Digging A Hole Tonight: A Rant

Yesterday I had an argument with a co-worker at Chapters over all the hullabaloo about the new Harry Potter book. My co-worker, we'll call him Joe for name's sake, signed up to work a late-night shift from 10 PM (Thursday) to 5 AM (Friday) to set up the geegaw for our store's Harry Potter event--orbs, et all to be hung from the ceiling. Well, I popped my head into the staff room to check the time, as my shift was near over, and Joe asked me what I thought about the overnight shift. Specifically, he asked (whined, to my ears) if I thought it was fair that whoever is working that shift won't get any form of bonus (he suggested an increased wage was apt) for working so early into the morning. Being the curmudgeon that I am, I told him frankly I thought that was bull to ask for special pay--he voluntarily signed up to work late, and to me, it didn't matter what time of day you worked, you get paid by the AMOUNT of hours you work, plus he should be so grateful he could get these extra hours, which have been diverted from my section to facilitate this one-time, special event, which has been ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY. People must forget that. VOLUNTARY. Nope, Joe figures he's entitled to extra pay for working normal hours, on a normal day because HE volunteered for a SPECIAL EVENT. He's so special, right?

Evidently he's never heard of overnight shifts in the workplace before. Not to mention that the company would pay for pizza for those who worked overnight.

I thought he was acting like a spoiled, whiny brat; he volunteered to work overnight, so what's he complaining about? He's getting extra work hours, free food, no bugging customers, and he's being paid to set up geegaws. Sheesh. What ever happened to ACCOUNTABILITY?

Everyone wants something for free, but never are willing to EARN their rewards, or deserts. I still can't understand the big fuss over a child's book. What happened to the classics?

Am I the only one who finds this absurd?