Today Shimelle’s blog prompt is ‘Write about your first job and ask your blog readers to share their first job stories too.’
My first job was as a cashier at a supermarket. This was before barcode scanners, pin codes and in this particular supermarket they didn’t even have conveyor belts… So when it was a busy Friday evening or a Saturday it was hard work! I had to learn most of the prices by heart and of course know all the special offers. I had to wear a white coat, a really nasty green and white chequered polyamide shawl and at one point they had us wear some kind of head-covering too.
Funny thing is that when I ‘got’ the job, I didn’t know what job they wanted me to do… I was 16 years old and my friend worked at the bread counter, so I had imagined something like that. I couldn’t believe it when I realized they wanted me to work with money! I guess the chef saw something I didn’t know I had, because I was actually really good at it. I eventually got responsibility for the key to the safe whenever the head cashier had her day off. I had to make sure the other cashiers got new money rolls when they needed them and I had to put all the money away at the end of the day. I stayed at this job until I went to college. I am sure the pay was lousy, but I got a chance to meet all kinds of people and I had a lot of fun with my co-workers!