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I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

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Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#81

Post by agiacalone »

josefresco wrote: post #23
your_challenger wrote: post #16

> Nobody thanked me. Do you think this is still true? This resonates with me. I used to work in tech, but I recently joined my family's brick-and-mortar business. No one says thank you, no one appreciates you. I find it amazing that this culture of thanklessness exists even in the US (I'm in India) in non-tech jobs. P.S. I worked at all fronts of the business before joining the management. Worked at the counter, as a…

> Nobody thanked me. I don't buy this for a second. I thank everyone for even the most trivial of interactions and I'm certainly not alone (in the US) Buy a Coke at 7-11 - "thank you!" Take package from UPS guy - "thank you!" Waiter takes order - "thank you!" Support rep puts me on hold to look up issue - "thank you!" Pretty much every retail/store interaction - "thank you!"

It's anecdotal, but my wife was a Disneyland cast member for ~5 years. She claims that the words 'thank you' were a rare occurrence to hear from guests...

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#82

Post by sph »

frereubu wrote: post #59
jdietrich wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in England, there's a very significant cultural divide between North and South. One of the key symbols of that cultural divide is whether people thank the bus driver when disembarking. In London, thanking the driver would make you a bit of a weirdo; in Newcastle, not thanking the driver would make you dreadfully antisocial. I imagine that there's a huge difference in this respect between a McDonalds in Manhattan…

I think it's a central London / outside central London thing. Just in my personal experience people in both Brighton and Somerset thank the driver, and I bet there are plenty of other places like that in the south.

I picked up the habit of saying "cheers drive!" after living in Bristol.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#83

Post by sph »

sobelius wrote: post #17

Honestly, I think he’s living the dream — no tech headaches, just flipping burgers and taking it easy. Really makes me think...

Working in restaurants and hospitality is hell on Earth. Work long hours for peanuts and get shouted at.

I'd rather be a gardener or a farmer.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#84

Post by gopher_space »

brianshaler wrote: post #67
mtmail wrote: post #2

"10/[20]00-10/[20]00: counterperson, mcdonald's" Does that mean he worked there for one month or less? I checked his Linkedin, the job isn't listed. Jan 2002 he started a new photo startup ("50M+ members posted a billion photos"), then co-founder&CEO of meetup. It's a good time capsule of what his thinking was in 2000 but I wonder if it was more than a break. At my office job I, too, often think I should drive an Ube…

I used to work in software sales in a call center. I hated my job and the highlight of my week was the Monday burrito special down the street at a place where the employees shouted "Welcome to Moe's!" whenever customers entered. When thinks ultimately fell apart at that job, I went to Moe's and somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got…

> somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got fired.

Bit of a tangent; I switch between knowledge work and labor a bit, and the biggest mistake I see people make is not altering their caloric intake or sleep schedule.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#85

Post by AndyNemmity »

oceanplexian wrote: post #68
SoftTalker wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that explains why he felt nobody appreciated his efforts. The first few weeks at a job like that you are pretty much just in the way. It takes some time to learn the routines and operate the equipment so you can work quickly without thinking.

Agree that’s kind of *^%% move, I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail. Doesn’t matter if it’s a food service job or a FAANG. McDonalds was doing him a solid by offering some kind of employment for a person presumably down on their luck with zero experience. Hiring people is a huge expense and risk even for a small franchise.

McDonalds can fire you for any reason in my state. At any time.

When you're renting yourself to authoritarian institutions like corporations, there is no "self respect" required for you to always take the best deal for yourself whenever possible.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#86

Post by SoftTalker »

AndyNemmity wrote: post #85
oceanplexian wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree that’s kind of *^%% move, I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail. Doesn’t matter if it’s a food service job or a FAANG. McDonalds was doing him a solid by offering some kind of employment for a person presumably down on their luck with zero experience. Hiring people is a huge expense and risk even for a small franchise.

McDonalds can fire you for any reason in my state. At any time. When you're renting yourself to authoritarian institutions like corporations, there is no "self respect" required for you to always take the best deal for yourself whenever possible.

> McDonalds can fire you for any reason in my state. At any time.

Yeah but if you show up for your scheduled shifts and are on time, sober, don't steal, and are moderately competent, they won't.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#87

Post by ilamont »

karaterobot wrote: post #5

If his timeline and application are true, he was technically still the chairman of his company while working at McDonald's, if in name only. > 10/99-10/01: chairman, i-traffic (an agency.com company) > 10/00-10/00: counterperson, mcdonald's (4th & broadway, nyc) I sometimes think about going back to work at food service jobs after I retire, just to keep busy. I enjoyed those jobs as a high school and college student,…

There was a movie subplot that featured something like this as part of the main character's midlife crisis. Something with Kevin Spacey. American Beauty?

People who retire from professional jobs often do pick up part time work that would be classified as "menial" because they want to keep engaged and/or make a little extra money. I've had older Lyft drivers who retired from professional backgrounds including one guy who was a comptroller for an engineering firm in Boston. The WSJ sometimes profiles retirees who fall into this bucket as well. IIRC there was a former CEO who couldn't stand being at home and decided to work at the local airport information counter, maybe even as a volunteer.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#88

Post by SoftTalker »

awad wrote: post #43
hackeraccount wrote: post #3

They should add a date to the title - I saw the $5 and hour and was confused. I swear I remember McDonald's starting people at $10 an hour even around that time.

NYC has had shockingly low minimum wage: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/spotlight-minimum-wage/ I specifically remember being a teenager around that time and trying to math out a part time job at McDonalds for 5.35 an hour and realizing how tough it all was.

In 2000? Yeah that might be somewhat typical for fast food wages depending on locale.

Minimum wage is a floor. It doesn't mean you can hire at that rate.

Minimum wage in my state is the federal minimum ($7.25/hr) but restaurants here have to pay about double that to get anyone.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#89

Post by bulletninja »

gopher_space wrote: post #84
brianshaler wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work in software sales in a call center. I hated my job and the highlight of my week was the Monday burrito special down the street at a place where the employees shouted "Welcome to Moe's!" whenever customers entered. When thinks ultimately fell apart at that job, I went to Moe's and somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got…

> somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got fired. Bit of a tangent; I switch between knowledge work and labor a bit, and the biggest mistake I see people make is not altering their caloric intake or sleep schedule.

Could you elaborate on that? Altering caloric intake and sleep schedule as a reaction to what? And how would you change between the two regimes? Increase/decrease how much? etc.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#90

Post by celdon25 »

AndyNemmity wrote: post #85
oceanplexian wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree that’s kind of *^%% move, I’d have too much self respect to start working somewhere for a few weeks than bail. Doesn’t matter if it’s a food service job or a FAANG. McDonalds was doing him a solid by offering some kind of employment for a person presumably down on their luck with zero experience. Hiring people is a huge expense and risk even for a small franchise.

McDonalds can fire you for any reason in my state. At any time. When you're renting yourself to authoritarian institutions like corporations, there is no "self respect" required for you to always take the best deal for yourself whenever possible.

> in any state

FTFY

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