It’s 7:13 a.m. and the line for Dunkin Donuts is longer than Rip Van Winkle’s slumber. Aside from running late for work, you can still feel raindrops trickling down from your head. The man honking his horn behind you is shredding your very last nerve and you’re having quite possibly the most miserable start to a Tuesday morning. You are fully prepared to swallow every ounce of stress in an extra-large cup of hazelnut coffee. As you arrive at the window you are bombarded with a rush of highly unpleasant employees trying to complete their orders in a timely manner. You pause for a moment and recall the days of slinging pizzas, trying to pay off that college tuition. You are reminded of the long shifts and the ache of your feet, or the busiest nights that you ran out of the best items the menu had to offer. Your nostalgic moment passes as the young man covered in cream cheese hands you a cup with an aroma better than grandma’s house after she’s baked her county-wide famous cinnamon rolls. You leave feeling satisfied and make your way to your corner office for the day.
In every profession there are challenges, stresses, but also rewards. At some level, we can all relate to the young man swimming in sweat and French vanilla syrup. Customer service jobs are underrated in our society. Wages for these positions are lower than a position that requires a higher level of education for qualification, but that does not mean that daily tasks are any breeze. Standing on your feet all day, interacting with one hundred different faces with one hundred varying personalities, while maintaining quality service is challenging. And it all is to be done with a smile, of course.
Lauren Eastham of Houlton High, a 17-year-old working her way through high school at a local pizza place, had a few words to say about the struggles she regularly faces in her industry. “Dealing with specific orders and particular customers puts a lot of pressure on me. That can be really challenging. By nature, I am a quiet individual, which can make any interactions with tension really difficult to handle.” As with all with of life’s situations, there is some good to be found in everything and Lauren understands that. “Through any of my issues with customers I’ve been able to grow professionally, but also I’ve been able to be more confident and outgoing. You have to be in this kind of environment to be successful.” Lauren finds working next to the border to be particularly challenging. She finds that it puts her at a disadvantage. “Many of our Canadian customers don’t tip. Servers in Canada make a minimum wage of $10 an hour, so they don’t rely on gratuity like we do. I make $3.75 per hour and people don’t consider that.” Lauren said that there are many evenings that she doesn’t feel like “playing waitress” and continually having to display service with a smile when she is dealing with difficult clientele, a busy kitchen or rather grumpy co-workers.
Aside from a few of these frustrations Lauren agreed that she has learned a phenomenal amount throughout her time as a waitress. She mentioned that her favorite customer interactions are with people who encourage her “not to sweat the small” stuff and that waiting a few extra minutes is nothing worth worrying about. She is far more confident when approaching tables and has discovered that she is more social than she thought she was capable of. She cares deeply about her customers’ experience and truly desires that all people leave their tables with smiles on their faces, even when she doesn’t want to wake up and play waitress.
Josh Beaton, also a 17-year-old serving pizzas, highlighted a few different positives about his experience in the service industry. He emphasized that customer interactions were generally his favorite part of his job. Forming relationships with his customers made his job rewarding. He also mentioned his position was perfect for “meeting girls my age.” He likes the opportunities for social interaction even with difficult orders. He said that his negative customer situations have been few and far between for him. “I just go with the flow. I understand that people aren’t always polite. Everyone has bad days or irritable moments. I don’t let that define my attitude at work. I just try my best to roll with the punches and kill them with kindness. I like to think that I have the power to change their day. That in some way, I can make their day brighter and that they can mine.”
Beaton expressed that the uncomfortable pressure he faces at work frequently comes from management. He finds that among the hustle and bustle of keeping customers in the dining room pleased, the demands of management can be difficult to complete. He said that the tension in those circumstances is much more of a challenge for him than anything involving customers. Overall, Josh believes that he doesn’t have too much to complain about. “I mean, it’s no dream job, but it will do for now. I wish there was a more consistent wage but this is only a steppingstone for me. I am not going to be a ‘lifer’ serving pizza.”
The demands of servers are endless. The demands of life are endless. Regardless of which side of the counter you stand, remember that people generally do the best they can.
