A friend got me this job, we used to smoke on break at work and chill together. He was a chill guy, and hired me. I was grateful. But there's so much that I learned about working there, that I just silently grabbed my things and clocked out.
To start, this was a hostess job. Ive worked as a hostess before so I understand what needs done (cleaning tables, seating and helping the servers out) and I tried my best to be the best I could be. I started cleaning tables my first day, and was told by another coworker not to do that. Zero training. I was thrown on shift and told to just seat. Here's why that's a problem: servers will hate you and berate you to death. You will have such a bad time doing it, its best to communicate with your servers and see if they have food that isn't out yet or can handle more than a few tables being sat at a time. They didn't care, I was just told to seat them even if they're behind. My job description turned into: be the reason why they fail. So I just considered that a rule that I won't follow.
One server told me she didn't trust me to clean tables because I was new, but I had only wiped it down when she needed help. I respected it, but the manager on shift, call her A. She told me that they had issues in the past about new people stealing tips, and when it tried to explain that I wouldn't even do that based on principle because it's wrong to, I was told that it didn't matter, seat people at tables not fully clean. I wouldn't do that either, because it's demeaning and gross to do that.
More and more days go by, I'm working 4-5 hours a shift, minimal breaks but I'm not complaining so much. I was working 7 hours with no breaks because “we're busy” and I was hungry and used my last 5 dollars to buy some bread and split it with my coworker just because it was like 2 ounces of it. Someone took it from me when I was busy working and gave it to a customer and wouldn't tell me what she did with it until everyone was crowding me, and I just said “Don't take my stuff, if its next to our things, please don't take it. If it was for you I wouldn't have cared, I just haven't eaten all day.” The manager turned it around on me, told me I was wrong for telling her not to take food that's half eaten and giving it off to a customer, whatever. She hands me a replacement but tells me “if you're that broke here, take it.” I never felt so disrespected in my life after that, so I left it at the break table for anyone who wanted it.
Come in days later, that same manager told my buddy that I had caused an argument. Me and that girl had already apologized to each other, she understood I was overworked and hungry that day, and it was an accident. I didn't hold it against her, it was whatever. He was telling me if it would have happened again he would have had to send me home. I said we're cool now, but it was over petty food, that I spent my last dollar on. I didn't have food at home and admitted that to him, but didn't want to tell that manager my business because she was already very rude to me since I started working there (A).
Every morning after, I say what's up to my buddy, he doesn't say a word back other than “clean the bathrooms please and thank you” snakily. Dude had changed and let the management title go to his head, or he was busy. I always do what he says even if its that rude. Today, the same thing happened. They were tripping over me not cleaning the bathrooms yesterday but I wasn't told to do so, and they were berating me even more. Then they had me a walkie talkie, for a hostessing job. The idea behind this was to wear this ear piece in your ear, and talk to the other hostesses about cleaning tables or whatever. Heres the thing, I have bad hearing over being robbed and beat up almost ten years ago, so I lost most of my hearing on the only ear it could fit on (my right ear for a right ear piece) and I tried to explain this would do no good because I lost 60% of my hearing from it, and if it gets too loud it hurts. (edit: I didn't go into detail, that would have been weird, but just left it at I'm hard of hearing)
The minor I was working with (he's like 17) rolled his eyes when I said this. I was trying to get help to fix the headpiece and he put it full volume without me knowing. Dude walks over to me and stares at me, and screams in it. About 20 customers were watching when I jerked it out and obviously caught off guard. It felt like I got stabbed in the head when it happened and dude comes over and laughs and so does other customers. It was embarrassing enough, it made my ear go deaf for like 30 minutes afterwards. I couldn't get a handle on myself since it had happened, and someone was behind me, dude goes “BEHIND YOU, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION” and I straight up took everything off, said “can't do this anymore bro.” The customers watched it all go down and pretty much saw I was done. he yells “YOU QUIT??” and I silently say “mhm”. I went to the back, got my name tag, apron and everything together, walked by and left it on the side of the office. I got my purse on my shoulder, dude comes up and says “are you serious I can't do this by myself” and starts fumbling over the list in his hand as I'm clocking out, and shoves it in my face, and says “how do you say this name?” and I said that I no longer worked here, he shouldn't have been rude to me and practically everyone is tripping here.
I didn't even tell my buddy, and I just walked out. I know that I upset these church people for not seating them but I wouldn't sacrifice my dignity just for $11 an hour.
for the love of god, two weeks was enough. I'm glad it was on a Sunday too.