So I believe that I can truthfully say that I have experienced everything there is to experience at a McDonald's Restaurant. I have faithfully worked at McDonalds for going on five years(off and on, summers home from college). So I've seen it all. I think today I just want to account on the bad things that go on inside that establishment and all the WONDERFUL people I have had the serve the mediocre food to.
I started working at McShitHole during my junior year of high school. I was very reluctant to take the job and I really had no desire to work in the food industry at all. But being 16 years old with no work experience made it a little difficult to find a job else where. So I sat down for my interview with the manager and was hired that day. I had an orientation, got a uniform and was informed that I would be starting my first day on Monday and I would work from 4 to 8.
I admit I was excited and really nervous my first day. My first day I did meat and wall and a boy named Matt was going to train me on "meat". I had no idea what to expect. So I walked with him and before I knew it he was gone and I was on my own to keep up with the demands of the never ending meat trays. The task wasn't hard, but it was hot and I was slow. But that four hour shift was over in a heart beat and I quickly headed home with all sorts of regrets. For hours I went over and over in my head the mistakes I made during my short first shirt.
Months passed and I soon made friends, wasn't shy and really had the hang of grill. I knew how to make like 10 sandwiches at once on my own in under two minutes. I could put meat and wall down like it was no one's business and I was fast. One day I decided that I was SICK of just coming in day after day and going straight the grill to work my long hot shift making people's food, so I asked if I could be trained on front counter. The managers unwillingly trained me and before I knew it again I was left alone, to figure it out on my own. I was nervous. Now not only was I having the demands of McDonald's policies and ways, I also had to please the customers that were giving me orders. I'll admit, my first day on counter was probably the worst day of my life.
Let me just say, the general public has no patiences for "new" people. Not only did they look at me funny while I was endlessly searching for the button to make a double cheese burger with every topping on it doubled/tripled and cut in half. I also kept hitting the wrong dollars amounts as they handed me 20 dollar bills and then grabbing change from their pockets. So i probably looked like a moron as it took me a good 10 minutes to count change back to these people. I really wanted to look at them and explain that I am not dumb... for that matter I'm pretty smart. I'm an all "a" student and I'm really good at math. But then I realized that they probably didnt' care and the only reason the are coming to McDonald's is because they are hungry, not to hear my sob story.
So a few more months go by and I am a PRO at everything McDonald's... well everything except Drive Through Order taking, or as its called in the McWorld, Back Cash. I come in one Saturday morning about about 11 o'clock and was given a head set and a cash drawer and told to push these buttons to store the order and take money from the other screen...... "WAIT>>> WHAT?" was all that went through my head as I was asking the person to repeat their order. I think I got yelled at by the public about 10 times that day. I can remember one guy saying "If you can't do the job get some one else to do it" I really wanted to say some foul words to him, but I bit my lip and told him to have a nice day. I wanted to cry by the end of my shift, but I knew it really wasn't my fault. I just felt like an idiot.
McDonald's then became this little place that was mine. I had my people there and even a few crushes. It was life. I loved my job because everyone loved me. I was a great employee and I would do pretty much anything asked of me. (I wouldn't clean puke and I wouldn't do anything that had to do with a public toilet) So it was great.
Senior year came and went with its many ups and downs. I had been accepted to Michigan Ann Arbor and knew in a few months I would have to quite my job. I was excited but my last day after my shift was over I went to my car and cried. I'm not really sure why I let the tears fall, but I was sad. I went home and didn't know what to do with myself. A few short days later I moved away from home and still didn't know what to do with myself.
I came home after my freshman year of college and walked into McDonald's and was happily greeted by all the familiar faces. I got my job back and everything went back to normal. This summer after my sophomore year of college I also got my job back. I didn't want to go back, but i felt as if i had no other options. This time I got my job back through the drive through.
Now that I'm back in that strange environment it's no longer the same. I don't like it anymore and I can hardly even stand going to work. Its mostly the customers. They are so rude and don't even care that we are dealing with their food. For all the know I could be spitting in their burgers and drinks. I always want to ask them "Does it make you feel better to belittle me because I work at McDonalds?" . Really honestly, Why is it okay to treat me like I'm the dumbest person that has ever walked this earth because I work at a fast food establishment? I really don't understand. And I wouldn't get in trouble for being rude to the customers, I would explain to them that I am going to school to become an electrical engineer... and I'll let them know that I'm more than likely 10 time smarter then they are and will one day hold a more prestigious job then them. And I will also be a better person because I will treat all fast food resturant employees with respect because I know how it feels.
Some people are really nice though. And I thank them for being that way. Just yesterday this lady was being SOOO rude to me because i was charging her for milk(sorry we don't just give away free milk because you bought coffee and we don't offer milk packets). The guy behind her starting say he was sorry for how she was treating me and just trying to help me out a little bit. Its people like him that we need more of in the world. I just don't understand why someone has to be so rude. What happened in their life that was sooooo bad that they had to come to McDonald's and take it out on me... I'm sure I had nothing to do with it.
So I suppose for the next few installments of this blog I will be complaining and just writing in general about McDonald's and all the Lovely people that grace the presence of my work day.
-JRA
PS. Thank you if your one of those people out there that can put up with a mistake and have a little patience.
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