SHE'S SO RAVEN

.......AND HAPPY EASTER.....!

     Back at my store, I worked with a lovely young lady named Raven.  Raven had a beautiful and unique voice, which I told her was meant for radio.  I told her this on several occasions.  I urged her to quit, literally, all plans she had made for her future and go into radio.  

     She explained to me she was in an internship with a church to become a youth pastor.  I thought it was a big waste of time because she could make more money in radio, but I didn’t tell her that.   

     Raven sent out mixed signals, as it were.  She had been striving to spread the Good News, and in fact, had planned a week off in June to go to some third world country on a mission trip.  But here, back at home, she knew how to make tips.  She had a beautiful, contagious smile, high-octive -yet throaty- voice and full cleavage.  At the green apron, we were required to wear collared tops. Black or white—but still collared.  Raven’s top was no a polo.  It was a semi-sheer, light polyester (or perhaps-rayon-) with a collar,  and ruffles down the front where she unbuttoned it enough to give the consumer a peek into Ravenland.  She made tips like no other.  At one point, I personally thanked her for it, and encouraged my 'partners' to do the same.  

    Tip distribution day was very nice.   After collecting my envelope of singles--I turned to the Shift Manager, Steve, (who, for some reason--ALSO gets tips,) and said- "trust me—its not YOU they are tipping." while motioning toward Raven at the register.  The pregnant Shift Manager, Lena,  told me flat-out-feel to, 'free to show that cleavage.  All of us get rewarded.'

     I, myself, wished I could push my 'ample' self, but I feared no one wanted to see the cleavage of a...more 'mature' woman.  So, I was quite charming, and.... smiled a lot to get my tips. An older gentleman tipped me three dollars and winked.  I knew I still had it.  Especially with the mature audience.  

     I had the pleasure of working with Raven on Easter, who kept getting texts from people asking her where she was.  Finally, I asked her if anything was wrong.  In her beautiful voice, she replied, "No, nothing's wrong, it's just that Noel scheduled me for today even though I told her I had duties at my church as a Youth Pastor."  My heart stopped.  Noel, who hated her life and every one in it-could have worked ANY ONE OF US on Easter--but instead, purposefully chose Raven, who was completing an internship as Youth Minister, to work, making coffee, while she, herself, sat at home.
     That, Noel, she's a gem.

Oops!!!!!   Soap suds compliments of Steve,  the Shift Supervisor...
"We got busy--and I forgot!!"

   

RELAX, YOUR AT CATTLEMAN ROAD....

   

Relax! It's just coffee.....

     Sometimes at work, I would find myself singing the Hee-Haw TV-show theme song.  Perhaps this was just a version that I made up in my mind.  I really don’t know that I can recall that song, but my song had the words...   he-he-he-haw-haw-haw ….yacko-yacko.

    I hummed it in my head when things didn’t make sense to me.   Which was a lot.  
For instance, it didn't make sense that the corporation pretended to be eco-friendly when they threw away plastic containers like crazy (when your in a hurry-no one cares about recycling...) and the sheer fact that they DIDN'T use 5-gallon milk dispensers baffled me.  You could save a TON of money and NOT use so many plastic containers by installing wall-mounted milk dispensers. They were easy to load and the speed of service increased profoundly! So I'm guessing Corporate cared more about increasing the length of service as opposed to the speed.
     Plastic gallon -size milk jugs were left out all over every counter space there was space on.  On top of the ice bin...where ever. It was a necessity.  Whole milk, skim milk, soy, 2% milk, half-and -half...any and all dairy.  And, the deliveries were just as illogical. Often, we ran out of milk and had to walk over to the Walgreen's next door.  When we ran out of soy we substituted a vanilla soy.
One time, the Barista on duty, who was Noel, thought it much wiser to NOT inform the customer of the change. The customer took one sip and asked what kind of soy was used. She raised the box and said..."yeah, we ran out of our regular soy..." The customer asked for her money back. A waste of time and product which lead to a disappointing and disrespectful experience.
     At my Dairy Queen I trained my employees to avoid situations like that at all costs. Loyalty  and respect builds business.  The Green Apron felt that people would return because...well....it's The Green Apron!!!!  It's like wearing a piece of jewelry...a beverage accessory.  McDonald's recognized this--"drinkcessorize"--a completely successful ad campaign.
     The Corporate's  complete lack of respect for recycling, and lack of respect for finding a better way to dispense dairy upset me greatly.  Did you know that this coffee giant is the #1 user of Dairy in America? And, this is what they give back to us?  Ungodly amounts of plastic in our landfill.  I was also disgusted at their inability to implement an oil/plant based green ware plastic cup for their cold beverages.  Their stores received deliveries twice a week on a refrigerated truck.  They could easily implement this.  This would also cut down on landfill--as green ware is compostable.  Hey Corporate, do me a favor---put it ALL IN PAPER--AT LEAST EVENTUALLY IT DECOMPOSES.
     Once, a lady came up to the register after receiving her cold beverage--and asked if this plastic was BPA-free. I told her that I didn't know.  And, thought to myself....I'm sure its got BPA, because it doesn't say BPA-FREE....

* * * * * * * * * *

    I was farmed out to the Cattleman Road location today.  I arrived an entire 20 minutes early to cope with my anxieties.  I was also hoping to drink a tall vanilla latte, which did not happen.

    Little did I know, the Cattleman Road location was only 7 months old.  It was new!  It was a new and pretty store.  With a spacious lobby, clean kitchen ware.  A sink set up that made sense and a storage area with lots of shelves!  It had both a men's and women’s restroom, too.  The women’s one was nice and clean and bright!  I was also told that it was a sustainable store...completely eco friendly!

    I was at once happy.  The manager was nice and everyone was accommodating.  There was mostly guys working there.   Everyone there wearing a headset, whether they were working the drive-thru or not,   It was a fun and friendly atmosphere.  A woman named Caroline came in in the early afternoon.  She was only slightly younger than me and immediately felt I should be wearing a headset and learning bar.  This made me even more happy because I was not learning bar at my own store.  So when it came to customer questions about the millions of drink ingredients for the customers that were so incredibly full of themselves –I was ignorant.  And was treated so by many. 

    It is shameful, that some people kept a sense of entitlement when it came to putting other people down.  They actually felt good when they talked down to me.  I could tell by the smirk on their curled lips. These people were mostly rich women.  But there were rich men who would want me to load $110.00 on their Gold Card that had the same attitude.  I would think to myself....THIS is how you show your status in the world? A Starbucks Gold Card?
     If not for my years of therapy in dealing with my self-esteem issues,  I would have crumbled.  However, at my register, with Sharpie marker in hand, and my ATHENA INTERNATIONAL award displayed prominently on the shelf in the back of my mind, I remained undaunted.

     I soon discovered that the headsets were a way for employees to communicate with each other in mocking the customers.  I also discovered that learning the bar was an insane process that would take me years to comprehend.   Yet, lastly, at this store, I soon realized that I could not find reasons to sing the heehaw song.  I smiled.
     For so long now, my mind was geared to work with that song in my head due to the  illogical chaos at my 'home store' —it was trying—I actually felt my brain trying-- to play the hee-haw song, and it couldn’t.  I was overjoyed.  So, like a child who had discovered that their friend's house was 10x more fun than their own home--At the end of my first full shift of working, I turned to the manager of the Cattleman Road location and asked if I would stay there.  She said politely--its not up to me, it was up to the woman who hired me.  I hung my head and left.

JERRY SPRINGER!!!!!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Springer ordered Lattes.....

     Today was exciting.. I waited on Jerry Springer!  I was in a ‘groove’, you might say, while working at the register I was planted at--taking orders over and over and over.  With a paper cup in my hand, I would dutifully mark codes with my purple sharpie marker, when I asked the customer that I hadn't even looked at, ....“name on the cup?”

     And the voice replied…”ummmmm….....Jerry Springer?”

     Immediately, the cynical me thought, sure smart ass, because James Bond was in here yesterday”. 

I am not kidding.  A man had just come in the day before and gave the name James Bond.

    However,  I looked up, and in the fraction of a second it took my mind to process—‘well, he LOOKS like Jerry Springer…” another fraction of a second of my cynical self asked the question-----‘if you were a Jerry Springer look-alike, would you  go around saying you were Jerry, if you were really not?’  I decided.. not.

     Maybe if you were Cher, but not Jerry Springer.
     You would not want to tell anyone that, if it were not true.

    Upon looking up from the cup, and taking his wife’s order, I smiled and gave him the total, to which he made me watch him drop a whole dollar in to the tip cup, then he handed me membership gold card to pay.  I thanked him most graciously and moved on. 
     He sat in our tiny lobby with his wife, the both of them, sipping lattes.  No one bothered him.  This did not surprise me.

     Later, I recounted the event to my co-worker to Christina, who said to me,

“He tipped one dollar?  I have had homeless men tip me more than that!”  I nodded in agreement.

     News of this even spread like wildfire in my tiny store.  I was excited to have been a part of it.  By the end of my shift everyone knew.  My store Manager, Noel, related how a famous soap-opera star lived nearby and was a regular customer.  "Her daughters are absolutely beautiful, and they come in here, too!"  She commented, adding to the excitement.  I had no idea who they were speaking of.
     My soap opera days were limited to early college, and, due to my sister's viewing habits-- strictly General Hospital.  It was the fabulous Luke and Laura era.
     But today,.....today......I waited on a celebrity……Ah, Yes.

THE NIGHT SHIFT

on the desk...at the ready....

     Most days I was told to stay planted at the register.  To which, I wouldn’t have minded so much, but then I would notice we would need coffee made, or there were coffee grounds on the counter-top that needed to be swept up or the pastry case was in need of “love” and I would stray off of my register planting –and then get yelled at for not greeting a customer as they walked in the door,.  This was done by shouting to the customer as they walked in so as to somehow criticize my sense of obligation for continued progress in display and sanitation, and not looking over my shoulder often enough.

     When I worked evenings, or I was the second helper at closing, I washed dishes.  I washed a lot of dishes.  They started washing dishes at 6pm and didn’t stop until 10.  They washed every part on the espresso machines, syrup bar, cold bar, blenders, add-in containers, ice bin covers, ice scoops, coffee urns, whip creams, creamer carafes, then after washing we ran them through a sterilizer.  But while we were doing all of this—we were still expected to sweep and mop the back area,  sweep the lobby, and mop it, same for the bathroom, same for behind the bar, same for the floor mats.  And we were expected to do this while one person worked as a barista and one person took orders.  Wait! I forgot to add that a 120- box order was typically delivered—and that had to be put away by the shift supervisor, as well.  After a few times at this routine—I knew exactly why Katz smoked.  I was ready to start taking cigarette breaks with her.

     During my marathon dish wash routine,  I found myself singing “Moody River” by Pat Boone.
     A lot. 
     For those of you unfamiliar with the song, It is about his girlfriend committing suicide.  Its funny how the Rolodex of the mind will file through so many  mounds of information and come up with a coping mechanism in the form of applicable lyrics.  I forced myself to believe it came to mind over and over, every day that I would work, because it had a nice melody. 
     It was just a nice melody, right?