To Leave OR Not To Leave?

Hey there,

I have been working at my current job, Panera, for quite a while now. A lot of my coworkers have either quit, got fired, or promoted to other stores. As a result we have gained a handful of new team members. The vibe is just not the same though.

Going into a food establishment you expect everything to be clean right? Well take a step into the back of the house and that may just change your mind. Half the time it smells like vomit, horse poop, or mold. Yes you just read that right my friend! Makes me lose my appetite.

Often times people call off last minute and I end up getting called in or asked to stay later to make up for the absence. This does mean more hours for me, but one can only take so much extra before they get burnt out. I know that I should be thankful that I simply have a job that gives me hours, but I can't help it. I'm sorry guys but this is a semi rant blog.

I've had to clean up poop in the women's restroom, vomit in the men's restroom, dirty table legs, messes children leave behind, etc. I don't think I get paid enough to do most of the tasks I just listed. Since I work the closing shift I am usually told to go on my lunch break within an hour and a half to two hours after I clock in. Which on average leaves me six hours with no breaks or food. I get off between 10:45 and midnight on the nights that I close. This wasn't really a problem when I didn't have other things going on, but life is happening and I'm not about to let Panera get in the way of that. Other things, yes, Panera, no.

Now if ya haven't noticed all of this has been negative. There have to be some positive things right? That's where the or not to leave comes into play. I love to talk to the customers. I don't have the best memory, but I try my best to remember their names, orders, small things they share with me. There's this little boy that always gets his ciabatta bread toasted with butter. Let's just call him Boots. When I am on cash Boots will ask to wait for me to ring him and his mom or dad up. It's adorable because he refers to me as his friend and he gives me hugs! Today at work I got to eat my dinner with him and his dad. Boots told me all about the TV shows he watches and how he loves to play with swords, Thomas the trains, and his little brother. At the end of my break he gave me a hug and I even got to take a picture with him! The cutest part was he told me "Remember I live in (city name). So you can come visit me some time!"

Now later in my shift this older gentleman came in. Let's call him CR. He always tells me that life is too short and I should go out and do something crazy/bad/naughty lol CR will get a cup for hot coffee, his meal, a cinnamon roll, and a big empty drink cup for his iced coffee on the way out. Sometimes he will come in with his wife and her mother, but tonight it was just him. He was telling me how his mother-in-law was at a retirement party getting drunk!

See now those were the two main customers I saw today. Yesterday I saw Boots as well with his dad. I also got to see one of my other favorite customers. Lets just call her Mia. Two days ago her dad came in to pick up some food and told me Mia had been asking to come to Panera to visit me but was at her cousin's house. An hour later he showed up again but this time with Mia! He drove to the cousin's house, picked Mia up, and brought her to Panera just to see me! Then the next day (yesterday) Mia, her mom, dad, and grandma stopped by to visit me again. They had gone to the Grove to buy a doll for Mia. So she told me all about the doll and the party she gets to go to. Every time I get to come out from behind the counter to see her she give me a big hug! She actually has walked behind the counter a handful of times to talk to me, not really knowing she isn't allowed behind the counter. Her dad caught her doing that once and she said that she just wanted to talk to me! Such a kid thing to do and say, huh? The most adorable thing about her is probably how she calls her dad Papa.

Sorry this blog post is lacking pictures, but I don't really have any to go along with this post. I can keep going on and on about the customers that make my nights, but I do have to get to bed soon. A manager that works at Victoria's Secret comes in during her breaks every week. She came in the other day and told me that I should apply at the store since they are currently hiring. Before getting hired at Panera I did consider VS. I would get to learn about all the different bras, how to do bra fittings, get sweet deals, etc. You know what else makes VS>Panera right now? I wouldn't have to clean up food, vomit, bodily fluids of the like, etc. I'm sure it may happen every once in a long while, but not as often as at Panera. But then if I leave Panera I lose all those bonds I've worked so hard to build with the customers. Plus that means no more pastries, salads, and soup for a buck or two. Then again do I want to surround myself with huge photos of half naked women that make me feel more insecure about myself?

I think I am leaning more toward VS though. It's time to move on. I feel like I need to get out before things get worse at Panera. Plus why stick around to maybe get your $.05 raise? Yeaaaaa...no thank you. Got work tomorrow all day. That'll give me some more time to think about the options I have in front of me. Then again who knows if I will even get the job?? I talk as if I already have the open door. There's so much to think about. Guess I can sleep on that along with the list of things I already sleep on. Goodnight guys (12:04 am now)

-ALG

p.s. love you babe ;)