Many people in this world have jobs. Not matter how old, some people work at sixty, and some work at sixteen.  It is good to have a job young so you learn how to interact with people and to have a little pocket money. Being a teenager and working at the same time is definitely hard but definitely pays off. I have to look at the pros and cons to figure out weather to keep the job or not.

I’m a sixteen year old working at Marianos, a grocery store, as a cashier. I like how the Mariano's company gives their employees a check every single week. Comparing it to some other stores, it's better than getting it every other week. Mariano’s has a problem with my check and paying me so that might be a reason whether to stay a Mariano's employee or not. I started out as a bagger in September, 2015. I was getting paid eight dollars and eighty cents. When November came by, I wanted to move up a level and start being a cashier. I remember, the first day of November was the first time that I was on the register after I was training. What helps me remember that it was November first of 2015 was that there was a promotion going on for that whole month, which was donating either one dollar, five dollars, or ten dollars to the grand giving of Chicago. Which helps parents with not enough money to put food on the table for their kids. I loved Cashiering. I loved talking to the customers. Meeting new people. Many things were nice about it. My first paycheck that came that friday after I was cashiering, said I was still getting paid eight dollars and eighty cents. I thought to myself that me cashiering must still be going through the system. So I waited untill next the next friday. Turns out i'm still getting paid as a bagger. I then thought to myself that I’ll ask them what is wrong with the payment when I worked my next shift. That Sunday was when I went back to work a long eight hour shift on the perfect chilly and windy day. I went up to my manager, Layla before I clocked in. Hey Layla how come my check is saying that I'm still getting paid as a bagger when i’ve been cashiering this whole time? It's been two weeks already. Oh well that's because when you are out in the system you have to wait two weeks to get the pay raise.

Oh! Okay that's fine! I went to go clock in. The following friday I was for sure that I was going to get paid nine dollars and fifty cents an hour, like other cashiers do but it turns out it was still eight eighty, this was starting to get on my nerves so I just told myself to calm down but it seemed that everything that i’d do wouldn’t work, I was starting to think that they are making excuses not to pay me the normal money or because they were too lazy to put me in the system or they just don’t like me or want me to be there. I was getting furious because another month passed by and on my paycheck it still says eight eighty. I keep addressing it to my manager but she does not do anything about it. So after work one day in January I went up to her one last time. “Layla I'm working as a cashier for two months now and I am not getting paid as one. What is the problem?” She finally checked what was going on. I was sitting there next to her watching her steps that she did on the computer. “Well, it says here that you still have training to do.” I then remembered that back when I finished my cashier test Layla told me that there is nothing else to do and in two weeks my amount would move up. I didn’t want to argue with her so I just let it go and asked her when I can get this training done with already. “Well we are busy right now so i'm going to need you to hop on the register and we will worry about this later.” Inside I felt annoyed by her because she obviously does not care. Throughout the next month, which was now February, I would ask every single day when I could get my training done with. It took all the way up until the the middle of April. This is just crazy and horrible that they were doing this to me and what was even worse is that I was letting them without saying anything. I finally figured out that the only way I was going to get all of the money they owed me and get to the right amount of payment, was to call the union. The union is a company that protects us as employees. I'm really glad I had them to talk to or I might never get my money. Nick is the representative for the Mariano's I work for from the union. I called him and told everything that was happening and he told me that he would definitely get my retro pay and raise my pay up to nine dollars and fifty cents and hour. Retro pay is all of the money that they owe me from getting paid as a bagger and working as a cashier. The difference between a cashier and bagger pay is seventy cents per hour. Since I started cashiering November first, I had to look up how many hours i’ve worked up until they would pay me the right money. From November first, until April twenty fifth, I worked exactly 300 hours, which means that they owe me 210 dollars. I was surprised that it came up to that much. I wanted to stay because I knew that I was going to get the right pay and my retro pay.

Being a cashier helps me alot with communication. I learned a lot. Talking to people, for an example. I always say hi and greet the customer with respect. Since I do this all of the time, I find myself outside of work saying it also. Hi how are you today? I'm good how are you? That's great! I’m good too. Now everywhere I go, I treat everyone with respect. People often approach me with attitudes and questions. When customers come along with attitudes I know how to deal with it. Back then I would have a attitude back at them, but this job shows me how to be a better person. I now greet them and have manners, which usually leads them to let their attitudes disappear, but when it doesn’t, I just let them have their attitude because I know that I tried to make them better and knew that I did what I could have done. When customers approach me with questions, I try to answer them myself. If I can't answer them, I'll go find someone who would be able to help them out. This is definitely a positive because it helps me be less shy. I do what I can for the customer and talk to them strongly and bravely. Without a doubt, being a cashier has cons also. Having the stress on you to always be nice to the customers and making sure that they are 100% satisfied makes it hard. Standing in the same spot all day typing numbers and ringing up items gets boring. Staring at the computer for too long hurts my eyes. Doing these things might or might not be worth it for nine dollars and sixty-five cents an hour. It seems little, but add up at the end of the week.

At the end of the week, I notice that I get a perfect amount of money to have for a junior. I’m glad that I get paid and have a job because I am so young. I definitely am going to stay as a cashier at Mariano’s because it is very nice to have pocket money, and yeah, it is work, and yes it gets boring sometimes, but i'm glad to work and make my own money.