Most of y’all know I work a part-time job delivering pizzas on the weekends.  Recently, I have had to wrestle with the question, “When is a part-time job just not worth it anymore?”  This will also explain my silence over the recent weekends to some extent.

Four weekends ago, we got in a new manager because our previous manager was pregnant and felt she should step down as she was not able to put in the hours the job required anymore.  Our new manager is a guy so we don’t think he’ll have the same problems. 

Instead, he has some very disturbing other problems.  He refuses to speak with us delivery drivers if we call the store while on a delivery.  In fact, on Saturday he specifically said he “didn’t have time to talk to drivers…if the customers want to talk to me they can call themselves.”  Well, the problem with that is often he does not even come to the phone when a customer calls in with a problem. 

This is causing the store to lose business.  In fact, the “customer” in this case on Saturday was the local VFW post…with a couple hundred members who hang out there on a very regular basis.  The idea that the manager was refusing to come to the phone - not for a problem, but because they wanted to work out a discount for a large order - caused every person in the VFW to say they will boycott the store…and then tell all of their friends, family and neighbors to do the same.  The weekend before, I had two different customers tell me they also would never order from our particular store.  Business has been declining since the 4th of July, and now the customers are telling us directly and often angrily.

I have spent over a week looking for another pizza place to deliver for, and I will find out for sure if I have a new job on Thursday afternoon.  The reason I give on the applications and in the interviews is: “Business is declining and I do not see it making a turnaround anytime soon.”  There are also other reasons.  The new manager is causing all kinds of stress in the workplace.  He is immature and insecure, which are bad enough traits in coworker but intolerable in a manager.  He plays favorites and is not subtle about it.  Most disturbing is that neither of the two regular closing drivers (both female) want to work with him anymore.

So back to the question of when a job (part-time or even full-time) isn’t worth it anymore.  My answer is simple.  It isn’t worth it when it takes away from your time off the job in the form of stress, dread about going in, worry over whether tips will be enough or not, dread about getting chewed out by unhappy customers…AFTER they have either spoken to the manager or attempted to speak to the manager, and hours of phone calls discussing concerns and worries with coworkers.  Since I do not quit one job before I have another one lined up, I have to go back into this store for at least one more weekend, but as soon as I have confirmation at another place this rat is jumping off this sinking ship.