So context, I've worked in minimum wage jobs for about a decade, the majority of it in the food industry. I was a waitress, a bartender, a line cook, and a shift supervisor. Not anymore though, I went to trade school and later college.
I honestly loved working in the food industry. I like to cook at home, I'm very efficient, fast, and personable (when I'm in a good mood at least, lol), and some of the best people I've ever met worked in that industry, I've actually met my husband through working together at a restaurant. But the pay was always abysmal, the benefits non-existent, conditions of a war zone, and we were essentially expected to be on call 24/7.
I moved on from the industry a long time ago, but what I gained most from it is a knack to sniff out bad management.
I recently graduated a 3 year program from college and decided to bring donuts for our final class, just to mark the occasion. So i went to one of the biggest Tim Hortons in my area to buy up 2 dozen donuts. We went to the biggest store because we assumed they'd be better staffed and have more stock. But once we got there we quickly realized that was not the case.
While we were waiting for our order to be prepared the most typical looking Karen walks in. You know the type, middle aged white woman with the stereotypical haircut and attitude. She immediately walked behind the counter and started drilling the staff as to why the drive through wasn't in operation. Well apparently HALF THE STAFF WALKED OUT. That answer didn't satisfy the Karen much, she kept questioning the staff why this, that, and the other wasn't prepped. Why they were missing certain produce etc. And after she got her answers, which mostly boiled down to a lot of people walked out, she just scoffed AND LEFT!
WTF.
What do these types expect? Aren't they also paid staff? Even if she was the owner, wouldn't that mean she stands to lose more? Why didn't she stay to help her staff??
It's just so infuriating. Most Tim Hortons in my city constantly have signs up wanting to hire, saying they're understaffed, but then when a manager/supervisor/owner is present all they can do is scoff and walk off?
I dunno, I was just livid at that woman. During my time in the industry I actually got a manager like that fired. A manager who wouldn't do any prep and the moment lunch peak hit would vanish into thin air to take his lunch. It's just so maddening.
There are so many jobs out there where the work itself could be fun, and even interesting, but the industry's culture just turns them into a sisyphean toil. Where the work never ends because you never have enough hands, and the management is above getting theirs dirty. I'm not even mentioning how much these work places ask for the shitty pay they offer.
I dunno, this post is mostly my laments about an industry I love and hate so much. Good on that manager's staff for walking out!