A Visit

Had another day off from Peet's. Yup, it's been a very irregular schedule. So made plans regarding my full-time employment opportunity.

Arrived at the company of my future employment this afternoon. Got acquainted with the general stuff that I'll be working on. Saw my future boss and we had a good chat. I guess I "passed" because he declared me "pleasant" and seemed very pleased with what he found. The amazement about how smooth everything has gone still hasn't worn off yet. Praise God for preparing everything, knowing how I'm so lacking in the job-hunting arena.

"Tweak"

Something very interesting happened this afternoon. Was enjoying my consecutive 2nd day off from Peet's when the phone rang in the kitchen. Who should it be but a good family friend (I call him uncle but we're not related.) In his usual enthusiastic and rapid way, he invites me to join his team and work for him, since one of his trusted employees is leaving soon.

"....!"

My first reaction was shock. I've been searching for a full-time job for some months, and the searches have all ended in disappointment. What has God planned now? I was truly amazed. Funny thing was, I tried to make it realistic by asking about the specific responsibilities of the job--he assured me that I'll be able to handle everything well, plus I've got time to train. I guess I must have sounded like a wet blanket, but he was never discouraged or dissuaded at any moment in our conversation. Looking back, I really thank the Lord that despite my completely unprofessional approach to the whole thing, the friend still wanted me to join his company. It's so crazy that it just might be part of God's plan.

This is God's tweak in my life.

Peet's Journal --Morning Madness

Worked the 2nd morning shift today. Can't believe there're sooo many people needing coffee in the morning! Really crazy. My first time using a register, but I got the hang of it pretty soon. My co-worker said I'm doing great! Encouraging. Don't know the pastries yet (since only the customers can see the labels, and all the scones look the same to me :D), so stayed on the register. Everyone on my team was very supportive. Got a bit familiar with the touch screen menu when ringing up items, because had previous practice on GPS (thanks C!) which is also touch screen.

Caffe Mocha with Garuda coffee is excellent, and ordering Caffe Latte when they're using Espresso Forte coffee for their espressos is also very good.

If you're a customer, the best way to order is:
1) type of drink (Latte? Mocha? White Mocha? Chai? etc.)
2) size (small/medium/large)
3) type of milk (nonfat/lowfat/whole) and type of foam:
flat=no foam--new term to me!
dry=only foam and no milk--another new term
light foam, extra foam, etc.
4) your name if ordering an espresso drink

BUT, people usually say:
I want a small......let's see.......nonfat extra foamy latte.....wait, make it a medium and lowfat instead.....what's that? it's alexandrina jones....
[that's why we always repeat the customer's order for clarity.]

I understand now why espresso drinks are so expensive--it's personalization and the subsequent skilled labor to make the drink! I get it now.

Peet's Journal--Beans

Worked the afternoon shift training at the bean counter today. Got to scoop up different coffee beans for customers, weigh the right amount, and grind them with one of the 3 giant grinders that we have. The customers were generally very polite and relaxed, I guess since it's the weekend. Knew how to do everything, except when they asked "which coffee tastes like ___?" or "I want something light. What do you recommend?" Then my trainer would answer these questions.

Closing the bean counter required so much energy! Lots of cleaning and hurrying around. It was especially hard when customers needed help one minute before we closed! Now I'm exhausted and must sleep. Good night. Praise God for a real sabbath with no Peet's work tomorrow!

Peet's Journal--First Week

1st few days of work at Peet's has gone well. After lots of reading/studying and note-taking about the parts of a coffee bean and the bean picking process, my first time out on the floor was restocking condiments, i.e. replenishing the sugars, napkins, etc. Such a fresh experience! Had to weave in and out of the long long line of customers quite a bit. Really tested my courage!

Yep, the shifts at Peet's change each time I work. Good part is that I can have lunch with my college friend after training, at 1pm yesterday. Bad part is that I've to remember when I've to go to work every day, and when I've a holiday! I've to note everything down on paper and make a mental note before I go to bed every night.