Friday, April 24, 2009

Snack Bar Stories Episode 4

This Snack Bar gig is primo blog fodder.
And... NO! I do NOT try to create the fodder myself.
Believe me when I say... It truly just happens ORGANICALLY!
I couldn't make this junk up!
Seriously!
***
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were in the 100's, so it was HOT! Wouldn't you know it...
All the electricity in my storage room that houses 1 huge freezer and 2 refrigerators
BLEW A FUSE AND SHUT DOWN!
I lost some food to spoilage.
So much for purchasing on sale and having a food inventory.
Now I'll have to shop more often again.
THAT totally sucks eggs.
***
Had some LOVELY one-on-one face time with two 'ladies' this week.
I use the term "ladies" loosely.
"Lady" number 1, didn't want to pay one of the teens I have as workers to work the snack bar for her... she wanted her "18" year old son to work it for her instead, because she wouldn't have to pay him.
He had a pierced lip, and pierced eyebrow, tattoos all up and down his arms, an Ipod stuck in his ears, a cigarette (unlit) stuck in his mouth, and a foul disposition that put a permanent sneer on his face. I know a little about his friends too, and he hangs out with the drug dealer family on my street. Beautiful.
I kindly told her that her choices were working it herself, or paying someone to work it for her.
And no, her son would not be able to work in it, I didn't know him, but I did know he was only 16, or approve an application for him, therefore, he wouldn't be able to ever work it this year. I went about my business of organizing the pictures we got from our photographer and she yelled at me and and said...
"I'M NOT WORKING THAT DAMN SNACK BAR... NO, I'M NOT DOING IT.. MY KID IS PLAYING, AND MY 18 YEAR OLD SON HERE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK IN IT FOR ME!
THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN LAST YEAR.. HE WORKED FOR ME LAST YEAR!"
I told her there was a new sherriff in town, and I cared about who or what touches the food and deals with my customers, who are mostly kids under 12. If she didn't work it herself, OR pay a teen, her coach would be charged for her time.
She huffed and puffed and walked into the snack bar and sat her butt down on a chair and didn't move except to call the druggies on the corner and tell them what I did and said.
THEN SHE HANDS HER SON AND THE DRUGGIES SON A COUPLE OF CIGARETTES THROUGH THE SNACK BAR WINDOW... in front of 6 kids, and tells them to go ahead and smoke in the parking lot, since there was no smoking on the park property.
She is a really cool, classy Mama.
After her stint was done in the snack bar, her other sons joined her, she has 4 kids, they all look the same, huge baggy shorts, black socks, black shoes, piercings all over the place, tats, black hats, black nail polish, eyeliner.
They couldn't figure out what to be... Goth or gangster.
Someone asked me which car was mine in the parking lot, because they were all walking towards a car with keyes pointed outward. I pointed to my car, and ALL 6 of the family members of
Gangsters R Us, turned around as I was pointing to my car.
That Mama, walked all the way back to me and said this...
"ARE YOU POINTING AND TALKING ABOUT ME? WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?
WOULD YOU PLEASE NOT POINT AND TALK ABOUT ME? WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?"
I stood there... dumbfounded... what,... were we in JUNIOR HIGH now?
A man came to my rescue and said I was pointing at my car... and she said...
"We wouldn't do anything to your car... those boys are all 4.0 students, they are good kids..."
I choked and laughed!
I don't mean to be judging books by their covers. I know LOTS of awesome people with tattoos and eccentric personalities... BUT HOW MANY VALEDICTORIANS have you seen
dressed like the 4.0 gangstas... I mean REALLY!!!
I lost it.
I just stared at her, and gave her a huge "W" with my fingers. Whatever!!!!
Where do these people come from!!!
What rocks did they crawl out under!
***
Another "lady" told her 18 year old daughter to LIE TO ME and say she was her 11 year old sisters MOTHER!.. I totally believed her and let her work in there... and we were laughing and having a great time joking when her best friend came up to the window and asked her if she was DONE WITH HER HOMEWORK!
I looked... very slowly... her way... and asked...
"Was I just lied to?"
and she looked down and said...
"Yes"
I calmly and quietly said... "You are excused... I don't appreciate being lied to, your coach will be charged for your time."
Her Mother marches over, and says...
"I told her to lie... I wanted to watch my daughters game, and I was told by someone to lie and get out of paying the money..."
I asked her to tell me who told her to lie, and she said the name I just shook my head.
It figured.
IT WAS THE 4.0 GANGSTA'S MAMA!
They were on the same team!
Out of 17 teams... this is the ONLY team that gives me problems.
Everyone else is AWESOME and so sweet and caring of my staff.
I had a "Come to Jesus" with her and told her how detrimental it will be for her for telling her kid to lie for her. I hoped she was ready for the consequences, because she just opened up a can of worms.
She was a hag, who totally didn't care. She was tickled I was fooled for a few minutes, and told me so.
Class act again.
I went to get something from storage, and came back to over hear her bad mouthing me to my staff and telling them I don't know what I'm doing, and the Snack Bar is the worst it has ever been.
I told her I would happily relinquish my post on the board if she could do such a better job, and I took her hand was walked her out of the Snack Bar to tell another board member she was the new Manager.
She balked.
I kicked her out.
The team Mom for the team came over and worked the remainder of the shift and apologized profusely for the badgering I had taken the last two games they played, and told me she would
let her team know it was unacceptable behaviour.
I overheard her speech to them after the game.
She's good. She made good on her promise too.
Now SHE was a real class act.
***
We are still being passed $100 bills... recession? What recession!
Kids have taken to stealing ketchup packets and stomping on them across the park.
One kid grabbed a sugar container and proceeded to dump a load of sugar into this mouth. I guess he didn't have a quarter for a sucker.
A little girl ran her bike smack into my condiment table, and got mad at us because it was in her way.
She was 5 and the table is in front of the snack bar.
Her Mama is in sooo much trouble when that kid is older...
The little girl had obviously never been told she shouldn't do certain things, because when I went over to help her and asked her not to ride her bike in front of the Snack bar again, she stared at me incredulously and started to bawl, and told me I was mean and rotten and she was gonna tell her Mama.
Good grief.

14 comments:

  1. Geez...I feel for ya. That raised my blood pressure just reading it!

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  2. I love the Snack Bar Chronicles they are astounding...i think if i were you i might be walking around saying idiots under my breath the whole time.

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  3. sheeeesh... you have more patience than i do... i dont think i could take it!

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  4. hahaha ... note to self ... never work the snack bar.

    I worked it when I was in high school for my brothers baseball team. It was fun, but boy, we got grief from the others teams. Geez

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  5. I commend you on the fact that you didn't have a WWF smackdown with those two women! Wow! I did love the "come to Jesus" part though! ha ha ha haha ha haha

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  6. LOL! MAn do you get the wackos!

    Maybe we should keep an eye out for some super wacko-repellant for you?

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  7. You've made me feel like the Best.Mom.Ever. Those people are cuhraaazy.

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  8. Geeze Saundra!!! How awful to deal with these tacky, nasty, disgusting low lifes! THANK YOU!!!

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  9. OK, really, you must collect all these stories and write a book... The Life and Times of a Snack Bar Mama. I'd buy it! I'm loving these stories and your take... keep them comin'

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  10. I agree, you gotta write a BOOK, you are so entertaining and your humor is too much :))
    love you Saundra
    xxx

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  11. All that happened & you aren't curled in a ball moaning? Nobility of mission, girl. I hope your weekend really makes up for it.
    ~Mary

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  12. How you are not going insane with these people, I don't know...You really should get a medal for all the crap you are dealing with!
    (I had to come and read this-I haven't read any blogs all weekend-but I HAD to read yours first!!)

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  13. We love your stuff so much we're using you as our reference for snacking pleasure!

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  14. o i work snack bar with my 2 aunts and let me tell you boy do we have some of the same problems and there are very rude people at a little league park these days

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