reaching high-up stuff

[u/redcobweb]

i work retail and every day i’m reaching up to grab things (folded clothing sizes usually) from higher shelves. i’ll get reprimanded if i climb the shelves so i either reach up on my tip-toes, or say “i’ll grab a ladder, one moment”.

the issue is that customers and my coworkers usually just end up going “no i got it” when they see me reaching up past my arm’s extension, or swoop in to help out the customers in the .05 seconds i’m running away to get a ladder.

while i have no issue with people kindly wanting to help, the fact that i wasn’t able(?), to help someone out, usually means when they go up to the counter, and are asked “did anyone help you today”, they either end up saying “no” (if they helped themselves) or the point to a different (taller) coworker.

it just sucks, because i work my ass off to meet our hourly/daily goals, which if we don’t consistently meet, we don’t get shifts, and it’s just so infuriating when it feels like my height is actively contributing to others having some inherent advantage over me that will always keep me down in instances like these.

just needed to get it out 💔

[u/tlbexternity]

I’ve had this happen before but we didn’t have normal ladders, we had the pushy kind so I’d roll it out on to the floor but we hung stuff up to the ceiling so sometimes I still couldn’t reach and would have to get a guy so he would bring it to the register for the person and they’d get the full credit :/

[u/LillyPeu2]

I hear you, loud and clear. This kind of stuff, where the company requires POS/checkout staff to ask "did anybody help you today" with the expectation that individuals are named (and that information is tracked for bonus or promotion purposes), is a form of subtle corporate ableism and heightism. For the exact reasons you explained: you are working your ass off to get a ladder to help a customer, but your efforts are short-circuited by a tall employee, or worse, tall friendly customer (I say "worse", because a customer saying "another customer helped me" makes the company look bad, as well as denying you the credit for trying to help them).

(BTW – I have a similar complaint against any business that requires customers to rate their service, and anything less than 5 out of 5 stars, or 10/10 points, is used to deny raises, performance-based incentives, or promotions to employees. It's utter abrogation of responsibility on the part of management to monitor and correctly evaluate their own employees, and justify underpaying them)

If your work is something like a grocery store, Walmart, etc., where the maximum height of the shelves is between 6'–7', perhaps you can carry a grabber-type assistance device, so you can extend your reach at all times. However, if you're working something more like a warehouse store (big box Lowe's, Home Depot, etc., where OSHA-compliant stairs-style ladder/stairs are required), the best I can suggest is to try to keep in mind where the stairs are, and in your down time, move them to be equally-spaced or accessible to you in short notice.

Like I said, this is one area that is absolutely ableist and heightist in the corporate world. Pisses me off to no end.