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Job Number Nine, Another Deli

Another deli job, let’s call this place The Second Deli, since it was my second deli job. While my first deli position was also a convenience store, this one was also a restaurant. Family friends owned the store and gave me a job when I really needed one.

After my husband and I both got laid off from our job at the Plumbers R Us, we struggled to find another job. Soon, though, we were out of money and our unemployment compensation ran out, too. We had to make the decision whether or not to move back to the area where we grew up. It was one of the toughest decisions of our lives, and in the end, we decided to move back. I was happy to be near my family (especially my twin sister), but it was a big letdown at the same time. It felt like we had failed to make it on our own outside of college. We just couldn’t afford to keep living the way we were without the jobs to back it up. Living in Philadelphia is expensive!

So when we moved back, we moved in with my husband’s parents. I’m forever grateful to them for always being here when we needed support. They gave us a place to stay while my husband looked for and eventually found a job. It wasn’t that easy for me, however. My husband’s parents ended up finding a great deal on a house, and though were weren’t sure we could afford it, we found ourselves moved into a four-story house. It was beautiful and fit us in a weird way (it was sort of a strange house), and we were pretty happy. But I still needed a job. One day, while I was walking down the street, the owner of The Second Deli drove by and asked if I was looking for work. I’m assuming he had talked to my parents and they mentioned it to him. I told him I was looking for a job, and he asked if I’d come and work for him. It was that simple.

Working in a deli is tough. It’s one of the toughest jobs I’ve come across. It can get really busy, the slicer is dangerous (there is a reason that there is an age restriction on using it), and then there are the customers. Customers can be very, very picky about lunchmeat, which I totally get, but they can also have this attitude where they assume you’re not going to do something right. It’s hard to explain, but if you’ve ever worked in a deli (or in food service), you know what I’m talking about.

One thing I loved about working at this place was that the owners took pride in their food and products. We served pretty good food, and we were known for it. It was nice to see owners that didn’t skimp on ingredients or the amount given to a customer just to save some money. They understood that a good product will equal a loyal customer, and in the end, a better profit. I learned a lot about making a great sandwich at this job.

The bad thing is the same as any family-owned place – employees often get taken advantage of or are treated unfairly. One of the owners was, let’s just say, short-tempered. If I made a mistake (hey, it happens, I’m human and far from perfect), I got yelled at in front of customers and sometimes in front of family. With corporations, there are often policies put into place to deal with things like this. I’m not saying they always follow those policies, but they are there, which is a slight advantage. The disadvantage of corporations is being treated like a dispensable number and not a human being.

Another great thing about this place was that it was at the bottom of a giant hill and I lived at the top. I got a great workout walking to and from work, though everyone worried about me in the winter with the icy sidewalks. I never fell, though, even when I thought I might. I learned that a lot of people in that town walked to and from work. The whole town is one square mile and at one point, it had the highest population density in that square mile over all of the United States of America!

In addition to living in an area known for its economic depression as well as negative outlook on life (can you tell I grew up here?), it’s also known for its alcoholism. There was a bar across the street from The Second Deli, as a matter of fact, and we got quite a few drunken customers. We had drunken bosses often, as well. I had friends of my boss hit on me, one even serenaded me. I got used to it, but in hindsight, I don’t know how I lasted being around people like that all the time. On the weekends, it was like a big party at the store. All of my bosses friends would show up, half blitzed, and expect me to wait on them hand and foot. It wasn’t fun for me, and it didn’t feel like it should be a part of my job.

One last great thing about this job, and probably the best thing, was my coworker, who was technically my supervisor. We got along so well, and though we very rarely see each other face-to-face, we still talk online quite a bit, and I still consider her (and her whole family) to be good friends of mine. So how did I lose this job? More on that later…