My First Impressions of the New Job

A New Adventure

Nice Place Coffee

For about the past nine years I’ve been a patron of Nice Place Coffee (name has been changed to protect the innocent — me). They make the foamiest cappucinos, the creamiest lattes, the most flavorful mochas… they’re by far the best at what they do.

Along with this the baristas and counter people that work for them always seem so cheerful and friendly. Over the years a little dream built in my heart of working there… serving coffee, making bar drinks, smiling and getting people their pastries.

It probably sounds pretty goofy to most of you, but to me it was a dream. The thing was, there was no way I could take the pay cut it would entail… and, believe me, it was one h*ll of a pay cut. Recently, though, my husband and I sat down and looked at our budget and decided to give it a try.

There were several factors involved in this… I have a son who has a chronic condition so need to put some extra time in on his needs. I really hated the job I had and I was stuck in a two hour a day commute. Being completely miserable, I had to do something… so why not go ahead — take the risk — and live out my dreams.

I put in my application and spoke with the manager there. She was really nice but warned me that the job could be hectic and physically taxing. I don’t know if she had any qualms about me, but I was hired.

First thing, I had to go through a training. Now, I figured I’d have to go through a training, but I never figured I’d have to practically get a degree!! These people really put their labor dollars where there mouth is. Some of the trainings took place in the store as I worked my way through various modules in their several thick reference books. I began with what I’ll call the cleaning module.

I had no idea that so much goes into keeping the place bright and shiny. There are special chemicals used for various tasks and the specific instructions got down to even how many pumps of the stuff to use in the water or sanitizing machine. Part of the training was to study the chemical chart to see how and when to use each cleaning product. Of course we had to go through the cleaning process, wiping down the condiment bar and replenishing supplies as well as emptying the garbage cans and polishing them with glass cleaner. I leaned over my rag as I wiped the clear glass door and thought, “What the heck am I doing… cleaning garbage and windows and about 1/4 the pay I get at my other job????” But I answered myself…. and the answer was, “I’m really enjoying this!!”

I was impressed with the thorough attention paid to keeping the stores sparkling and realized that what I’d noticed from store to store in this chain did not happen by accident. I had no idea how choreographed it was!

My next module was an classroom event. Us new employees were gathered together in a special training room and we spent several hours just cultivating our attitude and ways of dealing with customers and other employees. We did fun little excercises to help us center ourselves on customer service and work enthusiasm and, to tell you the truth, I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I mean I really respected what they were trying to say and I loved the culture that was being expressed in their mission statement and their training manual. There was a message of respect for all people, whether they were co-workers, supervisors, or customers. I rarely have found an employee who didn’t really live up to that expectation, either. One thing remarkable about Nice Coffee is that everybody is supportive of everybody else (at least at this level and in the store I’m at.) I’ve noticed that comraderie in other stores as well and really respect it.

The training progressed with many many more modules to be done in classroom or in store. It was almost grueling but it was wonderful fun and I was amazed at how much is orchestrated at each store. The fact that each are so similar and always satisfying is no accident. The company has gone all out to make it this way. The only thing that is very tough is that there are many many demands and expectations that we all need to live up to. That would not be a problem except the store managers seem to be constrained by the amount of labor hours they’re allowed to have. Maybe this works out okay at other places, but the store at which I work, our manager has lots of new employees and we’re all a little on the slow side. Consequently, I see her putting in way more than her share of hours… but she is really serious about the quality of our product and service and doesn’t encourage us to cut corners at all. I have ended up feeling a lot of respect for my co-workers, supervisors, and manager.

I feel kind of silly here… sort of naive and wide-eyed talking about this job. I know Nice Coffee is only a company and I’m sure it suffers from some of the same ailments as A1 Research does. Being in an individual store, however, is more like the kind of culture I enjoy. And, as it turns out, I do love waiting on the customers, getting their coffee and pastries and keeping the place nice. It doesn’t require a lot of thought. I never feel degraded by others (as I did from the politics at my old place). And I like moving around and doing more physical things. Even if my body aches or I’m not feeling well, I cheer up right away when a customer comes in and I can “serve” him/her.

In the movie “Life is Beautiful” there’s a part where Guido is learning how to be a waiter. His uncle tells Guido that “serving” is God’s work. The uncle points out that God was the first to serve man but is God is a “servant.” That really stuck with me and that’s how I feel about this job. Maybe it won’t be that way forever… maybe it won’t even make it a year but, for now, I find this work rewarding and fun. I also have hours that let me out in the early afternoon or earlier! This means I can actually have a life outside of work.