5. Tell us about one of your very first jobs.
One of my very first jobs was working as a Sandwich Artist at Subway. I wanted to work there because I thought it looked easy and I wanted free sandwiches. Before I started the actual work, my boss gave me a quick walkthrough and practice day where I basically job shadowed him for the afternoon and then sent me home with some videos to watch about how to make bread, slice veggies, etc etc.
As luck would have it, we had a huge storm and our power went out the night I brought the videos home so I tucked them away and enjoyed watching my mother attempt to boil spaghetti noodles by fire instead. We got our power back the next day, but I just didn’t have it in me to pop those videos in the VCR and watch them. I figured I could just blame it on the power outage. For all my boss knew we could still be out of power. I mean…how hard could the job be? Cut the bread, throw some mayo and turkey on that bad boy and call it a day. I got this.
And then I started and my boss was all “I need to step out for a few hours for an emergency at the other store…did you watch the videos?” And I was all “Yes of course!” and he was all “Oh thank goodness…call me if you need me I’ll be back in a bit!”
The day was going fine. I guess. It is a little strange that he did not have another backup plan other than to leave a 17 year old in charge of a restaurant by herself on her first day, but what’s the worst that could happen!? I just kind of hoped no one would show up.
I did not anticipate that I might have trouble operating the cash register by myself. My solution when it kept beeping back at me was to just give the sandwiches to the customers without payment and send them along their merry way. “I don’t know what’s going on with this, just take it.”
I was well on my way to becoming the most popular Sandwich Artist in town. No one was mad at me for the beeping cash register.
But then we started running out of bread and I was all “uh oh…how do they make the bread again??” Turns out watching those videos may have been important. To this day my Mom cackles about the desperate phone call she received from her newly working daughter, “ummm moooom?? Do you know how to make…bread?” My Mom was all “They left you in that store by yourself and you don’t even know how to make bread!?!” and I was all “Well they gave me these videos to watch that show me how to do it and I kind of…” and she was all “OH KATHY!!!”
She mentioned something about dough needing to rise and then cook and I was all “OH!!! I think I’ve got two ovens here…I think I remember one is to make bread rise! THANKS BYE!”
She saved the day with that whole “bread needs to rise” bit. I successfully made a batch all by myself before the owner came back to assist. I never did ask what the emergency was at the other store. Was it on fire?? Why would he leave me? I’m sitting here trying to picture my own daughter, roughly the same age, holding down a store like that and I have so many doubts. I can’t even imagine her greeting people, let alone take their orders and cash them out (aka give sandwiches away). I’m surprised my Mom didn’t show up and offer to jump behind the counter with me, but I proved I was capable after all!
I also learned that when your power goes out the rest of the world kind of expects you to continue being productive. But probably especially when the power comes back on and you still have time to do the actual job you were hired to do.
Does anyone need a lesson on making bread??
John Holton says
I’m sure your manager was thrilled that you were giving away free food. I’m sure that one of the videos also contained the directions for using the cash register. Still, he should have left a manual there on how to fix common problems with the register, so it’s his fault, right?
I’m glad you survived…
Abby says
That’s pretty hilarious/ crazy that the manager left you in charge of the place on your first day! Makes me wonder what the “emergency” was too.
Paula Kiger says
Holy moly this made me laugh! Thanks for sharing.