Pens!
In prison they have cigarettes. In restaurants, they have pens. No, I wont butt rape you if you dont give me a pack of pens but its close. With the exceptions of good bartenders, waiters dont make much money. Usually just enough to get buy and make your monthly car payments. To have to use a few d0llars a week on pens is rediculous.
I have seen new waiters buy a fresh, nice pack of clicking pens that probably cost more than the pack of white T-shirts I had to buy last week because of oil and salsa stains. Virgin blood. The pens he/she has will almost all be gone by the end of the month. A "can I borrow a pen, im all out" once, or a stolen pen twice. It all adds up. You cant buy crappy pens because they fall out of check presenters easily or the lack of a top leads to it running out of ink and ruining your apron or just loosing it because it didnt have one of those clippy things to hold it on something.
We had peppers pens you could buy for $0.50 each. Customers regularly steal them thinking that we get them for free and theres a giant stock pile in the back. I just lost my last peppers pen because it fell out of my shirt (my lucky pen's lucky spot). Through the various ways of losing a pen you can see how a dozen pens really wont last that long. Bussers might accidentally throw them out or they get lost in seat cushions never to be found again. Its heart breaking.
Today I found my "donate blood" pen in this other waiters apron. Im 90% sure its mine because, well I dont have it anymore and I might have lent to her weeks ago. Although, she is a nurse. So I didnt confront her. You are probably saying "Its just a pen?!" but is it really just a pen? Restaurants are fraught with greet and meanness. If you leave cash lying around in your booklet somewhere on the dish line, theres no garentee all of it will still be there. Ive seen someone go around asking if theyve seen a missing $20 bill. I warn newbies not to put cash in their booklets or leave them lying around.
Pens are more of the basics. You know that if someone steals your pen, dont even lend them one again. Of course, I am a pessimist and hate everyone.
Moral: Dont but cheap/expensive pens. Dont steal my pens, I will break your hand. Donate blood! Ill give you a pack of cigarettes for 5 pens :)
I have seen new waiters buy a fresh, nice pack of clicking pens that probably cost more than the pack of white T-shirts I had to buy last week because of oil and salsa stains. Virgin blood. The pens he/she has will almost all be gone by the end of the month. A "can I borrow a pen, im all out" once, or a stolen pen twice. It all adds up. You cant buy crappy pens because they fall out of check presenters easily or the lack of a top leads to it running out of ink and ruining your apron or just loosing it because it didnt have one of those clippy things to hold it on something.
We had peppers pens you could buy for $0.50 each. Customers regularly steal them thinking that we get them for free and theres a giant stock pile in the back. I just lost my last peppers pen because it fell out of my shirt (my lucky pen's lucky spot). Through the various ways of losing a pen you can see how a dozen pens really wont last that long. Bussers might accidentally throw them out or they get lost in seat cushions never to be found again. Its heart breaking.
Today I found my "donate blood" pen in this other waiters apron. Im 90% sure its mine because, well I dont have it anymore and I might have lent to her weeks ago. Although, she is a nurse. So I didnt confront her. You are probably saying "Its just a pen?!" but is it really just a pen? Restaurants are fraught with greet and meanness. If you leave cash lying around in your booklet somewhere on the dish line, theres no garentee all of it will still be there. Ive seen someone go around asking if theyve seen a missing $20 bill. I warn newbies not to put cash in their booklets or leave them lying around.
Pens are more of the basics. You know that if someone steals your pen, dont even lend them one again. Of course, I am a pessimist and hate everyone.
Moral: Dont but cheap/expensive pens. Dont steal my pens, I will break your hand. Donate blood! Ill give you a pack of cigarettes for 5 pens :)
posted by Peppers waiter at 6:02 PM
5 Comments:
Hey There,
Love reading your blog!
I'm protective of my pens when I'm waitressing! (If = Meaning I hardly ever) I let someone use my pen I keep a close eye on it!! I make sure I get it back as soon as they are done with it!
I always carry 2-3pens when I'm waitressing so I never have to ask others to let me borrow their pen! - Now if only everyone else was like me! ;-)
Hi! I just started reading your blog, and I really like it!
My favorite pen I ever had for work was my fluorescent pink and yellow "Big Boyz Bail Bondz" clicky pen!
I always carry 4 pens: One clicky pen to take orders with, and 3 pens with lids for credit card slips...Ever been stiffed and then had your pen stolen by the same table? Yeah, that sucks!
Would it kill you to check the spelling on your posts?
It almost did kill me. If it makes you feel better, change rediculous to ridiculous and garentee to guarantee. Otherwise, im too lazy to add apostrophes where needed.
My blog is typed how I speak. Without spell check. Get used to it or dont reading the fekaul MaTt3R that is my bl0g
I have one "special" pen that I write with, and I keep in my pants pocket. Beyond that, I am the source of pens for half of our wait staff. I never buy pens though. I'm the guy who closes, and finds them everywhere. They seem to migrate to me. I can start a shift with 4 pens and end with 7 on most nights. I have a 2 Gallon Ziplock bag full of pens. So I freely give them to my co-workers, until I am down to my last 2 in my apron. I need them for my guests too. From time to time I'll bring a bundle in and rubber band and stick them in the manager's office so they can dole them out when I'm not there. Maybe your pens are being sucked into a black hole, and my section is on the other side. That might also explain where my other socks keep dissappearing to...
Lobster Boy
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