Minute Minds

(I work at a very popular American breakfast food restaurant. I take public transit to work, but one Sunday morning I find out the hard way that the Skytrain does not start running until 7:30 am. I was booked to start at six, so, needless to say, I was late.)

Manager: “I know you take public transit, but you have to time it so you can be here on time. We can’t afford to have you always showing up late because of transit.”

Me: “Okay, no problem. I’ll just consistently be here 30 minutes early.”

(A week later…)

Manager: “No staff can be here more than ten minutes before their shift. The staff room is too small, and it is distracting for the kitchen staff to have others hanging around.”

Me: “So, do you want me to take the earlier bus still?”

Manager: “Yes.”

Me: “But you don’t want me here more than ten minutes early?”

Manager: “Yes”

Me: “Even though my bus comes every half an hour, so taking the earlier bus means I will be here 30 minutes early?”

Manager: “Not my problem. You need to deal with it!”

(I ‘quit’ soon after that. And by ‘quit,’ I mean they stopped giving me hours but kept my name on the schedule. However, the turnover rate was so high that by the time I had been working there for two months, I was the senior hostess.)