I'm so curious to know what you all think of this and if anyone else has had a similar experience.
I interviewed for a small, local cafe once. The interview was with the owner, Everything went great and they asked me if I could come in one day the following week to do basically a “practice shift” for a couple hours. They said they do that to make sure people get a good idea of the job and to see if they mix well with the store's environment, other staff, customers, etc… basically to feel out if the job is right for the potential employee. I agreed and got the day set up.
When I arrived, the staff didn't seem to know why I was there, like they weren't informed of my “practice” shift. The employee I shadowed was kind enough to let me shadow them while being unprepared to do so. The owners never did arrive and I was expecting them to be there. It was super awkward, it's small in the working area so I was really just trying to stay out of everyone's way the whole time. I eventually folded some napkins and someone asked me if I wanted to run food. I should've probably said no since I really wasn't there to work, but I agreed if it'd make the time go faster. So, I took some tables their food, and of course customers assumed I worked there and would start asking me for stuff. I had to relay whatever they said to the actual employees. It was an odd 2 hours.
I finally told them it was time for me to head out, I thanked them and awkwardly left. I messaged the owner and never heard anything back for about a week. Luckily I found and took on another position during that time. My question though is… should I have gotten paid for those 2 hours? My brother had a similar experience at a different business and they handed him cash before he left, basically as a tip for his time (he wound up working there)… I felt sort of cheated lol. It was a total waste of time.