>Are we ranting about jobs now? K. I worked at a Loews Cineplex for three
>months. I was a good worker, but I was overworked. The first couple
months
>were cool. Then Star Wars came out. Ugh! I went from 20 hours a week to
50.
>Yet we didn't get overtime. And we were swamped every day, but every day
>they would end up sending people home because they didn't have enough
money
>to pay everyone for those hours, but they were hiring new people left and
>right. There were days we'd have two people working constant lines of 20
>people at a time, with no breaks. I actually had a nervous breakdown at
work
>one day due to the extreme stress they put on me (work 10 hours straight
>without a break with customers yelling at you all day and see how well
you
>do) and they refused to send me home. Then in June, my hours were cut
from
>50, to 10, to 6. Then I quit and have been unemployed ever since. I
swear,
>you really haven't lived till you've cleaned up someone else's puke...
>
>-Natalie
>>>Oh, Nat, I sooo feel for you. I've done the movie theater thing. Seems they like to start out the new employees in the most stressful job in the building...concessions. And they really push concessions because that is where the theater makes all of its money. God forbid John Q. Public didn't get his super tub of buttered popcorn and his bladder stretching large coke because you've been there for 8 hours already and haven't had a chance to take a break! Not a very productive work environment. <<<
Oh, exactly! Only they didn't put the newbies at concessions. They stick them at usher, which was the job I hated. But because of the hours I worked (mornings till 6) I'd be the only one actually working, so they'd put me at concessions cuz I brought in the money. But my God!
And you know, customers don't care. You could be standing there on a busy Saturday night, with no cups or bags or popcorn in the warmers, a line twenty people long and six other people there just as swamped as you are, and there will always be the customer who comes up to you at the register and says, "Oh, can you give me a minute? I'm still thinking." AH! You've had ten minutes to think, what the *%^$ do you want! And then they get like a small Coke. But of course, the Coke machine will not be working right because all that's left is syrup, and therefore you have to use someone else's machine and yet there are two others using it because they're all having the same problem and of course when you're in that situation all ANYONE wants is Coke. Meanwhile, you're running out of ice and there are no ushers free who can get you any because they're all doing movie exit greets and so you have to call a manager on the walkie-talkie but Lord forbid they should actually work! Then you've got a newbie on box office who's calling back to you for help on ticket sales cuz you're the one that trained them and they don't understand when you tell them I can't give them change. And speaking of change, you no longer have pennies, and there are only two quarters left. Again, where are the managers? Finally one of the ushers shows up and wants a courtesy cup of icee and sprite mixed, not caring that the napkins are completely gone, could you please find some? Or maybe find the damn manager? Or clean up the bulk candy that some out-of-control kid spilled all over the floor? And of course, the computer shuts down. Why? I don't know. Where's the *$@#% manager already!?! You try to explain to the customer that the computer isn't working, you can't help them. Of course, they don't speak English! So finally Antonio, who thank God speaks Spanish, tells them to come to his line (which also has 20 people), but then you have to tell the person after him that you're waiting for the manager and are closed. But they don't care. They tell you they've been waiting for 15 minutes already and will wait until you fix whatever the problem is, and they will continue to bitch at you. Oops, the newbie on concessions who's been asking you questions all night just spilled pink lemonade all over the floor. The glass counters are so dirty now that you can't see through them because you haven't had a free minute to clean them in the last 4 hours. Finally the manager shows up, tells you to clean up when you get the chance (!) and offers a bunch of Reel Sorry Coke coupons to the customer who's been waiting for five minutes. Meanwhile, Antonio's line is getting slower and the one who's been bitching at you could have been served already! As the manager is fixing the computer, another customer comes up to you and tells you that the nachos made from the kitchen were done wrong, so you have to yell back to the kitchen at PsychoBoy, the guy you went out with two days ago and found out you actually hated though he still likes you. The manager tells you everything should work fine, you ask for change, he leaves. Nope, computer's still not working, the manager is a *&$%# $#@*! but you knew that already. This time you call back for Andrew, the nice manager, the one you will put on your resume as a reference- he left ten minutes ago. The customer's bitching at you again. You finally tell him to shove it. He starts screaming, you yawn and have finally had it. Your shoes are now stuck to the pink lemonade on the floor. The newbie next to you is asking where they can find the Dove bars on the price screen and oh, yeah, are there any M&M's sandwiches left? The usher finally brings in the ice, but it's in a huge bin which has to be dragged back behind the counter, even though there is no room. Meanwhile, they're making more of a mess on the floor, but oh, well. They leave and the manager comes back with change, and sees that the computer is down. He apologizes to the customer, who says you snapped at him, and of course you deny it. The manager asks Antonio, he just says no- Antonio's a GOOD guy. The managers asks the newbie, who is now crying while being yelled at by a customer. The manager apologizes to that customer and again to your customer, who now goes to Antonio's now-empty line. *^@%# idiot. So the manager decides to cash you out FINALLY even though you've now been working twelve hours without a break, four hours more than what you were supposed to work and you have somewhere to be after this. But while he's cashing you out, could you please help the newbie, refill the napkins, clean up, refill the popcorn bins and clean up the floors? Sure, you say, and the manager leaves. Right. You get the napkins, give one to the newbie, tell her to fill the napkin holders. You get Antonio more cups and refill the nacho cheese container, then leave to go to the bathroom for the first time since you got there. You then go back to the service desk, check out before anyone can yell at you for not working, then have the manager come back and tell you that you're $200 short and could you please wait while he recounts everything? Sure, fine. So you wait, meanwhile the bitch manager is telling you you really shouldn't punch out till everything's finished, but can you work Wednesday 12-3? Nope. After standing there for a while, the girl on door starts talking to you- mind you this girl was the one that set you up with PsychoBoy, and she won't shut up. Uh huh. Yeah. You hear her, whatever. Finally the manager comes back out, it was all a mistake. Sorry. Right. You sign the sheet, ditch the matchmaker, find the newbie and tell her she desveres a better job. You then walk out of the theater, and quit two days later.
And that was my last day of work. See, I can rant.
-Natalie
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