Sunday around noon, I went in The Gas Station Chicken Store for my daily 44 oz Diet Coke. While holding my cup under the spigot of the soda fountain, I saw an elderly lady (probably younger than me) step up to the chicken counter. Problem was, I had not smelled that delicious chicken when I walked in. Usually, you can detect that aroma from the parking lot.
Man Owner was working the register. He does that sometimes through the week, but usually, neither he nor Woman Owner is in the store on Sundays.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. The kitchen is closed. PERMANENTLY. We had some trouble with the workers, and had to fire them, and we need the others to work out here."
SWEET GUMMI MARY!
You can't have a Gas Station Chicken Store without CHICKEN! That's crazy! That lady turned to look at me as I was looking at the chicken counter, seeing the empty silver bins behind the glass of the warmer.
"NO! I LOVE the chicken!"
"Me too." She turned to Man Owner. "Maybe you'll find a way to work it out."
Thing is, they always have a HIRING CASHIERS sign on the door. I know good help is hard to find. I frequent a lot of convenience stores! I definitely wouldn't say they have good help. I imagine the firing was for not showing up for work. It's been happening for a while now. I'll go in on a Sunday, and the kitchen will be closed. It's inconvenient if I'm wanting chicken that day, but also beneficial on Mondays and sometimes Tuesday, because the price of an 8-piece box drops from the regular $7.99 to $6.99. And once even to $5.99! Gotta move that inventory some way!
Anyhoo... on Monday, I was surprised to see chicken in the warmer! At a price of $6.99. The only workers were Man Owner, Woman Owner, and a regular chicken-fryer/cashier. It will be interesting to see whose heads rolled, as I observe who's working the rest of the week.
I knew Woman Owner would not let her chicken inventory rot, just to spite the fired workers. Whether she orders more chicken for future weeks remains to be seen.
4 comments:
They need (someone just like) my #2 daughter, who used to run the hot chicken part of the supermarket deli counter so efficiently. She's not a people person so preferred to stay 'behind the scenes' as often as possible for as long as possible. She kept those rotisserie chickens coming along all day AND kept the back area super clean. She got so good she could 'spit' a dozen chickens in five minutes. That's where they take the chickens and spear them onto the rotisserie bars which then get loaded into the giant oven about three dozen at a time I think and each bar would rotate with its load of chickens while the whole assembly also rotated inside the oven. When they were done, daughter would bag each chicken label it with the price and time of day, so people would know how fresh it was, either am or pm, then get the load out front for the customers. Of course that was twenty years ago or more, and she now has a job she really loves.
River,
If I owned a Gas Station Chicken Store, I would hire her for my chicken, and you as my cashier! Of course, the commute would be tough. And she has that whole "other job" thing going on, too.
I'd also rather work behind the scenes than with the people.
Good help is rare. There seems to be a whole generation of people with no work ethic out there. Good chicken is hard to find, too! Around here anyway.
Kathy,
I guess maybe the Man Owner was just frustrated and crying WOLF, because the next day, there was chicken in the warmer for $6.99. AND on Tuesday, there was chicken in the warmer for $6.00. Today (Wednesday), there was chicken in the warmer for the regular price of $7.99. PLUS some burritos. Not the full menu. Maybe they are still using up inventory, and what had been ordered for this week.
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