Since my previous blog post about our 11th grader's first part time job as a restaurant busboy--that same restaurant was recently mentioned in a local paper with its Health Food score an F! His first job is frequent fodder for our family dinner table conversation.
In October when he had that job, we mentioned this job's shenanigans to a friend who has always been in the franchise business and he told our son about an acquaintance getting ready to open his own franchise restaurant and he could put in a good word. That is how our son got his 2nd job which started after Thanksgiving.
Our son is amazed at the contrast--there was good training, high expectations and a clear payday schedule. He is working at a place that is similar to a Five Guys where the order is taken by a cashier and then cooks make the food and then customers are called up to get it and then add their own fixings to their plate. So his duties rotate from cashier to refilling the drink dispensers to sweeping the floor, to asking customers if they need anything. I knew he would like to work like I did when I was his age because it helps to learn how to make conversation with all kinds of people.
On his first payday he didn't even ask his boss about the pay--when he walked in his boss immediately gave it to him. Together we have opened a "teen" checking account so now he has direct deposit and his acct is linked to mine so I see it and he has a debit card. Talking to the bank associates was a good experience for him too. Right now his mind is filled with what kind of jobs people have and how did they end up where they are.
But there was one incident that happened in the parking lot outside his new job. The restaurant is in a newly renovated strip center that is looks 100% better than it did a year ago with some good anchor stores and new smaller stores. He drives to work in an old Toyota truck of ours that he gets to use for work and school. The workers tend to park at the opposite end of the lot, with their cars facing a busy road. The lot is not very big--nothing like a Home Depot or grocery store lot--it is much more narrow than that.
A couple of Sundays before Christmas he worked from 4 till 10:00 pm and when he got into his small truck he drove away and noticed it sounded loud and knew he had to tell his dad/Hubs as soon as he got home, which is a few miles away. But shortly another driver pointed to my son's car and said his tailpipe was dragging so our son pulled into a bank parking lot and called home and said something was wrong. Hubs grabbed his tool bag and went a mile down the road to meet him.
Soon they both came back and Hubs announced, "Thieves cut out the catalytic converter from under his truck."
This happened to a friend of mine a few years ago who had parked her Maxima in a large Home Depot lot all day.
All it takes is two minutes for a thief to slide under a car with a saw and cut in two places near the muffler and steal it. Here is why (pasted from Wikipedia):
Because of the external location and the use of valuable precious metals including platinum, palladium, rhodium,
and gold, converters are a target for thieves. The problem is
especially common among late-model trucks and SUVs, because of their
high ground clearance and easily removed bolt-on catalytic converters.
Welded-in converters are also at risk of theft, as they can be easily
removed with a reciprocating saw.
Theft removal of the converter can often inadvertently damage the car's
wiring or fuel line resulting in dangerous consequences. Rises in metal
costs in the U.S. during recent years have led to a large increase in
theft incidents of the converter, which can then cost well over $1,000 to replace.
It is amazing that someone risks jail time for an item for which they get about $40 from a scrap metal place--and those people who pay for these are as bad as the thieves. Fortunately for this vehicle a refurbished part cost $75 and then after labor the total was around $200 so not the thousands it would cost for other vehicles.
Our son called his boss and told him just as a heads up to tell the property rental company. Police drive by occasionally. Anyway, our son parks closer to the store now. Something worse happening in this town we live in has me nervous.
A few weeks before Christmas, Hubs said outloud, "Well I wonder what house item will fall apart/break this year as it is always something this time of year." He didn't have to wonder long, as I swear the next day it happened. It has been a stressful, bummer, downish winter.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Some Sagas of our Teen's First Part Time Jobs--Part 1
This past October our oldest son in 11th grade got his first job--as a busboy in a restaurant near home. I got my first job at the same exact age and I really liked the experience and learned a lot about the public--I knew he would feel the same way. I had no idea that his job(s)n would lead to such conversation pieces and drama at our household!
First it seems that to get a p/t job it is "Who you know" just as much as a grown up trying to get a job these days. A friend of my sons started working there as his sister was a waitress there so the friend put in a word for my son. The hours were really bad: every Fri, Sat and Sunday night. But the worst part is he worked for weeks without a paycheck. As a busboy on Sunday he would bring home cash as it is a % of what the wait staff made so he would have $100 cash, which we knew was pretty exciting to him but we reminded him he worked a lot of hours--like 24 for that $100. And where was the paycheck? He was supposed to get $2.00+ per hour as a base salary. I swear to you every week he asked the mgr and the owner (the wife) when he would see his paycheck. Turns out the rarely had a paycheck for the busboys. Which we found out later is why they quit every 6 weeks or so. After about 3.5 weeks he got his first paycheck. But then it was a hassle to try and get the second and last paycheck.
Once the wife distinctly told him that she would be there on a Monday as "they had run out of checks". They wrote checks by hand just like a home checking account. She was a no show. Then the following Saturday night he saw her at a table with husband and they had finished eating and he asked her when he would have a paycheck and she said, "Don't ask me about that while I am relaxing having dinner."
Seriously? Does this woman think that this 16 year old boy has no family? Does she not have a clue that he has a momma who loves him? I wanted to go there one night when she was there, approach the table and go all New Jersey Housewife Teresa Giudice on her. Either that or I did have fantasies for real of going to the restaurant and inform them I wasn't pleased and then approach every table and tell customers how the restaurant does not pay its employees!!!
Well, our son had reached his limit of this place not knowing how to hire enough busboys to give them more normal schedules or to pay them as they should so he quit after getting one paycheck but being owed another. The mgr assured our son that the last paycheck would be there a certain day and after going in it wasn't. Well, the next day Hubs and I moseyed on over there at about 5:30 pm. We asked the young hostess for the owners and then the mgr quickly came over. Hubs introduced himself and the mgr (who is older, much older than I thought) said, "Oh yes, he is such a good boy. He is my favorite." And Hubs said, "Well, then do the right thing by him and make sure he gets his check. You guys OWE HIM MONEY."
And then the next day or so our son went by and the check was ready. And the mgr said, "Be sure to tell your dad that you got your check." In all my years, I never thought that we would have to practically have a scene for our son to get his paycheck. And we really didn't have to and shouldn't have to. I think both Hubs and I were SO CURIOUS as to what kind of people cannot pay a 16 year old a check that only totaled about $65. The only thing this place has going for it is that it has a primo location at a pretty, outdoorsy shopping area (where Hubs and I needed to do an errand anyway).
So our son then had the month of November off and then right after Thanksgiving he started his second part time job and I know he felt different being able to tell the owner that he had prior experience.
Next up: there was an incident at this new job.
First it seems that to get a p/t job it is "Who you know" just as much as a grown up trying to get a job these days. A friend of my sons started working there as his sister was a waitress there so the friend put in a word for my son. The hours were really bad: every Fri, Sat and Sunday night. But the worst part is he worked for weeks without a paycheck. As a busboy on Sunday he would bring home cash as it is a % of what the wait staff made so he would have $100 cash, which we knew was pretty exciting to him but we reminded him he worked a lot of hours--like 24 for that $100. And where was the paycheck? He was supposed to get $2.00+ per hour as a base salary. I swear to you every week he asked the mgr and the owner (the wife) when he would see his paycheck. Turns out the rarely had a paycheck for the busboys. Which we found out later is why they quit every 6 weeks or so. After about 3.5 weeks he got his first paycheck. But then it was a hassle to try and get the second and last paycheck.
Once the wife distinctly told him that she would be there on a Monday as "they had run out of checks". They wrote checks by hand just like a home checking account. She was a no show. Then the following Saturday night he saw her at a table with husband and they had finished eating and he asked her when he would have a paycheck and she said, "Don't ask me about that while I am relaxing having dinner."
Seriously? Does this woman think that this 16 year old boy has no family? Does she not have a clue that he has a momma who loves him? I wanted to go there one night when she was there, approach the table and go all New Jersey Housewife Teresa Giudice on her. Either that or I did have fantasies for real of going to the restaurant and inform them I wasn't pleased and then approach every table and tell customers how the restaurant does not pay its employees!!!
Well, our son had reached his limit of this place not knowing how to hire enough busboys to give them more normal schedules or to pay them as they should so he quit after getting one paycheck but being owed another. The mgr assured our son that the last paycheck would be there a certain day and after going in it wasn't. Well, the next day Hubs and I moseyed on over there at about 5:30 pm. We asked the young hostess for the owners and then the mgr quickly came over. Hubs introduced himself and the mgr (who is older, much older than I thought) said, "Oh yes, he is such a good boy. He is my favorite." And Hubs said, "Well, then do the right thing by him and make sure he gets his check. You guys OWE HIM MONEY."
And then the next day or so our son went by and the check was ready. And the mgr said, "Be sure to tell your dad that you got your check." In all my years, I never thought that we would have to practically have a scene for our son to get his paycheck. And we really didn't have to and shouldn't have to. I think both Hubs and I were SO CURIOUS as to what kind of people cannot pay a 16 year old a check that only totaled about $65. The only thing this place has going for it is that it has a primo location at a pretty, outdoorsy shopping area (where Hubs and I needed to do an errand anyway).
So our son then had the month of November off and then right after Thanksgiving he started his second part time job and I know he felt different being able to tell the owner that he had prior experience.
Next up: there was an incident at this new job.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Traditions - Full Long Nights Month of December
It is back to the usual school routine today and I think our cat is happy to have some order again with a regular bedtime, early rise time for the boys and a window seat to watch the long winter's night turn into day.
I have just put in a load of my laundry (after a full day of boys' laundry) into the machine and my week's worth consisted of pajama bottoms, lounge pants, yoga pants, more pajama bottoms, about 13 pairs of bright, fuzzy socks, and a sweater from our one night out this month on a date.
It's been a month of keeping up a 16-year tradition, ending traditions and something new due to the sheer force of boys getting older, and an unwelcome tradition that I hope goes away.
In November, around the dinner table, we start to tell the boys that a visit to Santa at the mall is being planned. As usual.
My incentive is I treasure the photos. A negative aspect of me is that I don't take many photos of the boys. Or any of us. We got a cat in August and the shelter had asked if we could get a family photo and send it in and I wanted to but I never did.
The boys are highly motivated by new clothes at some of the stores, and food--they know our tradition is to get up and be at the mall one hour before Santa arrives so we are first in line, get the photo taken, see their mom and dad laugh and smile, then shop for clothes and a skate board and then have a yummy lunch together.
One of Oldest's friends had pictures taken of him for fun and put it on Facebook so maybe the boys don't think we are too crazy. We did notice the little kids in line after us were staring at the boys. Santa was wonderful as usual and I asked if this year we could take a photo of them standing rather than sitting and after that Santa chose this pose--he does a good job of lecturing them. We wondered if Middle son, who is now over 5'10" would be taller than Santa but right away Son said, "No, this is a tall Santa."
This was December 20th and it was my first official Vacation Day off work since the end of June. And not to cloud my post or my memory but the reality is that there were several work crisis's the day before (and all month) and I had to send emails at 7:30 am and check emails at lunch in the bathroom. And then make calls after we got at home. I am already planning a day off in January after things settle down.
(Santa 2011)
We still plan on coming back to do the Santa picture next year, as a tradition that started when Oldest was six months old. We didn't have decorated Christmas cookies made until the night of the 25th. We never drove around looking at houses lit up (but Hubs still puts old school colored lights on our house). We still get our tree from Home Depot on the last day of November. We still have our own Thanksgiving full-blown turkey meal the weekend after Thanksgiving to help us calm down from (this year's especially trying) Thanksgiving in Florida. We still have prime rib with candle light on Christmas Eve and ham and buffet foods on Christmas day, at home, in pajamas with the 5 of us.
(Santa 2010)
I have just put in a load of my laundry (after a full day of boys' laundry) into the machine and my week's worth consisted of pajama bottoms, lounge pants, yoga pants, more pajama bottoms, about 13 pairs of bright, fuzzy socks, and a sweater from our one night out this month on a date.
It's been a month of keeping up a 16-year tradition, ending traditions and something new due to the sheer force of boys getting older, and an unwelcome tradition that I hope goes away.
In November, around the dinner table, we start to tell the boys that a visit to Santa at the mall is being planned. As usual.
My incentive is I treasure the photos. A negative aspect of me is that I don't take many photos of the boys. Or any of us. We got a cat in August and the shelter had asked if we could get a family photo and send it in and I wanted to but I never did.
The boys are highly motivated by new clothes at some of the stores, and food--they know our tradition is to get up and be at the mall one hour before Santa arrives so we are first in line, get the photo taken, see their mom and dad laugh and smile, then shop for clothes and a skate board and then have a yummy lunch together.
One of Oldest's friends had pictures taken of him for fun and put it on Facebook so maybe the boys don't think we are too crazy. We did notice the little kids in line after us were staring at the boys. Santa was wonderful as usual and I asked if this year we could take a photo of them standing rather than sitting and after that Santa chose this pose--he does a good job of lecturing them. We wondered if Middle son, who is now over 5'10" would be taller than Santa but right away Son said, "No, this is a tall Santa."
This was December 20th and it was my first official Vacation Day off work since the end of June. And not to cloud my post or my memory but the reality is that there were several work crisis's the day before (and all month) and I had to send emails at 7:30 am and check emails at lunch in the bathroom. And then make calls after we got at home. I am already planning a day off in January after things settle down.
We still plan on coming back to do the Santa picture next year, as a tradition that started when Oldest was six months old. We didn't have decorated Christmas cookies made until the night of the 25th. We never drove around looking at houses lit up (but Hubs still puts old school colored lights on our house). We still get our tree from Home Depot on the last day of November. We still have our own Thanksgiving full-blown turkey meal the weekend after Thanksgiving to help us calm down from (this year's especially trying) Thanksgiving in Florida. We still have prime rib with candle light on Christmas Eve and ham and buffet foods on Christmas day, at home, in pajamas with the 5 of us.
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