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This article argues that the characterization of 'extreme jobs' as being defined by the constancy of 'extreme work' obscures the significance of temporary episodes of 'extreme work' for a wider range of jobs and notes that even 'mundane jobs' are punctuated by extreme work in a variety of cases. Drawing on a study at a supermarket deli counter during the Christmas trading season, it is proposed that work in this context becomes extreme, in relative terms, in three ways. First, the expansion of the scope of work entails an increase in working hours, an increase in demands for multi-tasking and product knowledge, and an expansion of discretion. Second, an increased mobilization of soft skills is necessitated by intensified work both front stage and backstage. Finally, the Christmas period also entails an extension of 'inclusive' management practices over a group of workers who are not typically the focus of such efforts. Four key insights are offered in conclusion: First, 'extreme jobs' and 'extreme work' are conceptually distinct, and the latter is a relative and relational term that varies with the normalized nature of different jobs; second, the temporality of 'extreme work' is variable, as it occurs in different rhythms on different jobs; third, the subjective experience of punctuations of mundane jobs with extreme work can be highly positive; and finally, Christmas deserves further attention in discussions of recurrent and temporary intensification of work, particularly in understanding retail employment.

Why retail work demands a closer look Ödül Bozkurt and Irena Grugulis -- Following the retail chain : sandwiches, supermarkets and the potential for workplace learning Alan Felsted ... [et al.] -- In the "blink" of an eye : American high-end small retail businesses and the public workforce system Mary Gatta -- Labour supply and skills demand in fashion retailing Dennis Nickson ... [et al.] -- Technological change, work re-organization and retail workers' skills in production-oriented supermarket departments Robin Price -- "It's all right for Saturdays, but not forever" : the employment of part-time student staff within the retail sector Prue Huddleston -- "The lost boys" : an overlooked detail in retail? Steven Roberts -- Avoiding the "trap" : discursive framing as a means of coping with working poverty Laura K. Jordan -- Employers' "exit options" and low-wage retail work : the case of supermarkets in the Netherlands and Germany Maarten van Klaveren and Dorothea Voss-Dahm -- "No place to hide"? : the realities of leadership in UK supermarkets Irena Grugulis, Ödül Bozkurt and Jeremy Clegg -- "In search of teamworking in a major supermarket : a fig-leaf for flexibility? Kate Mulholland -- Humour in retail work : jokes salespeople tell about their clients Asaf Darr -- Not the inevitable bleak house? : the positive experiences of workers and managers in retail employment in Sweden Thomas Andersson ... [et al.] -- Representing and organizing retail workers : a comparative study of the UK and Australia Samantha Lynch ... [et al.] -- Endnote: Retail work : perceptions and reality Chris Tilly and Françoise Carré

In advanced economies the 'greening' of the economy is widely seen as promising extensive job creation and upskilling, alongside its other benefits. In popular and policy rhetoric, the growing importance of 'green skills' is asserted frequently. This paper critically examines these claims within the context of the electronic waste management sector in the UK. Drawing on the cases of a non profit organisation and a small private enterprise in North West England, we observe that despite government support for developing skills in e-waste, both the development and utilisation of skills remain minimal. Critically, the relatively more skill-intensive process of reuse is substantially less profitable than recycling and resource capture. The paper concludes by noting that the expectations from the green economy for high quality jobs need to be assessed within the context of similar, misplaced celebrations of previous transformations of work in order to avoid recycling the same promises.

Repair work is essential if we are to develop environmentally-sustainable societies, but repair activity has largely disappeared in advanced economies. Where it survives, work in repair is typically 'dirty' and undesirable. This article asks how repair work can be experienced as 'good work', drawing on the accounts of 20 trainees on a classic car restoration course. We observe that two features made repair 'good work' in trainees' eyes: craft and love. Craft skills enabled trainees to imagine improved employment futures, but also engendered emotional satisfactions. What the trainees emphasized even more was love, in four distinct ways. First, there was 'object-love' for the classic car. Second, love was evoked as repair reconnected them with 'authentic' younger selves. Third, love was claimed to be a prerequisite to do the work. Fourth, love mediated market relationships, connecting repairers and clients in a 'community of enthusiasm'. Our discussion contributes to studies of workplace emotions, which typically focus on feminized work, by showing how love also matters in experiences of masculine work. Identifying the attractions of repair, we also consider the liminal context of training and highlight the key conditions for the survival and growth of repair as paid 'good work'.