We’ve been wanting my teenage daughter, who we’ll call Katy*, to get a job for several months. Her schoolwork is manageable now and she has plenty of time on her hands to work a few nights a week. She decided to apply for a job at a local Subway franchise, where her friend, Darlene, works. She left yesterday to pick up the application and visit Darlene* to talk more about the job.
3 hours later, she returned home. I asked her how it went and she said fine. I told her that I wasn’t sure her friend’s manager was all that impressed that she hung around for 3 hours while Darlene was supposed to be working.
“He didn’t mind.” Katy said. “Cause he wasn’t there.”
“Well, what if one of the co-workers say something to him?”
“There weren’t any co-workers. She was there by herself.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Is this normal?”
“Yes.”
“So she was by herself… all day???”
“Yes.”
“Does she do this often?”
“Yeah, I guess. She worked from 11am-6pm today and then had to stay behind to clean up and close the registers.”
I have to admit that I was not happy about that. We live in a safe area of town, but I’m very uncomfortable with my daughter working by herself, and handling cash, all by herself. This particular Subway is never crowded and it could be hours in between customers.
My husband thinks I’m being ridiculous.
So what do you think? Would it bother you to have your teenage daughter working a job open to the public where she’d be the only one in the store?
*Not her real name
Labor laws are different by state but I would think an underage(is she?) worker would not be allowed to manage a store or be responsible for handling cash alone. Just the cash aspect should require two people. Subway would be interested in the behavior of the management of that store.
Also handling cash and food is generally a health code violation.
If it was my daughter I would say no.
Plus working for what appears to be a highly irresponsible manager, who knows what else he might want her to do that could be illegal, dangerous or labor code violations.
I happen to know, from working in Ohio as a teenager myself – and I just verified it on the state’s website – that if you’re under 18, the law mandates that you must take a 30-minute break per every five hours that you work. So who’s minding the store while this girl takes her mandated 30-minute break? Do they just close up shop? I’m thinking that something is not quite right with this setup.
I’m not so much worried that she’s 16, I’m concerned that there is no manager or at least another worker on call.
I worked a fast food joint in a small town when I was 17. We closed at midnight but there were never less than two workers. Our manager was always on call and checked in frequently. I needed another worker when I started because I was clueless but I was glad for the backup in case of trouble.
I would say let the daughter get a job where someone else will be present. Not because of boogeymen, but because everyone and everything will be better off. Just my TwoCee
The whole thing sounds weird. They only have one person on at a time (as previously mentioned, handling both food and money is health code violation)? A person who is under 18? And what Subway closes at 6:00?
If any of this is true, there’s no way in hell I’d let her take that job. But it’s entirely likely that she’s misunderstood what’s “usual” around there. I’d check it out.
I never knew handling food and money was a health code violation. We did it at Mickey D’s when I was a kid (bagging fries and doing the cash thing). The subway workers at my local joint put gloves on to make the sammiches and then take them off to do the money transaction.
Back to the OP. As long as she’s not working an overnight shift (i.e., no one around for blocks at a time) I’d be inclined to let her try it. You said the other girl works til 6pm. To me, that seems like there’d be enough people milling around (even if not actually in the store) to ease my mind enough.
Overnight convenience store would be another thing altogether. I live in a very safe neighborhood and our adult convenience store owner got beat up by some robbers. (after 11pm).
Kalhoun, by handling food, I meant direct contact. Scooping fries you were using a funnel scoop and not touching fries directly.
I worked at Arby’s mumble, mumble years ago before gloves were in common use and the slicer operator was not allowed to handle money without washing hands before resuming sandwich making. Even with gloves you need to change them before or after handling money.
I know that it’s a health code violation to handle food and cash, but Subway workers put on gloves when they handle the sandwiches, even when there’s a separate cashier.
Handling food and cash is the least of my concerns, though.
We’d pick them up (hand over the top and/or side of the little bag) to put them in the big bag. There was definite skin-to-fry contact. However, this was back in the early 70s. Not sure what the rules are now.
I was thinking that if you’re running between register and sandwich prep there can be a temptation to take shortcuts. At any rate, too many red flags in general.
I’m a 29 year old woman with a blackbelt in karate who lives in a safe neighborhood in Ohio, and I would not want to be working alone at either of our local Subway stores. Not for minimum wage at least. Maybe if I was making $15/hr it would be too hard to pass up but for some paltry sum? No way.
Teens aren’t stupid, but sometimes they’re just more confident than smart.
I’d be a bit nervous about it. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in that situation at that age, and I’m male and was (at the time) somewhat muscled.
It sounds like a lousy job anyway. Rather than have her waste her time earning crap money and few skills, maybe suggest she take more classes, do volunteer work, or otherwise increase her marketability to colleges/scholarships/research programs/etc.
My last job (25 year old female, looks 19) was working by myself during the day at a specialty beer store. So, it was a step above a convenience store or a liquor store, and it was right by the college campus, so it was in a decent neighborhood. The main reason I left was because I was worried about what might happen to me all alone there. Based on my experiences when there would occasionally be an owner present while I was working, dirty old men are far more likely to make disgusting comments and propositions when there is a young, unattended female. There is likely a back room to the store (as there was in mine) that any well-armed sicko could push you into and do, well, whatever well-armed sickos do. Now, nothing terrible ever happened to me there, but I felt very uncomfortable sometimes at being the only person there. Even if your daughter thinks she can handle that, it will get to her after awhile. I would have her find another job, personally.
While I suppose that there are worse lessons for a teen to learn than how to be independant by working by herself all day . . .
I’d make my theoretical teen daughter keep looking for a job. And get one where developing people skills with co-workers and not just clients was (an unofficial) part of the job.
On the other hand, part of that is because I’ve been working in food service as a small part of a large big box store for the past few months, and being expected to close the food bit and handle all problems mostly by myself is a pain and I’m not a teen. I’m never entirely alone, but I was turned loose by myself feeling inadequately trained–and I have reason to believe that others have been started with even less preparation.
I don’t have a problem with teens and other desperate people (me) working sucky jobs for not much money, but I think one can find a slightly less sucky job for about the same amount of money and I think the daughter in question should do so.
I’m with the husband in the OP. (all tho’ I think of a better way to put it than ridiculous. ;))
Personally I think 16/17 is an important age where kids need to know their parents trust them. I’m sure you (the op) realize you can’t be there 24/7 to protect your daughter from the “Boogie Man”.
Let’s face it Mom; your daughter is becoming a woman, try not to hold her back. Easier said than done; I know.
(after 11pm).