The service industry has been a big part of my life, especially during my time in junior college. I have had the opportunity to work at a variety of different places, but in this post, I will be focusing on my experiences at a café, a sneaker store, a supermarket, and a bubble tea shop. These basically conclude what I have worked as during my high school days.
café
My first job in the service industry was as a waitress at a café in Dhoby Ghaut. Despite the long commute and below-average pay, I took the job because I had always been a regular at the café and was curious about what it would be like to work there. I worked there for three months with flexible hours and learned how to make various drinks, including the café’s signature garland, which I can no longer replicate. The café had a steady stream of regular customers, and my responsibilities included serving food, cleaning tables, working the cash register, making coffee, and closing the café at the end of the night. One perk of working there was that I was able to get a free dinner if I worked more than five hours a day. The experience also taught me a valuable lesson about the food industry, and I no longer take free tap water from restaurants for granted xD My introverted personality made me nervous about working the cash register and interacting with customers, but the experience helped me come out of my shell and see society in a different way.
Sneaker store
After three months at the café, I decided to switch to a part-time job as a retail assistant at a sneaker store. I worked at the sneaker store for about three months too. The pay was also below average, but my experience there was different in many ways. My supervisor was a single woman with strong principles and admirable social skills. On my first day, she noticed that I was nervous while talking to people and advised me to conquer my social anxiety. Working at the sneaker store was relaxed but also slightly more challenging than I had anticipated. I had to memorize all the models and names of the sneakers, interact with customers, and climb ladders that were 2-3 meters high to retrieve shoes from the storeroom. This was difficult for me as I have a fear of heights. However, I was able to overcome my fear and get the shoes for the customers. I also met a cute full-time Malaysian coworker who lived nearby, and we would often head home together after work. My supervisor and coworker were patient and supportive, pointing out my mistakes and teaching me how to improve. My time at the sneaker store helped me to improve my social skills.
Supermarket
My experience working in a supermarket called Fairprice was one I will never forget. After my A-levels, I decided to take on a part-time job to gain more real-world experience and earn some extra cash. I ended up working at Fairprice for about a month, six days a week for seven hours a day with an additional one-hour break. The pay was rather decent compared to my previous job, it topped up accurate amount into my CPF (where a lot of the F&B stores don’t) and the workload wasn’t too bad, but the real challenge was dealing with all types of customers.
On my first day at the cashier, I was a bundle of nerves. I wanted to make sure I did everything correctly, so I packed the customers’ goods a little slower than usual. Unfortunately, this led to me getting scolded by some customers. But just when I was feeling down, a lady stepped in and comforted me. She had worked as a cashier too and understood what I was going through. It was a small act of kindness that really encouraged me >.< As the days went on, I met all kinds of customers, some were friendly, some were demanding, and some were just plain odd, but there were a few that stood out in my memory. One customer asked me if I was a part-time student because my hands were shaking (which I attributed to my nerves). She reassured me that everything would be alright and to just take my time. Another Indian uncle even bought me a package of chocolate cookies as a New Year’s gift and encouraged me to study hard when I went to university. Even though I faced a few difficult customers, I had a wonderful supervisor who helped me with all my needs. She was a kind and understanding Chinese lady, and she even assigned me an experienced Fairprice full-timer to guide me through my training. I also realized that many of the full-timers were middle-aged ladies, most of whom were very easy-going and saved me from many situations. As a result, I was able to polish my interaction skills a lot. In the latter two weeks, I wasn’t able to work as a cashier anymore because my fingers were allergic to opening more than 300 sealed plastics every day, and sadly my skin is quite sensitive.
My allergic fingers due to the job
Instead, I became a helper, arranging and adding to the supermarket and allocating baskets to each designated place on time, as well as packing goods and putting unwanted goods by customers back on the shelves. The job may have sounded easy, but it was much more tiring physically than working as a cashier. I walked over 30,000 steps a day….
Walked more than 30k steps per day collecting the baskets in the supermarket
but overall, I would say working at Fairprice helped me to gain more real-world interaction experience and develop my customer service skills.
Bubble tea shop
And here comes to ChiChaSanChen, a popular bubble tea shop. As someone who does not particularly enjoy bubble tea, I was initially hesitant to take on the job, but I ended up working there for a total of six months. We usually worked for 8-10 hours, and the schedule was rather flexible. My role was multifaceted, including responsibilities such as operating the cash register, brewing tea with Chicha’s special brewing machine, adding toppings, flavoring the tea at the bar, and decorating and serving the final product.
The first staff drink I claimed from ChiCha
The shop was staffed by a combination of full-timers and part-timers, with the full-timers in charge of cooking the pearls and topping up the toppings. The part-timers, like myself, were mostly young girls who had just finished their A-levels and were waiting for university acceptance results. Being around people our own age made for a fun and relaxed work environment, and I even kept in touch with one of my coworkers after we both moved on to university.
The branch where I worked had no air conditioning or fans, only a small portable cooler that didn’t do much to keep the heat away. It got particularly warm during hot weather, and even rain would sometimes leak in. The location of the branch, in a busy office area with many schools nearby, meant there were often long lines and a lot of delivery orders to handle. Sometimes we would receive orders for over 100 cups of bubble tea, or customers would order 20 cups at the cashier for their colleagues. It was exhausting, and there were times when we were short-staffed, forcing one person to handle multiple stations. The pay wasn’t great compared to other bubble tea shops, but my supervisor was somehow generous and would sometimes buy us snacks and drinks.
Some yogurts that our supervisor(店长) bought for us
We were able to claim one staff drink every time we worked and I even traded my employee bubble tea discount with staff from other nearby restaurants for their free meals.
Exchanged some free food from other restaurants with my staff drink!
Despite the challenges, I have fond memories of my time at ChiChaSanChen. I worked at ChiCha 3-5 days a week and just nice that there were two coworkers who always worked on the same day as me. We then formed close bonds, and we would often hang out after work, grabbing snacks and drinks from the nearby grocery store, and enjoying the night breeze and scenery.
Chilling with my co-worker after work
It was a lot of fun, and we would even give each other advice and encouragement while waiting for our university acceptance results. I received a few offers from different universities while working at ChiCha, and my coworkers did too. It was interesting to see how determined some of us were about our chosen path and how others were still unsure. Working at ChiChaSanChen was a unique and memorable experience that taught me valuable lessons about teamwork and perseverance. It was also a fun opportunity to experiment with different bubble tea flavors and create my own unique drinks.
My customised drink for myself
Though it was a tiring job, I look back at it with fondness and appreciation for the people I worked with and the skills I gained.
PS: ChiCha uniform looks quite decent, I liked it.
Conclusion
Working in the service industry has been a transformative journey for me, taking me from a shy and timid girl to a confident and social individual. With each new job, I have been exposed to a diverse array of people and cultures, broadening my perspective and understanding of the world. As St. Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” My travels may not have been in the traditional sense, but stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing new experiences has allowed me to “read” more pages of the world’s book and expand my horizons. Through interacting with others, I have honed my soft skills and grown as a person. I look forward to continuing this journey of self-discovery and growth, exploring new opportunities and becoming the best version of myself.