qixi fashion | experience german blue-collar work
2024-09-16
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last year, my child who was in middle school in germany heard that a classmate from a wealthy family worked in a supermarket warehouse for 4 weeks during the summer vacation and earned about 800 euros, so he also wanted to try it. but the classmate said that it was dirty and smelly there, and the colleagues were not friendly, so he didn't want to go there again. i encouraged my child to try it too, to get more exposure to society and experience the hard work of making money, which would not be bad. the child took out the business card given by the classmate and called the head of the human resources department, anya, who enthusiastically said that he could go on saturday. i was curious about the strong negative comments of my child's classmates. i had worked in the offices of two industrial companies in germany, and the workshops and warehouses i saw were relatively clean, tidy and orderly, and the colleagues were relatively friendly and polite. i wanted to see how "dirty and smelly" the warehouse of this well-known and expensive supermarket chain was, so i couldn't help but redial the number and said: i am the mother of so-and-so, can i go with my child for a trial? the other party readily agreed: sure!
on saturday morning, my child and i drove to the company early. aniya introduced that this place has nothing to do with the supermarket chain of the same name, but specializes in selling to people in prisons, special hospitals (such as mental hospitals), etc. who are locked and cannot enter and exit freely. at the beginning of the trial work, the operation is not difficult. i just use a handheld scanner to scan the information board on each plastic basket passing in front of me, and then sort them according to the first letter and number to find those things on the shelf and put them into the basket. sometimes there are several kinds, which may be 2 cans of tobacco or 10 packs of noodles, or 100 lighters or 5 bottles of 750g large bottles of chocolate sauce, etc. sometimes, if the letters i manage do not pop up, i don’t need to pick up the goods, and i just push the basket to the next person.
the three-hour trial work was really unaccustomed to someone who used to work and study sitting down. my back and waist were sore, and my legs and feet were sore! although this pure physical labor was not suitable for me, i still chose a mini job (miniature worker, the 2023 minimum wage standard) with an hourly wage of 13 euros and a maximum of about 42 hours of work per month from the several types of jobs provided by the female supervisor. the work is divided into three shifts, morning, noon and evening. there are two 15-minute breaks in the 8-hour work. but after hearing the loudspeaker shouting "rest", you have to race against time and wolf down food from queuing to punch in to the lounge, wash your hands, go to the toilet, open the locker to get your phone (mobile phones are not allowed to be brought into the warehouse), and eat. this was the first time i tried a blue-collar job similar to an assembly line, and experienced a job that required permission and time limits for rest. that feeling was really uncomfortable for me and my child who were not yet used to it. my child only did it twice and didn't want to go again because he was busy with studies. on the contrary, i, a mother who is almost 60 years old and used to sitting in the office, continued to work according to the contract requirements.
most of the employees here who are in their 50s and 60s are germans, and the younger ones are mostly foreigners from asia, africa, eastern europe, etc. they are blue-collar workers, and they speak directly and even rudely. for example, when i was still unfamiliar with my job, a german woman in her 50s next to me said to another worker sourly, "i'm doing the work of two people!" she meant that she blamed me for being too slow and making her do more work. a vietnamese woman who has worked here for 4 years told me that she was often bullied in her first year here, but now no one dares to bully her! she is beautiful and kind, and she is quick and agile. sometimes when she stands next to me and works, she says, "let me help you!" an african guy and a hungarian woman also often help me.
after 7 and a half hours, there are always baskets that need to be filled, and those who are stacking and replenishing goods have to transport and stack goods endlessly, which is a heavy load. an employee working eight hours a day full-time can only make more than 1,000 euros after tax. if you have to pay rent, plus various high living expenses, there is really not much left! it seems that the life of unskilled blue-collar workers in germany is not as rich and comfortable as some videos on the internet say.
i worked there sporadically for a year, and experienced and understood things i had never known before. my purpose was achieved, so i resigned on the grounds of being unwell. the hr manager said, if you are well, you can come back at any time, we welcome you anytime!
but i think my experience card will expire now, and i probably won’t go there again. (lu xi)
