SongDragon
08-02-2007, 01:11 AM
Sometimes you don't know when one era of your life has come to an end until you look back on it, and suddenly the dividing line is clear. Othertimes you can see that dividing line ahead of you. You can rejoice in it, fear it, be saddened by it, or even struggle against it. Or even all such emotions together. An era isn't marked by time, merely by events, and it can be very short. In my lifetime, this was one such era.
This Friday will be my last day ever working in the Deli that was my first job. It was a Hannaford's Deli, nothing special, though only a few of you would probably know the chain store of which I am speaking, as it is fairly limited. It didn't start out as anything spectacular. I was just told I should get a summer job. It would be good for me. And this was the one for which I was accepted. I didn't realize it was a bit of an unusual summer job, as it involved quite a bit of training. And I certainly didn't get rich off the job. It was just a job, right?
But it was my summer job, and my first job. Training took a week, and even at that I was not fully cut out for my shift yet. Closing shift. Oh yes, those two words add a whole extra set of duties to your job. It's not complex. More along the lines of time-consuming and tedious, depending what attitude you take. Sometimes the customers are fun to work with, other times they drive you nuts, especially when you're way behind in closing and they keep setting you further back by lingering... It happens though. And somehow your shift always ends and you punch out... Not always on time, but it's over.
I've made good friends, and learned a bit about people. There's a man we always safe the maple and brown sugar ends special for, because he just likes those ones. You can tell he's a regular, because everyone knows what he's going to ask for. Sometimes we count one of them as an end when really we could get a few more slices off of it, just so he can have it when he comes. There's another woman with a husband whose had a stroke and is obviously rehabilitating; just today I noticed that he's the one that gets the number, though he can't doesn't order himself, he can tell her the number and if he likes the slice thickness. They seem like a frightening pair when you're new, because they're very picky, but she knows it and appologizes for it constantly. We just assure her that it's good for our training. She learned my sister and I were leaving at the end of this week, and wished us luck in whatever we do. Some people are downright rude, and it's so hard to bite your tongue and not be rude right back... Kids are fun. They make even the grouchiest of customers smile, and they're always welcome in the Deli line. We need more of the happy, if bouncy, ones than the grouches. It is possible to trick cute guys into giving your phone number in exchange for the cheese you've sliced them, though if you turn bright red it gives it away.
It's a whole different world behind the counter. There's the boss. She has to be tough, and sometimes sarcastic, but she's also nice, and mothering. Even though she didn't have to, as we don't have enough days under our belt to request days off, she made sure my sister could get to her doctor's appointments alright. There's others that can be sharp, thoughg alright once you get to know and understand them better. She made me cry, twice, on my first night there. Also, twice, I cut myself while working with her. Sometimes hurrying isn't all it's cracked up to be. Somehow I don't work with very many sharp objects anymore... Then there's the sweet, quiet one that you don't notice unless something happens. Like they casually tell you something that you don't know how to respond to... She was teaching me to take down the salad bar when she got a horrible phone call. Her brother had a brain tumor and had to have an operation. Of all the people she told the newbie. Me. I don't think I'll ever know why. It was probably stress, and the fact I was the only person to tell, but later we became friends. I'm going to miss her. She told me later she didn't realize how quiet she was around everyone until I mentioned it. Finally she opened up a bit and picked on me. We picked on each other, even, always telling the other to get off 'our' slicer. Which was any slicer we happened to need at the moment... Sheesh I'm going to miss a quiet voice scaring me to death as it says 'hurry up' where as the real originator of the line, sharp and vicious, was scurrying somewhere else and we'd laugh, knowing we'd both been subject to such commands. And then there's the one guy of the deli. Oh yes, only one. And we make sure to pick on him for it. He's not working with me on Friday, so today was my last day working with him. I sprayed him with some sanatizer (really, I was aiming for the slicer) and he had to go soon. He came at me like he was going to swat me (or find another bottle of sanatizer and get me soaked), and I let out a rather high-pitched scream and giggle, holding up my arms in front of me. The customers laughed, and he just said 'come here' and I hugged him goodbye. He said I was too much fun, I had to transfer down there... Unfortunately the deadline is past, and so I'm on my way... Training the new girl was awkward, especially since she is a year older than me. I didn't train her much, but I worked with her all tonight, and whenever questions came up, questions I remembered asking the people working with me (the bossy ones, the quiet ones, all of them together at some point or another), it felt odd answering them. But I did, and that is that. It was wonderful working with her for the short time I did.
Working with my twin could be frustrating at times. The first week especially people would say things like 'what are you still doing here' and 'aren't you working a rather long shift'. They still get our names mixed up now and then. Today they forbid her from telling me about the huddle, which I know they held for her earlier. They held a huddle, calling all the availiable associates over, and thanked me for working the summer, giving me a care package for when I went back to college. I was so embarassed, nervous, flustered, and sad to think of leaving them. I almost cried. I did turn bright red. I'm going to miss them, and so this is in tribute to them. They made my first job amazing. Who knows. Maybe I'll see them behind the same counter next here. That mean, tough boss-lady did say if I ever needed a job again to come see her. I think I'll do that...
How strange to think I'll be missing work. I can't say it was all fun and games. But I can say it wasn't boring.
~SongDragon
This Friday will be my last day ever working in the Deli that was my first job. It was a Hannaford's Deli, nothing special, though only a few of you would probably know the chain store of which I am speaking, as it is fairly limited. It didn't start out as anything spectacular. I was just told I should get a summer job. It would be good for me. And this was the one for which I was accepted. I didn't realize it was a bit of an unusual summer job, as it involved quite a bit of training. And I certainly didn't get rich off the job. It was just a job, right?
But it was my summer job, and my first job. Training took a week, and even at that I was not fully cut out for my shift yet. Closing shift. Oh yes, those two words add a whole extra set of duties to your job. It's not complex. More along the lines of time-consuming and tedious, depending what attitude you take. Sometimes the customers are fun to work with, other times they drive you nuts, especially when you're way behind in closing and they keep setting you further back by lingering... It happens though. And somehow your shift always ends and you punch out... Not always on time, but it's over.
I've made good friends, and learned a bit about people. There's a man we always safe the maple and brown sugar ends special for, because he just likes those ones. You can tell he's a regular, because everyone knows what he's going to ask for. Sometimes we count one of them as an end when really we could get a few more slices off of it, just so he can have it when he comes. There's another woman with a husband whose had a stroke and is obviously rehabilitating; just today I noticed that he's the one that gets the number, though he can't doesn't order himself, he can tell her the number and if he likes the slice thickness. They seem like a frightening pair when you're new, because they're very picky, but she knows it and appologizes for it constantly. We just assure her that it's good for our training. She learned my sister and I were leaving at the end of this week, and wished us luck in whatever we do. Some people are downright rude, and it's so hard to bite your tongue and not be rude right back... Kids are fun. They make even the grouchiest of customers smile, and they're always welcome in the Deli line. We need more of the happy, if bouncy, ones than the grouches. It is possible to trick cute guys into giving your phone number in exchange for the cheese you've sliced them, though if you turn bright red it gives it away.
It's a whole different world behind the counter. There's the boss. She has to be tough, and sometimes sarcastic, but she's also nice, and mothering. Even though she didn't have to, as we don't have enough days under our belt to request days off, she made sure my sister could get to her doctor's appointments alright. There's others that can be sharp, thoughg alright once you get to know and understand them better. She made me cry, twice, on my first night there. Also, twice, I cut myself while working with her. Sometimes hurrying isn't all it's cracked up to be. Somehow I don't work with very many sharp objects anymore... Then there's the sweet, quiet one that you don't notice unless something happens. Like they casually tell you something that you don't know how to respond to... She was teaching me to take down the salad bar when she got a horrible phone call. Her brother had a brain tumor and had to have an operation. Of all the people she told the newbie. Me. I don't think I'll ever know why. It was probably stress, and the fact I was the only person to tell, but later we became friends. I'm going to miss her. She told me later she didn't realize how quiet she was around everyone until I mentioned it. Finally she opened up a bit and picked on me. We picked on each other, even, always telling the other to get off 'our' slicer. Which was any slicer we happened to need at the moment... Sheesh I'm going to miss a quiet voice scaring me to death as it says 'hurry up' where as the real originator of the line, sharp and vicious, was scurrying somewhere else and we'd laugh, knowing we'd both been subject to such commands. And then there's the one guy of the deli. Oh yes, only one. And we make sure to pick on him for it. He's not working with me on Friday, so today was my last day working with him. I sprayed him with some sanatizer (really, I was aiming for the slicer) and he had to go soon. He came at me like he was going to swat me (or find another bottle of sanatizer and get me soaked), and I let out a rather high-pitched scream and giggle, holding up my arms in front of me. The customers laughed, and he just said 'come here' and I hugged him goodbye. He said I was too much fun, I had to transfer down there... Unfortunately the deadline is past, and so I'm on my way... Training the new girl was awkward, especially since she is a year older than me. I didn't train her much, but I worked with her all tonight, and whenever questions came up, questions I remembered asking the people working with me (the bossy ones, the quiet ones, all of them together at some point or another), it felt odd answering them. But I did, and that is that. It was wonderful working with her for the short time I did.
Working with my twin could be frustrating at times. The first week especially people would say things like 'what are you still doing here' and 'aren't you working a rather long shift'. They still get our names mixed up now and then. Today they forbid her from telling me about the huddle, which I know they held for her earlier. They held a huddle, calling all the availiable associates over, and thanked me for working the summer, giving me a care package for when I went back to college. I was so embarassed, nervous, flustered, and sad to think of leaving them. I almost cried. I did turn bright red. I'm going to miss them, and so this is in tribute to them. They made my first job amazing. Who knows. Maybe I'll see them behind the same counter next here. That mean, tough boss-lady did say if I ever needed a job again to come see her. I think I'll do that...
How strange to think I'll be missing work. I can't say it was all fun and games. But I can say it wasn't boring.
~SongDragon