Where should i work assuming i do get accepted at any of these places?

Question

it has to be near my house so the options are...

borders

pets mart

kmart

kohls

steinmart

food city

mcdonalds

subway

hardee's

dry cleaners

and basically any store in the mall

i know it differs with every mcdonalds, grocery store, etc....

but if u have worked at any of these places before, did u like working there and what did u do starting out? i'm 17 btw

Answer 1

1st job? one question... do you plan on staying long enough to benefit from any tuition offers for use at college?

if so...i'd reccommend borders or mcdonald's...warning mcdonald's is grueling but it can be worth it if you stick with it long enough... and you could always contribute healthy ideas that just may change fast food... who knows?

Borders ...i think they still do discounts on books... it's kinda boring at times but not so stressful and if you're attending school at the same time as working, why not get paid to do something easy? and increase your smarts too

Answer 2

I worked at Borders for a while, and I didn't think it was boring.  When I started there, they rotated you between three tasks: stocking shelves, customer service (manning the info desk and answering phones), and cashier.  

My favorite thing was stocking shelves, because I am a very organized person.  It could be frustrating if your section was a mess, but most of the people who shop there seem to have respect for the books and don't trash the place too much.  I also like working alone, which was conducive to stocking shelves.  If a customer asks you a question while you're stocking, you have to stop what you're doing and help them.  

Working customer service isn't too bad.  Most of the questions are easy - people are looking for a specific book or a section.  Sometimes people will ask you for a recommendation, which can be kind of frustrating if you're not familiar with the section.  But most of the customers are very nice there.

Working the cash register is pretty basic.  The good thing is that most people are not in a big rush or dead tired when they're at Borders (as opposed to, say, a grocery store).  They are looking for a pleasant and relaxing shopping experience, and if you can help provide that, you will enjoy Borders.

The nice thing about rotating duties is that you don't get bored doing the same thing.  There is always something to do (esp. when you're stocking).  I found it a pretty stimulating environment.  When I worked there, they let you borrow books, which could be handy for a student.

Annoyances: listening to the same 5 cds for days/weeks at a time, the phone answering spiel, never actually having the time to read.

Working at a supermarket or KMart would be better for you if you just want to zone out for a few hours.  I've never worked at a clothing store, but I think I would find the chaos very annoying (folding and hanging clothes that people have stuffed every which way).  Fast food is ok, just can be demeaning and you have to wear a stupid uniform.

p.s. - I thought of another Borders annoyance - your knees will hurt from repeatedly kneeling and standing to shelve books.  But you're young, so it shouldn't bother you too much.