Random Blog of What Happened At Work
I have been working at the same place for 3 years already and a lot of funny/stupid stuff happens. I decided to record it here. I will not be stating specifically where I work, but if you really felt like finding out, it would not be too hard. There are many good stories missing from here either because they are overly specific or I forgot them by the time I update this log.
The summary: Rain + Weather Reliant Job + Weak Economy + Over-Hiring + No Car = Bad
[7/?/09] [7/?/09] [7/20/09]I was on again. I have been able to get four long shifts in a row, although my next two will probably be rained out so this week's paycheck will be under $100.
[7/19/09]I was finally on. Today, I had to explain that $2 + $0.50 + $0.50 = $3, and not $4 several times to some foreigners. Encountered several other people who spoke no English and needed their friends to translate. This was the busiest day this year so far and somehow private areas we rent out got oversold, probably because poeple do not know the meaning of a "reservation date.".
[7/18/09]Today, I was off by $4 on my cashout. I also found out that many people do not know that rental tubes are not required in the park.
[7/17/09]There was a tourist bus that came today. Two girls who apparently spoke little to no English came up to me wanting four rental tubes, held up four fingers, and said "ffffffour." I help up five fingers and said "five dollars down by the entrance" and pointed in the proper direction. They had blank looks on their faces so I took out some cash I had on my pointed to it and then in the proper direction. They still had no idea. Thinking they were messing with me, I asked "English?" and they responded "no." After pointing to where they needed to go for a few minutes they left. I also met some people who jokingly wanted to become firnds so that I would give them free tubes but after reusing for ma couple of mminutes they left and each time they would pass by that day they would say "hey [my name]!" I finally got a decent shift in that day though.
[7/12/09]Turnstiles broke down today. Yay crappy technology! A guy who had surgery wanted to get in for free, but due to corporate policy we needed a ticket for him and he screamed at me as if I could do something about it, then requested a supervisor. A supervisor gave him a consession/free ticket. Then I was sent to a different posistion. People are really picky about tubes. I give them ones that are filled up and firm. They request harder ones. They must be trying to make up for something. Then I give them ones that are overfilled, and they come back with them 10 cminutes later because they burst when they got in them. A lot of these were for 10 year old kids weighing 120 pounds. The only ones who need ones that are filled up to the max are poeple over 250 lbs. Then at the end of the day kids started collecting like 20 tubes each to make money off the deposits, not knowing that reciepts are required for that many. I have gone insane working there and have lost the ability to count.
[7/11/09]Corportate came today. I did not see them. No notable events today.
[7/10/09]Well, this was the busiest day do far this year. They sent home everyone except 3 people from the team I was on. They had more managers and upper level employees than entry level employees. They forgot that I needed a break so then they improvised and shifted one of the other two employees to my position, and I got a break. By this time, all the employee food places were closed. Something happened with an exployee causing a need for a cop to get involved. The schedule for next week was not done, and the schedules in genral are messed up. Last week's paycheck was less than 2/3 of what it would be in a decent year.
[7/06/09]I got decent hours. Nothing exciting happened.
[7/05/09]Total blank. Must have been a typical eventless day.
[7/04/09]Today some peple went down a one way road after I told them several times that it is one way and they had to go a different way to get where they wanted. Then someone drove up and asked if there was another amusment park by the same name. I explained we were the only one in the state but there was an unrelated one by a very similar one in a different state. There was also a similar type of park by a totally different name, but that one and the one I work at were the only ones in the state. They then stood by in their gas guzzling SUV for a half hour calling someone to try and find out where they were supposed to be. Then a coworker drove up and they asked him the same thing, and he gave them the same exact answer. Then they asked him to write out the name on a paper. After 15 more minutes they drove away, but by the time they would get to anywhere else, everything would be closed.
[7/03/09]Another typical day. For the last month there have been thunderstorms or rain (which should explain why I have not had much work). Today, despite thunderstorms being predicted, the full staff were called in. After two or three hours, almost all the staff were sent home. Luckily I was kept for about five hours, although the position I had that day was not the greatest.
[6/27/09]Today the lifeguards were being tested by having dummy babies thrown in the area they are supposed to be guarding. After it was saved, the person throwing it was preparing/hiding the baby for the next area and from certain angles it looked like he was drowning a real child. As some young kids were walking by, they said "omg" thinking he was really drowning a kid until they walked further and realized that it was fake. Then I got sent home early because one eprson needed to get sent home and the two other people were carpooling and wanted to be released at the same time (even though they were there 2.5 hours more than me already). Nothing really exciting/noteworthy happened today either. It has been relatively peaceful and boring compared to last year, probably because fewer people have been coming (because of the weather and the weak economy).
[6/26/09]We had to shut down for half an hour due to a weather advisory for thunderstorms and evacuate the guests. When we started letting people back in someone started screaming at me asking what was going on. I told her I was told to let poeple back in and to go see a manager for more information. Nothing very exciting today.
Pre-SeasonAt the start of the year, former employees are called back and offered a chance to choose their position (if it is available). For the last two years, I have been trying to get a better posistion. The first year I circled the choice a couple of times thinking they would get the hint that I wanted it. I did not get it. I always though it was because it was a requirement to be 18+. This year, I circled that same position about 10 times and drew arrows pointing to it to emphasize it even more. When I came in to return some paperwork a few monthds alter, I asked what position I had that year. "You wanted to be [position]? We didn't know that." So I still have the same position I had last year. The real kicker: they hired 15 of that poostion this year (compared to 8 last year), mostly totally new people, and last year, there were people under 18 who had it.