
Of course, you have to know your management. Some don’t mind constructive ideas to make things run more smoothly that don’t cost money while others have little patience for what they automatically assume to be the whining of malcontents, etc.
I have never been a cashier, and am not a lawyer or a authority on Jewish law. It seems to me that the employer is suppose to pay his workers for the time spent on the job. Once the supervisor turns the light off it seems to me that the cashier is to close the register and bring the cash receipts to the office so that she can clock out on time. Ask the supervisor as soon as he turns off the light if you are going to be paid if you stay beyond your regular hours.
It should be noted that if you do ask to be paid for your time, you maybe fired r”l. I think you should talk to a Rav and a labor attorney before confronting your supervisor. Are cashier jobs readily available in your area for the same wages? Call a couple of stores on your break assuming you have a cell phone and ask if they need cashiers you will be surprised how easy it is. This way you can have a new job lined up if you get fired r”l or a second job if you need the income.
Unlike Abba_S, I am a lawyer. I also grew up in the retail business and managed many of the stores owned by the family.
Which cashier gets relieved first is a management decision. It has nothing to do with seniority (in a non-union shop). The front end supervisor gets to decide who gets relieved and in what order.
You write that you worked a 7.5 hour shift and had a 30 minute lunch and 15 minute break.
You did not tell in which state you work. Labor laws vary by state. Here in CT the employer would have to grant you a 30 minute unpaid meal time after 5 hours of work. Other breaks, whether paid or unpaid are not required by law in an 8 hour shift. Breaks are negotiated between employer and employee. In most companies they tend to be standard by classification of employment and may be listed in an employee manual.
As for unpaid work time, that also varies by state. In CT an employee can not be required to clock in or out more than three minutes before the start of paid work or three minutes after work ends. Generally partial hours are divided in 10ths. If you handed in your till in the cash office and clocked out at 7 minutes past the hour, you’d be paid for 10 minutes. If you clocked out 3 minutes after the hour, you’d not be paid for the time. The 3 minute window is to make sure the employee is actually in position and ready to perform labor when the shift starts, not walking to a work station or putting on an apron, name tag, etc.
Other states may have different laws. That said, you are working in an unskilled job and are easily replaced. Call your state labor department and ask about the number of minutes you can work and legally not be paid. If the employer is in violation, find a way to bring it up in a casual conversation, such as you read on the intgernet that a company in X state was fined because its employees were working more than 5 minutes after their shift without being paid. You’d hate for this company to get caught doing the same thing and suffer penalties, when it could be corrected.
The Goq, you are indeed very lucky to have your position. A union job plus people who are nice and appreciate you. I am sure you appreciate it. It’s good that you didn’t listen to the people here because now you will feel more understood by your supervisors and more satisfied at your job.
To the OP
While I am sympathetic to the fact that you do not want to work hours that you are not paid for, most ppl working in corporate America would wish for a job that at most they need to stay 5 – 9 min late on several occasions.
Also, could be this happens to other cashiers as well, it is probably the type of thing that is much easier to notice when it happens to you and not others.
Best of luck whichever way you decide!!
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