So, I gave my notice at Target last night. Some time during the week of November 10th will be my last day.
This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. It has become more apparent recently that the "honeymoon" phase of me working had ended and it was more stress than it was worth to my family.
There are several reasons I decided to be done. In no particular order:
1 - Half the reason I went with Target was to get out and be social. This isn't happening much because I'm working alone almost every time I work. So, yes, I socialize with the customers and other employees who wander into my area, but I can't say it's been as much as I'd like. I can get the same interaction by getting together with my friends when I can.
2 - Money. $8 an hour is just sad :) I work 20 hours a week but only see like $500 a month. Yes, I'm giving you the intimate details. That's very frustrating to me. I can eat that much chocolate a month, so there's really not benefit to my pocketbook!!
3 - Family/Steve's job. Steve initially thought he could leave work earlier on the nights I worked, but this hasn't panned out. Last night was the last straw, for both of us, as he got stuck at a work conference and didn't make it home until 6:15. I had gone to work at 3:45. My kids were alone for 2.5 hours and that was not good for anyone. Steve's phone was dead so he couldn't call to tell anyone he was running late, or ask someone to go sit with the kids. And I had no idea until 6:00 that he still wasn't home. It was like a gut punch when I found out!!! This is just not good parenting and was not a good situation.
Steve, as our breadwinner, needs to have the freedom to work when he is needed. In addition to that, he has several work trips coming up, which would require me to ask for work off at Target. That's just more pain that it's worth. My kids and Steve's job come first.
4 - Vacations/Holidays. Next month we have a big week long Thanksgiving trip. Next year we already have two family reunions (Hadley & Ridges) and my niece Claire's baptism to plan for. Not to mention birthdays and other occasions that I've already missed and could continue to miss. I was feeling very worried about how to get those times off to be with family. Holidays are important to both families and to retail. I'm not willing to trade my family time for a poor paying, stressful retail job :)
I think that's it. I mean, I could have just been like, "Ya, I don't want to work at Target anymore" and quit for that reason alone. However, I started something and would have continued through the school year if it hadn't been affecting my family life so much. In the end, I've always wanted to be a wife and mom and those jobs will take precedence over anything else I can do.
So, what's next? Well, during this time of pondering what to do about my job, my sister Camille {better known as Smee} mentioned that the transcription company she works for is hiring. Having done transcription from home in the past I'd be a good candidate.
After much consideration I feel like trading over to transcription would be a better financial choice for my family. I can work a bit fewer hours a week than I did at Target but bring home double the pay. Steve pointed out the other day that he isn't sure he'll be able to wait another 3 years for a new car. The Cowboy is on his last round-up. Ha ha. Paying off debt is the motivator for me working, and I can do it twice as quickly with transcription.
I have applied with Camille's company as of last night.
I have applied with Camille's company as of last night.
So, yes, my Target career was like a shooting star. Bright, shiny, and short-lived.
I did learn a lot of things from Target though. I don't really have the time to share them here this morning - maybe another post later - but it may surprise you to know that they were divine and made a difference in how I view my life, people around me, and my blessings. For that reason I know that my time there made a difference to me and served a purpose.
Now.... I just have to do ALL my holiday shopping in the next two weeks before my employee discount goes away.
1 comment:
Good job lady. I understand all your reasons and more that were not mentioned. Going back to work with little ones still at home is so much harder than I thought.
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