Working Hard or Hardly Working?

There are 83 students who attend Canton High School, and 10 of those students have been or are employed by the same business. That business is the local grocery store, Canton Foods. About 12% of the students who attend Canton have, or have had the same job. The grocery store may not be a very interesting job, but it can still be fun.

Although it looks like an easy job, it is not. There are many tasks that have to be done throughout the day. A few of the tasks are sweeping, mopping, or straightening aisles. Most of the workers dread hearing the bell ding, signaling them to cut lunch meats for a customer. When the bell rings it’s a testy race for whoever touches their nose first. The student workers play a game called “Nose Goes”. In this game, whoever touches their nose last has to go and cut the meat. As they walk back into the meat market, their fingers are crossed, hoping that the customer does not want any liver loaf.

“The stuff that usually goes through my mind is, wow this bologna stinks, or man this roast beef smells horrible, and don’t get me started on the rank liver cheese,” Kalissa Wile, Canton Foods employee, said.

Wiping down the shelves is probably the second worst job to do at the grocery store, according to employees, especially on aisle six, which is the aisle with all the canned goods. When wiping off the shelves, they have to take everything off the shelves, wipe them down with soapy water, then put everything back onto the shelves. Another task that usually happens near the end of the day is cleaning the saw. When cleaning the saw, student employees have to take it apart and clean out all of the hamburger meat that was cut.

Grinding meat has got to be the coldest task. Employees go to the walk in, where it feels like it’s -10 degrees, and they have to grind the meat and put it in little trays. After they are put into the trays, they must be wrapped and tagged, then put on the meat shelves. Along with keeping the meat case full, they also have to keep produce, bread, eggs, milk, and chips full. The teenagers’ least favorite days to work are truck days. On truck days, all of the store’s food comes in, and everything must be put on the shelves or in the back.

Work may be boring sometimes, but students try their hardest to make it fun. One way to make it interesting is by hiding a fuzzy pink ball and taking turns trying to find it. Music usually plays in the store, and depending on the song, they sing along. Most survive the day by drinking lots of caffeine and eating noodles.

Around seven o’clock, they usually start wishing the store closed earlier than eight. Some days go fast, and some days are really slow. On the fast days, an hour feels like thirty minutes, but on the slow days, one hour feels like four days.

Ruby is usually there to entertain grocery store employees on the slow days. Ruby is the store ghost, she stays in the back most of the time. She will go through the aisle and make stuff fall off the shelves. There have been a few who have seen her walking around.

Throughout the day, many people come in and out of the grocery store. Many of the people who come in the students know.

“I feel like working at Canton Foods is a good opportunity to get to know more people that live in the community and it helps me get the experience of working for my own money,” Alicia Luna, sophomore, said.

Working at the grocery store is a learning experience. Students learn something new every day. It can be both boring and fun. It is all about how we feel going to work that day. Working at the grocery store is like working at any other job. There are things that have to be done, but that does not mean it can’t be fun.