Job Memo

For the past couple of months, I worked at the local sandwich shop Tutor and Spunky’s Deli. At around 11:30 every day, I walked into the sandwich shop with my apron on, ready to serve customers. Sandwich making seems like a menial task. What was so special about working at this business? Even though this was just a summer job, it still helped me strengthen important life values such as perfection and perseverance. There were three tasks I did at the deli that helped me develop better work skills that could be applicable to any job I become part of in the future:

• Sandwich maker
• Cashier
• Drink stocker

Sandwich maker:

After parking every day, I clocked in, washed my hands and immediately started taking tickets. I would start by reading what the person wanted. I did not need to check the menus at our work stations for a few sandwiches because customers ordered them frequently. For example, our most popular sandwich’s main ingredients were turkey, provolone, avocado, and bacon. Once I read the name “Rosa’s Best” on the ticket, I immediately searched for the squaw bread (because that just so happened to be the most popular bread choice) and began making it. Other times, I would check these menus, and my OCD kicked in. I would read what the main ingredients of the sandwich were and then check back a couple of times to ensure I read everything.

Because this was a local sandwich shop, customers had a higher expectation level for the quality of their sandwich compared to if this was a chain restaurant. For example, I intricately spread mayonnaise and avocado on the bread even though the situation wasn’t too important. When I had to add tuna or toast the bread, I would constantly ask other experienced workers if I had put enough tuna or if the bread was hot enough. After I finished putting the last toppings, I would read the ticket again and check every inch of the sandwich to make sure that I put everything.

Even though I worked at a simple sandwich shop, I treated it as if I worked at a high-ranking company. After wrapping the sandwich, I cleaned my knives and grabbed another ticket to start the process again. Occasionally, I found some time in between to rest before the next order or take phone orders. I would find small chances to improve my communication skills whenever I picked up the phone since I directly interacted with the customer.

Cashier:

However, I found the most practice with my communication skills when I was a cashier for a few moments. I had the most “therapeutic” times when I took orders as opposed to making them. I applied the tactics that I picked up from cashiers when ordering a double-double at In-n-Out. After writing down the customer’s order, I would go over it again in a timely manner, speeding through most of the order but clearly articulating specific factors of it.

If the customer ordered chips or drinks, I would ask the other workers which specific brand fit under which category. I felt fine doing this because it rarely happened, so I did not have time to memorize which brand fit into which category. While I would still check back on the screen to make sure I entered everything they wanted, I didn’t feel as pressured as I felt when making sandwiches. I found it easier to select each section and ensure that I entered everything part of their order. If the customer paid in cash, I made sure that I gave them the exact change. I certainly made sure to check a few times because I knew that I needed to handle the business’ money well.

The final satisfying part of the position came when I would stamp the ticket and tape it to one of the work stations. The satisfaction of stamping the ticket was like that of pulling a receipt from the receipt printer at the self-checkout line. I never found myself stressed as a cashier, even during rush hours, because everything happened at a consistent pace. Not as many factors of the job rested on my shoulders, as I simply talked with the customers and ensured that their ticket was accurate. I would have some minor halts in the pace when customers ordered iced tea because cashiers had to serve the iced tea to the customers since they could do this the quickest out of all the workers.

Drink stocker:

While I poured the iced tea for the customers as a cashier, I handled the rest of the drinks as a stocker. I usually worked in this position when the rush of people died down later in the afternoon. If I found myself with no tickets, I took off my gloves, went to the drink coolers, and counted how many bottles I needed for one rack. I could usually count for an entire row of bottles if they were all the same drink. Even if the row had different drinks, I somehow did not have to check again as much as I did as a sandwich maker or a cashier. I just constantly repeated what I needed in my head and could get the appropriate number of bottles needed as if I were trying to memorize important information for a test.

Even though I considered cashier the most “therapeutic” overall, drink stocker had a job with the most rest time. When we had a shortage of bottles, I had to go to the storage room to get more. I walked to the storage room at a brisk pace because this part of the job wasn’t time-sensitive. I could take my time so that I completed my task better instead of faster.

Grammar Stats:

Readability

Flesch Reading Ease: 63.5

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.2

Passive Sentences: 0.0%