It's time for @bloghomework from @missy @lyxzen and @rambo! So, this week, I'm going to tell you a little about my first job.
My first thrust into the real world was as a cashier/car hop at Sonic Drive-In. I was one of the first people in my class to get a job, and it was all for prom. I was a sophomore in high school (2007-ish, if my memory serves me right), and I had just started dating this guy who went to public school (my Catholic school was very strict on dances, ONLY juniors and seniors were allowed to attend, even if they were from a different school), so I was ecstatic to be able to not only attend a public school dance, but prom. However, there were a couple problems: I wasn't even allowed to have a boyfriend, and my mom was in the hospital for surgery. We talked and she was ok with me going, but only if I bought my own prom dress. The search was on.
Thankfully, I had a car, but unbeknownst to me at the time, you needed former retail experience to work in retail (which still makes literally no sense to me, but whatever), and everything I had applied for was in retail (I only found out about the experience when I called back to one place and they let me know). So, it was on to plan b. Thankfully, I got the position at the first fast food place I applied to, and I became a part of the Sonic family. Little did I know at the beginning, but prom would pretty much be the end for me and my bf at the time (I do still wish him well, though), and lo and behold little 17-year old me would be introduced to a cook who is now referenced to as my crazy ex. He was one of the reasons why I quit, which I'll always be thankful for because I got a great job after that until the business shut down (but still bitter about losing that place). But, Sonic, like most fast food restaurants, are individually owned, and thus I realized what could happen at any job I ever get: being singled out and losing shifts over petty, personal problems. The owners had a daughter my age, and we became great friends. My best friend, however, had just started a dating a guy, and she was always the jealous type. Come to find out, the daughter had started talking to him behind my friends back, so I sent her a text saying "Hey, he has a gf. Just letting you know before anything gets out of hand," and that set everything into motion. All of a sudden I get a bombardment of harassing texts from her and some of her other friends, and being a HS girl influenced by protecting her best friend, it turned into a war. The next time I worked, I my ass got reamed. I tried explaining that none of this had anything to do with work, but it was their daughter. But, thanks to some connections I had made at Sonic, I was able to get on to my next job at an actual restaurant.
I'll always be grateful that I had my fast food experience, and got out before any of those stupid and just plain rude "pranks" started happening. I never had water thrown in my face, I've never been spit on, and I've never had ice cream launched back in through the window. The only issue I ever had was one night as a carhop. My location was in the same town as a lake, so there were two stations wayyy back to leave room for boat parking. It was about an hour to close, and a car ordered over $130 worth of food. The food finally gets done, and I pack it all up, go outside and see... no one. Now, our policy was if they drove off, you pay for it. But, thanks to the loophole of it being the first time to happen to ME, we all just got to eat their orders. Crisis (deliciously) adverted.
I will always believe that everyone should have a fast food or serving job AT LEAST once in their life. There are so many lessons to learn by simply being on the other side of a food order.
PS- ALWAYS tip your Sonic carhop. There is no debate about it.
xoxo, Beats
