What a Shimmering Shift!

Just as I said about the law of averages the other day is still true in my profession. Yesterday was a downer and today lifted me back up.

I got to work ten minutes late because I had to go by one of our sister stores to get some product for our store (another favor the MANAGERS owe me...they're stackin' up.)

First off the key to the coke machine was missing and we couldn't turn it on. I don't know which dummy took it out last night, but we always just leave it in...kinda like how I leave the key in my riding mower. After finally locating the key we had a problem with the machine itself (some idiot probably screwed it up last night and thought if they hid the key no one would ever know they had goofed up the fountain.) It only took my manager having to perch on the counter of the beverage station ( he ain't real tiny) and after a frustrating few minutes we were back in business. Nice start, huh?

Lunch started out alright but quickly died. We started with six servers and were down to just three before 1:00. By 2:00 we were down to two servers and before 3:00 it was down to ME!

I had a table seated with a family of five...the parents, a young girl and the girl's aunt and uncle or maybe even grandparents (I am terrible with ages as mine is flying at warp speed down the path of my life.)

They were nice but a touch kooky. After I finally got the order and took the salads to the table, I went back to clear the empty bowls. I asked the first man how his salad was and he remarked "It was just brilliant!" I said 'Alrighty then', and removed his bowl. When I went into the server alley I asked a co worker what he could have possibly meant by that statement. Did he mean it was too glaringly bright to look at or did it just look smart sitting in it's little bowl?

The lunch went out and when I went to pre bus the table the dad was through with his plate. I asked if I could take his dish for him and he came back with "Yes you can, I'm GOLDEN."

Back to the server alley to check with my co workers again...what the heck did "Andy Adjective" mean with THAT one?

I told my manager that when they left I may tell them to have a "Shining Afternoon."

It was all on one check and "Andy" said he would take it. The tab was a little over $70.00 and when I went back to pick it up he said there was no change needed it was all for me. He had left $100.00, almost a $30.00 tip for me. I went back to the table and said in earnest "Thanks for the SHINING tip!" He didn't miss a beat and told me it was "His pleasure." My co worker said that as soon as I walked off he probably said "That's a GOOD one...let me write that down."

After they left, "Curving" out the door of the restaurant, one of my regulars who eats with us almost every day of the week asked me if I knew who they were. I told her I didn't and she told me that they owned a restaurant in the neighboring city called "Broadway."

Maybe he was just using some Broadway terms..."BRILLIANT...GOLDEN." Whatever it was, it made my shift and put some groceries on my "Aromatic" dinner table in our house!

That's the funny thing about serving...you HAVE to treat every guest as if they are "The Golden Table." Sometimes it doesn't work out to your advantage, but sometimes it makes a "Bouncing" shift turn into a "Stupendous" affair!

Thank goodness my manager doesn't read my blog, because the ABOVE posted picture is not really his "Good" side...

Til Next time... COMPENSATED COTTON

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.

How Much Time Do you Have ??

Thank the Lord I am off tomorrow...today almost did me in at work.

I go in at 3PM and work until closing. I come in at the tail end of lunch when the whole restaurant is a wreck and the day shift is scrambling to get out of there. I can't much blame them. Sunday lunch (The attack of the Christians as I like to call it) can be crazy to say the least.

It started out well enough and quickly turned into "Restaurant Riot". The kitchen kept up for a while, but buckled under the pressure of so many orders being sent back at once.

They finally recovered, only for me to fall into the quicksand of customer stupidity. I had a table of eight. When it came time to split up the tab..this is what I heard:

"He'll pay for the two strawberry lemonades and the dessert. Put THESE two dinners on one check and she... (pointing at another) will get the appetizer. Split my parents meals between us three and he and I will split half of her meal and you can take off the sweet tea because it wasn't sweet enough".
It was almost like they were speaking a foreign language or just filming me with a hidden camera for a TV show.

After several attempts I split the check correctly and reaped the reward of another ten percent tip.

JUST MOVE ON!

My last table came in ten minutes before closing. They were nice enough...slow to order (the cooks LOVE THAT ten minutes before closing). The food came out and I asked if everything was alright (stupid question at closing).

The only guy at the table remarked that his ribeye was fatty. Let me insert here that a ribeye is the steak with the most fat of all...marbling all throughout the steak, just like a tiny pot roast. He said there just wasn't enough char seasoning on it and it was under cooked. Back to the kitchen I went to have it cooked up for him (to the hiss and boos from the cook).

When I took it back, he said it was cooked fine and continued to chow down. On my next round by the table, he lamented that it just didn't have ENOUGH seasoning on it. I told him I could bring him a small ramekin of char seasoning for him to dip every bite into. He shook his head and told me it just wasn't the same as having it "Cooked" in it.

Then I guess an alien took over my body because I cannot believe I said (ten minutes after closing) "Would you like for us to cook you another steak"?

And what in the world do you think HIS reply was??

Back to the kitchen I went, apologizing like crazy, promising new sombreros to the Latinos and a cold diet coke for our diabetic cook if they could do me this one last favor (Por Favor).

They dutifully cooked another ribeye..adding enough seasoning to choke a horse and I walked it back to the table, waiting right by the table until he tasted it. Whadda ya know..."PERFECT" was the reply.

By this time every other server had left, the cleaning guy was there to do the floors and I was left to wait for this guy to finish his second steak. I chatted them all up , apologizing for "OUR" mistake and packing all the other's leftovers into to go boxes.

My manager came out and took the ribeye (both that he had eaten) off the check and I got to finally take them a bill.

Here's what I heard for the second time tonight...

"Put Mom's and hers on one bill and SHE will pay for those and these other three, minus the ribeye will go on another".

When I came back to the table, they had everything in one stack. "Just run both of these on my discover card, but run them separately".

I did just as instructed, bringing back more paperwork than it takes to close on a house.

As they puttered their way out of the restaurant an hour after closing, I thanked them all for coming in and once again apologized for the steak.

As I cleaned up their table I realized that one credit card slip was missing, since they had made me split it in two. I had one slip for $67.00 with a generous five dollar tip and the one for $70.00 was missing completely.

I went to the front door where thankfully they were still talking , and mentioned to the woman who had paid that I was missing one of the credit card receipts. Oh she dug and dug in her purse before she could find me a copy. On it was written another five dollar tip.

You know what? They thought they would get two steaks for free and take the copy of the other charge slip and leave me a five dollar tip for a $137.00 tab. Granted I only got ten dollars as a tip, but calling their bluff (if you could call it that) made me feel better..hey!! Ten is better than five, that is better than NOTHING.

I am a firm believer in KARMA.

What comes around goes around.

I'm no slouch as a server although I seem to be waiting on more and more slouches as customers as this economy struggles along.

At least I got my ten bucks out of them, and know that I did everything in my power to give them a positive experience in our store.

Stinkin Grifters!! As I said, Thank the Lord I am off tomorrow!

And Now a Short Commercial Message

I do my grocery shopping day by day...sometimes twice a day.

My favorite store by FAR is Publix. I LOVE ME SOME PUBLIX!!

I don't care if their prices aren't as low as others, they make up for it with their spotless store and wonderful customer service.

Every time I walk in the door it's "Hey Ms. Cotton". I bet three or four employees call me by name before I ever make it to the check out.

They always ask me how work is going...and on Mondays will say "Today is your day off, isn't it"? They know my kids and most even know my husband.

One time I left my checkbook in my grocery cart when I left. Before I had time to get home they had called my house to say they had it at the customer service desk.

I buy mostly Publix brand items...and have always been pleased. My favorite is the Monday "Mystery Item" for a penny!! Publix is a debt free company and there sure aren't many of THEM around anymore.

I think they like me not only because I am there every day, but always bag my own groceries and take them to the car myself. It drives me crazy to see a woman stand there talking on her cell or worse than that just stand there looking while the cashier rings up AND bags the groceries while the woman just waits seemingly impatient for this lowly cashier to finish "her" job.

Like the people that get in the "ten items or less" line with 30 items, and send their kids to get ONE more thing while we all wait patiently behind them and their 20 extra purchases.

My hat is off to the Publix food chain... my neighbor across the street is a general manager with Publix and when I worked for the school system we had a family in the after school program that had next to nothing and disabled children as well. I called my neighbor and he had Publix fix their entire Thanksgiving meal and I went and picked it up and delivered it to their house. He has always helped me out when I ask for help with a family that needed supplies or support.

In return I shop at their store...every day!

They treat me like family and give me the utmost in service ...and you know how I am about "customer service"!!

Just a little shout out to my friends at Publix...Good job folks!

My oldest son worked there during high school and I began shopping there as an effort to support his paycheck. They quickly won me over with smiles, great service and a pleasant environment. These are the things that make a business thrive and grow... being in customer service for over thirty years I think I can be a pretty good judge. They truly do make
"Shopping a Pleasure".