MY FIRST JOB (Intermediate) (EXERCISE I8E49)

When I was seventeen I got a summer job in a posh department store to finance my first trip abroad. It was near my home so it seemed ideal. The first place I worked was in the silks department. I didn’t get any training so I was terrified of cutting the fabrics. There were some regular customers who had servants and chauffeurs. Some had been coming for years. Most of them were pleasant, but a few were really nasty. Often, when somebody notorious appeared, the experienced staff ran away and hid. They only came out from the storeroom after the customer had gone. 

I’ll always remember the first day of the sales. I had set my alarm early so as not to be late. I quickly dressed and left the flat. Outside, it was raining hard and the traffic was creeping along. When I got to work, people were already queuing outside the doors. Some had been waiting all night and the weather hadn’t improved their temper. They were potentially a dangerous mob and I could see why our boss had planned the sale like a military operation. The previous day, my ‘commander’ had told me to work at the end of the tables in the middle of the shop floor.

At five to nine we were all waiting anxiously, as the seconds ticked by. Suddenly, the doors opened and there was the sound of hundreds of pairs of feet running through the foyer. At the crucial moment, just as the first customers were approaching, I dropped my scissors. I was crawling around under the table when the stampede struck. I was stuck underneath it for twenty minutes, surrounded by a sea of legs. I was completely helpless.

QUESTIONS:

1. Did Pat enjoy her job?
2. What happened with difficult customers?
3. How do we know the sale was important?
4. How do you think Pat felt when she finally got out from under the table?
5. Have you ever had an experience at work similar to Pat’s?
6. What was your first job?
7. Do you enjoy your current job? Why / why not?

 ANSWERS

1. Did Pat enjoy her job?

             Although Pat does not say outright, she implies that she did. Today she is able to laugh at the various situations she found herself in.

2. What happened with difficult customers?

             The experienced staff ran away and hid. They only came out from the storeroom after the customer had gone.

 

3. How do we know the sale was important?

Because many people gathered before the doors opened.

4. How do you think Pat felt when she finally got out from under the table?

Relieved and probably embarrassed.

5. Have you ever had an experience at work similar to Pat’s?
6. What was your first job?
7. Do you enjoy your current job? Why / why not?

 TO PRINT