Bras And Thongs

Let's hope that I can find a position in my field of public relations/communications before long! My two attempts at working minimum- wage jobs did not go well. In fact, the sum total of my employment at both was about eight weeks.

The Donuts

I had decided to start slow and find something that I thought would be fun and relatively easy. I landed a job as an evening receptionist at a local banquet hall and was pleased that my new boss hired me on-the-spot. Wow! I really must have impressed her! Only later did I learn that she had decided to give "a mature woman" a try. Hmmm ... She was around my age, so I didn't feel flattered when I learned this tidbit.

I was intrigued by the idea of seeing happy brides and checking out the latest in evening attire. My responsibilities were simple: answer the phone and just be on hand in case anyone attending a wedding had questions.

What I didn't know: the phone rarely rang (this was the night shift, remember!) and very few people stopped by the desk. I did get to greet some brides, but once the reception was underway, I was left alone in the lobby listening to the echos of laughter and music.

I was bored beyond words, thinking of everything that I could be doing at home. I was encouraged to use the computer, but how many games of "How To Become A Millionaire" can one play in four-hour span? I bet you're thinking,"Why didn't she read a book?" Well, I tried, but the light was bad and it's not as much fun when you're sitting upright at a desk.

I found out that some of the younger receptionists loved having nothing to do, except there were issues with a few sneaking champagne and getting a little too friendly with the guests.

The highlight of my shift was when the food was ready. I'd sneak down to the kitchen and grab what I could. Then I'd sit and wait for something to happen, munching away. One night, a guest got sick all over the ladies' room door and that made things interesting, but I lost my appetite.

I knew I was in trouble when I arrived at work on a Friday night to find leftover donuts sitting at my desk. I tried to ignore them, I really did! But with nothing else to focus on, I found myself opening and closing the box. Before long, two of the chocolate donuts were gone. Yep! I ate them and they were stale. And then I started thinking about what was being prepared in the kitchen.

I had sunk to a new low and it wasn't pretty - it was actually quite fattening. I had to do something soon, or my clothes would not longer fit.

Bras And Thongs

Luckily, they were hiring at a well-known department store one town over. I filled out an application and again was hired on-the-spot. I left the banquet hall behind to try my hand at working a register. It couldn't be that hard to push a few buttons and, I thought, I'll get a great discount on clothes.

However, I learned something very quickly:

Retail work is not for the faint-hearted!

I have new respect for anyone cleaning up a dressing room or organizing a rack of clothes on the store floor. Being on your feet for hours can be quite draining. My back bothered me. My legs hurt. The bottom of my toes hurt. My neck hurt. My face hurt from smiling. I complained to one of my younger co-workers, and she told me, rather curtly, to "Suck it up!" Ouch!

The register was more complicated than I thought, but I did get the hang of it after a while. Let's just say there were a lot of sighs from customers when my line didn't move as quickly as those next to me.

A few times, I was assigned to "Intimates." I spent six hours putting away bras and undies. My eyes were blurry from trying to match up styles and colors. In a few cases, I just gave up and shoved them in the back, hoping not to get caught.

I also saw and heard way too much ... there was the guy from church, kneeling in front of the bras with his wife, helping her decide which one to pick. And the chunky couple discussing which color thongs she should buy. (She bought four.) I watched a 60ish woman, rather plain-looking, perusing some underwear with a bold, tiger design. She saw me observing her, and blurted out that she was going on a cruise. I smiled demurely.

I lasted just over a month and I'm not too proud to admit this - I got let go. I had called in sick too many times with back problems and was told things "just weren't working out." To be honest, although the extra cash helped, I was relieved.

My latest dilemma is deciding how long to wait before I can show my face in the store again. Although I no longer get the employee discount, I do like their clothes!

For the moment, I think I'll stick to the occasional freelance article for a local newspaper group and concentrate my efforts on getting a full-time position in my profession.

I consider myself blessed to have this option. Many people don't and face a lifetime struggle to make ends meet working at minimum-wage.

So when I'm feeling down because it's a slow day on the job-search front, I remind myself that I no longer have to care about Maidenform, Platex, Lily of France or even Inner Secrets. This thought gives me the incentive to make yet another call, or send yet another e-mail ...