I spend my summers working at McDonald’s but I don’t hate my life

Working at McDonald’s is just about as glamorous as you would think, AKA not at all.

When I tell people that I worked at McDonald’s throughout high school and plan to go back this summer, I get mixed reactions ranging from “Oh my gosh, I LOVE McDonald’s!” to “Ew you do? Your life sucks.”

When not working at McDonald’s

The truth is, both of the reactions are relevant. Some days can be as atrocious as you would think, but others are actually a lot of fun! And I always have interesting stories after a long day at Mickey D’s.

You see the strangest people

Obviously McDonald’s is somewhere that just about everyone has been to at least once in their life, so you can imagine the interesting people I get to see during an eight-hour shift. I usually work the drive thru, and for some reason, people think you can’t see in their car when they come up to the window. HELLO yes I can see in your car, and I can see that you left your house without pants on to come get McDonald’s this morning. There is no invisible shield protecting my eyes from the atrocities inside your car!

You get yelled at, for everything

Last summer, the price of the double cheeseburger went up about 20 or so cents, and oh my gosh, were people unhappy. They would order through the speaker and after I would tell them their price, I could hear them cussing as they were pulling up to the window. I always knew when I was going to get an ear full. I remember one lady specifically that threw such a fit, she drove away without her double cheeseburger after she already had paid! What was the point of yelling at the 18-year-old girl if you weren’t even going to eat the dumb thing?

People can actually be really friendly

Every Saturday I worked 7am to 3pm, and of course, there were regulars, mostly little old ladies coming in for their coffee. There was one lady specifically, that every Saturday morning would buy two large coffees with five cream and five sugar each, and would talk to you about life at the window as long as she could before another car got in line behind her. I got to know her so well that the Saturday after Christmas she came through the drive thru with a $10 Starbucks gift card for me, because once probably 4 months before then, I had mentioned to her that I preferred Starbucks coffee ovr McDonald’s. It was little gestures like that, that really made me appreciate the people I met through work!

You bond with your coworkers over how much you hate your job, which in turn makes you love it

McDonald’s is gross, and after having worked there for two years, I will probably never eat it again. With that being said, I would never change the fact that I work there, and it will probably be my summer job all throughout college! The rude people that walk into the doors give you something to laugh about with your coworkers, and that really does help you bond with them. Although laughing at other people’s expense isn’t the nicest thing to do, it’s a good way to make lifelong friends.