Sunday, August 15, 2010

Take This Job And...

Any occupation in which one deals with the public is a stressful.
I used to wait on tables and then tended bar at my local TGI Friday's.
Believe me, sometimes as a waiter one would love to cuss out a customer.
(Tending bar was easier. One could cuss out a patron.)

In the history of quitting jobs, that guy from Jet Blue rates about a nine (from one to ten) on the scale of classic quits.

Roberto Duran's famous "No Mas" rates about a two as probably the second worst quit in the history of quitting.
But back to TGI Friday's...
Back in the day I had a friend named Jackie who worked at the Marina Del Ray store.
The store at the marina was known as "The Black Friday's".
It took a special person to deal with the Negroes who felt as though the store's employees were their own personal servants.
(Black women are often the most demanding, rudest, and worst tipping patrons to wait on.)
On a particularly busy night, a woman whistled at Jackie.
As Jackie looked under the patron's table, and the table next to her, and the next table over, "What are you doing?", the whistling lady asked.
"I heard you whistle and thought you'd lost your dog.", said Jackie as she walked away.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from me!", the woman shouted.
At which time Jackie said, "I'll be witchu' when I'm witchu'!".
The heated patron was not pleased with this and complained to a manager.
In the middle being scolded - Jackie asked,"Am I fired".
"Well, I'm trying to talk to you." the manger said.
"Well, I'm trying to take care of my other customers!", Jackie would retort.
"So I AM fired!", shouted Jackie.
"Go home.", said the manager.
The angry patron was pleased that her complaint had cost Jackie her job and sat smugly at her table as if to taunt the now unemployed waitress.
With this, Jackie calmly walked over to one of the five gallon iced tea dispensers and poured it's contents on the now "cooled off" woman and her companions and then began to walk out of the store.
"Hey! You can't leave in your "stripes" (The old ugly shirts worn by TGI Friday's employees at the time.) take them off!", the embarrassed manager would yell.
"Oh you wanta' see some titties?!", Jackie would say as she removed her shirt to reveal huge breasts and a big roll of belly fat as she walked from the building.
I've quit a few jobs, but never as well as did Jackie.
In the Hall of Fame of Quitters - Jackie remains a platinum member.

6 comments:

Freeman said...

Yep I've been to Black Fridays on Lincoln. I also remember the white dude who owned closed it but that place was crazy with the amount of craziness coming through. Magic opened a new one in Ladera Heights that does pretty well...

It's always shocking to see people show you that all that you think holds people from expressing theirselves can be thrown away in a instant. Titles, money and embarrassment only matter as much as you want them too. Jackie takes the cake but the JetBlue guy seemed like he had a plan and it seems kind of staged.

I know I would hate to satisfy people over 2 dollar tips. So I usually try to be prompt and say thank you. Well at least we got to see some titties out of the whole thing even if they were fat with a belly. I'm sure someone was entertained by that and that's unknown perk by Fridays that anything can happen!

Reggie said...

I've always prided myself on treating people how I would want to be treated. I've seen people go out of their way to talk to someone at their job like they were talking to a dog. I just couldn't respect anyone that would do that. That just shows a lack of class.

Anyway, one of the first jobs I had after college was working as a social worker. I worked with a lady that was God fearing and one of the sweetest people you'd ever want to meet. She'd worked there for years and years and everyone knew her. Anyway one day I was interviewing in the cubicle directly next to hers and I'm not entirely sure what happened; but her client took her there someone. The next thing I know a string of profanity came out of that woman's mouth as if she were a drunken sailor in Bangkok on payday. I was taken aback initially, but after the shock wore off I laughed my ass off. That woman made her lose her religion for a minute or two. She ended up taking a couple of months of "stress leave" (she had the time saved up) and when she came back, she was the same sweet old lady she'd always been. That shit was funny as hell!!!

brohammas said...

A friend and I ran the Salt Lake ticket office for the 2002 WInter Olympics. It was my job to tell people who spent thousands on tickets that when they lose them, or the airport lost you luggage with your tix...SOL. arguments EVERY day.
I just finished one argument about obstructed seating, read this dude the riot act only to hear my buddy from the back say "Yo, you better come see this". In the back was a TV with my boss (Mitt Romney) giving a press conference announcing his change in the ticketing rules.
I had to go back, eat crow. Tasted horrible and I would have quit if the job didn't come with free tickets to anything I wanted to see. (I got a flower from Nellie Furtado...hot)

Reggie said...

Nellie Furtado could use a spanking Brohammas.

achoiceofweapons said...

I've never quit a gig like that! I think I would be too embarrassed to quit like that but I certainly have dreamed it before.

Linka72 said...

I promise you, I would have kissed Jackie in the mouth that day..YAY Jackie.