The First Day

DISCLAIMER: If you really like eating at Dairy Queen, like, on a regular basis, I'm going to tell you in advance some of the things I complain about might make you not want to eat there.  However, if you only go there maybe a few times every summer, don't worry about it, you won't die.  But some things might disenchant, so I'm just forewarning.

I was about to start my first day of work.  Jessica told me I was going to probably hate it, but that it would be alright.  I wasn't entirely sure what this meant, but my mother lectured me on the fact that I would only get out of it what I put into it so I tried to maintain the best possible attitude that I could.

I arrived at work the first day, clad in khakis and wondering what exactly I was getting myself into. I had to sit in a booth by myself for 10 minutes while my boss tried to get "organized." (Which, I've come to find, is no small feat.)  He then brings me back, gives me the classy DQ polos and visor, and I changed into my work clothes.  Not that I expected to start right away, but then I got the absolute JOY of watching "instructional videos."

Now, some people might not understand my sarcasm when I say that I watched instructional videos, because you'd THINK that videos with instructions would be helpful.  In theory, it is a great idea.  But only in theory.  I sat there for the first two hours of my work day, watching these videos in the front of the store by where the customers come in on how to make ice cream treats and keep track of things on log sheets, and make burgers.  These all would be helpful except:
1) Making ice cream treats is impossible to learn unless you are actually making them. 2) We don't even use log sheets. and 3) we don't even have burgers at our dairy queen location.

So, after watching these excess videos, my boss taught me how to use a mop, and how to use a vacuum cleaner.  Yes, I had to be taught, because apparently a lot of people don't know how to use a mop or a vacuum cleaner. How does this happen to our society?
I also really liked the moment where the one worker told me I didn't need to wash my hands before making anything because I wasn't going to touch anything the customers were actually eating.  Not to mention they don't even have soap at almost any of the sinks with which I could even wash my hands with anyways.

I only ended up actually working about 1.5 hours on my first shift, and I learned very little about anything, and very little happened.  I mostly felt like a burden to everyone.  It was the oddest sensation: I felt utterly stupid because I didn't know how to do all the random things that someone is supposed to magically know how to do once you become a worker at DQ.  Yet, in all of this stupidity that I was experiencing, I also felt intelligent.  Too intelligent to be employed at this establishment.

I left the building at the end of my shift and headed out to my car.  I removed my visor and sighed.
This was going to become my summer, and it was only day one.