Trauma Bonding

PhruityPheebles
Nov 8, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Recommended for people 21+

Content Warning & Trigger Warning: Language & Profanity; Drug or alcohol use; Drug or alcohol abuse

A picture of an old Promotional Saying from A Chipotle bag with a cartoon bean on the phone saying "Never Bean Better" — "Nvr Bean Bttr"

At the end of my freshman year of college, I got a part-time job working the front line at Chipotle of the Chipotle Mexican Restaurant corporation chain fame.

This particular Chipotle was located just north of the college campus but south of the downtown area. Hence, there was always the daytime student and faculty traffic, or the night-time studiers or really late-night party crowds. But the worst days? College Football Gamedays. There was never a dull moment at this location, that's for sure.

Did I hate this job? Obviously, yes. But did I hate it more than jobs I've had in the past? Guess not, since I ended up sticking around for nearly four years. Of course, my previous "record" was 2 years but with a 6-month hiatus in between, so does that even count?

The reason I hated this job was usually because of the terrible customers or, even worse, periods of poor management. When you work part-time at a corporate store making just a bit more than the Missouri minimum wage, it's not as if this is set up to where you're going to love it. Customer service jobs are meant to be soul-breaking. If the job doesn't make you want to cry during your shift or scream in the back walk-in fridge as loud as possible, then it's not a customer service job!

Somedays, you might get easy shifts: not too many customers, things stay pretty clean, you're able to stay on top of it while bonding and chatting with your co-workers, and before you know it, you get to go home without even looking at the clock too many times.

But holy shit, it's those fucking days when you come in, things are looking good, and then BAM: someone calls in sick. Maybe even two people call in sick. But God forbid, three people call in sick, and pretty soon, there's a line out the door. You start running around like a chicken with its head cut off while feeling the pain of every step you take because you've been at it for too many hours while management yells five different things that you need to do in one ear and customers yell at you for 10 other things in another ear and you also need to pee. Absolute chaos.

And these goddamn shifts make you hate Father Time because it's as if He decided to slow down time just when you're at work to increase your misery and suffering. These are the shifts where you've looked at the clock more times than could've been humanly possible.

But the silver lining is that all of your fellow employees looked at that clock every time you did. You all searched for hope together. You all screamed in the cooler together. You all cheered when the last minute would strike at closing time. You all hooted and hollered for when the key would lock the door, making it official. You all waited patiently for the moment when you thought you would see the last customer come in. But, of course, that moment always feels like it may never come, so you bet on how many customers will come in 10 minutes to closing just to speed up the time. And win all the money in the tip jar.

But after some shifts, no matter opening or closing, you would slip into something a little more comfortable and go bitch with all of your co-workers. Sometimes bitching sessions include getting to go and smoke and drink your asses off, complaining about all the annoying or crazy things that happened, and just hang out. Until that is you wake up with a hangover just in time for your next shift, congrats you're clopening!

Obviously, customer service jobs are the worst (work so hard for so little pay)- but holy shit- the trauma bonds it can create are truly forever. Just DON'T fuck any of them.

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