|
 |
|
March, 2003: The Best Job in America
Saturday, March 1st, 2003
Some random points:
Today the Governor of Virginia came in and I sold him stuff without even knowing it. I noticed one of the secret service guys and I was so interested in him that I was oblivious to the governor. Oh well.
A couple of people I used to work with are suing the company. Cool.
Today on a break I did laps around the parking lot in my car. Not as fun as Ridge.
Ridge was the best.
Rumors are flying around that West Tower is being sold. Wouldn't surprise me. Every single thing that happened at Ridge before it closed is happening at WT. (Money going into upgrades and a new roof, that guy being put in charge, random informed customers)
People are fickle and they bug me a lot. I go out of my way to help them and they still get pissy, throw down their stuff and storm away. I wish people were better. Our fucking society is a waste.
A guy from KFC keeps trying to recruit me. Despite the money, I don't think I would ever go to work in fast food. Eh
Oh! The guy that had the heart attack is coming back next week. I hear he is "a much calmer person." We'll see.
Bah!
Saturday, March 15th, 2003
Yea. Didn't work last weekend because I went to California for a funeral and some R&R. Returned this weekend to deal with crazies.
Last night a guy gave me a really long lecture on why soda is bad. Yea yea, nod and smile. Then he gave me two bucks and walked away. Money rocks.
Today a guy started yelling at me because I didn't place his change in his hand. This made me really, really mad. So, in a loud, angery voice, I counted the change into his hand like I would a child. Asshole. I hate that guy and all those like him.
All weekend customers have been coming up and saying they missed me last weekend. It's kinda weird.
Payroll is getting tight. Tonight a high-up came in and made us all sign a sheet to varify we were at work. Strange...
Yesterday a penny appeared out of thin air and fell on the floor behind the stand. Creepy.
Before work, I often like to do laps and figure eights in the back parking lot. Today, after doing so I came in and my boss was like, "What the hell were you doing?" And I'm all like, "I don't know what you're talking about." Bah!
I'm thinking about changing around my work hours. Working every Friday and Saturday night sucks. Don't know what I'll do.
Anyway, that's all for now!
Friday, March 21st, 2003
Tonight was unexpectedly slow. We think it's because people were at home watching the war. Weird.
Tuesday, March 25th, 2003
This weekend was Golden. By golden I mean unusually terrible. It's normal for a few customers to complain about nominal stuff, but this past weekend was one complaint after another. Not just little "your prices suck" complaints, but major "I hope you burn in hell!!!!" complaints.
Saturday, while I was actually in a good mood, I helped this guy and then he was like, "Can I asked you a question?" and I happily said, "Sure". Then he says, "Can you people be any slower?!!" I was shocked, and as he stormed off I was like "Oh really?!!! I'm sorry you feel that way..." Bastard!!!! Fucking bastard!!! You don't say things like that to people, especially when it's unwarranted. Why is our society so fucked that someone would say something like that?!
A while later I got this lady that wanted some extra cups, so I gave her some of our courtesy cups. But no ho ho! That wasn't good enough for her. She wanted to buy normal size cups. Because of the way the stock is set up, she would have to pay full price for a cup. This pissed her off a LOT. Shouting loud enough for everyone in the lobby to hear her, she started raising hell. Hello!!!! Courtesy cups!!! I gave you fucking courtesy cups, bitch!!!
More complaints, more looks of utter disgust (they think I set the prices of everything so I receive the customers' wrath). Fuckers!!! I really question our society. Besides the complaints, and nasty looks and slurs and grumbles, I see other things at work every day that are indicative of our sinking morals and principles. Mainly, I see people beat their kids a lot. It's like they think they're good parents for bringing their kids to a movie, but then they just sit in the lobby and yell at them and push them around. That's not cool. The absolutely horrify thing (as if kid abuse wasn't horrifying enough) is that nobody does anything when they see someone hit a kid or they agree with how the parents treat them. Am I the only one that gets pissed when a grown man grabs his little kid, pulls him close to his face and shouts in his ear!? I see this shit every weekend, but there's nothing I can do about it and maybe I shouldn't do anything about it. Our fucked culture has this whole "don't meddle in other people's affairs" mentality.
By the end of a Saturday night I'm usually in a pretty bad mood. A lot of people I work with have been giving me a lot of shit lately about working Friday and Saturday nights. Fuckers. I have a life, I just don't like to go out and party on the weekends, so fuck off! This Saturday sucked a lot. The one person I was working with was so itchy to leave and go party that he got out early. I was stuck closing by myself, on a fucked up Saturday night. As I was mopping and looking forward to going home, a really angry lady comes out and starts screaming, "Excuse me! Can you please tell the people in my auditorium to be quite! I can't hear the movie!!!" So, I go and stand in there for a while, waiting to hear any talking. After five minutes, I start to leave when this elderly couple starts yapping rather loud. I politely asked them to whisper if they have to talk and then they went crazy. The old man, who smelt of alcohol, said (really loudly so everyone could hear) "Are you telling me to be quiet?! So you're telling me to be quiet?!" and then his wife starts screaming "What does she want!!? What's her problem?!" That's when I said fuck it, clocked out, and left.
Sunday I went into work ready to leave. Everyday they send at least two people home immediately and I asked if I could be one of them. ARG! One guy didn't even show up so no one got to leave at first. I was telling people about my fucked up Saturday, still really pissed about it. They could tell I was hating the place and everyone was in agreement that I should get to leave. It was a nice day, I could have used some time off, I had a shitty previous night, I never get to go home early so it was my turn. But then, of course: An hour later the boss sent someone home. Then a little while after that, she sent another person home. Neither of those people was me. What the fuck!? It was my turn, I deserved it, I called it.
The fucked up weekend progressed. The place is all about selling combos. The theater has to meet a quota of selling 3% combos, so they're really pushing it. We have to wear buttons that say "ask me about the combo" and little springy signs on our register say the same thing. We're required to ask each customer if they would like to try the combo. Another register sign says "if concessionist fails to offer you the combo, please see a manager." In which case we get written up. Every time I have to say "would you like to try the combo" a part of me dies and is replaced by a steadily growing rage. Many, many customers make references to Burger King when I say "Would you like to try to combo?" They'll be like "Whoa, I didn't know this was a Burger King" or "Can I get fries with that?" This belittles me. I do not work in fast food. The whole combo thing played in to ruining my weekend.
Management (which is a joke, by the way) had a competition this weekend: The concessionist to sell the most combos during the weekend wins a prize. This meant they would be keeping track of our combo sales. Because of this single fact, it was nearly impossible for me to sell any. I asked every customer and I tried different techniques. Nothing worked. If my coworker would offer it, customers would by it, but if I would offer, the answer was always a resounding no. Sometimes I get the feeling the world is mocking me.
A lady this weekend read an article in the paper saying Ridge was being re-opened. This is not the case. In Fact, there are plans set in stone to demolish it and start construction of a Kroger grocery store on the site in September, one year after it closed.
On the subject of closing: When I started work at West Tower, I predicted the place would close within two years. This now leaves a year and a half and I stand by my prediction. Attendance is way down. This could be because all of the movies out right now suck. We'll see. If attendance doesn't dramatically increase in May when several major flicks are due out, then I'll know for sure. For now, I can see all the signs are there. Every single thing that happened at Ridge before it closed is happening at West Tower. It's so obvious. However, when West Tower closes I think many more people will be devastated. After all, there are people who have been working there for nearly 20 years. What are they going to do? In the words of Floyd, "Nothing's certain but change."
Side note: I work with many crazy people. One of them is an army guy who dropped out of high school decades ago to join up. My second week of work, he chewed me out severely for letting a person into a theater before he cleaned it. He likes to talk a lot and he believes only his veiws and opinions are valid despite being completely disproved. The war has really given him something to talk about. (More of a side note: I've seen anti-war riots first hand on the campus of my university. It's Weird.)
I miss the good old days at Ridge when I worked with the ultimate people. There, I never had anyone say to me, "Can you people move any slower." Yea, I can move slower.
Friday, March 28th, 2003
They dangle carrots in my face. A person I work with seems to think our one "concession lead" is soon going to become a manager, thus freeing the position of "lead". She also alludes to the belief that I will be the next "lead". I'm 98% sure this is all bullshit. Still, it's nice to think about a promotion.
Today when I went in to pick up a pay check, a manager was filling out 90 day reviews which supposedly lead to raises. He showed me the sheet that determines raise amounts based on reviews of: average= 10 cents, above average= 20 cents, and outstanding= 30 cents. If I do get a raise, I expect 20 cents because that will bring me to making 6.50, the most any baseline employee makes at the place (that is to say the most any non-manager, non-lead makes). A raise would be fantastic, but bittersweet. 6.50 is still a joke, but better than 6.30 and better than 5.75 (the starting pay).
Last weekend the whole "combo compition" thing put me into a funk. Since the pressure was on, I found it impossible to sell any combos. But, to my surprise, I discovered today I did sell combos, I sold a lot of them. In fact, I sold twice as many as any other person, and therefore won the compition. I also saw the sales totals and discovered I bring in a lot more money than the other people. Hmmm, maybe I'll get an "outstanding" review after all...
A customer today said, "You guys are working the best job in America, you know that, right?" I don't see it that way. But what if he was right? That means every other job I will ever have in my entire life will be worse than this one. And that means that everyone in the country has a job worse than mine. If this is the case, then I suppose it's understandable that our morals and principles are dropping off so quickly. Hmmm, really makes you think.
Saturday, March 29th, 2003
Today was not a bad day. Well, at least not for me. Some guy at the theater was beating up his kid pretty bad; yelling at him and smacking him around because he was crying. A lot of people stared, but no one did anything. Bah.
I actually got a prize today for winning the combo compition last week. :)
Also, there's more talk of raises. We'll see what happens with that.
Hmmm, what else? I guess that's all for now...
Sunday, March 30th, 2003
Today was ok. Found out the only female manager is leaving. This leaves my kind grossly under-repressented. Hmmm. Well, not much to say...
Home | April
|
|
|
|
