3rian's Reviews > Help Wanted

This was a sad look at an underperforming branch of a lower-tier retail chain and the work-life balance challenges faced by the members of the store’s logistics/receiving team (the people that move and organize the merchandise from the trucks to the sales floor). Each of them is struggling in their own way and each gets a glimmer of hope when a rare promotional opportunity opens up.

I appreciated how something that might seem low-stakes to many people was presented as a chance to potentially change someone’s life for the better. Unfortunately, the characters seemed fairly generic as I was reading, with one in particular veering a bit too close to racial caricature at times. I just couldn’t get invested in the story or really cheer for anyone. The writing itself was straightforward; there’s welcome perspective on the ripple effect of online retailers on department store employees, but it felt like it could have gone a bit deeper. The ending was fairly predictable and left me shrugging my shoulders.

Again, I really like the idea. I wish I could have gotten more out of it.