I'd like to begin this column with a little anecdote. Two days ago I went to the vending machines to pick up a delicious can of ginger ale. Upon my arrival, I saw a group of hungry youths attacking the candy machine. Apparently, it didn't give them the king size bag of Peanut M&Ms they requested. As they shook the machine, one of them recognized me and pointed out how I had described how evil those machines really were. I thanked them for reading the column and told them I wish they had followed my advice.
Then the soda machine stole my money. Stupid irony. So remember, don't use the machines!
Today, I have decided to write about college students. I think we'd all agree that college students are adults. Young adults, but adults nevertheless. So, we should see it as a sign of great disrespect when someone treats us as pushovers.
This brings me to the absolutely, spectacularly excellent service that we receive at the Eagle's Nest. Perhaps you've been to this fine overpriced establishment at 1:30 a.m. Perhaps you have been verbally assaulted by the angry late-night Subway woman when you asked for a meatball sub. Or you've been waiting in line while the person at the counter is talking loudly on the phone spouting off obscenities at a rapid rate.
Folks, no one else can get away with this. I also work in the service sector. I man the seafood counter at Whole Foods three or four nights a week. If I swear in the presence of a customer, I get terminated. If I talk on the phone instead of helping a customer, I get terminated. God forbid I use sass-mouth - I'd get terminated. Whole Foods is just as overpriced as the Eagle's Nest. What makes the customers I serve better than the customers they serve (us)? Clearly, we are being disrespected.
Of course, Whole Foods isn't a union shop. The Eagle's Nest, believe it or not, is. But to blame organized labor is totally shortsighted. I also worked a seafood counter on Cape Cod for three years. There, I was a proud member of the UFCW 328. I was an organized food handler and damn proud of it. It was worth the eight bucks a week in dues. However, if I swore in front of a customer, I would be terminated. I know someone who was terminated for taking a personal phone call instead of helping a customer.
And this kid wasn't even working a counter; he was a stock boy. The grocery store where I worked, Stop and Shop, wasn't nearly as classy as Whole Foods. Yet the customers demanded the same treatment. Why don't we?
By getting treated in such an offensive manner and not doing anything about it, we are sacrificing our dignity! We are just as good as anyone else over the age of 25. We do our shopping. We get our subs, just like anyone else. Why do we accept such intolerable behavior?
Of course, what are we going to do about it? We depend on the Eagle's Nest.
Who will listen to our complaints if we tell a cashier to get off the phone and they refuse? Hopefully, this column will be read by whoever is in charge of the service sector here at AU. Seriously, we pay $35,000 a year and deserve better.
