c/first-job-rants

7

grant478•17d ago

Honestly think cashier training is way too easy these days

I just started at a grocery store last week and they had me on register after watching one video. Yesterday my register froze for 10 minutes and nobody knew how to reset it. I had a line of 12 people staring at me while I just stood there panicking. My manager finally came over and said 'just reboot it' like it was obvious. Does your store actually train people on the real problems or just leave you to figure it out?

19

logan525•21d ago

My third week scooping ice cream, a kid asked for a refund because I didn't scoop enough.

Kid's mom backed him up too, manager actually gave him a new cone with an extra scoop for free. Has anyone else had a customer demand a ridiculous refund over something tiny?

28

nancyg14•21d ago

My register drawer popped open and dumped $20 in coins everywhere during a rush

Happened yesterday at the burger place I work at. I was trying to grab a dime for a customer's change and the whole drawer slid out and flipped over. Coins rolling under the fryer, under the shake machine. Manager just sighed and told me to count it out after closing. Lost about 45 minutes sweeping under equipment with a flashlight. Has anyone else had a register drawer just give up like that?

4

charles_young92•21d ago

Took me 6 months to realize I was folding box lids wrong at my first retail job

I worked at a clothing store in the mall back when I was 17. Every shift I'd spend like 20 minutes trying to get those stupid cardboard shirt boxes to fold flat so they'd stack right. Manager kept telling me I was too slow. One day this older lady who worked there part time watched me struggle and goes 'why are you creasing the short sides first?' Showed me that if you do the long sides first they fold perfect every time. Blew my mind. Been 12 years and I still think about that. Anyone else have a basic job task they did backwards for way too long?

13

drew_hart4•22d ago

Found out my first job paid me below minimum wage legally

I was working at a small diner in Austin last summer, making $8.50 an hour cash. Looked up the rules after I quit and found out tipped employees only need $2.13 an hour federally if they make enough tips. My boss never told me that or made up the difference when tips were slow. Anyone else get tricked by a loophole like that?

20

nguyen.morgan•22d ago

That one shift where I got THREE compliments in one day and almost cried

I work at a fast food place near the mall in Austin. Usually it's just people yelling at me because their fries are cold or they wanted no pickles. But last Saturday I had this weirdly good day. First a mom told me I was "so patient" with her kid who kept changing his order like 5 times. Then this old dude said I had a nice smile. And then the closing manager told me my register was exactly $0.00 off which never happens. Three nice things in one day. I actually went to my car and just sat there for a minute. Has anyone else had a shift that was TOO good and felt suspicious about it?

12

jessej23•24d ago

Took me 3 hours to count a single drawer of change at the ice cream shop

I work at this local scoop shop in Portland and my boss made me count the register drawer after a rush. There was like $40 in nickels, dimes, and quarters mixed with wet sticky coins from the sink. It took me 3 hours because I kept losing count every time I touched a melted coin. Has anyone else had a cash handling job that just wrecked your night?

13

rileygarcia•25d ago

Tried to return a shirt without a receipt and got the third degree from the manager

So I worked at a retail store for about 4 months last year, and I finally quit after this one shift. A customer came in with a shirt she bought 3 days earlier, tags still on it, and no receipt. My manager spent 15 minutes interrogating her like she was stealing. Asked her what day she bought it, what register she used, even her phone number to look it up. The woman was super nice about it too. I learned that some managers just love having power over people for no reason. Has anyone else dealt with a boss who treated customers like criminals?

11

jamie_adams•26d ago

My first job at a pizza place turned me into a totally different person in 3 months

I started working at this local pizza joint back in October and I swear I was a completely different kid before and after. Before the job I was super shy and could barely look customers in the eye when taking orders. But after about 3 months of dealing with rude customers and a manager who screamed at me for messing up toppings I just kind of stopped caring. I went from stuttering through phone orders to barking back at a guy who complained his extra cheese wasn't extra enough. Has anyone else felt like their first job totally rewired their personality or did I just get a weird one?

18

evan_cooper73•28d ago

Lost $30 on a fake 'professional' uniform cleaning service

I paid a local place in Phoenix $30 to steam and press my work polo before my first big meeting. They shrunk it so bad it looks like a crop top now. Anyone else get burned by a scammy service that was supposed to help you look good for work?

6

moore.beth•29d ago

Got a reality check from a McDonald's shift manager yesterday that changed how I see my first job

I was complaining to this older guy named Mark at the bus stop about my manager micromanaging my register speed at the grocery store. He just looked at me and said 'kid, I've worked 12 years at McDonald's and learned the hard way that if you burn out trying to please everyone, you'll be replaced in a week.' Then he told me he makes $15.50 an hour after all that time, and suddenly my $10.50 job with a jerk boss didn't seem worth losing sleep over. Has anyone else had a random stranger put your job drama in perspective like that?

4

finleyl39•29d ago

My first job at a coffee shop made me realize I hate small talk

Had a customer yesterday ask me how my day was for the 50th time and I just snapped and said 'same as the last time you asked' which was awkward. Why do people think we wanna hear about their dog's vet visit when there's a line of 12 people?

17

drewr15•29d ago

Why does nobody mention that the ice machine at every fast food place is always broken

I work at a burger joint and the ice machine has been down for like three days straight... we keep telling customers we're out of ice and they look at us like we're lying. Manager says a part is on order but it's been "on order" since Tuesday. Had some guy last night get super mad about his soda being warm and I just stood there like... what do you want me to do, chisel some off the freezer walls? Anyone else deal with a broken essential machine that management just ignores?

12

emery290•1mo ago

I tried the "just show up early" advice and got locked in a storage closet

My first job was at a grocery store in Phoenix and I got there 30 minutes early my second week to look good. Manager forgot to tell me the back door auto-locks from the outside, so I spent 45 minutes in a 40-degree freezer room before someone heard me banging. Learned to always carry my phone and never trust "just wait by the loading dock."

6

phoenix_lewis•1mo ago

Confession: I used to just shove boxes in the walk-in freezer and hope for the best

When I started at this burger place 8 months ago, I would just toss stock into the freezer in whatever order it came off the truck. Made finding anything a total nightmare during rushes, especially when we ran out of onion rings and I had to dig through 4 boxes of fries first. Then our GM showed me this simple trick - slide a cardboard divider between different product types so you can see what's where from the handle. Now I keep fries, rings, and nuggets separated in rows and it cuts my restock time from like 6 minutes to under 2. Has anyone else learned a dumb obvious storage hack way later than they should have?

3

michael_green44•1mo ago

Old manager told me to 'never trust a customer who smells like cigarettes and cologne' - dead right

Had a guy come in complaining his tires were low, smelled like an ashtray mixed with Axe body spray. Tried to upsell me on some story about his 'racing background' while I filled them. Caught him later trying to walk off with a floor jack from the bay.

14

pat781•1mo ago

Always thought morning shifts were a scam until I got one

I was totally convinced that working at 5 AM was just a way for bosses to ruin your life for no reason. Then I landed a bakery gig at 6 AM and realized I got done by noon with the whole day ahead. Anyone else flip on a schedule they swore they'd hate?