Hey! I'm Cornelius and I'm 14. Which means I'm legally allowed to get a job a McDonalds (I'm not excited) So I just wanted to hear any stories from those of you whom are more experienced or maybe even people like me who are kinda anxious about a job.
Working in Retail/fast food stories
- Thread starter motheaten
- Start date
I was nervous about my job as a clerk in a bakery department when I was first hired a year ago. Sure, you don't get as much customer interaction as like a cashier or customer service, but I still heard the stories of customers being complete *****. I was more sensitive back then but working with annoying customers almost on a daily basis has tougher me emotionally and has both shortened and made my patience longer. Depends on the situation really.
Lemme just say, people WILL be rude to you. It's gonna happen. I got reported by a mad customer within my first week of work. I technically wasn't doin anythin wrong, I was overwhelmed and the situation was weird the woman was given. Just remember to smile, say have a nice day, then later you can complain to your fellow coworkers. That is, when other customers can't hear you. I also got crap about my acne from other customers, but over time it seemed to stop. I think it's because I'm now a regular worker there so they just don't bother telling me anymore.
It's gonna be hectic and alot to take in/remember working in the food industry. You gotta be fast, learn and remember it, and keep up the pace for hours on end. Afterwards you can crash and burn at home. Just remember to breathe, keep a level head, try to not get overwhelmed and 'kill them with kindness and bury them with smiles'.
As for stories, I don't have any particular ones, just many instances of customers being rude.
Lemme just say, people WILL be rude to you. It's gonna happen. I got reported by a mad customer within my first week of work. I technically wasn't doin anythin wrong, I was overwhelmed and the situation was weird the woman was given. Just remember to smile, say have a nice day, then later you can complain to your fellow coworkers. That is, when other customers can't hear you. I also got crap about my acne from other customers, but over time it seemed to stop. I think it's because I'm now a regular worker there so they just don't bother telling me anymore.
It's gonna be hectic and alot to take in/remember working in the food industry. You gotta be fast, learn and remember it, and keep up the pace for hours on end. Afterwards you can crash and burn at home. Just remember to breathe, keep a level head, try to not get overwhelmed and 'kill them with kindness and bury them with smiles'.
As for stories, I don't have any particular ones, just many instances of customers being rude.
duckykate
your heart is a museum of everyone you've loved
i just quit at mcdonalds, it was a terrible job. the managers will constantly berate you for the smallest mistakes. my boss constantly yelled at me, calling me lazy, stupid, and more. our restaurant in general was just really terrible. it was dirty and slow and the managers where always rude to customers. the kitchen workers are extremely slow, if we had a car order more than like 2 things we'd have to park them and i'd have to bring the food out to them 20 minutes later and get screamed at for something that's not my fault. it was my first job and i tried so hard to stay but i just couldn't handle it. and if you think i'm exaggerating, i'll include some yelp reviews people have left for us
Last edited:
HistoryH22
Senior Member
Retail is all about patience. You are going to meet some great customers who make your day better, but you're also likely going to meet some outright horrible human beings. My suggestion is to take your shift an hour at a time. Embrace the positive customers and good regulars, but also don't let the crap ones get to you. Your job may not be great, but work experience is work experience.
Lady Timpani
sway
Gonna echo what others have said here. I've been short with customers who have been rude to me after my day's been bad (and lately my days are really bad because we're incredibly understaffed lmao), and almost immediately regretted it. I'm sure my response probably validated their previous bad behavior in their minds, too, so that doesn't help. So don't let them get you down; be as polite as possible, even when they don't deserve it, and go to the freezer to scream later. In jobs like this you will see a very quick turnover, and in my experience there will be a couple weeks during that turnover that you'll be understaffed, and it'll be really hard. Try to power through it. Also remember that you're only 14, and try not to take too seriously any bad times you have there.
Haha, I wasn't gonna sugar coat it, people always seem to have a stick up their-
Like just yesterday I was at work and some dude had a lotto ticket. He was filling it out on the muffin table as I was filling the display. Even thou we were on opposite ends of the table I still heard him say 'jesus' then went to a different table. Then I started filling the table that he was on, again, he wasn't near me, which he got mad and left for a moment to do somethin, idk. Like dude, there is a Frickin table by customer service where you BOUGHT the ticket, dumb***. Later he comes to the counter asking me to break a loaf of bread. I point out the already broken pack of the same excact bread, but he says 'I'm not gonna argue with you' rudely, despite the fact I was nice. So I broke the package and went about my day. People don't get the fact to not be rude to others who did no wrong to you.
But, it's not all bad. I've gotten my fair share of compliments from customers, which genuinely make me smile. One guy said he wants to see my picture up there (pointing at the board with the managers pics on it) because of how hard I work. Customers say I'm also always nice and fast, serving them with a smile. Even a customer wanted me to transfer to the store she normally shops at, said this in front of my manager and hugged me. Yeah its tough, more tough than good, but a job is a job.
It's funny that you made this thread, because I was just thinking that I needed a place to complain about the people who leave perishable items out in the open.
I haven't dealt with any outrageously rude people yet, but I'm sure that'll start happening very soon.
I haven't dealt with any outrageously rude people yet, but I'm sure that'll start happening very soon.
just gotta go into retail knowing everything must be taken with a grain of salt.
regardless of what type of retail you work, there will ALWAYS be people who think it's your fault they're inconvenienced or having a bad day. but like a lot of others have stated before as well, there are also a lot of really good people in this world who will remind you that you're doing a good job, that its not your fault, and that you just need to smile and breathe. its a yin and yang.
first jobs are always scary and stressful, but i think you will be fine.
do your research on the locations you'd like to apply to before you accept or put in an offer. that's a BIG one. too many times in my life i jumped at the first job chance i had because i needed to pay rent or bills and i've regretted it greatly. be patient, and know that no matter how many rude or ****ty people there are in this world, all you gotta do is breathe and go at your own pace.
regardless of what type of retail you work, there will ALWAYS be people who think it's your fault they're inconvenienced or having a bad day. but like a lot of others have stated before as well, there are also a lot of really good people in this world who will remind you that you're doing a good job, that its not your fault, and that you just need to smile and breathe. its a yin and yang.
first jobs are always scary and stressful, but i think you will be fine.
do your research on the locations you'd like to apply to before you accept or put in an offer. that's a BIG one. too many times in my life i jumped at the first job chance i had because i needed to pay rent or bills and i've regretted it greatly. be patient, and know that no matter how many rude or ****ty people there are in this world, all you gotta do is breathe and go at your own pace.
Oldcatlady
A young cat lady
I think I was really lucky to have some decent managers when I worked in fast food for my first job. Sure they were scary and intimidating, but they were nice compared to horror stories I heard from others. They tried to chat with us and gave us some free ice cream sometimes. I also had mostly great coworkers and supervisors.
It really can be a stressful job though especially during dinner rush. I think it’s better if you go to a not as busy store compared to bigger ones like McDonald’s that are popular and busy all the time. I was at a smaller fast food restaurant and there were times when it wasn’t busy at all and just chilled around for a few hours
It really can be a stressful job though especially during dinner rush. I think it’s better if you go to a not as busy store compared to bigger ones like McDonald’s that are popular and busy all the time. I was at a smaller fast food restaurant and there were times when it wasn’t busy at all and just chilled around for a few hours
Last edited:
Similar threads
