All About Work

Well, I said I was gonna post about work, I just didn't expect it to take quite this long. But, I have the day off, so I figured I'd sit down and tell you guys all about it!

So, I think most of you know this, but the end of July I got a job at Safeway in our small town. I applied for Starbucks, which is what my friend Rachel was doing at the time, and is what I really wanted to do.

I applied online the beginning of June. The next day I went in to the store to talk to a manager, because on the website it said that they would contact me to set up an interview, but Rachel had said that I had to initiate contact with them. So I went in to figure out what to do. I talked to Robyn, who was the assistant manager, and she said that I should talk to Cindy, who is the in-store hirer. She happened to be out of town, so I was told to come back when she got back, which was about a week and a half later. So I did. I'm going to attribute this with the fact that the reason she was gone was because she was at her sister's funeral, but Cindy was pretty snappy with me. She told me that they didn't have any openings, but took my name and phone number, and said that they might need a courtesy clerk in a couple of weeks, and would contact me when they were hiring.

So I waited. Nothing much was really happening, so I talked with Rachel about it (she was such a big help in all of this!), and she said to go in and talk to Ryan, the manager. She said that he would definitely give me a job. So I went in to talk to Ryan. Cindy was at the front desk, and she knew right away what I was there for, and told me that Ryan was busy, and that I should come back to talk to him later, and took my name and phone number again. She gave me a day and a time to talk to him, so I came back then. When I did, I had to catch him while he was stocking stuff, and I got the same "We aren't hiring right now, but we might need a courtesy clerk in a couple of weeks" speech. I was getting pretty discouraged, because I really, really wanted a job, and I had already talked to every single person I knew to talk to. Joline, one of the cashiers, knew that I was trying to get a job, and thought it was weird when they said they weren't hiring, but I just let it go.

Towards the middle of July, I got a call from Rachel, and she said that she was working right then, and that her Starbucks manager wanted to talk to me (In case it's not clear, Starbucks is a kiosk inside of Safeway, so even though I'd be working at Starbucks, I'd have to apply to Safeway, and would be a Safeway employee). So, I went down there, and met Laura, the Starbucks manager. She liked me right away, and I really liked her. She took my name and number, and then found out when I could work, was I still in school, etc. and then, since it wasn't too busy, I just hung around there for awhile. I really liked Laura, and was super excited, because I really hoped that this would mean I could finally get the job. Again, it was weird, because Laura had said she had been looking for someone for a long time, but whatever. So I go home, and a couple of hours later I get a call from someone in Phoenix, asking me all of these pre-screening questions. Yay! That was the next step before I could have an interview.

Another couple of days passed, and I didn't hear anything about an interview, so I went in to the store to talk to Laura. She called Ryan, and he told me to come in the next afternoon for an interview. I was so happy on the drive home, because it had been about 6 weeks by this time since I had first applied. So, I went in that afternoon (I think it was a Friday) for my interview. I was kind of nervous, but I had prayed the whole entire drive, and based on what Rachel told me, I was pretty confident about getting the job. The hardest part was I had to wait for Ryan for about 15 minutes up in the break room. I was by myself, and that's when my nerves started to flare again. But, I prayed some more, and I was fine again. The interview went great. The only questions I really got tripped up on were the ones like "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Geez, I don't know. I'm just hoping I'm alive! I'm not the type of person that thinks that far into the future. He explained the importance of marketing, and then asked me to pretend like I'm selling him my favorite food or drink. I tried to 'sell' him my favorite Starbucks drink, and he told me that was one of the best ones he'd heard since he started managing that store. :D Thanks Rachel for the heads up about that question so I could prepare! :D He never said specifically that I got the job, but generally things like "I think you're gonna be great to work with" means I got the job. :D The only downside was that Laura wasn't certified to train, so I'd have to drive 30 miles to train somewhere else. But I mean, in the scheme of things, that's not too bad. :)

About a week later, I went in for my drug test. Cindy asked me if I would be opposed to being a cashier for a little while, because she really needed someone right away. I said that if that was what I needed to do, than I would. She started me on training that day. :D I wasn't too happy about it, but of course I wasn't going to say no. I finished my training in a couple of days, and started on the registers! It was a little scary at first, but all of the cashiers were so nice, and were willing to help me with everything.

I did the cashiering for a couple of weeks, which I actually found to be a lot of fun. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the closing shift, which is from 4 in the afternoon to midnight. Eek. For someone that's usually in bed at 9:00, working until midnight was no picnic. But, I got used to it, and it wasn't so bad.

Around the middle of August, I was told that I was going to start my Starbucks training the next week. I guess I had to wait for the Starbucks manager at the store that I was going to to have time to train me. So, I did. And it was awesome. Tanisha, the lady who trained me, was awesome. The training was 4 days, but I only ended up doing 2 days there. Laura became certified that week, and didn't see any reason why I should keep training there, especially since the kiosks were so different. So, I finished my training with Laura. Well, at least I think. I'm kinda not even sure if I'm a certified barista. :D At least she never said so. By the time I got to Laura, I pretty much knew how to make most of the drinks, brew the coffee, stuff like that, so there really wasn't that much she had to teach me, except that I worked middle-of-the-day shifts while training, so I didn't know how to open or close. The first day Laura showed me how to open, and the second day Carrie, one of the other baristas, showed me how to close. It was kind of stressful my first time doing both of them by myself, but now they're easy. I mostly close, but occasionally I'll open.

I absolutely love working at Starbucks, Laura is amazing, and I love Carrie, Sabrina and Gilberto, the other baristas. Gilberto moved over to Starbucks right after I did (he was a cashier before too), and it was kind of funny the first time that it was just the two of us, without Laura there, because neither of us had a very solid grasp of what we were doing, and it was just amusing trying to make drinks, keep on top of the brewing system, and keep our sanity. :D

So anyway, there's my story! Sorry it's really long, but I wanted you guys to know all at I've been up to lately! I had today off, and it was so nice to not have to be in town. It seems like that's all I've been doing on my days off. Church and voice lessons. Not that I don't love either of those things, I do, it's just been nice having a day off where I can sit at home and do practically nothing. :D

Ok, and there you have it! Maybe sometime later this week I'll tell you about the craziest thing that's happened to me so far. :D