I wonder if all big-box stores schedule the way the bookstore I work at does. I dislike referencing it as big-box, but it seems to meet the qualifications: large location, large company support, many many employees. The schedule is done on a spreadsheet, each hour for each employee a designated working location. Walk in the store, look at the daily schedule, and know exactly what you’re doing for the entire day: Register, Info Desk, Music Info Desk, Recovery, Merchandising/Books, LP, Café. And there, spaced throughout the calendar, /BREAK and BREAK.

Breaks.

I’m not, actually, used to them. Like, at work, I mean. We have them at the bookstore for anything over a four shift, a ½ hour non-paid mandatory break. Over seven, and it becomes an hour. In addition to these, everyone has, depending on their shift, one or two ten-minute breaks to be used whenever (with the permission of a manager). Personally, I’ve got mixed feelings about these breaks.

I dislike them because they inspire an entitlement mentality. Here’s what I mean: you only get X amount of time for your break. There’s some flexibility with the half hour break, but not so with the hour break – you’re expected to be back in the store ready to work when the clock hits XX:00, and if you stay an extra five minutes on the register helping whittle down a long line of customers, that’s five minutes out of your break, five minutes you don’t get back (although, of course, you do get paid for it). So, the end-result is that, for me, when I’ve spent all day at my professional job, and then I grab the shuttle and run down the Metro and get into work and I’ve got my break at 6:30 and this is when I’m eating lunch and dinner and I’ve only got half an hour to run down to the break room, clock out, then hurry down a block to Subway, every minute is precious. This is when I’m saying into the stupid little radio with headset, “Hey, service manager, this is Snay. It’s 6:25, I’m going on break at 6:30, um, there’s a long line at register, can I get some assistance?” which is followed five minutes later by, “Look, I need food, I’m out, and, um, there’s no one at registers…”

That’s a (bit of a) joke. Actually, my approach is more along the line of, “Hey, if you want me to stay an extra fifteen minutes, I’d be willing to postpone my break …”

The managers don’t like that, but at least it makes them aware of the situation. The worst – the absolute worst – is getting your break at 6pm when you leave at 8pm. It’s like, “Can’t I just skip the break and leave at 7 instead?” But, no.

Aside from that – hey, yeah breaks!