Columnist finds work in the fast food industry to be unpleasant
Date published: 7/17/2008
IT NEVER FAILS: Murphy's Law. When applying for jobs, the one place you do not want to call you back inevitably will. I encountered this annoying fact applying for jobs in Richmond, when I landed one at the local Subway.
Of all the interesting, vibrant-looking places in my area that I could have worked, this was definitely my last choice. But the only other places I had wanted to work told me it would be a few weeks or months, and I had to have something ASAP so that I could pay the rent.
At first glance, the job didn't seem as horrible as it could have been. I have plenty of experience making sandwiches and working in food service, so it wasn't hard at all. The man who hired me seemed nice enough, and I liked a few of my co-workers. I even got all subs at an employee discount, which made the delicious veggie sub I love cost mere chump change. I failed to take into account, however, my inability to function in this kind of a situation for very long and my disdain for the restrictions that come with employment at any fast-food restaurant.
First of all, some of my co-workers whom I met later are not exactly savory. They are much older than me and don't seem to respect me at all, even though I am doing my best to comply with their every wish and to be the best employee I can be. The management also demands that I remove my lip rings while working--which is ridiculous considering how many people with piercings I serve every day. This makes things a bit difficult due to the fact that I don't have the extra money right now to go out and buy spacers to put in the holes while I'm at work.
The one fellow employee that I really liked has crumpled under the awful pressure and quit, and I am being paid minimum wage--a fact I did not learn until the first paycheck came out.
But what makes the situation really unbearable is not the employees at Subway or even the stupid rules and pay, but the fact that I am barely getting any hours at this terrible job. At places like this, a worker is just a commodity, serving the functions of the business--not a person with needs that should be met. Six hours a week is not exactly going to cut it for someone who asked for more than 40 hours and has rent and bills to pay. I worked more hours than that a week as an intern at The Free Lance-Star, a job that was supposed to be educational and never a means to earn a living.
Some growing up to do(posted by
bryanmc
, July 19, 2008 8:34 am)
As a "rising freshman" I guess I can understand the whiny tone in your writing. At that age, people tend to think the world revolves around them. Congratulations on your first lesson in "real life". You have discovered that you are not the center of the universe. The world outside your head isn't the same as that happy, little utopia you imagine inside. BTW, those rules that you hate so much were put there by people with more knowledge and experience than you have. Maybe, just maybe they had a reason.
Are you for real?(posted by
ksmason2003
, July 18, 2008 1:54 pm)
1) You're lucky to have a job, given your attitude. It is a long-standing practice in restaurants/fast food to give more hours and the best shifts to the best workers and those with seniority. You should expect to prove yourself before expecting preferential treatment. 2) On July 24th, you will get a 12% raise, and not because you deserve it. Do you know why? 3) You worked more hours for free for the paper, but you complain about this job? Clearly, you think you're too good for the job. You're not.
Move Along(posted by
regsucks
, July 18, 2008 11:46 am)
You should have been happy the guy hired you - I wouldn’t have. Call it discrimination if you want but I judge who I want working for me by how the look, dress, tank and act.
Star Directory
