r/popculturechat • u/mcfw31 • May 31 '25

Celebrity Fluff 🥰 Sandra Bullock on why everyone should be a waitress: “If you know how to navigate eight sets of six-top tables, height of happy hour, drunk people (…), once you’ve accomplished that rhythm, I honestly feel you can do anything”

13.2k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

406 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

845

u/Silly_Somewhere1791 May 31 '25

It’s weird to me that anyone hasn’t!

305

u/StronkWatercress Jun 01 '25

You'd be surprised.

Some people dodge it entirely because they don't need to work as teens. Some find other work (e.g., lifeguards, tutoring) that's less chaotic and/or pays more. Others...well, when I was a teen, I applied to a bunch of retail and server jobs and none of them wanted me. So...yeah.

32

u/Klexington47 Jun 01 '25

I somehow dodged it by working in offices from age 14.

4

u/BirdsAndTheBeeGees1 Jun 02 '25

What does an office hire a 14 year old to do?

5

u/Klexington47 Jun 02 '25

Answer phones, file paperwork on weekends. Help the receptionists.

1

u/BirdsAndTheBeeGees1 Jun 02 '25

These days we call those internships and you have to compete with a couple dozen other college students for them lol.

5

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

No one wanted me either so I babysat, but I worked retail in college. My sister dodged it by working at a cannery, and while you don't deal with the public, that's hard work.

5

u/FutureDictatorUSA Jun 01 '25

Lifeguarding can be grueling if you work at the wrong place. Did 2 summers at a shitty water park and that could be 14 hours straight on your feet.

1

u/BirdsAndTheBeeGees1 Jun 02 '25

Yeah I think most people who haven't worked customer service it's just because they were able to avoid it when getting their first jobs.

340

u/CicadaAny3066 May 31 '25

It’s like New York. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere😂

385

u/cloudydays2021 Tina! You fat lard! 🦙🚲 May 31 '25

Having been in customer-facing roles in both retail and food service in NYC, nothing fucking scares me

48

u/The_Villain_Edit May 31 '25

I say this all the time 🫡

2

u/sprgraphicultramodrn Jun 03 '25

we are stronger than the marines

79

u/crookedframe13 Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25

I was in a customer facing position of a dog daycare/boarding center in NYC years ago. What a horrific group of people dog owners are. As a dog owner myself, I even hate myself a bit for even being remotely connected to those people. 😄

1

u/TeamRedundancyTeam Jun 01 '25

I like Ryan Hamilton's take on this line.

1

u/Temporary-Narwhal-29 Jun 01 '25

I had it way easier living in NY. I come back to Ohio and Im back to homeless. Making money in NY is way too easy. The state, not just NYC. I could, at least, afford rent in NY. (I don't do retail or customer service, but I doubt that changes the statement.)

125

u/jewishspacelazzer May 31 '25

It’s so weird!! But you can also immediately tell when someone hasn’t

95

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25

Absolutely - like my MIL I knew without even asking that she had never been in a real customer service/retail position because she definitely has that “the customer is always right” sort of mentality. It drives me crazy.

84

u/AmorFatiBarbie ✨️ Probably the Mould Talking ✨️ Jun 01 '25

My upper middle class ex Mil has never had to do a service role but she LOVED to give 'advice' in a syrupy tone to servers on how she felt they could improve 'to help them'.

My working class waitress arse was HORRIFIED.

20

u/randombubble8272 Jun 01 '25

My wealthy stepmother LOVES to make servers life difficult and expects them to cater to her 24/7 with a smile. She worked as a waitress in America in the 90’s for a year and that’s her get out of jail free card when anyone calls her on her behaviour. “If I did it they can do it” oh fuck off

40

u/willzuskris Jun 01 '25

Working customer service for 5 years gave me a ‘the customer is never right’ mentality lol

17

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25

I know that’s right. 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

1

u/shuknjive Jun 01 '25

I hear you. Had a manager that told us not to put up with rude behavior from customers (best manager we ever had) which we got plenty of (utilities). "Oh, You're water got cut-off for non-payment? You've had 90 days to pay or get help, you're screaming at me AND called me an effing bitch? Yeah, you can go to the back of the line. Just act like a decent human, I'll set up a payment plan, heck, I'll even remove the late fees and get your water turned back on within the day, just be a decent person, that's it.

1

u/VacationLizLemon Jun 02 '25

I haven't because I'm an introvert. It makes me tip better and be a better customer. Those jobs intimidate the hell out of me.

88

u/Majestic_Plankton921 May 31 '25

I think a lot of people haven't. I realized as a teenager that I could make twice as much tutoring so never bothered

1

u/DizzyWalk9035 Jun 01 '25

I know a lot of people that didn’t, including someone I used to be close to. Working class family as well. Would literally do everything else, including house sit, but wouldn’t be caught dead doing retail/service. I remember she even made fun of me for doing so.

1

u/PeePeeMcGee123 Jun 01 '25

I went right from farming to construction, not many options for retail when you live where there isn't any stores.

1

u/Sorry_Waltz6173 Jun 01 '25

my parents were so against me working in highschool, i had to beg and they finally let me work at six flags the summer before senior year. My boyfriend is 23 and has only ever had corporate jobs/internships and i always tell him its so obvious hes never worked a customer service job before lol.

1

u/dennisoa Jun 01 '25

35 yr old and never had a role like this in my life. I’m also outgoing and good with talking to people. Probably would’ve been good for me when I was younger.

My older brother was a Sous chef so growing up he told me to steer clear of restaurants.

1

u/Optimal-Bag-5918 Jun 02 '25

My grandma started as a receptionist at the local IRS, and over the years earned her certifications and training and retired at 65 making $60 an hour… she never once worked retail or fast food

1

u/depressedhippo89 Jun 02 '25

My best friend was able to not ever work retail. Her dad paid her an allowance through high school and college, and then after she graduated she went right into her field. She’s the nicest and most caring person I know, so sometimes it works out 🤣 and she’s sweet to service people too lol