At my college each term is responsible for fund-raising enough money to have an after grad party. The college pays for the ceremony and the location, but if we want a dinner and dance, we have to cough up our own dough. Fair enough. Every term fund-raises throughout their time at the college in order to do this. Bear that in mind.
Scene: my term's fund-raising pancake breakfast. I am flipping pancakes at a bar line of griddles. Students are walking through, filling up plates and either staying or exiting to eat.
Enter Large Bossy Blonde who proceeds to make announcement of another term's fund-raising valentines. Exit Large Bossy Blonde.
30 minutes pass. Pancakes continue to be sold.
Re-enter LBB. Further loud announcements of the other fundraiser. From the location of the griddle I speak loudly:
"Have you bought any pancakes?"
"No. I'm on a diet. That's why."
I resume flipping. LBB leaves. The breakfast wraps up. We clean up. We go to our next class. I get hauled out of class by Super Student Services Lady. She feels she needs to have a talk with me about professionalism in the school. She heard a report that I was snappish and rude with one of the other students. She stresses that if I'm going to make a humorous remark that I need to ensure that it is more obviously humorous so as to not offend people. She restates the policy that more than one term can fund raise at the same time as long as it is not the same activity. She expresses how shocked she was that this report came against me since I'm so sweet. (The college only has 100 students, max - this woman knows me personally.)
Her sweetness is false, put-on, and stickily uncomfortable.
I want to squirm away.
It may be true that the college I attend has a fantastic reputation for graduates passing the provincial board exams, but I am becoming increasingly unimpressed with the amount of bureaucratic pickle-up-the-ass red tape. I mean, come on people. That was in no way aggressive or nasty. I said it with a smile on my face and in a friendly tone. If she's going to come into our fundraiser to try to get money for her term, then surely I have a right to ask her to contribute to ours! Yet student services comes and reprimands me without even pausing to consider my perspective? And is this going on my record?
Sigh.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
And She's Job Hunting Again
I have incredible respect for people that work in the customer service industry. You know the ones. The people who put up with cranky customers who proclaim their rights to discounts and know all. The people who deal with an unstable work schedule, never sure if they will get 20 hours or 40 or 10. The people who handle supervisors and managers who angry and bitter and small. I have respect for these people. I am these people. I am also tired of being these people.
And that is why I started job hunting today. Today when my supervisor called to have me come in 4 hours early (with 20 minutes notice) - not to ASK me to come in, mind, but to TELL me to come in. When she was totally shocked that I had "dinner plans and couldn't do it" (never mind that my dinner plans were to make a salad, and watch Ellen). When she moaned and complained that her employees are unreliable. When I know that at 7pm tonight I will be standing there working beside her for 4 hours of her bitching and making passive aggressive comments (and I'm the employee she likes!)...
That's when I rewrote my resume. That's when I came up with a cover letter. That's when I sent in an online application to a local gym. That's when I made plans to go around to the other local gyms and hand in resumes there as well. Heck, I'm leaning all this anatomy and remedial exercise, I might as well be working in a place that is relevant! Just please, get me out of this food and beverage industry!
And that is why I started job hunting today. Today when my supervisor called to have me come in 4 hours early (with 20 minutes notice) - not to ASK me to come in, mind, but to TELL me to come in. When she was totally shocked that I had "dinner plans and couldn't do it" (never mind that my dinner plans were to make a salad, and watch Ellen). When she moaned and complained that her employees are unreliable. When I know that at 7pm tonight I will be standing there working beside her for 4 hours of her bitching and making passive aggressive comments (and I'm the employee she likes!)...
That's when I rewrote my resume. That's when I came up with a cover letter. That's when I sent in an online application to a local gym. That's when I made plans to go around to the other local gyms and hand in resumes there as well. Heck, I'm leaning all this anatomy and remedial exercise, I might as well be working in a place that is relevant! Just please, get me out of this food and beverage industry!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A New Social Low
I hate to sound like I'm getting old and jaded...but what is with kids these days?
At 22 years old, I honestly thought I was past being high school bullied. For those who don't know, I hated nearly every minute of high school. My experience of it was filled with pushy, bossy, cruel peers intent on tearing down every shred of self-confidence by both overt and sneaky, passive aggressive means. It was a world where everyone is equally as scared and insecure, and yet simultaneously believe that they are completely alone in their intimidation, and where many took to bringing down those around them in order to feel better about themselves (something I would later learn about as a "leveling mechanism" in anthropology and be fascinated by, hmm).
Having said all that, I thought I was done with it. Today I was proven wrong. Today as I walked from the bus stop to my house I passed the local high school which was just letting out for the day. City buses were sitting in front of it waiting for the hordes of students to organize themselves and get on, and there were probably about a hundred students milling about and doing student type things. I ignored them and kept walking up the sidewalk. Was that my mistake? Out of absolutely nowhere a guy standing with a group of other guys puts out his hand and deliberately shoves me sideways, causing me to side step to catch my balance, and land both feet sinking in to a giant muddy puddle. They laughed uproariously at my expense.
I was dumbstruck. I shot them a dirty look, and walked on, being too shocked by the experience and too poor at thinking on my feet to come up with a more appropriate response.
What would have been an appropriate response? How do you deal with someone who will arbitrarily assault a complete stranger?
At 22 years old, I honestly thought I was past being high school bullied. For those who don't know, I hated nearly every minute of high school. My experience of it was filled with pushy, bossy, cruel peers intent on tearing down every shred of self-confidence by both overt and sneaky, passive aggressive means. It was a world where everyone is equally as scared and insecure, and yet simultaneously believe that they are completely alone in their intimidation, and where many took to bringing down those around them in order to feel better about themselves (something I would later learn about as a "leveling mechanism" in anthropology and be fascinated by, hmm).
Having said all that, I thought I was done with it. Today I was proven wrong. Today as I walked from the bus stop to my house I passed the local high school which was just letting out for the day. City buses were sitting in front of it waiting for the hordes of students to organize themselves and get on, and there were probably about a hundred students milling about and doing student type things. I ignored them and kept walking up the sidewalk. Was that my mistake? Out of absolutely nowhere a guy standing with a group of other guys puts out his hand and deliberately shoves me sideways, causing me to side step to catch my balance, and land both feet sinking in to a giant muddy puddle. They laughed uproariously at my expense.
I was dumbstruck. I shot them a dirty look, and walked on, being too shocked by the experience and too poor at thinking on my feet to come up with a more appropriate response.
What would have been an appropriate response? How do you deal with someone who will arbitrarily assault a complete stranger?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Customer Service
Since the time I got my very first job (nigh on 7 years ago), I've been working in the service industry. Apart from the summer job I got once in a doctor's office, I've worked largely in coffee shops and restaurants - both in the kitchen and waitressing. Although it's certainly not what I want to do for the rest of my life (hence spending $30,000 on my education), there are some things that I quite like about it. I like that there are regulars who come in and like to chat with you. I like that I am able to temporarily brighten someone's day by not just serving them a cup of joe or a plate of fries, but by making a quick joke or flashing a brilliant smile. I have a soft spot for the single elderly people that come in obviously looking for human contact more than they are their medium black coffee, who linger at the counter or sit at the bar and talk to you whenever you walk by.
Much as I adore these sorts of interactions - and adore them I do - I have also had to deal with people who fall into a different category. People who also come to the coffee shop to enjoy a cup, and to feel better about themselves, but do so by going out of their way to make me, the captive audience and (in their mind) inferior counter girl, feel worse about myself. Take, for example, this interaction I had only last week:
A man came in, sat at the counter, and asked for a tea with milk. I took his money, served his change, poured the tea, and put it down in front of him. He immediately gave me a look of absolute scorn and informed me that he would not be drinking it. I peered at his tea with concern. The problem? There was the slightest bit of film along the top, as often happens when you mix cold milk with hot tea. While the science part of my brain understands the problem of adding a cold substance with a tendency to curdle to a slightly acidic hot beverage, the humanitarian part of my brain understands customer service and is slightly too nice. I apologized, cheerfully said that I would put on a new pot of tea for him, and smiled widely.
I served the new tea two minutes later when the tea was ready. I put it down in front of him, smiling once more, and said something to the effect of, "that looks much better, doesn't it", despite the fact that it looked the exact same to me (because it was, after all, just tea and milk). A very dour look settled on his face.
"May I ask you a serious question?", he asks. I say that he certainly may, hoping that it's a technical question about the tea brewing process.
"You saw how terrible that looked. Why did you serve it to me? You didn't expect that I would drink it." He pauses. I wait, knowing that this is not a question that he actually wants an answer to - my years of customer service have taught me to recognize that - and sure enough, he continues. "If I worked here, I would never serve something like that."
Ah yes, that line. I smile in what I hope will be seen as sympathy and respond: "Well then it is a shame that they aren't paying you to serve their beverages."
That, certainly, was not the answer he was expecting. I can read it in his face: was I being genuine? Was I mournful that the coffee shop isn't full of employees with such insight and dedication? Was I mocking him? He just can't decide. I shoot him another smile and move to the opposite end of the store where I busy myself cleaning out the toaster.
He sat there at the counter, glaring at me, for the better part of 20 minutes. I could feel the stare, but I didn't pay any heed. Truth be told, I pitied him. All this working in the service industry has made me feel very sad for the people whose lives are so small that they have nothing better to do than hold on to feelings of resentment against people such as me, who are just doing our jobs, although occasionally somewhat imperfectly.
Much as I adore these sorts of interactions - and adore them I do - I have also had to deal with people who fall into a different category. People who also come to the coffee shop to enjoy a cup, and to feel better about themselves, but do so by going out of their way to make me, the captive audience and (in their mind) inferior counter girl, feel worse about myself. Take, for example, this interaction I had only last week:
A man came in, sat at the counter, and asked for a tea with milk. I took his money, served his change, poured the tea, and put it down in front of him. He immediately gave me a look of absolute scorn and informed me that he would not be drinking it. I peered at his tea with concern. The problem? There was the slightest bit of film along the top, as often happens when you mix cold milk with hot tea. While the science part of my brain understands the problem of adding a cold substance with a tendency to curdle to a slightly acidic hot beverage, the humanitarian part of my brain understands customer service and is slightly too nice. I apologized, cheerfully said that I would put on a new pot of tea for him, and smiled widely.
I served the new tea two minutes later when the tea was ready. I put it down in front of him, smiling once more, and said something to the effect of, "that looks much better, doesn't it", despite the fact that it looked the exact same to me (because it was, after all, just tea and milk). A very dour look settled on his face.
"May I ask you a serious question?", he asks. I say that he certainly may, hoping that it's a technical question about the tea brewing process.
"You saw how terrible that looked. Why did you serve it to me? You didn't expect that I would drink it." He pauses. I wait, knowing that this is not a question that he actually wants an answer to - my years of customer service have taught me to recognize that - and sure enough, he continues. "If I worked here, I would never serve something like that."
Ah yes, that line. I smile in what I hope will be seen as sympathy and respond: "Well then it is a shame that they aren't paying you to serve their beverages."
That, certainly, was not the answer he was expecting. I can read it in his face: was I being genuine? Was I mournful that the coffee shop isn't full of employees with such insight and dedication? Was I mocking him? He just can't decide. I shoot him another smile and move to the opposite end of the store where I busy myself cleaning out the toaster.
He sat there at the counter, glaring at me, for the better part of 20 minutes. I could feel the stare, but I didn't pay any heed. Truth be told, I pitied him. All this working in the service industry has made me feel very sad for the people whose lives are so small that they have nothing better to do than hold on to feelings of resentment against people such as me, who are just doing our jobs, although occasionally somewhat imperfectly.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Christmas Pranks
This is sheer brilliance, and, if I had that kind of money to throw around, something I would totally do.
Would you drive someone insane with postcards?
Would you drive someone insane with postcards?
Monday, December 17, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Break Time at Last
I'm done exams! Nine of them in total, and I'm done. Phew. I'm officially on to term 3, half way done! It's hard to believe that in only 9 months I'll be a qualified massage therapist. Scary! The best way to celebrate being done exams? Getting a kicky new haircut using your birthday present from your awesome boyfriend! Greg got me a gift card to see the hair stylist that I adore, and here's what she and I decided to do:
I tried to get a good side profile, but it just wasn't happening. It's shorter in the back than the front, giving me, according to the stylist, a "fashion forward" look. She said I looked like Keira Knightly. Is it any wonder I love this woman? She's fantastic with curly hair and compares me positively to celebrities. Ha. It's also kind of funny going to the spa because while she's cutting my hair there's literally a stream of other stylists walking past going "oooh, look at the CURLS", "that looks so awesome!", "what a fantastic colour - natural?" and asking to touch my hair. I said to my stylist, "you pay them to do that, don't you?"
Anyways. New hair cut. Done exams. Now I work full time for 6 days straight and then I head to holiday mode! It's almost Christmas!
I tried to get a good side profile, but it just wasn't happening. It's shorter in the back than the front, giving me, according to the stylist, a "fashion forward" look. She said I looked like Keira Knightly. Is it any wonder I love this woman? She's fantastic with curly hair and compares me positively to celebrities. Ha. It's also kind of funny going to the spa because while she's cutting my hair there's literally a stream of other stylists walking past going "oooh, look at the CURLS", "that looks so awesome!", "what a fantastic colour - natural?" and asking to touch my hair. I said to my stylist, "you pay them to do that, don't you?"
Anyways. New hair cut. Done exams. Now I work full time for 6 days straight and then I head to holiday mode! It's almost Christmas!
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