Post by Sarah Crestwell on Apr 14, 2015 21:02:29 GMT -5
It was one thing to have a job, and it was another to have a career. She wasn't exactly sure what her hiring manager expected from her, but she had to practically live breathe and sweat coffee and coffee related stuff in order to land some sort of part time weekend and after school gig. Still, it beat nothing. Sarah had found that the apron that she was supposed to wear was far too short, so she grabbed one of the ones usually used by guys before getting over to the counter. She hadn't been training very long, but the first hour before her shift she was paid to train on the machine and tested on different drink orders and how they went.
"Okay so you get an order for an iced caramel macchiato," The assistant manager read off of some sort of test sheet and asked the basics on the order of events in making the coffee. It was pretty simple though, cold milk, espresso, caramel drizzle. She would note that you are going to get more of a return customer basis if you are a little heavy on the drizzle whenever its a new face. And of course, ice with the milk. She made the drink and the assistant manager tested it and gave a small nod before marking off the check sheet. "You can throw that out if you want, you did good on that one. You will still be on cash today, but if one of those comes in I want you to make it so you can get used to working around your coworkers."
She nodded before taking the drink and simply drinking it herself. Her manager gave her a look and she shrugged, "Sorry, I can't waste anything that costs more than a buck."
"I was a little more worried about the fact that you just used the same straw as me. I'd imagine something like that would gross out a girl like you."
"Trust me, I deal with much grosser shit on a regular basis. Most girls do, so germs aren't high up on our list of things to avoid. In fact, usually it’s boys who get grossed out first, you can’t even touch fingers without thinking it’ll turn you homosexual.”
”Hey I just meant ladies tend to be more clean.”
“Well I can’t really argue with that one. I know some disgusting women but we do tend to be more hygienic. Probably socialized into us somehow.”
”Anywho, if you get a cold sore don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I already have them, I’m asymptomatic, no worries dude.”
”Should you be calling me dude?”
“Should I not be calling you dude?”
”Yeah this is gonna work out alright. Holler at me if you need anything.”
She gave a thumbs up before getting set up at the register, making sure that the till was how it needed to be and getting herself mentally prepared for all of the energy she would need to put into acting like an extrovert when she was very much an introvert. Sometimes she was able to come out of her shell but she always needed time to recharge, sort of tune out the world and be quiet for a little bit. Her break and her lunch were going to be devoted to that kind of thing.
As her two coworkers came in, one looking pretty hung over and the other seemingly peppy and delightful, Sarah got ready for some sort of clash between the two.
”Morning Newbie! How’d you sleep? You going to be doing drinks yet?” Ashlee slapped her gently on the back before going over and pouring fresh beans into the machine and getting some of the machines prepped and ready.
“Not yet, just Iced Caramel Macchiatos, and given how cold it is I doubt we’ll get many of those. How are you doing Charlie, you alive in there?”
”Yeah, just… not feeling too good.” Charlie scratched his head and fiddled with his name tag, it seemed as though getting it straightened out was something worth his time. ”Hey can you do me a favor? I need you to take drive through orders for the first hour if you are cool with it. I’ll cover register but… the ear noise is just hellish.”
“You sure? I mean… I’m not too good at it.”
”Anything, literally anything to not have noise blasted into my ears at high volume and blurred. The early risers always yell, they always always ye-”
”GOOD MORNING!” Ashlee practically screamed as the first customer made their way into the cafe.
”See?” Charlie held the headset out.
“You made your point.” She put the headset on and followed the orders, getting to the drive through register and prepping it for the day. It was one thing to handle orders at the counter but handling the drive thru left her with some great amount of inexperience. Understanding the headset was a concern that she had for certain, but she wondered if she’d be able to garner tips this way, especially if she were to unbutton her blouse one more button. It was probably trashy but at the same time, she wanted more cash for food.
You do what you have to, and you have all the power to do so. If these creeps wanted to tip a seventeen year old, so let it be. She’d profit off of it as much as possible. “Alright testing one two three. What am I doing I can’t hear how it sounds on the other end. I think it’s own though.”
The smell of coffee filled the air as they became ready for the morning rush. Sarah was manning the headset and even began taking orders a few minutes before they were supposed to open. Pretty much as soon as someone drove up she got started, the first order of the day and so far no iced macchiatos so that was a thing. Just a 16 ounce white soy mocha, pretty easily read back as Ashlee made the drink and Sarah presented it to the driver after swiping his coffee card. It made it easy that most people had them for simplicity sake. It was a good way to manage a coffee budget for sure.
“Thanks for drinking Nexpresso!” Sarah said as she would hand him his receipt with remaining balance. “If you do the survey it’ll give you a dollar credit back on your Nexpresso card, and remember every fifth drink gets you a free bagel!”
That phrase was ingrained in her so much that it felt as easy as saying goodnight or see you later. She gave a grin and the guy handed over a dollar, which she immediately put in the tip jar. Score one for Sarah, who had definitely been looking to make this a regular thing. Maybe the button thing was a bit much, or maybe it wasn’t, but so far the tiny bit of bra that could be seen was doing a miracle for the wake up crowd.
Sarah took the next few orders, keeping track of who got what in her head as well as by the machine. The first one was a few drip coffee’s and a bagel, the second one was a iced mocha which had her worried about having to make a macchiato, and the last one was a piece of lemon cake and a strawberry herbal tea. She rushed to get the orders right and managed to count out change for cash customers as well as swipe cards without having to do so a second time, customer after customer seeming pretty happy to see her except for the soccer mom in the van. Her husband in the passenger seat seemed to be expressing that she should have tipped, but the wife shot him a look and Sarah made a note that this wasn’t a strategy that would work on anyone.
Still the tips were rolling in until one guy got to the window who was very clearly a bit of a creep. He was a breather, which is typically the worst. It may have been a bit fatphobic but she didn’t really care to some extent, so many breathers had this creepy vibe, like they were just sorta thinking about you and being quiet even though they should have been talking. Still the guy drove up and as she reached to hand him his drink he grabbed her by the wrist a little and winked at her.
“Uhhh, please let go of me sir.”
”Hey isn’t this one of those boob joints? Shouldn’t you be topless?”
“Sir let go of me now.” She pulled a little on her arm but it had been fully extended and her side was still hurt from it getting beat up by multiple people, making it hard for her to break free. “And no, this is a family place.”
”Yeah, so says your outfit.”
“Yeah, not topless. Also, even if I was topless, NOT permission to touch me. Let go you ugly fuck before I make you regret your entire life.”
It was at this point that her words could be heard by everyone inside as well. Ashlee tried to keep a brave face for the customers and Charlie walked over. ”Sarah what’s going on we can’t cuss like- SIR LET GO THIS INSTANT!”
The man pulled a dollar from his pocket with his other hand and reached to put it down Sarah’s shirt, Sarah instinctively grabbed the closest hot coffee and threw it on the guy’s face. The man yelled quite a bit, words like ‘stupid bitch’ and ‘fugly ass cunt’ were thrown around, causing Sarah to jump back with alarm, her hand pulling free as she hit the counter and let out a sharp cry.
The man drove around and parked, cussing up a storm as he walked toward the entrance of the building.
”Ashlee, call 9-1-1,” Charlie said as he hopped over the counter.
“Charlie don’t just come back here-”
”No fuck that I’m gonna do the decent thing and kick this guys ass, that way you don’t have to so much as touch him.”
“Charlie please!”
The assistant manager walked out and started looking around, ”Alright folks we apologize for this. Everyone feel free to come up for a free refill in just a moment but I’m gonna ask that you let us handle this situation.” He shot Sarah a questioning look and she tried to explain, but the guy barged in.
”Stupid bitch threw coffee at me!” The guy said, ”You better fucking fire her ass or something she assaulted me!”
The manager gave her a look and she shouted, “Hey he grabbed me! I told him to let go he fucking PULLED on me!”
”Sarah, go to the back, now. Charlie, get back to the counter.”
”Fuck that boss!” Charlie rolled up his sleeves as the guy gave a look of fear. ”Say you’re sorry asshat.” Charlie grabbed the guy by the collar and punched him so hard a tooth flew out. Sarah had never seen something quite like this in all her life, but was immediately very pleased to say that the guy in fact cried. ”I’ll hit again if you don’t…”
”You fucking fa-” Before the man could get out the homophobic slur he was hit again and finally shouted out, ”What do you think’s gonna happen with her dressed the way she is, huh?”
Sarah was filled with anger but the assistant manager simply held his hand out as if to say stop. ”Charlie, step away from the gentleman or I will fire you immediately.” Charlie backed away, becoming aware that what he was doing wouldn’t do anything. ”My apologies sir, let me get that drink for you.” The manager walked over and poured milk into a cup before scalding it in the steamer. Doing nothing else he walked over and pretended to trip, aiming the cup for the man’s crotch. ”Oops, dear me!”
The guy screamed out and shouted about calling the cops before leaving. Sarah ran over, “Thanks that guy… was… well,” She trailed off.
”What were you doing on drive thru?”
“Charlie-”
”Charlie isn’t in charge. Charlie, get back on drive thru.” The assistant manager rose to his feet and held his hand out for the headset. Once he got it he handed it to Charlie. ”Sarah is underage, most of our more…. creepy customers actually tend to use the drive thru. We aren't sure exactly why this is the case but you can be sure that having her hands and feet in the building at all times, much like riding a roller coaster, provides her with safety. Understood? Sarah, there is a dress code. And you are still following it. Even if you weren't, you didn't deserve that. Charlie? Refill everyone’s drinks. If they only ordered food, fix them a drink of their choice.”
The assistant manager disappeared back into the offices before Sarah turned to Charlie, “Thanks…”
”Yeah, don’t mention it. Just, maybe let me throw myself under the bus with the boss man next time alright? I was gonna tell him myself. It’s all good though. I’ll ask Ashlee to cover window next time I have a headache this bad.”
Sarah helped Charlie to fix the drink orders considering a couple of them had in fact been iced caramel macchiatos and even walked them out since there wasn't much foot traffic for the next half hour or so.
"Okay so you get an order for an iced caramel macchiato," The assistant manager read off of some sort of test sheet and asked the basics on the order of events in making the coffee. It was pretty simple though, cold milk, espresso, caramel drizzle. She would note that you are going to get more of a return customer basis if you are a little heavy on the drizzle whenever its a new face. And of course, ice with the milk. She made the drink and the assistant manager tested it and gave a small nod before marking off the check sheet. "You can throw that out if you want, you did good on that one. You will still be on cash today, but if one of those comes in I want you to make it so you can get used to working around your coworkers."
She nodded before taking the drink and simply drinking it herself. Her manager gave her a look and she shrugged, "Sorry, I can't waste anything that costs more than a buck."
"I was a little more worried about the fact that you just used the same straw as me. I'd imagine something like that would gross out a girl like you."
"Trust me, I deal with much grosser shit on a regular basis. Most girls do, so germs aren't high up on our list of things to avoid. In fact, usually it’s boys who get grossed out first, you can’t even touch fingers without thinking it’ll turn you homosexual.”
”Hey I just meant ladies tend to be more clean.”
“Well I can’t really argue with that one. I know some disgusting women but we do tend to be more hygienic. Probably socialized into us somehow.”
”Anywho, if you get a cold sore don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I already have them, I’m asymptomatic, no worries dude.”
”Should you be calling me dude?”
“Should I not be calling you dude?”
”Yeah this is gonna work out alright. Holler at me if you need anything.”
She gave a thumbs up before getting set up at the register, making sure that the till was how it needed to be and getting herself mentally prepared for all of the energy she would need to put into acting like an extrovert when she was very much an introvert. Sometimes she was able to come out of her shell but she always needed time to recharge, sort of tune out the world and be quiet for a little bit. Her break and her lunch were going to be devoted to that kind of thing.
As her two coworkers came in, one looking pretty hung over and the other seemingly peppy and delightful, Sarah got ready for some sort of clash between the two.
”Morning Newbie! How’d you sleep? You going to be doing drinks yet?” Ashlee slapped her gently on the back before going over and pouring fresh beans into the machine and getting some of the machines prepped and ready.
“Not yet, just Iced Caramel Macchiatos, and given how cold it is I doubt we’ll get many of those. How are you doing Charlie, you alive in there?”
”Yeah, just… not feeling too good.” Charlie scratched his head and fiddled with his name tag, it seemed as though getting it straightened out was something worth his time. ”Hey can you do me a favor? I need you to take drive through orders for the first hour if you are cool with it. I’ll cover register but… the ear noise is just hellish.”
“You sure? I mean… I’m not too good at it.”
”Anything, literally anything to not have noise blasted into my ears at high volume and blurred. The early risers always yell, they always always ye-”
”GOOD MORNING!” Ashlee practically screamed as the first customer made their way into the cafe.
”See?” Charlie held the headset out.
“You made your point.” She put the headset on and followed the orders, getting to the drive through register and prepping it for the day. It was one thing to handle orders at the counter but handling the drive thru left her with some great amount of inexperience. Understanding the headset was a concern that she had for certain, but she wondered if she’d be able to garner tips this way, especially if she were to unbutton her blouse one more button. It was probably trashy but at the same time, she wanted more cash for food.
You do what you have to, and you have all the power to do so. If these creeps wanted to tip a seventeen year old, so let it be. She’d profit off of it as much as possible. “Alright testing one two three. What am I doing I can’t hear how it sounds on the other end. I think it’s own though.”
The smell of coffee filled the air as they became ready for the morning rush. Sarah was manning the headset and even began taking orders a few minutes before they were supposed to open. Pretty much as soon as someone drove up she got started, the first order of the day and so far no iced macchiatos so that was a thing. Just a 16 ounce white soy mocha, pretty easily read back as Ashlee made the drink and Sarah presented it to the driver after swiping his coffee card. It made it easy that most people had them for simplicity sake. It was a good way to manage a coffee budget for sure.
“Thanks for drinking Nexpresso!” Sarah said as she would hand him his receipt with remaining balance. “If you do the survey it’ll give you a dollar credit back on your Nexpresso card, and remember every fifth drink gets you a free bagel!”
That phrase was ingrained in her so much that it felt as easy as saying goodnight or see you later. She gave a grin and the guy handed over a dollar, which she immediately put in the tip jar. Score one for Sarah, who had definitely been looking to make this a regular thing. Maybe the button thing was a bit much, or maybe it wasn’t, but so far the tiny bit of bra that could be seen was doing a miracle for the wake up crowd.
Sarah took the next few orders, keeping track of who got what in her head as well as by the machine. The first one was a few drip coffee’s and a bagel, the second one was a iced mocha which had her worried about having to make a macchiato, and the last one was a piece of lemon cake and a strawberry herbal tea. She rushed to get the orders right and managed to count out change for cash customers as well as swipe cards without having to do so a second time, customer after customer seeming pretty happy to see her except for the soccer mom in the van. Her husband in the passenger seat seemed to be expressing that she should have tipped, but the wife shot him a look and Sarah made a note that this wasn’t a strategy that would work on anyone.
Still the tips were rolling in until one guy got to the window who was very clearly a bit of a creep. He was a breather, which is typically the worst. It may have been a bit fatphobic but she didn’t really care to some extent, so many breathers had this creepy vibe, like they were just sorta thinking about you and being quiet even though they should have been talking. Still the guy drove up and as she reached to hand him his drink he grabbed her by the wrist a little and winked at her.
“Uhhh, please let go of me sir.”
”Hey isn’t this one of those boob joints? Shouldn’t you be topless?”
“Sir let go of me now.” She pulled a little on her arm but it had been fully extended and her side was still hurt from it getting beat up by multiple people, making it hard for her to break free. “And no, this is a family place.”
”Yeah, so says your outfit.”
“Yeah, not topless. Also, even if I was topless, NOT permission to touch me. Let go you ugly fuck before I make you regret your entire life.”
It was at this point that her words could be heard by everyone inside as well. Ashlee tried to keep a brave face for the customers and Charlie walked over. ”Sarah what’s going on we can’t cuss like- SIR LET GO THIS INSTANT!”
The man pulled a dollar from his pocket with his other hand and reached to put it down Sarah’s shirt, Sarah instinctively grabbed the closest hot coffee and threw it on the guy’s face. The man yelled quite a bit, words like ‘stupid bitch’ and ‘fugly ass cunt’ were thrown around, causing Sarah to jump back with alarm, her hand pulling free as she hit the counter and let out a sharp cry.
The man drove around and parked, cussing up a storm as he walked toward the entrance of the building.
”Ashlee, call 9-1-1,” Charlie said as he hopped over the counter.
“Charlie don’t just come back here-”
”No fuck that I’m gonna do the decent thing and kick this guys ass, that way you don’t have to so much as touch him.”
“Charlie please!”
The assistant manager walked out and started looking around, ”Alright folks we apologize for this. Everyone feel free to come up for a free refill in just a moment but I’m gonna ask that you let us handle this situation.” He shot Sarah a questioning look and she tried to explain, but the guy barged in.
”Stupid bitch threw coffee at me!” The guy said, ”You better fucking fire her ass or something she assaulted me!”
The manager gave her a look and she shouted, “Hey he grabbed me! I told him to let go he fucking PULLED on me!”
”Sarah, go to the back, now. Charlie, get back to the counter.”
”Fuck that boss!” Charlie rolled up his sleeves as the guy gave a look of fear. ”Say you’re sorry asshat.” Charlie grabbed the guy by the collar and punched him so hard a tooth flew out. Sarah had never seen something quite like this in all her life, but was immediately very pleased to say that the guy in fact cried. ”I’ll hit again if you don’t…”
”You fucking fa-” Before the man could get out the homophobic slur he was hit again and finally shouted out, ”What do you think’s gonna happen with her dressed the way she is, huh?”
Sarah was filled with anger but the assistant manager simply held his hand out as if to say stop. ”Charlie, step away from the gentleman or I will fire you immediately.” Charlie backed away, becoming aware that what he was doing wouldn’t do anything. ”My apologies sir, let me get that drink for you.” The manager walked over and poured milk into a cup before scalding it in the steamer. Doing nothing else he walked over and pretended to trip, aiming the cup for the man’s crotch. ”Oops, dear me!”
The guy screamed out and shouted about calling the cops before leaving. Sarah ran over, “Thanks that guy… was… well,” She trailed off.
”What were you doing on drive thru?”
“Charlie-”
”Charlie isn’t in charge. Charlie, get back on drive thru.” The assistant manager rose to his feet and held his hand out for the headset. Once he got it he handed it to Charlie. ”Sarah is underage, most of our more…. creepy customers actually tend to use the drive thru. We aren't sure exactly why this is the case but you can be sure that having her hands and feet in the building at all times, much like riding a roller coaster, provides her with safety. Understood? Sarah, there is a dress code. And you are still following it. Even if you weren't, you didn't deserve that. Charlie? Refill everyone’s drinks. If they only ordered food, fix them a drink of their choice.”
The assistant manager disappeared back into the offices before Sarah turned to Charlie, “Thanks…”
”Yeah, don’t mention it. Just, maybe let me throw myself under the bus with the boss man next time alright? I was gonna tell him myself. It’s all good though. I’ll ask Ashlee to cover window next time I have a headache this bad.”
Sarah helped Charlie to fix the drink orders considering a couple of them had in fact been iced caramel macchiatos and even walked them out since there wasn't much foot traffic for the next half hour or so.
