My complaint is the playlist my favorite McDonald's has been playing the past few days...horrible, depressing, sappy ballads from the seventies...While studying my Japanese I nearly went insane listening to songs like these

-We've only just begun - Carpenters
-I'm sorry - John Denver
-Love will keep us together - Captain and Tenille

AND at an ear-splitting volume.

After an hour of this I was ready to go into the bathroom and commit seppuku to end my suffering.

In my country they usually tend to play some indie- soft-alternative-burger-hipster-tortilla rock instead which also used to get on my nerves. But I didn't study any Japanese not to mix up stupid stimulus with the interesting one and not to have some unexplained trauma regarding Japanese later,when I'll forget about McDonald's music.

(2015-11-30, 11:28 am)john555 Wrote: My complaint is the playlist my favorite McDonald's has been playing the past few days...horrible, depressing, sappy ballads from the seventies...While studying my Japanese I nearly went insane listening to songs like these

Wait, you mean I am not the only one to study Japanese at McDonalnds? I feel not so alone now.

I find the bigger problems are the customers.
The crazy homeless guy who rants to himself and plays the guitar... badly for hours
The Tamil guy [95%] sure who talks for 20 minutes on his phone. Badabadabada. He isn't doing anything wrong but I can't filter that out.
The old guy whispering as he reads. Again I don't know why but I can't filter that old.
Nutty old guy ranting to his wife about some grave injustice which isn't really an injustice, just one of many things he doesn't understand and makes him angry.
The hot chicks who get me very depressed about my life and make me feel like a loser because I have nothing better to do than study Japanese instead of having a life. Actually that is the worst one because the rest usually just end when they go away or I go away. I carry the latter with me long after they are gone.

Although I don't like sappy ballads being almost 50 I don't mind the other 70's and 80 music too much.

lol this is hilarious!

I used to exclusively study at my local McDonald's but there was only 1 song that played over and over The Ready Set - Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever)

btw, it lied. It is NOT the best song ever  

(2015-11-30, 11:28 am)john555 Wrote: After an hour of this I was ready to go into the bathroom and commit seppuku to end my suffering.

my exact feeling when this ONE song kept playing

Oh, and there is a group of 4 elderly men always there. Bf makes this joke that they are always plotting to rob a bank and have been doing this for 40+ years only to never fully go through with their plans lol. All they ever do is speak their language, eat oranges and steal packets of ketchup. They literally only by small coffees and just chit chatter nonstop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thIVtEOtlWM

I have to listen to this in order to expunge Karen Carpenter and John Denver from my brain.

Y'all are bringing back my trauma of working at Walmart... They have one -let me emphasize ONE- mix CD that played all day long... I was always grateful when the people allowed to enter that room left for the night and turned the damn thing off. It was all 'approved and appropriate' music for a Walmart store, which included a lot of (former) top-40 pop music with thinly veiled sexual innuendo; even the initially tolerable songs became sickening within a couple of days.
And it wasn't quiet...
Between that and the fact that employees aren't allowed to sit, it's no wonder Walmart employees tend to be unhappy.

As for studying woes; I can't get anything done at school, even though I have to spend ten hours there on some days. People are too loud, even in the library. If there's anyone around talking (almost always, outside of class), it distracts me from what I'm doing, as I'm a habitual people observer (don't speak secrets within earshot of me; I've heard some pretty embarrassing things that weren't meant for my ears; good thing I don't talk to people enough to be a gossip).
There have been a few times (including yesterday) where I had to undo a whole bunch of Anki reviews when I realized I'd just been absentmindedly clicking through them.

I recommend libraries, but to each their own.

Also, I'll just leave this link here:
https://archive.org/details/attentionkmartshoppers

Yes, it's a library of KMart background music from the 80s and 90s.

(2015-12-01, 8:21 pm)sholum Wrote: As for studying woes; I can't get anything done at school, even though I have to spend ten hours there on some days. People are too loud, even in the library. If there's anyone around talking (almost always, outside of class), it distracts me from what I'm doing, as I'm a habitual people observer (don't speak secrets within earshot of me; I've heard some pretty embarrassing things that weren't meant for my ears; good thing I don't talk to people enough to be a gossip).

I'm totally like this too.  I've found that being in a place where there are many people talking is much better than when only one or two people are talking.  It just turns into a cacophony and it's much easier to tune out.  That, and sitting with my back to the action has made it much easier to focus on what I'm doing.

It reminds me of a life pro tip I'll share.  When I used to go out on dates, I'd purposely sit on the side of the table facing the wall so I wouldn't get distracted from the conversation with my date.  To this day, I do this with my wife when we go out to dinner and I've still never heard a "you were just looking at her weren't you...?" from her yet.

Another thing to try for background "noise," but you won't overhear any secrets:
https://coffitivity.com/

I've used it before, it's pretty good for that "coffee house vibe" without having to go to one. Also has a diner mode, I think.

Didn't feel like making a new thread and the title fits so I'm going to rant here.

Though it is not about bad music/background noise, I will complain that I recently got a new job that I hate. Then again, I've hated pretty much every job I've ever had and I'm a serial job hopper. All food industry related. This one is with a new startup restaurant where my so called bosses have never worked a day in the industry.

I get hired with the position as a cashier but never touch the register expect to clock in and out but work as food runner and busser instead. In fact, no one touches the register except management during store hours. Assistant manager has proclaimed himself as main register...we have 2 registers but refuses to let anyone open the 2nd one. This is ridic baka especially during rush hours.

There is so much more I can say but I will narrow it down to the worst list:

• no bottle cap opener but they have a random shaved ice machine (restaurant doesn't serve shaved ice)
  
• they convince people that a 12 hour shift is normal and justify it by giving them a 2 hour break (I'm assuming they don't give OT past 8 hr which is illegal, don't know for sure)
  
• beer in served in clear plastic cups about the same size as the party red cups with prices of beer ranging from $3.50-$4.95 per cup
  
• management is not open to suggestions from staff, place has only been opened since Monday and I was told that they convinced the silent partner to start actively look for a second location which baffles me cuz they can't even get orders ready in a reasonable time. I swear the avg wait time for customers has been 30 minutes if not more.
  
• speaking of beer, I saw the manager today drinking beer on the job! he's never on the floor but acts as one of the cooks! This was when I went to the kitchen to have him open the glass coke bottle because we had no opener. He opens it with a butter knife...
  

TD;LR: I hate my job and I just started.

I want to be clear that I don't intend to make a career job in the food service industry. They're just part time jobs until I get my degree for my intended career choice.

I'm also not really seeking advice but any would be appreciated. Maybe someone else in the koohii community has something to rant about too. Tbh, reading the forums here this week has been the only thing that makes me feel a bit better after a shitty day at work so 皆さん、ありがとうございます！m(_ _)m

is this in Japan?

No. Good ol' U.S.A.

(2016-06-17, 12:25 am)RawrPk Wrote: There is so much more I can say but I will narrow it down to the worst list:

• no bottle cap opener but they have a random shaved ice machine (restaurant doesn't serve shaved ice)
  
• they convince people that a 12 hour shift is normal and justify it by giving them a 2 hour break (I'm assuming they don't give OT past 8 hr which is illegal, don't know for sure)
  
• beer in served in clear plastic cups about the same size as the party red cups with prices of beer ranging from $3.50-$4.95 per cup
  
• management is not open to suggestions from staff, place has only been opened since Monday and I was told that they convinced the silent partner to start actively look for a second location which baffles me cuz they can't even get orders ready in a reasonable time. I swear the avg wait time for customers has been 30 minutes if not more.
  
• speaking of beer, I saw the manager today drinking beer on the job! he's never on the floor but acts as one of the cooks! This was when I went to the kitchen to have him open the glass coke bottle because we had no opener. He opens it with a butter knife...
  

Hmmm. So, actually, overtime is only legally required for more than 40 hours per week. Long shifts or split shifts are perfectly allowable, and reasonably common in food service. You are required to be given 'the opportunity' for a 30 minute unpaid break for any given shift that is more than 6 hours long. Many food service establishments ignore that completely, and of course nobody insists on it because making waves is not going to improve your own position. (Many highly corporate establishments also force you to take a 30 minute unpaid break, because if you're forced to take a break you can't ever claim that you weren't given 'the opportunity' for a break.)

It's not illegal to drink on the job, and in many food service establishments it's not even particularly worried about. I've even been given beers on the house plenty of times... -however-, if this drinking is occurring in the middle of service that's a worrisome sign. Especially for someone who's cooking. (Drinking while working with knives and fire isn't the best idea in the world). Having a drink or two in the last hour of service or after service during cleanup... pretty normal. Having drinks throughout the day... pretty scary.

For some practical advice - you can open a bottlecap by putting the edge of the cap on any hard corner (such as a metal rack or counter) and giving the opposite side of the bottlecap a good whack with your fist; or by wedging the cap into a wire shelving rack so that one edge of the bottlecap is over one wire and the other edge is under another wire, and then give it a yank towards the lower wire and the cap will pop off.

That said, I wouldn't stay there anyway if I were you. There's nothing wrong with being a food-runner/busser per se, but ... well, the establishment where I work, that's a gateway to become waitstaff or a bartender. We don't, however, have a 'cashier' postion at all, waitstaff handle the checks. Being a food-runner at the kind of place that has the customers come pay at the register is probably a dead-end, so if you don't like it now... it's probably not going to get better. Not to say you should walk out tomorrow, but it wouldn't hurt to fill out applications for likely looking places.

(2016-06-17, 1:08 am)RawrPk Wrote: No. Good ol' U.S.A.

ah, I see... so this sort of things are common everywhere. even here in Italy, it happens a lot :/
I hope you'll find somehing better soon!

(2016-06-17, 1:23 am)SomeCallMeChris Wrote:

(2016-06-17, 12:25 am)RawrPk Wrote: There is so much more I can say but I will narrow it down to the worst list:

• no bottle cap opener but they have a random shaved ice machine (restaurant doesn't serve shaved ice)
  
• they convince people that a 12 hour shift is normal and justify it by giving them a 2 hour break (I'm assuming they don't give OT past 8 hr which is illegal, don't know for sure)
  
• beer in served in clear plastic cups about the same size as the party red cups with prices of beer ranging from $3.50-$4.95 per cup
  
• management is not open to suggestions from staff, place has only been opened since Monday and I was told that they convinced the silent partner to start actively look for a second location which baffles me cuz they can't even get orders ready in a reasonable time. I swear the avg wait time for customers has been 30 minutes if not more.
  
• speaking of beer, I saw the manager today drinking beer on the job! he's never on the floor but acts as one of the cooks! This was when I went to the kitchen to have him open the glass coke bottle because we had no opener. He opens it with a butter knife...
  

Hmmm. So, actually, overtime is only legally required for more than 40 hours per week. Long shifts or split shifts are perfectly allowable, and reasonably common in food service. You are required to be given 'the opportunity' for a 30 minute unpaid break for any given shift that is more than 6 hours long. Many food service establishments ignore that completely, and of course nobody insists on it because making waves is not going to improve your own position. (Many highly corporate establishments also force you to take a 30 minute unpaid break, because if you're forced to take a break you can't ever claim that you weren't given 'the opportunity' for a break.)

It's not illegal to drink on the job, and in many food service establishments it's not even particularly worried about. I've even been given beers on the house plenty of times... -however-, if this drinking is occurring in the middle of service that's a worrisome sign. Especially for someone who's cooking. (Drinking while working with knives and fire isn't the best idea in the world). Having a drink or two in the last hour of service or after service during cleanup... pretty normal. Having  drinks throughout the day... pretty scary.

For some practical advice - you can open a bottlecap by putting the edge of the cap on any hard corner (such as a metal rack or counter) and giving the opposite side of the bottlecap a good whack with your fist; or by wedging the cap into a wire shelving rack so that one edge of the bottlecap is over one wire and the other edge is under another wire, and then give it a yank towards the lower wire and the cap will pop off.

That said, I wouldn't stay there anyway if I were you. There's nothing wrong with being a food-runner/busser per se, but ... well, the establishment where I work, that's a gateway to become waitstaff or a bartender. We don't, however, have a 'cashier' postion at all, waitstaff handle the checks. Being a food-runner at the kind of place that has the customers come pay at the register is probably a dead-end, so if you don't like it now... it's probably not going to get better. Not to say you should walk out tomorrow, but it wouldn't hurt to fill out applications for likely looking places.

The bottle situation did occur during a rush. It was for a customer who had to ask me why my assitant manager acting as solo cashier didn't give him the bottle while there and assumed it was only given with the meal. Kitchen staff (manager and 2 other cooks) were like 10+ orders behind. Surprise surprise -_-

This was also a good time for me to ask for ETAs and when the assistant manager heard I did that, he got mad and told me to leave the cooks alone. As for the bottle opening, bf told me about using a strong edge so I'll probably try that for tomorrow's shift.

I've been a food runner/busser in pretty much every job, worked in a ice cream shop, food assembly (salads and sandwiches), occassionally assigned to be the closing dishwasher.  I plan to apply for new jobs on my day off in 2 days.

@cophnia61: thanks! I hope things turn out better.

(2016-06-17, 12:25 am)RawrPk Wrote: This one is with a new startup restaurant where my so called bosses have never worked a day in the industry.

大変ですね

(2016-06-17, 12:25 am)RawrPk Wrote: I'm also not really seeking advice but any would be appreciated. Maybe someone else in the koohii community has something to rant about too. Tbh, reading the forums here this week has been the only thing that makes me feel a bit better after a shitty day at work so 皆さん、ありがとうございます！m(_ _)m

I hope you feel a bit better after ranting here. ((big hugs))

(2016-06-17, 12:25 am)RawrPk Wrote: I plan to apply for new jobs on my day off in 2 days.

Good luck to you. お元気で！

Thank you eslang for the kind words. At least I'm getting out before things get really bad so I'm grateful for that. Def not being added into resume when I apply for new jobs. Don't need that blemish in my resume.

(2016-06-17, 2:01 am)RawrPk Wrote: As for the bottle opening, bf told me about using a strong edge so I'll probably try that for tomorrow's shift.

It's best to do this on a soft(wood - not metal) surface and make sure to hit straight down. Otherwise you risk chipping the lip or breaking the neck which can get glass fragments all in your drink.

Don't let the bastards get you down.

My boss is quite the irrational a-hole.

1) he tells the me and the workers today that he will do less work and will need to often sit in a chair at the register due to his feet swelling from an allergic reaction. I asked him if this was an unknown allergy, he says "no" and tells us its a food related allergy and this happens anytime he eats too much of that food he is allergic to.

So what kind of sane person would eat something they're allergic to?!

2) after a brief chat with a senior man, once the man leaves, he starts saying things like "he's like a reptile...black eyes...stick tongue out... Sold his soul to Satan for success". Umm wtf?

I need to get out of here. (゜゜)

EDIT
@yogert909: thanks for letting me know. Wouldn't want to ruin a perfect good drink from breaking glass shards into it.

(2016-06-17, 7:48 pm)RawrPk Wrote: 1) his feet swelling from an allergic reaction
So what kind of sane person would eat something they're allergic to?!

2) after a brief chat with a senior man, once the man leaves, he starts saying things like "he's like a reptile...black eyes...stick tongue out... Sold his soul to Satan for success". Umm wtf?

As for 1... I don't know of any food allergy that causes your feet to swell (part of the face or mouth yes... feet... no...). On the other hand a swollen foot from eating too many rich foods is the classic symptom of gout... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout
There are so many contributing foods (as well as counter-acting foods) that avoiding it requires systemic changes to your diet. It also requires knowing what you actually have.

Of course I could be wrong. I have an extremely rare allergy and get a burning sensation from contact with cauliflower, which most people don't believe you can be allergic to. (Actually I'm allergic to all cruciferous vegetables, but only when they are raw. Cauliflower is just the strongest reaction.) So anyway, yeah, the point is there are weird allergies out there so while I'm skeptical I'm also a little cautious of completely disbelieving him.


As for 2... well, paranoid-schizophrenics gotta eat too, y'know?

Allergic reactions can occur on the feet but it's quite uncommon. I know most people swell somewhere in the head/throat/face area with food allergies.

Quote:Angioedema is swelling that is similar to hives, but the swelling is under the skin instead of on the surface.

Symptoms
The main symptom is sudden swelling below the skin surface. Welts or swelling on the surface of the skin can also develop.

The swelling usually occurs around the eyes and lips. It may also be found on the hands, feet, and throat

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency...000846.htm

With pollen allergies, joint swelling is quite common with, isn't it? At least, that always happens to me during certain times of year (knees and hips; makes me feel old when I shouldn't).
Though, honestly, you make it sound like this guy would be the type to have high-blood pressure, poor diet, and insufficient sleep, all of which can cause a build up of blood and lymph fluid in the legs and feet (which makes blood pressure problems even worse, by the way). A lot of older people have this problem to an extent, especially if they're overweight. In case anyone here experiences something similar, it's best to keep your feet above your heart for awhile every day, to help it drain out. And, of course, exercise and eat well. (*Not a doctor, consult your doctor if any weird swelling is occurring)

Personally can't eat wheat products without somewhat delayed swelling and gastric upset (no idea why; could be too much carbs, could be allergy; definitely not celiac disease, or I'd be dead by now). Doesn't keep me out of cakes and other pastries at parties though... I don't even drink at them and I feel like crap for a day or so afterwards.
As stupid as the gluten free fad is, at least it made wheat-free foods more prevalent and a bit cheaper... (Gluteno's sandwich cookies are better than Oreos, by the way)

I hope you find something better soon, RawrPK! I have a feeling that you're going to hate your job as long as you stay in customer service (I feel the same), but you should at least have higher-ups that know what they're doing.
If you don't mind cleaning, I think that would be a much more tolerable job; it's gross (the cleaning chemicals and the messes), but you don't have to deal with people as often, and there's not much reason for your boss to bother you. You even get to wear protective clothing!

Oh man! Your allergies  must make it difficult to in terms of going out to eat food. But at least you manage them unless like my baka boss.

As for the job, my boss called me about an hour ago. Didn't answer. Then left a text a while later stating o confirm if I still couldn't make the shift? Wut? I had told him I wasn't going to to make that shift on Monday and personally got his OK. Nows he's suddenly forgotten? Pff...

And I thought the worst of it was when I was told to go to the nearest bank to make change for the register and I get there only to be told by the clerk that my job doesn't even have an account there and thought they would randomly give change to anyone with cash -_-  who does things like this?