Are You Too Good To Shelf Stack?

Iain Duncan Smith was on the BBC this morning talking up shelf stacking, basically saying too many people in this country would rather claim benefits than go out and get a shelf stacking job in a supermarket.

So the question is simple, are you too good to shelf stack?

Too true,

But, to be fair, the shelf-stacker should be given to those who hve never worked before in their life, or a bit workshy or even those who are unemployed claiming benefitss and hhave no real intention of looking for work.

Thew woman in question, who actually won against the Government, in the Appeals Court, would, to be fair, have a right to refuse as she was a volunteer in a museum and was actively looking for fully paid work - and then to be told to give up the volunteer position just to stack shelves in a pound-shop to continue to recieve benefits is an absolute joke. Do the government not realise what is happening on teh real world and that the majority of people are looking for real work and that, basically, there are not enough jobs in the country!!!!

If it was a case of having £80 a week to live of on benefits or £200 a week to stack shelves, I'd rather stack shelves.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:If it was a case of having £80 a week to live of on benefits or £200 a week to stack shelves, I'd rather stack shelves.

IMO there is nothing worse than going to the fucking job centre every week signing on with tossers who just couldn't care less about finding work.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:If it was a case of having £80 a week to live of on benefits or £200 a week to stack shelves, I'd rather stack shelves.

The case in point was that she wasn't going to receive the "wage" just the normal benefits thats she currently gets!!!But its the same with thsi new "system" in that people do not get the wage - all they are doing is getting their normal benefits (as its not a full time job only a job experience) as its classed as experience in order to improve the persons CV. teh number of people that have been taken on, since the prgramme started, has been in the single percentage figures!!!

I'd rather be unemployed than stack shelves.

I have never claimed benefits in my life.

I worked in Tesco's two summers when i was younger, fruit and veg.

Nothing wrong with it at all, i don't "look down" on any job.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:I worked in Tesco's two summers when i was younger, fruit and veg.

Nothing wrong with it at all, i don't "look down" on any job.

To be fair, I am not looking down on the jobs, as it has to be done.

But say you werea vounteer in another industry but then told you had to do work experience as a shelf-stacker but not getting the wage, only your same old benefits - would you turn it down, considering you are already doing unpaid volunteering work?

If you are long term unemployed you should have to do something like this or lose your benefit. Why shouldn't people do a few hours work at minimum wage to earn their weekly benefit?

I spent 37 years in the retail (supermarket) industry and stacked shelves even a store manager, apart from bad knees it did me no harm.

i was a shelf stacker at sainsburys for over two years. most people look down on you so it's difficult not to feel a bit embarrassed about what you do. but i'd still rather do it than say i was on benefits.

Bernard Dennis Park wrote:If you are long term unemployed you should have to do something like this or lose your benefit. Why shouldn't people do a few hours work at minimum wage to earn their weekly benefit?

I agree to a point.

There are quite a few long-termers who are actively looking for work, why should they be penalised for what ALL unemployed should be doing? I have friends who are doing up to 20 applications each day to get back into work - if they are then told to do 4 weeks worth of shelf-stacking for no extra money just to add more "experience" to a CV, where are they then going to find the time to job search???

Also what if you are already doing volunteering work, and giving something back for the ebenfits you are getting - why should those people be penalised and lose their volunterring place because the Governments says you HAVE to do what they say for the benefits?


This new system should be for those who basically have no intention, whatsoever, of finding a job and just want to lounge around doing sweet FA and getting the benefits!

It shouldn't be looked upon as if they're getting penalised for anything though.

People shouldn't expect to be given free money imo.

Earn it or go hungry.

Bernard Dennis Park wrote:
People shouldn't expect to be given free money imo.

Earn it or go hungry.

They should stop giving out benefits and just give out food stamps - not so you can buy beef joints, just the basics to survive.

Want better food...get a job.

The whole food stamps thing is open to abuse though. Look at America.

The benefits system is fucked in this country though.

Its not free, though

So people actively looking for work, spending hours each day doing applications should then have to forgo looking for work, to work for their benefits?

Those on benefits and doing volunteering work, i.e. already gioving something back to the community for their benefits, should then have to forego their place to work, for the same money, in a completely different environment.

As I said, for those basically doing FA, its perfect, as they then have to do something for their benefits. Not everyone on benefits arre scroungers, only a small percentage and it should be aimed at them, and not the majority!

And as I said, I ain't looking down on that job, when I was at Univeristy I was working for House of Fraser where I did everything from shit-shifting (i.e. clearing teh department bins) to selling menswear, luggage and pricing up the perfumes (that wasn't a bad job at all as the women, from the perfume department, were always ready to help out ;-) )

In The Netherlands basically they have started something similar but its only for those who do less than 30 job applications, on average, a week. As they see they are not contributing enough to getting back to work to pay back into the system. Annd its not shelf-stacking but street-cleaning, pruning the green areas, keeping parks clean etc etc

Yes, people on benefits should work for them.

15 hours a week on minimum wage would cover their benefit.

They'd also have loads of time to seek a full time, better paid job.

If people aren't prepared to do that they shouldn't get free money.

Bernard Dennis Park wrote:If you are long term unemployed you should have to do something like this or lose your benefit. Why shouldn't people do a few hours work at minimum wage to earn their weekly benefit?

Absolute bollocks, you sound like hitler. You can't force people

I'm not forcing them.

They don't need to sign on for benefits if they don't want to.

You can refer to me as Meine Fuhrer if you want though.

Bernard Dennis Park wrote:Yes, people on benefits should work for them.

15 hours a week on minimum wage would cover their benefit.

They'd also have loads of time to seek a full time, better paid job.

If people aren't prepared to do that they shouldn't get free money.

What you have just commented then changes the subject as they are no longer unemployed but are the employed!! Albeit part time work, and as such their wages are not benefits but actual wages. But at this moment in time, the companies are getting involved as it is no cost for them! Why should the "private" companies get away with giving people "work experience" for nothing - isn't that slave labour???