And unfortunately, things at work haven't gotten much better since my last post.
Trying to work three jobs is hard, especially when one is early in the morning, one is during the day, and one is at night. I was working at the Y on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 5am - 9am, Saturday at 7am - 1pm, and Sunday at 8:30am to 1pm, working at The Office Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights, going in between 4:30 and 5:30 and getting out between 9 and 11, sometimes even later. And I was trying to fit in hours working with Claire as her assistant during the day.
I ended up oversleeping for my job at the Y two weeks in a row, and then I completely forgot that I said I would cover a shift on a day that I don't normally work and woke up to a message from my boss saying that she got called when I didn't show up and had to go in. I was hysterical. I was so scared I was going to get fired, but when I went in to talk to her, her main concern was my health, not my tardiness. She really is an awesome boss.
So after that, I decided to cut back one night at the office. Monday and Tuesdays are both really slow, so I told my boss I would keep which ever one they needed me for more (they picked Mondays). Then they said they really needed someone to do a lunch shift, and I said that I would take one, because there are only two people per shift so you can make more money. So now I am working Monday night, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday and Saturday nights.
For the past few weeks, my tips have been shit. Sometimes on Saturdays they can be good, but they haven't been more than $50. Mondays I usually only get one or two tables if I'm working in the back, which I usually am, and I'll end up leaving with $10. It really makes it not worth even coming in. At my last lunch shift, I had four tables, and I left with $27. At one point I was in the bathroom crying, trying to wrap my head around what I was doing wrong. I don't understand why when I'm extremely friendly, helpful, quick, and curtious, I'm getting tipped 11%. I was talking to a friend of mine who used to run a dance studio in the area, and he made me realize that it's not me, it's them. He said blue collar people know what it's like to work, and they'll pay for what they get. Rich snobs, like most of the population of Westfield, have money for a reason; because they don't spend it on anyone but themselves.
And when I think about it, he's right. I'm a good waitress. I'm nice and friendly, I don't forget things, and if something goes wrong or someone has a problem, I do everything I can to fix it. And even with all that, I'm getting tips ranging from 17% all the way down to 8%. All I can think is, it's not even worth it. All the exhaustion I'm putting my body through, all of the time that I'm spending out of the house, the social life that I'm not having... it's just not worth it.
