4 things people do in the cafeteria that annoys me
POSTED ON Monday, April 28, 2014 AT 8:28 PM \ leave a comment (0)
Since Spring started, I started working at the school's cafeteria as a cashier. It's not like the typical Singapore school kind of canteen. We are not allowed food such as pizzas, sodas, fried chicken, fries etc. everyday in a school canteen. However, in the cafeteria shop I work in, pizzas, burgers, fries, fried chicken, fried fish, soda etc. are the most popular items daily. There's Starbucks opposite us as well as another food outlet at the other side of the cafeteria. 

Working as a cashier wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Originally I thought it's just a simple job of collecting money and stand there while waiting for another customer. NO! Boy was I wrong. The long lines during lunch break makes the job really stressful at times especially when I'm the only cashier open during lunchtime (Go figure). Having to stand almost 5 hours a day is no joke. Yet at the same time, this job widened my horizon. I meet all sorts of people from all walks of life with all sorts of stories to tell me. Some left a really huge impression on me and made me appreciate the fact that my parents are the ones paying for my education, my rent, most of my expenses etc. Nonetheless, there are still some people who do things that really annoy the sh*t out of everyone (maybe it's just me). Kindly allow me to explain myself.

1) Keeping the beverage/snack in the bag and don't tell me about it
Ok I understand that sometimes they don't have enough hands to carry all the stuff. Textbooks, food, sweater etc. However, the most decent thing they can do is to at least inform me/show me that they took a bottle of water or a bag of chips too. This is called integrity. I have met some people who don't even own up (or maybe they forgotten to) all of the stuffs they have taken. I usually revise what they order, meaning what I see laid out on my counter. Even after I ask: "Is that all for you?", they'll just say yup like there's nothing else. Technically speaking, it's none of my business since I don't get commission or something for the amount of food people buy. What really pissed me off is that it's unfair for the rest of the people who actually paid every single cent for their food.

2) Throwing/leaving the money on the table
It could be just how I'm raised; I put the money/cashier in the cashier's hands. It annoys me a lot a lot when people just leave the money on the table because I feel that it's really rude. Am I expected to pick up the money? To me, it's the same as dumping the money/change on the ground for a homeless; pardon my french but it's rude as fuck. When this happens, I try to keep my professionalism, I continue to smile but it's not genuine because I'm honestly offended. It's the same thing as I don't just leave the change/card back on the table for the customer to pick it up. I hand it back to them. It's a form of respect and some people just have to learn it.

3) Getting free food
First off, I don't despise them or anything. It's ok if they realized they don't have enough money in their card or wallet. Shit happens. However, it bugs me when after I swipe the card and it says decline, they're like: "Oh shucks, I don't have enough money to pay. Can I come back and pay later on? I promise I will come back." It's not that I don't trust them, but what leverage do I have on them to make sure they come back? Also, if I let one do it, everyone can then just take their food out without paying first and never coming back. Trust me, even professors do it. Once, there was this professor who bought taquitos and some other stuff and the bill came up to $8+. After showing me her faculty card and getting a discount, she was still short of $3+. She asked me: "Can I come back later on to pass you what I'm short of? I left my purse in the car. I promise I'll be back, I don't want your cashier to be short of money." And so I did. Trusting her because she's a PROFESSOR. Guess what? She never ever came back and yes, my cashier was short of money for that day.

4) Expecting us to bring the burger to them while they're seated nice and comfortable
When people wanna get food such as burger combo or burgers or quesadilla or any food that are not ready made, they have to pay with me first, then they will receive their order number and wait for the kitchen staff to call out the number when the food is ready. I do tell customers: "Order number ______. Please wait at the pick up area and they will call your number when the food is ready." Most people (and I mean 99%) will wait there according to my instructions. The 1% tend to find a seat and wait for like 30 minutes before they come back to the store all angry and lashing out on us, "What the hell is wrong with you guys? I ordered my food 30 minutes ago and it's not done yet?!" That's when the kitchen staff will explain that, "Sir/Madam, your food has been ready 15 minutes ago but when we called out your number, you weren't around." That's when the customer starts to point fingers, "But nobody ever told me I have to wait here." Guess what, it becomes my fault. Not all point fingers thankfully. But there are really nasty people around who just wanna make it seem like it's not their fault at all. AT ALL.

5) Speaking on phone or talking to friends
I'm ok if the customer is not interested to converse with me. If he/she doesn't want to reply to my "How are you doing today?", it's totally alright. If they want to talk to their friends or somebody over the phone, it's alright, do that by all means. I just don't like to repeat myself when obviously they are not even paying attention to me. It's annoying to people behind the queue and to me as well. It's not like paying takes up 10 minutes. It's less than a minute ffs.

It's fun working in the cafeteria. Although I won't be able to read my textbook or use my phone while working, at least my colleagues and some customers are really nice. Of course, there are gonna be people who makes me wanna quit the job but then again, I guess the pros outweigh the cons. Compared to what a part-timer gets in Singapore, I'm already getting a lot more. Not all the customers I meet will be pleasant and respectful but there are some that will put in the effort to remember my name and remembering little details from previous conversations. These people are the ones who make working in the service line bearable because it actually makes me feel appreciated and it brings a genuine smile to my face when I say: "Thank you, I hope you have a nice day.".