Technically not my first job but my first job that I ever worked that I didnt break down crying in after the second day. Trying real hard to enter the workforce cuz my dad died of Covid this year and although I’m super upset over it still gotta take care of my family and make sure they don’t gotta take care of me. I worked at this bakery Lascallas for a week and it was super enjoyable, but the owner was a weird dude. Most of the people there were minors who were straight scared of him. And he would go home to watch us through the cameras and call us everytime he had an issue or wanted to tell someone what to do (he gave us a lot of calls). My first day I spotted an issue with the way he scheduled me, when I walked into the place and asked for a job I gave them my school schedule, but the guy conveniently rewrote my schedule in a way that fit his ideal schedule on an identical piece of paper and then listed me for a time I couldnt work (I took a photo of both). I called him early the next day, he didnt pick up so I left a voicemail that I was gonna be a little late cuz he scheduled me to work at two even tho I get out of class at that time, then he spammed me with calls while I was in the shower and I finally picked up and the conversation went something like:
“Whats wrong?”
“Ok about the schedule, did you get my voicemail?”
“No voicemail, what's the problem?”
“Oh ok, I noticed you put my schedule the wrong way when you were rewriting it, cuz of that I’ll be there not at two but around two, yeah?”
“No, no. I see you at two today, yeah?”
“Ok, I’ll be there around two.”
“No, no around two. Two or nothing.”
“Ok, I’ll be there around two.”
“Stop saying around. No around. At two. Or nothing.”
“Ok, I’ll see you around two.”
My sisters and mom have taught me the ways of getting around a boss, that an interview is as much me interviewing them as it is them interviewing me. Trying to prepare me for the shitty American workforce, so when I went in around two and he was waiting for me I went in and after platitudes and questions I just said
“I’m here, should I get dressed or not? Cuz my sisters in the car and I gotta know now wether I can work here right now cuz I’ll be stranded if not”
“I would love for you to work here.” He said, genuinely (It was a surprise, but I think its because he’s a very italian man who wasn’t raised here, and me being raised by a family of 26 aunts and uncles who were also italian immigrants, I think he could respect that I could talk the talk as much as he could.)
After that we kinda came to a conclusion where I was gonna work that day and as for my schedule he said ‘we’ll see’.
I’ll be honest I did enjoy that job while it lasted, we could eat for free, it was thirteen an hour under the table plus tips, my coworkers were fun. Then on tuesday I called him cuz I knew tuesday was payday, and he said “your money is there, but the girl you replaced, she came back, so I’m gonna take you off the schedule for this week. I’ll call you if I need you.”
I was kinda in disbelief for a second cuz, again, he caught me as I was naked in the shower. “I wasnt aware I was replacing a girl? You never told me that. So what I was just holding her spot?”
“I have to explain nothing to you. Your money is there, pick it up, dont pick it up. Up to you.”
Well that was the last time I spoke to him. I’m pretty sure he both rewrote my schedule on purpose and lied about it, as well as fired me cuz he couldnt fuck up my schedule and lied about that too, cuz I asked one of the other girls when I went in for my money (cuz what the fuck was he smoking if he thought I wouldnt) and she said I didnt replace anybody.
In the end, pretty cool experience minus the weird terrible boss and the fact he made the other girls afraid of him. Workforce is definitely still terrifying tho if bosses can treat you like this and get away with it. Somethings gotta be done. Can’t wait for the guy to realize he needs someone bad and then complain that “no one ever works anymore.”