A lot of people my age have jobs in retail where they are constantly dealing with customer service. I know I have mentioned multiple times how balanced and unexpected my job can be, but I thought it would be fun to offer a more detailed explanation of what its like to work at the bakery for a weekday shift. So sit back and pretend you are with me at a weekday work shift.

I arrive to work in my uniform with my hair in a bun with a bow or flower, black non-slip sneakers, black pants, pink t-shirt, and black apron with pens, pencils, sharpies and sticky notes in the pockets.

Weekday shifts start by clocking in, washing hands, counting the drawer and then washing hands again. The tasks that come next vary depending on the day of the week, sometimes it's packing items to put away. This can involve using quart size containers to fill with fillings, toppings and decorations.

Next is usually dishes which we wash all by hand. I usually wear gloves to protect my hands from anything I am washing that may have come in contact with nuts.

What I haven't mentioned yet is that the door can open and the phone can ring at any time. So while doing anything in the back I am always paying attention to the sound of the door opening and if its loud and I can't hear the door, I check it every few minutes to make sure no one is standing there waiting. The door opening or the phone ringing means that anything I am doing comes to stop until the guest is helped. And then after they are helped I wash my hands and go back to what I was doing.

After dishes are done I replenish the case so there are enough products ready for the next morning. Then after that I can start preparing to close and this is usually about a half an hour to an hour before we actually close.

First I clean all the tables. I use a clean towel and cleaner spray to clean not only the tops of each table, but the sides as well. Then I start sweeping the kitchen with a broom. Once I finish the kitchen, I pick up the piles with a smaller brush and dust pan. Then I get the mop bucket and pick it up and dump it into a sink only used for the mop bucket. I rinse the mop bucket out a few times until there are no more dirt specks. Then I fill up the mop bucket with hot water and either bleach or vinegar. Once the water reaches the line its supposed to reach in the mop bucket I take it out of the sink.

Next is the mop itself. I turn on the hot water in the mop sink and put the mop under it. I squeeze the mop either with a glove or against the sink over and over again until the water coming out of it is clean. Then I add some bleach or vinegar to the mop itself to rid of anything else dirty on the mop. Once its clean I dip and start mopping the kitchen.

Once the kitchen is mopped, I pick up the broom again and go to the front. I sweep the whole front and clean any surfaces there. After I pick up the piles with the small brush and dust pan and throw it away in the trash, I then check the trash. If the trash is more then half full and/or heavy I take the bag out of the bin and tie a double knot. Once I check all of them, I get new trash bags and put them into the bins. They each get tied on with a knot.

Then usually if my timing is good it is closing time. After we close it usually takes somewhere between twenty to thirty minutes to finish closing. I lock the door, turn off the open and coffee signs, and turn off the CD player. Then I turn off the coffee machine and wash the coffee pots. Then I take out the trash which is usually one to two trips out and down the side of the building to the dumpster. I have to unlock the dumpster and move the lock and chain and then open the dumpster lid carefully to check that no animals jump out. I have had it happen a few times. Then I throw the trash in and lock it.

When I am back in the building I mop the whole front and then put the mop and mop bucket away. Then I turn off the case lights and put away the gluten free and vegan products. Then I count the drawer, turn off the fans and clock out.

#work #fun