Another Day Another Dollar

Rough day at work. I went home early from work last night, another server ticked me off right off the bat and it was slow so they let me go home. I worked less than an hour and made $45.00 so I felt good about leaving.

Just felt bad when I got home, feverish and achy. Went to bed at ten last night and slept til 2:30 this afternoon. I wore sweats to bed and sweat all night long hoping to get the fever out of my tired , now 95 pound body.

I am not sure how much better I felt when I went into work, but it wasn't buoyant by any means.

The management is under trememdous pressure from our new owners and run our shifts with the most minimal staff they can. That means that the food takes longer, the cooks get disgruntled and the entire operation gets thrown into chaos. At least the big wigs are happy, their payroll has gone down...but so has the moral of the whole store. The cooks take petty swipes at us servers, we in return dog them about every wrong order and pretty much we stay at each other's throat the entire shift.

I have been at this company for over ten years. Since our buy out from a larger corporation..the moral and attitude has been in a steady decline. I would leave...in fact some days I "WANT" to, but with the current situation I find myself in I "NEED" this job and just have to make the best of it.

It used to be such a fun place to work and a place that I loved to walk into.

My husband is considering taking a civillian logistics job in Afhghanistan...that will really help my stress level! I would almost rather him be in Iraq.

On top of all of this I am supposed to be focused on our customers having a "Great" experience in our store...when a lot of them just come in to gripe or get something for free.

Granted most of my customers are really good people. But the ones that come in talking on their cell phone shooing me away from the table while they talk, only to complain to management that I wasn't there when they needed me..get on my nerves these days..when it used to rarely bother me.

I realize that the turmoil of my own life has an impact... but if they want to know "REAL" problems I could fill them up a book. "My salad just had too much dressing". "I asked for butter on the side".

I feel like responding sometimes "I am SOOO sorry your salad had too much dressing, did I mention that my husband who is currently unemployed is considering moving to Afghanistan to support our family"? Now let me go and get you another salad, because you know what? They probably don't even HAVE salads in Afghanistan...and I want you to have EVERY stinking thing right before you can even THINK of enjoying your meal with us and I should probably be fired for bringing you a salad with too much dressing on it. I am so sorry that I am such an idiot to treat you in this horrible way and if you could just complain to my manager, that would really set things right... AND you could get a discount on your dinner."

Come on people...look at the big picture of life. Is a salad the end all be all?

My job is so much harder these days because as an almost fifty year old woman...I see clearly what really matters in life...and a small dinner salad is NOT IT!

Thank the Lord I have this vent or I would have already been fired. Often I have to step back and take a deep breath, and repeat my mantra "My family, My family, My family".

I am truly grateful for my job..but EASE up folks...we are all hurting. You never know what the other person's story is ...so let's just treat every one as an equal...or at least with some respect and dignity.