ENGL000: Pre-College English

Over the years, I have had a number of jobs I enjoyed, but they have all had one major drawback or another. My first job was babysitting my cousin and though it was fun playing with him, I made very little money. Another job I liked was the news paper route I had the summer when I was fifteen. It was really nice being outdoors on my bicycle and for the minimal hours of work, it was pretty good money; however, I had to start bundling my papers at four in the morning which was miserable when I didn't even have to get up for school. A third job I enjoyed was the month I spent office temping. The money was an impressive $10.00 an hour and the work was easy and pleasant sorting in a corporate mailroom. Unfortunately, all the coworkers seemed to have an attitude and really disliked me and the other employee from the temporary agency. I feel like I really found the perfect place to work in my current job at The Corner Store where the duties are easy, the people are wonderful, and the pay and benefits are awesome.

First of all, the work at The Corner Store is really easy. The bulk of what I do is cashing out customers. The store is rarely busy and most customers don't buy more than five or six items, so it never takes long ringing anyone up. I also have to make fresh coffee every two hours or when it runs out. This task takes about five minutes and is incredibly simple with the premeasured filter pouches we use. In addition, on occasion, I have to stock the shelves. This doesn't happen too often seeing as the truck comes at night after my shift ends, and usually the night staff refills the shelves. However, every once in a while, there are a couple boxes they didn't get finished or a specific candy bar or type of soda runs out early in the day and I need to rummage through back-stock to refill it. The best part about the light workload is that it results in at least an hour or more of free time most shifts which is great because I can use that time to study for my classes. Easy work that leaves me time to study keeps my job from being stressful.

Even better than the easy work is the great people I work with. For one thing my coworkers are incredibly considerate and helpful. For example, last month, I needed a day off to attend a field trip to the art museum with my art history class, and my coworker Mohamed took my shift for me. Also, just last week, my coworker, Katie, volunteered to stay late to finish the inventory I had been asked to do, so I could get home to study for a math test I had early the next morning. Second of all, my boss Alicia always does really nice things for the employees. For instance, on our birthdays, she always gets us a ten dollar gift card. In addition once every month or two, when business is slow, she orders pizza for everyone. I think my favorite thing about Alicia is that she always has a smile on her face, and she always thanks us for our work. Working with nice people makes the job so much more pleasant.

Best of all, my job at The Corner Store has awesome pay and benefits. For one thing, the pay is great. I make $12 an hour ($3 above minimum wage in my area). I also get free fountain drinks during my shift which saves me money on beverages. In addition, my schedule is perfect. I get a consistent thirty-two hours a week and Alicia is really good about adjusting it to work around my classes each semester. For example, when I saw that the engineering class I need was only offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 (when I usually start my shift at 1 or 2), Alicia said it was no problem to come in for a short two-hour shift in the mornings and then a four hour shift at 6 on those days, so I could still get in my six hours for the day. Her great scheduling results in enough income to pay my bills and enough time to sleep, get my school work done, and even still hang out with my friends for at least a few hours a week. Good pay, benefits, and a perfect schedule are ideal for me as I balance being a student with having a job. 

With easy slow-paced work, great people, and pay and benefits that work really well for my circumstances, I am very grateful to work at The Corner Store. I don't plan to work in retail for my whole life, but while I am in college, my job at The Corner Store is really perfect for me.

I really love my job at The Corner Store for many reasons. For one thing, the work is easy. The bulk of what I do is cashing out customers at the register, making sure there is fresh coffee, and occasionally stocking shelves. None of these tasks is at all stressful and the store is usually not very busy, so there is a lot of free time I can use to do homework. Second of all, I work with really great people. My coworkers are all incredibly considerate and helpful. For example, last month, I needed a day off to attend a field trip to the art museum with my art history class, and my coworker, Mohamed, took my shift for me. Also, just last week, my coworker, Katie, volunteered to stay late and finish the inventory I had been asked to do, so I could get home to study for a math test I had early the next morning. In addition, my boss Alicia always does really nice things for all us employees. For instance, on our birthdays, she always gets us a ten dollar gift card.  Also, once every month or two, when business is slow, she orders a pizza for everyone. The final reason I really love my job at The Corner Store is the awesome pay and benefits. I make $12 an hour ($3 above minimum wage in my area) and I get free fountain drinks during my shift.  In addition, my schedule is perfect. I get a consistent thirty-two hours a week and Alicia is really good about adjusting them to work around my classes each semester. This results in enough income to pay my bills and enough time to sleep, get my school work done, and even still hang out with my friends for at least a few hours a week. I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful job with great work, people, and benefits.