Unskilled does not mean un needed.

[u/Justthisdudeyaknow]

[u/chadthundertalk]

I worked in a furniture retail warehouse for four years, and while it wasn't hard to learn, there's absolutely skill involved with doing the job well.

There are tricks to dollying heavy objects - ask any mover or warehouse associate who's had to regularly contend with bottom mount and french door fridges, especially if their appliance dolly has been broken for any length of time.

Wrapping stuff for delivery and floor model pick-up is definitely a skill, when you consider it's expected that it'll be done quickly and efficiently. An experienced warehouse team is often the difference between a smooth boxing day and a difficult one. Wrapping stuff up while low on consumables involves a baseline level of technical knowledge, often combined with creativity.

You don't think about it as skilled work until a manager or sales rep with no warehouse experience tries to "help out" during a busy period and then goes about wrapping a floor model in the most unsafe, common sense-deficient way possible.

Also, assembling furniture is very much a skill that you get better at, the more often you do it. Most people just suck at following instructions, if they even bother to read them.