I started working on August 21^st at an grocery store called H.E.B. I work at one of the many H.E.Bs in Laredo. For about four weeks I’ve had to go get items around the entire H.E.B. (which is not small) and bring it back to the cashiers.

The first day I went to work I wasn’t supposed to be working that day. I was supposed to work on a Thursday but they called and asked me to come in on Sunday. I thought,“Heck yeah! I need the work!! Woop Woop!” I was so wrong!

                As I got to work it was packed! I mean packed to where the lines began at the front of the store and ended all the way at the back. The worst part is that they don’t teach you how to bag groceries. I mean yes you do see a video that tells you what to do but they don’t teach you hands on. Thankfully I am a good employee and paid great attention to those videos;  but it still didn’t help. I was cracking under the pressure, I couldn’t do it. People were complaining to me and this one lady -- I swear she was so mean. She gets a bag I just put in her cart takes out the cans that I put in there (the whole bag was filled with cans) and she tells me not to put the dog cans with regular cans because they will go rotten. I didn’t even understand her logic and I wanted to tell that old lady “Ohhh!! That’s too bad maybe you should bag your own food then?” Sadly, I need the job so I just said, “Okay ma’am. I’m sorry.” That lady was a crazy dummy!

                Okay so bagging was a bust, then one of the cashiers tell me. “Hey Chris, I need you to go get me another milk. This one’s busted.” I said, “Uhhh yeah sure??” I didn’t know where they kept the milk. I didn’t know where they kept anything. I just ran around the H.E.B. until I finally found the milk, the worst part of it was that when I went back the lady who asked for it left. The cashier just gave me a face of disappointment. Worst look ever L

                I went into work at around 6:30 pm didn’t get out till like 11:45 pm. I only got one break and believe me that break does not last. It’s only fifteen minutes but it feels like 5. When I was in the front bagging and running back and forth to go get things, I was dying of thirst. Thankfully this one girl I knew way back then was working at the same H.E.B. I was thirsty and she offered to buy me a drink BUT I couldn’t drink it while working or I could get fired. I thought that was reasonable but I mean knowing that the cold, sweet drink was right there in front of you and you can’t have it, made me want it even more.

                Finally after so many long hours, it was 10:45 pm and I was finally going to be able to leave, but you see, they don’t believe in letting you out on your appropriate time. They believe in letting you out when they feel like it which could be any minute or an hour or even two after your shift ends. Thankfully we had a real nice manager that night so she let me out at exactly 10:45 pm. After work I was for sure going to quit. I had it set in my mind I was going to go the next day and just tell them I can’t do it, but I couldn’t. I don’t have that mentality where I feel like it’s okay to quit. If it’s hard it means that I should try harder and just live with it.

                I felt like quitting three times after my first day, but then I just got used to it. I’m now used to the people I work with, I’m kind of getting to know where’s what, but it’s still a little stressful; thanks to friends and nice customers I’m surviving through it.