Dealing with people on a regular basis. Most are easy to deal with. But some times you get those that really get to you. I have been working in a deli for about 2 1/2 years. It is a very fast paced job. I haven’t worked for years then landed a temp job for a department store. That was just seasonal. When that job was over, I applied for other work. Got a call for interview a week later. At first i was a lost sole. There was so many things to learn and do. But most of it was taking care of the customers. People have a preference to what they like, and sometimes they can be very choosy. If any one knows what a deli is like on weekends, how busy it is, then they know where I’m coming from. I had training for 1 week to learn how to slice meats and cheeses. My probation was 30 days. 2 weeks into the job i cut my right middle finger. I didn’t know I did until I felt the pain a few seconds later. Then the blood!! It wouldn’t stop bleeding for nearly an hour. I had to go see the Store Director to tell him what happened. I said it was an accident. He said ‘THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS’. What happened was I was slicing some Vienna corned beef when it started to slide off the slicer, out of natural instinct, I grabbed for it. BAD MOVE! well, I had gotten 3 days off to heal, added on to my 2 days off already. I had cut myself a few times since but just from cleaning the slicer. It’s a pain you don’t forget.
I was living with my mother for a brief period looking for work, so I started working by her house. I had transfered to where I live now and work. Been at this store going on 2 years this July. I work with some nice people (most of the time). We have 3 men working with us at the moment. Sometimes you lose workers due to attendance or quitting. If you can’t handle the heat get out of the Kitchen! Once and a while you get someone new that makes you laugh. We have fun at times working. Some of the conversations are out of this world. If you cant relax in your work environment, you cant make the job easy. There is a lot of stress associated with the work. People think you just slice all day.Let me tell you, thats nonsense. I been working mainly the evening hours, closing. We have 2 fryers, 2 ovens, chicken warmer, Rotisserie warmer, 3 slicers, not counting the meats, cheeses, salads, phone orders, dishes, floors and so forth. We try to get things done in a timely matter, but sometimes you get behind the eight ball. When your shorthanded, it can be a bit much. I would come home exhausted from there. In the first year and a half, I would go home and nap. Now I go home weary and hurting. A lot of walking is involved so the legs don’t always hold up. Not counting the bruises, burns, cuts, tripping over things, wet floor.
I have some stories to tell, but will have to save that for another time.