JOB TRAINING-GREEN APRON STYLE!

Steve teaches us pumps & shots in iced or hot beverages
by using the expresso machine as a 'cheat-sheet'

     The closest I ever got to entering any coffee-tasting experiences in my coffee passport was weeks and weeks later, when my shift supervisor, Katz, asked Kevin, a new hire, like myself, if we had entered anything in our small green journal.  We both responded “what are you talking about?”  And so it went.

     Katz was a wonderful shift supervisor.  Only 20 years old she was very kind and more mature than the 31 year old drill-sergeant, Noel.  Katz gave us brand-new passport journals (my original one was lost)….and told us to put our names on the front of and decorate in whatever way we wanted. She took time and taught Kevin how to create coffee from a French-press and then pair it with a particular pastry.  She asked us politely to describe the flavors and how they combine together to bring out the flavor of the coffee.  She explained how the French press demands a special type of grind for the coffee. 

      Katz told us stories on the evening shifts.  She was exceptionally warm, yet elected us to complete our work before she would allow us any conversation.  But when she was ready to share, she told us stores about past employees and how they came and left.

     She told us how Noel had it in for a past shift supervisor and kept pestering a district manager to fire her until the district manager finally did.  This woman, she told us, was three years with the company.  She was an excellent employee with stellar sales and sold pastries like there was no tomorrow.  She was great.  But she warned us, that once Noel had it out for you-- that was that.  I kept it in mind.

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     At the green apron, we are suppose to have on-the-job training accompanied with computer-based training all completed within a certain time frame from first being hired.  I did not know this until my own computer-based training was about a week over-due.  The surprised sergeant had to put me on the schedule just to have me to sit in the back room at a  desk to complete blocks of training from the  “My Learning” education portal.

     This would have worked if I could have logged on to the computer.  I asked Steve, the night shift supervisor for help, to which, he tried, and even called Noel, (who picked up her phone after dialing her incessantly)-- to remedy our training obstacle.
     It took Steve a great deal of time to help me,  because he was also the only Barista in the building.   So, there was long pauses where he would disappear to the front of the store.   I just got paid to play Song Pop and Candy Crush on my cell phone.
     However, upon his return to me, he informed me that Noel was angry and felt I should have remembered my password—to which I replied —I don’t have a password—to which Steve told me that Noel said—'you completed blocks one and two on the computer!'  And I said—no I didn’t –Noel had it open already and Lena, the pregnant supervisor, was ordered to sit next to me and give me the answers for learning blocks one and two.  Steve rolled his eyes.  He knew the truth.    

     A clearer explanation would be that Lena only helped me to fail the tests.  After several failed attempts at passing learning blocks one and two, I utilized the expert in the room, SIRI, on my IPhone, who searched the web to find all the correct answers.   Lena was quite comfortable finding the answers to these compelling coffee questions, through SIRI, because the answers she provided me only certified my failed attempts to pass--twice--and since the test never told you which ones were wrong--I asked my phone each and every question.
     All of the answers, by the way, can be found clearly on the web under coffee brewing information.   Throughout this ordeal I rolled my eyes (to myself) and, after it all,  graciously thanked Lena for helping me.  Lena replied by rolling her eyes at me and the complete waste of time spent on my education.  She searched the pockets of her green apron for her sharpie marker and walked away.  

     "And that is how I passed blocks one and two"  I said to Steve.
     He put me in touch with headquarters to set up passwords and pass-codes to portals and ...
another paid hour later, I was done.

     On Friday we got paid.  I couldn’t have been more excited.  It was my first paycheck and I made a whole $250.00!!  Each Monday we get our tips from the prior week.  My first week there I netted $63.00.  I tucked the wad of singles in to my apron pocket and set about amassing my fortune.

We were taught to learn to identify management
as you would a criminal.