Working Retail   

Working in retail is always hard and can be stressful because you’re dealing with all kinds of customers every day. It can be draining and sometimes you have to deal with the rude customers that always ask for your manager because they believe you’re not doing your job right when in reality, they just don’t like the way you’re doing your job. In those situations, you can’t do anything about it because you know what they say, “the customer is always right.” And if you want to keep your job then you just must follow protocol even though these situations can be frustrating.  

For this career celebration, I didn’t just interview any grocery store employee, I interviewed my sister who is the lead in the fresh cut fruit department and works as a cashier at Smart n Final Extra! Merissa Gonzales is 21 and she’s been working in this department since she was 18 years old.

Her job is to cut and prepare fresh fruit, which includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple. She also makes Yoplait Yogurt Parfaits, strawberries and cream, guacamole, and salsa. She says that after she’s done with the cut fruit portion of her shift, she’ll usually finish by being on the register for the rest of the time.  

Fulltime Work, Fulltime School

Merissa’s schedule is busy and crowded because she’s also a college student, but she still makes it work and I don’t know how she does it. “Since I am also a college student and school is currently in session, my schedule is a little different. I work Sunday – Thursday and have Fridays and Saturdays off.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have school at 9:30 am, so I only work from 4 am-8 am”, she says, “The rest of the days I work 4 am to either 11:30 am or 12:30 pm.”  One of her favorite things about her job is that she can work a full shift and still have enough time to do everyday life things such as run errands, etc. However, waking up at 3:30 am does suck and can get really tiring.

She states that her least favorite thing about her job is the temperature. “Since I am cutting fresh fruit, it has to be kept cool throughout prep and storage. So, for at least 4 hours a day, I’m working in a 30-degree environment. Where the actual cases of fruits and vegetables are kept, it’s 10 degrees colder. I personally already don’t like the cold and I think work has made me dislike it much more,” she states.

Merissa works in a freezer/refrigerator for most of her shift. Not everyone is physically able to work in this environment so can we give a round of applause to Merissa, please?  Thank you.  

As said before, working at a job where you see so many different faces every day and have to interact with people in some way, it can get stressful. Her final statement was, “I wish the public understood the time and effort I put into prepping the fruit and making all of the bowls. The fact that I’m back there doing every single step the right way to make sure the fruit is clean and then cut correctly”, she continues, “Anyone can just throw them together, but I take pride in the presentation of my work. No one seems to acknowledge it, yet if something doesn’t look the way it usually does, it won’t sell. Same thing on the register, I provide the best customer service I can at all times. I wish the public understood that I cater to them without them even knowing it.” 

I appreciate the hard work my sister provides, and therefore, she’s one of my biggest inspirations. Despite the fact that her job and work as a college student at the same time are some serious adult things, she’s doing it. Life is hard and everyone knows that but she’s pushing through it and continuing to work hard every day.