Confessions · Advice & Questions · Oct 17

I volunteered for the early shift mainly to avoid the group lunch

Confessions

Everyone thanked me for taking the unpopular setup shift at our neighbourhood book swap. I let the thanks get quite elaborate.

The shift starts at seven. I chose it because volunteers on that shift finish before the group lunch, which I don't enjoy. I'm happy moving boxes and arranging tables. Three hours of being useful followed by going home sounded ideal. Someone else wanted to do the lunch and was relieved to take the later shift.

Now the organiser keeps telling people I sacrificed my whole Saturday morning for everyone. I keep saying, 'It was nothing,' in a way that invites her to disagree.

Is this worth correcting, or am I overthinking a perfectly fair exchange? I don't mind doing the work. I do mind how much I'm enjoying being treated as noble for choosing the arrangement I preferred.

Discussion

3 community replies

@TheoInTransit

The exchange sounds workable on the facts given: you like setup, someone else prefers the later shift, and the work gets done. A useful act can also suit you. You don't need to dislike your own Saturday in order for helping to count.

@maren17

The part you seem uneasy about is encouraging the sacrifice story. You can correct that lightly: 'Early setup actually suits me better; I'm glad the shifts worked for both of us.' That doesn't erase the labour you contributed or insult the organiser for thanking you.

@northstar88

Is there anything about the later shift you haven't mentioned, such as a much heavier cleanup task? If both volunteers chose with the same understanding, there may be no hidden unfairness to confess. If you concealed a known burden, that would be a different discussion from simply disliking lunch.

I volunteered for the early shift mainly to avoid the group lunch

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