Top 8 Frustrations of College Student Workers

By Shanique Wright on May 16, 2017

Being in college means that you are technically on your own. Rent is due on the first and your boss expects you to show up for work and do a good job. With high responsibilities and deadlines gnawing at our heels I’ve decided to feature the top 8 frustrations of college student workers.

Poor tips or no tips

It is traditional to tip the waiter and the size of the tip depends on the quality of the service offered. On college campuses, this can be hard for student workers who only serve a majority of college students. They are always broke from spending most of their stipend on ramen to last for a week.

The reality is college students are awful tippers and usually cashiers and waitresses earn up to nothing for their services. They balance six tables in an hour and end up getting $2.96 in tips from the OCD guy who wanted to even out his bill payment.

unsplash.com

Cafeteria chaos 

A majority of international students work on campus in student housing cafeterias. Since they are only allowed to work on campus, the minimum wage offered by the University for labor sometimes comes in handy to buy those new Nike sneakers at the end of the month.

However, every cafeteria worker can relate to the harsh reality that comes with the job. Expectations are that you clean up after the students that are too lazy to pick up a napkin that fell or bring their dishes to the kitchen drop off area. Female workers endure the most annoyances; despite being garbed in an oversized t-shirt and kitchen shoes they simply cannot avoid being slipped small notes from the guy sitting at the table facing the juice machine or being whistled at for bending over to retrieve utensils that have been tossed under a table.

Tell me your problems — don’t yell them 

Student workers opt for customer service because it allows them to sneak in homework sessions during their shifts. However, things get intense when the customer is upset and you are the bearer of bad news. Many students would like to throw a tantrum and politely tell them to go jump off the nearest balcony since they are at the peak of inconvenience.

No, customer service student workers are good at getting shit tossed in their face and smiling through it all. They are familiar with the disrespect and ultimately they master the skill of faking a smile before going back to their sketch pad and scribbling “fuck this job.”

Drunk orders count

College students have no curfew so most fast food restaurants offer 24/hr service and delivery. Students who deliver are susceptible to the worst experiences. Why? Because drunk orders count. Your boss doesn’t care if you have to climb seven flights of stairs and hop over an unconscious bloke in the hallway, the expectations are that you deliver … no excuses.

Not every online order allows you to tip so delivery guys often end up wagering to themselves how much the tip will be this time. You’d be surprised at the testimonials of college delivery tips, ranging from a box of paper clips to an invite to play beer pong. Late night deliveries reveal an interesting side to most delivery guys who toss the box of paper clips in a nearby lawn before running the next red light in tears.

The art of walking backward

How could I forget our campus tour guides? We see them walk past every day with a group of strangers bantering about how awesome college life is with their chirpy voices and fresh faces. Wrong, tour guides are usually always crossing fingers that they do not bump into a nearby fire hydrant after their legs give out.

It’s hard to keep the enthusiasm that the university requires them to have; after being asked the same question over 20 times in one day it’s hard not to switch it up a bit to avoid paranoïa.

“What’s your major? … Oh, business and marketing?” By the twelfth time you squint really hard to avoid saying, “How is that your business?”

You see it’s hard finding motivation when your job is monotonous and you end up entertaining yourself by pinpointing the flaws in the people you’re touring, like, “Oh, wow those are huge feet for a 17-year-old;” and “Mhmm, no wonder the kid looks depressed.”

You start making scenarios in your head until you’ve passed the last building where you find enough energy to give one last smile. “Peace out … ”

Keeping up with the Starbucks bullshit

Coffee shops are very popular on campus. For some students, it’s a study and conference sanctuary while for others it’s a quick pickup for their daily boost. However, student workers face a lot of problems. With the high demand of others, it really sucks when a customer complains about their coffee having too much ice or if the syrup is missing.

One student yells, “I didn’t ask for whipped cream,” as you run between the espresso machine and coffee pot. This is the point where most workers look to the yoga class they took three weeks ago for help.

“I’m sorry I can remove it for you,” you say, inhaling harshly as you skim the whipped cream off and slam the cover back on.

unsplash.com

Lunch at noon is usually the busiest time on campus. Everyone is running to grab a snack or meal and managers usually hover over you waiting for you to mess up. Then there is that one person that cannot make up their mind.

“Ummm, errr, I don’t know, wow it all looks so good.”

You try to smile politely as you watch in dread as the line extends throughout the door.

“I’ll have the one-inch sub … oh never mind, give me the daily special.”

Your cashier reflexes are so quick that you’ve already punched in the first order. You call for your manager to void the items while he glares at you and apologizes to the customer for the inconvenience you’ve caused.

You made a commitment, I expect you at work

At some point during your job, your supervisor will throw this line at you. We all make commitments in life and one of them is showing up at work regardless of school deadlines. “You’re replaceable,” they would shout over their shoulders as they walk away from threatening to fire you.

“Since I’m so replaceable why the hell do I need to work overtime?” This soliloquy goes unanswered and you end up flunking your multiple choice calculus quiz the next day.

No matter what your job is on campus or whether or not you work, many students are currently facing these problems every day. So the next time you go to a restaurant, save enough to tip the tired girl that keeps running back and forth from the kitchen or that guy who brings you pizza at 3 a.m.

Make up your mind before you join the line to order or politely ask the person behind you to go next. If you’re having a bad day don’t be mean to the person who says hello on the other end of the line and always say thank you to the girl who calls out your coffee order. You would be surprised how much these simple actions can make someone’s day better!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format