Minimum Wage
I started working the summer before college. Initially, I had a job selling bootleg DVDs at a flea market. Within a few weeks, I quit to work the overnight shift at Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee and breakfast chain.
After I got accepted into college, the meaning of school changed: going to school meant skipping class and hanging out with friends. As a broke high school student with no obligations, I wanted to make money. After countless hours of searching on the internet, I found a job selling bootleg DVDs at a Chinese flea market. I made $7 an hour.
On weekend mornings, the owner would drive around to carpool my coworkers and me. When we arrived at the flea market, we'd set up the booth along with the DVDs. The DVDs sold for $2 a piece, and 6 for $10. I was the only one that spoke fluent English, so the owner would frequently prompt me to talk to the English speaking customers. I'd be on my feet the whole time, and only got breaks to use the bathroom. Aside from delivering newspapers, this was my first job. They paid me in cash. Even though the work was tedious, making money felt good.
After school officially finished, I had a lot more free time. One Saturday, I skipped selling DVDs and dropped off my resume at all the neighborhood stores and restaurants. I didn't hear back from any of them. A week later, my mom and I drove past our neighborhood Tim Hortons. Someone put up a "We're Hiring" sign. I'd dropped off my resume, but never heard back. My mom parked the car. She urged me to go follow up about my job application. I was hesitant.
"Don't make me go in with you."
To avoid any potential embarrassment, I went in. The store manager happened to be there. I asked about their hiring and he said to come back in 2 hours for an interview. I was ecstatic, but also very anxious. I went home and put on a collared shirt and some khakis. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of an interview. The manager pretty much gave me the job with the caveat I'd be working overnight.
The minimum wage in Ontario was $10.25 in 2013. The manager highlighted that the overnight shift paid $10.75, 50 cents more than minimum wage. I was eager to get started. The following weekend, I quit my job selling bootleg DVDs. I loved the idea of getting paid by cheque, having a uniform, and working somewhere recognizable.
The job was surprisingly difficult. Since then I've worked at a variety of fast-paced jobs: equity derivatives trading, recommendation systems at Twitter, and advertising at Snapchat, but the graveyard shift at Tim Hortons still stands as the most demanding: the sheer amount of work to be done was absurd. The fact it was overnight made it worse.
The shift started at 9 PM. At this time, customers were still coming in and out. Once the majority of them left the store, I got started on a long list of tasks: washing out the coffee pots, wiping down desks and tables, mopping the floor of the restaurant, counting inventory and restocking, cleaning the bathroom and many more. The store was open 24/7 which meant customers would come in while I was working my way through these tasks. If I was mopping the floor or counting inventory, I'd have to pause, serve them and then hustle back to whatever I had been doing. After completing the long winded list of tasks, the shift would end with the morning rush hour. This was like a final boss fight. After an exhausting night, I'd have to hustle my ass between the drive through and the regular orders.
Tim Hortons, and any other franchise restaurant, has a very specific way of operating. For example, coffee left out for > 7 minutes was no longer fresh whereas steeped tea had a 10 minute expiry. There were plenty of other arbitrary rules to be followed. The nature of coffee shops meant customers often customized their drinks, making the cashier system a nightmare to operate. There were days where a long line would form, and I’d take forever to figure out how to input a triple espresso shot, low fat, half sweet, caramel latte with a quarter hot chocolate.
I was thrilled to be making over 100 dollars every shift. That quickly faded away: working overnight 4-5 times a week took its toll. During my shift, I'd get only one 30 minute break. I figured out the best break time was at 2 AM. This was when customers would be least likely to come in. I'd make myself a ham sandwich, sit down, and take a breather. Aside from this, there'd be no time to spare and I was always hustling to get through the list of tasks.
I always felt so accomplished after getting through a shift. It was surreal to bike home with the sun rising, feeling so drained from a night's work. I'd always take a double glance at the shift schedule before leaving. With 2 weeks left of summer, I realized I wasn't on the schedule anymore. My heart sunk. I called in during the day to ask why and the manager, the same one who had hired me, just told me to come pick up my last pay cheque.
When I went in, the manager wasn't actually there himself. Apparently he was at the other Tim Hortons he owned. I never found out why I was let go so abruptly. Was it my performance? Did they hire a more permanent replacement? I did mention I'd be off to college when summer was over. After picking up my cheque, I realized I forgot some belongings in the Tim Hortons. I never went back to pick it up. At that moment, I felt defeated. I was embarrassed to tell people I had been let go.
I routinely got coffee from Tim Hortons on my college campus. The taste of the coffee was always a subtle reminder of that summer, and that reminder occasionally spiraled into hours of reflection. My emotions evolved over time: from a deep-seated angst to an intense sense of motivation to an acceptance of the fact. I've still never been back to that Tim Hortons. 5955 Leslie Street, North York, ON. Next time I'm in Toronto I'll make the trip back.