New job at McDonald's, don't like it.... (letters, employment, references)

[the city]

I am coming close to the end of my first week at McDonald's. I am asking for Saturday off since I made plans to attend a friend's party weeks in advance and I also can't work there any longer because of stress and the feeling of being looked down on. Its not for me. I work with all girls, some who can barely speak English, and yeah. I plan to give them at least a couple days notice. How do you think it will go? I heard they have had people leave before after not being able to take it. And I know other people have wanted the job. And its an at will employment, and I would have liked to give them a 2 wk notice. But i cant go another week there!

[jobaba]

What do you do and how much do you make?

Fast food seems like tough work for a small paycheck and little room for advancement to me.

Maybe consider what you want to do in the future and keep working there?

[TRC2k11]

Think a little more about the $ in your pocket and a little less about what people think about you and you'll do better in the work environment.

[LeisureMan]

I say think of the discounted meals you would probably otherwise pay full price for working someplace else!!

Seriously, though, your problem probably has a lot to do with a clique-ish atmosphere where you being about the only dude there and a single language speaker, at that.

You stick it out, it'll get rougher, but you will probably earn their respect (or at least subservience when you make shift lead), or you can quit, gain nothing about character from the experience, and no doubt encounter this issue in the future in some other job.

You will find that no amount of money will console you for not being treated fairly. The difference between accepting that is whether you are mature enough to know when a line has been crossed legitimately and when you want to quit simply because sand gets kicked in your face.

[dogma533]

Hang in there! I had a fixed term seasonal job for a three month contract at the start of the year. For the first two weeks, it was so stressful. In the end, I loved every minute of it and I can't express how grateful I am for that position, as it allowed me to save money to go overseas and gave me some experience with references. I would say give it at least six weeks till you certainly know what to do.

[nj21]

I think that you shouldn't really let what other's think of you have an effect on where you work. You have to do what you have to do.

I currently work as a temp and some people look down on me because of that or make certain rude remarks. Who cares!? I'm getting a paycheck and doing what I have to do in order to survive.

You're at an advantage because I am sure you are getting benefits with your job! Just do what you have to do and gain the customer service experience (which is beneficial in nearly any role) then move on to the next think when it comes up.

[brocco]

if you don't need a good reference from them and you have better options (and i hope you do if you are a college student who can write and write decently), i would just leave. did it take you a long time to find any sort of employment?

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Some years back, out of desperation, I applied for a fast food job. It wasn't McDs or BK or Wendy's or any of the major chains but it was still fast food.

The very first hurdle I had to get over was the, "why would you want to work here?" question. At the time, I was so desperate for work, I told them just that. "I really, really need a job. Please, don't turn me away."

They took pity on me and hired me. I was relieved to have a job, it was full time, it paid better than my "better" part time job and I didn't have to sit on a bus for three hours out of my day just to work 18 or 20 hours a week. I was able to walk there.

The second hurdle was learning that fast food is not as easy as some people joke about it to be. I thought it would be a breeze...holy hell, it is not. Sure, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work in fast food but you damn well better be quick, you better be organized, you better be able to think ahead and you better be damn courteous through it all. I worked harder in that fast food joint than any other job I've ever had.

The third hurdle was getting over the way people looked down on me. A lot of people have the mindset that if you work in fast food, you're an idiot. Maybe that's true in some cases but where I worked, the majority were not idiots. Many of them were going to school and this was a job to put money in their pockets while they did. There were people like me, transitioning and just needing a job. And there were people like my managers. Those ladies were not stupid, they were very hard working, they got their hands dirty as well, did all the stuff anybody would do on their first day, didn't just sit in their office barking orders like some managers do in the corporate world...they saw something needed to be done, they got in there and did it.

I started out as cashier cause I didn't know squat about fast food. You would think that would be easy. "There's buttons to push, you don't even have to think". Yah, until someone complicates the order or decides they want something else instead...there is NO "back" button! When someone has to get the manager's card, it's not because they are idiots, it's because the system in place for fast food doesn't take in to account people changing their minds.

But boy would people huff and tap their feet and roll their eyes and look at you like you're a complete moron. That was hard to take.

I then went on to cashiering to the fry machine. What a damn nightmare that thing is. And then went on to the drive thru...let me tell some of you something: SPEAK CLEARLY. And if you have a loud engine, turn it the hell off while you talk in to the mic because all we could hear on the headset was your engine.

Where I worked was right off the freeway so it was constantly busy. Constantly. If we got a break, we were lucky. Oftentimes, I would get a quick 3 minutes to go have a smoke and then, back at it. Fifteen minutes every two or two and a half hours? LOL!!!!!! Lunch break? LMFAO!!!! No! That didn't happen. It was way too busy.

When it's constantly busy, mistakes are bound to happen. It does not mean that everyone working in fast food is dumb. It's a fricken nightmare if you work in one that is extremely busy, constantly.

I would go home exhausted and beat up, emotionally, from the attitudes of some of the patrons as well as the actual work that was required.

After awhile though, I realized, "I don't give a flip what these people think. I'm not here to impress them, I'm here to work. They aren't paying my bills, they aren't paying my way through life, and sometimes, you do what you have to do to make it. So to hell with what they think."

And man did it get easier, emotionally, after that.

Of course, not all patrons were jerks. I even had some patrons write letters to my boss about my exemplary customer service. I would have them giving me things they liked me so much. So not all patrons are rude aholes.

In the end, I was ready to move on, (to another state, where I was located at the time was a pit stop on my cross country move), but not before I gave a good notice and wrote the two managers a lengthy "thank you" letter. I was so impressed on how they handled things. I was impressed that they didn't judge, they gave me a chance even though I was used to being paid better in professional jobs, they trained me, they had patience with all, even when arguments broke out, they were level headed, they worked hard, to ensure that the restaurant ran as smoothly as possible. They didn't have to. They could have sat in their office and blamed the workers but they didn't. They rolled up their sleeves and worked hard, right alongside us. It was a great moral booster and I think corporate America can learn a thing or two from them.

I only worked there six months but to this day, this is the BEST reference I get from any place I have ever worked.

I said all that to say this: I've been there. I KNOW! Believe me, I know. Advice is stick it out. Stop giving a damn what some snobs in this world think. You are there to make money. You will learn a lot if you stick around, not necessarily about McDs but about people in general and that will benefit you as you move on in life. It will also make you a better worker elsewhere.

[ashleybryant87]

They will be okay with it. The fast food business has high turnover rates, so they are prepared for people quitting early on. Just make sure you give them notice, I'd say at least a week. Tell them you found a new job or something to that effect and thank them for the opportunity.

By the way, I feel your pain. Fast food jobs are the pits and it's even worse when you're surrounded by people who barely speak English. It's ridiculous how those people make us feel like the odd ones out in our own country!

[andywire]

I don't often eat fast food, but when I do, I notice something... Those people work! I see young people my age working there, and I feel bad. I know they could be doing better, but ya take what you can get. There is upward potential in a job like that though. Managers can make $15/hr and up, and go through a whole training program. A friend of mine's cousin went that route and is pretty happy with it.

And those jobs do require a great deal of organizational skills, focus, quick thought processes. I think it takes a little time to really develop a rhythm for it. And yes, I do think it's terribly underpaying. None the less, it's not a bad job for developing those organization skills I imagine, and that is something you can use on any job.