Trying to recollect myself after yesterday since I couldn't think straight after one of our many arguments. I can't seem to find time to go out Christmas shopping, I probably wouldn't be very successful if I tried anyway. Too many things on display, too many places; I wouldn't know where to start. I'd probably just get really overwhelmed and frustrated by merchandise all over the place and leave. This is why I do all my shopping online. I've been trying to organize my list and what I want to get for the few people who matter in my life. I'm just hoping everything comes on time. Well, it wouldn't change anything either way because I think the thoughts and gesture of the gift is more significant than the time its received on. My Christmas presents will turn into Unbirthday presents. So far my pay from the past couple weeks of work is almost completely void but its something I want to do. I think things are totaling up to around $700, I'll pretend my first paycheck is next month instead. No, I wasn't splurging on things for myself. The only thing I would have bought myself with the excuse that its Christmas is the super frilly fruity baby pink girly Samantha Thavasa wallet that I was convinced is my soul mate (wallet wise?). Pity I missed my chance (Fuck you conscience) and now they're completely obsolete. So there goes my love at first sight, its time to move the fuck on. This month isn't for me.

Yesterday I got a last minute email from workplace2 telling me I work  Thursday and Friday this week. Thursday as in that same day the email was sent. Oh, and the email was sent 3 hours before my scheduled shift was suppose to start. Obviously I didn't get to the email until later into the night when I got home, so I didn't show up for work that day. I already told the manager the week before when we were putting in our availability and schedule plans that I wouldn't be available this Thursday. Not only does she completely disregard that, she only gave me 2 shifts this week. On the other hand, who sends out an email telling their employee they need to be at work that day 3 hours before the shift starts? Sorry, I'm not fancy and I don't have the whole phone internet email shit. A phone call or text message would have been the smarter bet on urgent matters. I don't utilize my phone enough either way. It should be standard protocol to give at least a days notice when it comes to scheduling and appointments. I'm not on beck and call, I don't pay attention to my phone constantly and I'm not camping my email all hours of the day. This women drives me crazy. The only reason shes the manager is because her daddy opened the business. She can't manage anything besides nitpicking on trivial things, crumbling under pressure and lashing out on employees. It's so unprofessional.

Tonight was nothing eventful, it was slow for a Friday night but the manager changed her mind and decided she needs me the entire weekend instead of just 2 weekdays she originally planned so I guess I'll be working the entire weekend as well this week. Its a bit odd that there are already "regular" customers who remember my name after 1 week. Some guy came in today who was part of a group last week and asked for me. "Do you remember me?" I didn't, but I just winged it somehow. Then it came back to me- he was the guy who I had to keep refilling his soda for- he is a cola addict. Then he insisted on giving me a fist bump before he left for the night. I'm a bit awkward about gestures like that. Reminds me of the time I was at the billiards place with a group of friends and one of my friends suddenly got excited and was like "up here" or something like that. I just stared at her awkwardly and said "what the fuck when did we ever do those?" I'm not gangster/ghetto enough. (lol sorry A if you're reading this I'll work on my super swagger handshake fist bumps just for you next time instead of staring at you like a martian)

I had a short chat with a couple of a co-workers that are in similar positions to me later into the night. The restaurant is mostly family runned, but I didn't think it would be this unprofessional. Yeah, they have their 2nd generation cousins, cousin of cousins, friends, brothers, lovers, pets, uncles, you name it working there. Most of the employees are either old friends or somewhere in the family tree. Only one other server, the bartenders and I are outsiders. We're the only staff in the place who discovered and landed the job on our own but it seems to be a disadvantage. So if anything were to go down, we would probably be the first to be screwed over.

I was reassured I'm not the only one who feels like I'm doing 5 different jobs under the title of 1 job. Also, because of the lazy incompetent manager who insist on closing sales for the day first then splitting our tips, most of the time we have to pick up our tips our next shift but things don't seem to add up. Tips are usually handled between servers, not held by the manager overnight with the leeway to do whatever they want such as allocating a percentage of it to certain staff members who played no role in serving itself. A lot of things can be modified overnight after all. They're tipping various "helpers" and the bartender off the server tips. It's suspicious and of course, we're not family. The pay isn't terrible but it isn't that fucking awesome that I'd put up with this system long term. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to pay for the support I receive during my shift. At workplace1 where its not a pool system on tips, I tip out my busser generously based on my total sales of the night like most places do, not the percentage of my tips because tips are always fluctuating, so its really up to your luck of getting good customers.

This restaurant looks great decoratively, but the servers are really the ones who are carrying the weight to keep things going. This place is crossing the line of how much side work you can expect out of a server. I thought I was hired to waitress, not to be the runner, busser, food presentation person and definitely not a janitor. I understand there are side jobs but I get off late overtime every night because they make most of the servers do all the closing and cleaning everyday. I'm pretty sure they aren't considering us staying after the standard closing time overtime pay either. Things like that are no longer side jobs, its a whole other job itself.

The female bartender and another server both who are in their 40s were already talking about leaving or quitting before the end of the year. It turns out the female bartender and the oldest server are both on unemployment and this job isn't worthy enough to lose unemployment over. The female bartender is probably quitting in a couple of weeks and the other server has "new plans" for the new years. I think the only reason I'm staying is for the experience to build up my resume before I move on to a more well established place. Its just a stepping stone since most places refuse to train or hire anyone without experience despite all the other qualifying factors. Its just a blind rule. Well, in the name of Alexander the Bear- I'll bear with it, for now. I should probably start updating my resume soon...

Labels: christmas, friends, job, sleazy management, work