How many jobs do you think you have had in your life so far? I have had a total of 33 jobs in 17 years. I am a professional singer and actor. Did I plan on having 33 jobs in 17 years? Of course not, but life has been a crazy wild ride.
There were no drugs, very little alcohol, but WORK has been my drug of choice! I have worked at least 3 jobs or more simultaneously in addition to performing over the years. Each week, I will discuss one of my former or current jobs. My thirteenth job was cashier at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store & Restaurant.
2014
In 2014, I was working part-time at St. Georges Independent School. However, I needed another job to supplement my income. My need for supplemental income would become a common theme throughout my adult life. This is what lead to me working multiple part-time jobs instead of one full-time job over the years. One day, my parents and I went out to eat at Cracker Barrel and I asked the server for a job application. I filled out the application at home and went in-person to turn it in the next day.
Interview
When I went in-person to Cracker Barrel with my resume and application, I was interviewed on the spot. I met with the retail manager and she asked me if I wanted to be a server or a cashier. I told her that I prefered being a cashier. Servers have to make their money from their tips because the hourly wage is usually $2.14 an hour. I needed a consistent paycheck, so being a cashier was the best option for me.
Schedule
Since I worked at St. George’s Independent in the afternoons, I worked at Cracker Barrel at 6am Mondays through Thursdays. I was given about 15-20 hours a week. Furthermore, I had rehearsals and performances for shows in Memphis until 10pm or 11pm. 2014 marked the first year that I began working three jobs. This eventually became the norm for me throughout my life.
Communication Skills
In the mornings, I was the only cashier for the first four or five hours of my shift. I learned how to communicate with people through this job. I had to answer the phone as well as check out guests after their meal or when they bought something from the store. This pushed me out of my shyness a bit more because I was the first person the guests would see when they would enter the restaurant.
In 2014, I read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This book taught me how to become more curious about people. I used to fear talking to new people, but I began starting conversations more consistently. Additionally, when I booked Hairspray in Little Rock, Arkansas, I transferred to the Cracker Barrel there temporarily. When my contract ended, I returned to the Memphis location.
Cracker Barrel Pay
For a short period of time, I also worked as a prep cook to get additional hours at the job. In Memphis, working in customer service is challenging because you do not get very many hours and your wage is extremely low. My wage at Cracker Barrel started at $8.25 an hour and went up to $8.75 before I left the company.
When you go to Cracker Barrel, you will notice that the employees have stars on their aprons. If you earned a new star, you would get a tiny raise, only about a few cents. In order to get a star, you had to take a short test and work there for a certain amount of time. Eventually, I got three stars on my apron, but left the company before getting my fourth star.
General Manager
I had quite a few managers throughout my time at the Hacks Cross Cracker Barrel. Most managers were great and a few of them were not so good. However, this is quite common when you work at a customer service job. My first general manager passed away suddenly during my time there. He had been the general manager for several years. The store was probably at its’ best when he was in charge of the store. The staff took it hard when he died because he was beloved at that location.
Leaving
I moved to NYC in August 2016. I had to quit Cracker Barrel on August 4, 2016, two days before I flew to NYC. There were no Cracker Barrel’s in NYC so I could not transfer to a different location. I thoroughly enjoyed working at Cracker Barrel overall. It was not perfect, but I worked there for 2.5 years. I am super grateful for my time at Cracker Barrel This job opened up more work opportunities when I moved to NYC.
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