McAmy

When I was 15 I got my very first job. And I was just barely 15…I turned 15 in January and got hired in February of 1992. I had become McAmy.

I loved working at McDonald’s. I was shy at first, and it took some practice to get used to saying, “Can I help you?” to complete strangers, but it quickly became apparent that I had a real knack for customer service. I was fast, friendly and accurate. I was an angel in a polyester uniform.

Within the first few months I was “Rookie of the Month”. Before long I was “Employee of the Month”. And the next year I was named “Employee of the Year” for the store I worked at. I was really proud. I worked almost every station in the restaurant, except I never had to work lobby cleaning tables and bathrooms and emptying garbages, and I never worked close/open, working overnight to clean the equipment while the restaurant was closed. I did work a shift called “Shake Set-up,” though. I had to start my shift at 5:30 in the morning in order to assemble and set up the shake machine and soft ice cream machine before we opened up. I liked that shift because it went until 1 pm, which meant seven and a half hours’ work, all over with before lunch time on a Saturday.

My favourite station to work was drive-thru, though (and you must know it pains me to spell “through” as t-h-r-u…). I liked wearing the headset, taking orders, and making change. I liked opening up the window and smiling at the driver. One day an old guy in a pick-up truck asked me for a treat of the week, and when I handed it to him he said, “I though you were the treat of the week.” I just let that window close! When we had pizza at McDonald’s I really liked working the pizza shift, too. I worked at the back of the restaurant making up all of the salads and pizzas, and wore a headset, listening for pizza orders than came through the drive-thru. Then I would put the pizzas in the oven and take them out when they were ready. It was a lot of fun.I made so many friends when I worked at McDonald’s, most of whom were older than I was, and many of whom I am still in touch with today, fifteen years later. My good friend Tamara became my roommate when I lived in Toronto in my late twenties, and now I am the honourary aunt to her daughter.

Oddly enough, there are a couple of women who I used to know as girls and co-workers who are still working at McDonald’s restaurants in the area. I guess it works for them, though I don’t know how they’ve done it, all these years.

Having that job was a life-changing experience for me. It brought me out of my shell, taught me about hard work and perseverance, enabled me to develop a valuable work ethic and even more valuable friends.

Me (centre) goofing around with my McFriends. Tamara’s gum is showing. The guy on the far right later became a long-term boyfriend.

What was your first job? How did it shape you?