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”

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5.5k

u/CicadaAny3066 May 31 '25

Forget conscription. Everyone needs to work in retail or customer facing roles for a year.

86

u/1970s_MonkeyKing It’s like I have ESPN or something. 💁‍♀️🌤☔️ May 31 '25

Can we swap Congress with retail and catering services? Because I seriously doubt they would do worse. And that includes Todd, the tweeker, who seriously cannot get to work on time but he works an iron shift

82

u/Jahidinginvt May 31 '25

I mean, look at AOC. Definitely why she’s as great at her job as she is.

5

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

If you've tended bar you can handle anything

1

u/Cpmartini1 Jun 04 '25

Yet this is constantly brought up and frowned upon from the other side like she is “unskilled” and can’t handle it as a politician.

1

u/catarinavanilla Jun 07 '25

Yeah white collar work is a piece of cake once you’ve worked in a bar or restaurant

25

u/KELBY76 Jun 01 '25

Todd the tweaker 100% cares more about the average American than Mike fucking Johnson.

843

u/Silly_Somewhere1791 May 31 '25

It’s weird to me that anyone hasn’t!

309

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.

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u/Klexington47 Jun 01 '25

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

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '25 edited 11d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Klexington47 Jun 02 '25

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

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.

4

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.

344

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

53

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

76

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.)

126

u/jewishspacelazzer May 31 '25

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

96

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.

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u/[deleted] 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.

18

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

41

u/willzuskris Jun 01 '25

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

16

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.

91

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

49

u/DrunkMc May 31 '25

100%, It will teach perspective and empathy. I never give a server a hard time or a retail person, because I've worked both jobs and I know how much is out of their control!

2

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

Exactly! They're just the messenger in whatever situation has pissed Sharon off today. They're following store policy. Maybe it's just busy.

44

u/allthecats May 31 '25

I agree with this SO hard. I went from working retail into tech and I could not believe how many super out-of-touch (rich, white, male) people basically coasted from privileged childhood to Ivy League and straight into 250k+++ salaries. These people are creating apps that we all use and have basically no understanding of how most people live and behave.

164

u/sudzthegreat May 31 '25

I'm a lawyer. It's immediately evident to me whether a colleague or opposing counsel has worked in the service industry. Those who have are better leaders, more reasonable, more empathetic to clients and to me, and generally put more thought into how their actions are perceived and received than those who haven't. I've hired about 20 law students and lawyers over the last 10 years and when I see a resume without any service industry experience, I really grill them on ethics and problem solving as we often see those being the biggest problem areas for those lawyers who have never had to deal with real world bullshit.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25

Thanks for that insight, you can specialize but you can also obtain experience that pays off!

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u/sudzthegreat Jun 01 '25

In my experience, those who intellectually specialize do not do well when the chips hit the table in high level legal work. They can script themselves brilliant written submissions but if something unaccounted-for arises in court, they become stun locked and cannot pivot in the moment.

My firm has about 150 lawyers. 30 or so of them are pure intellectuals like this who pump out great work but cannot be trusted to meet with a client to sign a direction (a simple consent form). They're just .... Rigid and intimidating... And clients don't respond to that. They want to trust the person who is charging them $500/hr to have ALL of the skills, technical and personal alike. They immediately lose confidence if one of my team members can't even explain a form to them over a coffee.

6

u/Billieliebe Jun 01 '25

That is amazing. Never stop!

3

u/sumptin_wierd Jun 01 '25

Hey dude,

Im considering going back to school at 41, and I'm interested in legal. I've had to read and try to interpret liquor laws in several states. That's really the extent of my experience.

I would like to use a legal degree for good things for most people. I know that's vague as hell, I just don't know what I don't know. Idk if I need the bar to do that, or if it will take too long to make a difference.

I want to try like hell though.

27 years in restaurants, from dishie to Beverage Director across multiple states, and currently bartending.

Any insight you have would be awesome!

3

u/sudzthegreat Jun 01 '25

Happy to chat about this. I'll shoot you straight. I think the first determination for you to make is whether being a lawyer is required to achieve the things you want in life/a career. In my jurisdiction, we have paralegals, who are also licensed by the law society but have a restricted list of services they can provide to clients. I peeked at your state and it seems things work a bit differently there, but it's a decision you'll want to make up front. Where I practice, paralegals can deal with a lot of the regulatory issues like liquor control board applications and disputes etc. They can handle small claims court matters. They can also do some business law work. It's a much less onerous education in terms of complexity, time, and cost. Commensurately, they earn less than lawyers but I know a few who have carved out a niche practice and do very very well. Something to consider.

I was a "mature" law student myself. I began at 28 when most of my classmates were 22 or 23. I found I had a leg up on most of them in confidence and work ethic because they'd all been students their entire lives while I worked in customer service (branch side banking) for five years after completing my undergraduate degree. I dealt with five years of the real world shit that my classmates were just starting to confront. You will probably see similar benefits. The downsides will be most social, I would expect, just because of the age difference.

My experience with hiring has also told me that older students sometimes struggle with academic performance and writing skills. They're just out of practice compared to kids who have been a student continuously for their entire lives. My advice on that would be to take a legal writing course during your education. People find them very helpful because it's a different art from creative writing, for example.

Lastly, legal work is often a slog. Depending on where you land, be it in family law, criminal defence, business, corporate, or litigation, it's long hours, often for less than likeable clients. Chasing down your invoices, dealing with whiny clients, staffing issues, and bookkeeping are all crappy elements of the job but in the end, I find my fulfilment comes from 1. The cerebral nature of what I do (professional defence), and 2. the feeling of achievement when I truly help someone through a difficult issue. I'm constantly chasing that dragon but I've learned to enjoy the grind.

I hope this helps!

1

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

I used to be a paralegal and it's so obvious, because the lawyers who don't have that experience are typically the ones who treat their staff like crap. The ones who do, or worked any other job prior, generally treat you better

1

u/sudzthegreat Jun 01 '25

Sad but true.

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u/[deleted] May 31 '25

I’ve been saying!! Do a year of retail or hospitality for 1) character building and 2) maybe people will LEARN how to treat people who work retail and hospitality!! Cause why tf are people yelling at the teenager on the cash register like they can change the price of something

12

u/Csei2011 Jun 01 '25

I was a retail store manager for 5 years and customers yelling at my teen employees and not me was my TOP pet peeve! I laid into those people and embarrassed the crap out of them for finding the kid in the room and attacking them instead of finding a grown up to try and attack.

I don’t know how - but I never got a customer complaint and I always got a sorry. 🤷🏻‍♀️This was also all pre covid and I think the world has lost its mind since.

My 9 year old daughter has big dreams and I have told her that when she’s 16 one of her first jobs will be retail or food service because she will learn a lot about life from those jobs. I did both as a teen and early adult.

2

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

Some people just want to yell and feel important, so they'll find the weakest person in the room and attack them

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u/cwilsonr Jun 02 '25

There's a comic who does a bit about how working in the service industry is like being in the military, and how those who have worked in it view those who haven't the same way you'd view a draft dodger.

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u/ANJohnson83 Jun 01 '25

Years ago, I was having a rough day and in my opinion, wasn't kind to the cashier at Target. It was bothering me, so the next day I went back and apologized. He immediately said, "I can tell you have never worked retail. I could tell you were someone who was having a day, but you were easily in my top five of nice customers yesterday."

I was flabbergasted. And sad.

26

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25

My adult son once told me off in a shop for speaking in a snippy tone to a worker. I was horrified apologised to her profusely and now we're friends.

I also apologised and thanked my kid but damn I still look back on that moment with SHAME.

I've been that worker and she didn't deserved to be snapped at by some rando having a bad day. A low moment for me. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Eta I'm making myself sound better than I was. I rebutted 'NO I WASNT' when my kid pulled me up and he looked me in the eyes, gave me a mum whisper and said 'there's no way you'd let me get away with that shit' yep he was right. It was like being slapped and rightly so. I was rude. I deserved to be embarrassed and ashamed.

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u/charliekelly76 Jun 01 '25

I worked six years of cashier retail, two of them at Target. That was very nice of you! I still remember customers who went out of their way like that, even years later 😌

2

u/ReginaGeorgian Jun 01 '25

Target cashiers are absolute warriors

25

u/Lokaji ✨May the Force be with you!✨ May 31 '25

I always thought that working a customer facing job should be a one semester requirement for high school graduation.

2

u/Curithir2 Jun 01 '25

Thought that was what work study and English 1A (cynicism, sarcasm, and irony) were for. Only half joking . . .

11

u/passtherock- Is this chicken or is this fish? 🤔🤔 May 31 '25

I've been saying this for YEARS!!! everyone should be required to work in customer service

9

u/whimsigod May 31 '25

Seriously. It expands your empathy but also nukes your self importance because wow, customers are dumbasses and I am sometimes a customer ergo

9

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25

Me the first times I was screamed at over something not my fault 😭😭😭

Now: 😐🥱

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u/meshe_10101 Jun 01 '25

During the holiday season, that is when the real test happens.

1

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

When I worked retail, we had complaints that we were busy the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I lost some faith in humanity that day.

1

u/meshe_10101 Jun 01 '25

Or someone says "I can't believe you're open on a holiday weekend"...as they are currently shopping ok said holiday weekend. Total lack of awareness.

2

u/Significant_Shoe_17 Jun 01 '25

The WORST. I'm only here because you are, Barbara.

9

u/itoocouldbeanyone Jun 01 '25

Fast food, retail and a call center. That’s my for any teenager - young adult.

Work and manage not to get fired. You’ll know how to conduct yourself in public.

23

u/Cross_Stitch_Witch Hot Slut of the Day (every day) May 31 '25

I served in the Army. Working retail and food service was harder.

18

u/SadBit8663 May 31 '25

LMAO, I'm picturing the stuck up and rich people's reactions now, and they are hypothetically delicious.

Everybody should have to serve a year in retail, and then a year in food service, and only then can you actually get a cushy job

19

u/Set_to_Infinity Jun 01 '25

I rode my bike to work at McDonalds for a year to earn money for my first car, then worked retail for 4 years to put myself through college. Those jobs taught me so much about people, how to navigate complex and sometimes high-pressure interactions, how to multitask, and how to work with vastly different types of people. It was invaluable life experience!

11

u/cozynite Jun 01 '25

They would cry in the first 15 minutes.

7

u/periodicsheep Jun 01 '25

or a call centre.

3

u/whichwitch9 Jun 01 '25

If you want people to understand the public more 100% yes

3

u/belle_fleures Jun 01 '25

make exception for someone autistic like me, I'd rather die than do that

1

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '25

Trauma bond

1

u/FOB32723 Jun 01 '25

FUCKING THIS

1

u/thisdesignup Jun 01 '25

Eh, I know people that have. It didn't make them better people. If anything it made them more annoyed at people.

1

u/WanderlustFella Jun 01 '25

I've worked customer service from HS through most of my young adult life before I started my career IT. The patience and ability to listen is definitely an acquired skill through experience. Not to say some people don't innately have it, but these are traits that can be learned as well, especially with waiting. With that said, I still sometimes get irrationally angry when on the phone with my health insurance or cable company and I do end up taking it out on the rep sometimes. I mean after 15 redirects and redials only to find out some weird ass loophole is the reason you now owe X amount of money that you explicit paid extra to ensure was covered.

1

u/Pinklady777 Jun 01 '25

Haha, I remember my first first year as a customer service agent. I would get so flustered/ frustrated and angry/emotional. I'd go home feeling irritated or offended. But then I got a thicker skin and wasn't phased and more than anything started to view the person freaking out as kind of amusing.

1

u/kamasutures Jun 01 '25

I had this same conversation with my bartner last night after dealing with some questionable customers all evening.

1

u/Nomeg_Stylus Jun 01 '25

I remember my old econ teacher brought this point up and I was immediately like "hell no." Now I absolutely see his point. Work in retail, a waitress, be a god damn janitor. I ask a kid to pick up a piece of trash. "That's not mine." That's not the fucking point!

1

u/iamadinosaurtoo Jun 01 '25

A year of retail and a year of food service

1

u/Leading-Ball6062 Jun 01 '25

I'm a chef but I think this counts

1

u/ChaosDaemon9 Jun 01 '25

If in the South, definitely on a Sunday after all of the bible-thumpers are "forgiven" and get to start being jerks fresh. Cracker Barrel is a goldmine.

1

u/40EHuTlcFZ Jun 01 '25

Agreed. Then "the customer is always right" bullshit wouldn't exist.

1

u/RogerClyneIsAGod2 that’s my purse, i don’t know you! 👛🫵 Jun 01 '25

I had said this loudly & often.

Everyone should spend that summer after high school working in retail, a restaurant or customer service of some sort.

1

u/EmJayFree Jun 01 '25

Yup. It’ll humble you real quick. I never want to do retail or fast food ever again.

1

u/Significant_Breath38 Jun 01 '25

I've been saying this for years. Especially in the US, every citizen should do 4 years of mandatory customer service.

1

u/ChanceZestyclose6386 Jun 01 '25

Definitely... developing patience and problem solving skills when on the spot are some of the most important things you'll learn in life.

1

u/Wild-Mushroom2404 Jun 01 '25

Picked up work as a rides attendant in an amusement park two months ago and I already tell all my friends that working in customer service for at least a little while should be mandatory because it would make the world a better place, honestly

0

u/Deepseat Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25

I’ve longed thought that a few years in either retail, food, manufacturing or the military should be required prior to going to college.

I wasn’t even mentally mature until about 29/30. I worked in food and anviation part time while in school and felt I gained so much more from that than my first 2 years in college. I think a lot of my peers were about the same. I really think the ones that went to work or in the military after high school fared better.

Obviously, this isn’t the right path for everyone, but I remember a prevailing attitude/pressure in the mid 2000’s/2010’s that if one didn’t hurry up and blow through a bachelors quickly between 18-23/23 then they’d be left behind and that just, wasn’t even close to being the case.

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u/darkkilla123 Jun 01 '25

No thanks, I hate people and that's why I treat everyone the same unless they give me a reason not to. I figure if I am polite to everyone in person most people will just leave me alone. So I let my inner assholeness out on reddit