The only thing longer than or equivalent to waiting for your number to be called at the DMV is waiting in line for your food at Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Lawrence Center on campus.
I thought it was just rumors circulating from student to student, but I realized that it may be true. I usually don’t buy from Einstein’s, but one morning I decided to finally take it upon myself to buy the infamous french toast bagel—might I add, it was very delicious.
I walked into Einstein’s and the first thing that caught my eye was the long line wrapping around from the register all the way to the back corner. I thought it would go by fast, since customers in the morning are usually paying for a beverage or a snack; I was completely wrong.
I began standing in line at 10:07 a.m., waiting patiently for my sandwich, but as time flew by, I continued to look at my phone to see how long it had been since I arrived. My class was soon to start and I dread being late. I even contemplated just walking out of line and leaving. Once the two individuals in front of me paid for their orders, I moved up for my order to be placed, but the staff worker did not say a word to me at first. He looked over to his peers and just sighed. He began unboxing food items and placing them into containers.
Already hungry and soon-to-be late for class, I continued to wait in front of the ordering counter until the man decided to finally approach me. He said, “I am sorry for the wait, but it may take a little bit longer than usual.”
I continued to wait and noticed that 15 minutes had passed by and I was still standing in line. Finally, he came over again and took my order. As he asked for my order, he mentioned how sorry he feels for students like myself who have to wait almost 40 minutes just to get a sandwich or anything else on the menu. All I could see was the frustration in his eyes.
I walked towards the checkout register eager to just pay for my meal and noticed how one of the staff workers was on her phone and not being productive at all. I am not the type of person to get upset at the slightest things, but this incident ruffled my feathers quite a bit.
One thing that I realized while working in retail and in life is that you are supposed to help out your team members, even if it is not a task that you regularly do.
I was given my receipt and continued to wait for my order to be made. With nothing but time to waste, I began counting the number of staff workers on duty and evaluating to see if it was possible for the other workers, who were on their phones or just talking, to help their coworkers out in order to make the line decrease and ultimately make it easier for them all to get the job done. I observed that there were seven workers on the clock at this time: one taking orders, one cashier, three prepping the food, one appearing to do inventory and one barista. One in particular did not seem to care that customers like myself were watching her as she played a game on her phone.
The staff worker helping to take my order urged me to file a complaint with Aramark so that his voice, as well as student voices, could be heard. He did not like how the line continued to get longer as everyone stared at him wondering what was going on. The one staff worker could have intervened and helped the three others prepare the food instead of playing games on her phone.
Einstein’s in the Lawrence Center at West Chester University needs to reevaluate its customer service at this present point in time. It also needs to take its workers and customers more seriously, so that their productivity will increase and customers are more than willing to come to them without the madness of waiting in line for almost an hour. In today’s day and age, customer satisfaction surveys are rising up to be one of the most productive manners or feedback for companies. If enough people were to gather around and complain about the long lines, unproductivity and shortage of staff workers, I am sure that there can be a change for Einstein’s customers in the near future.
Jennifer Odiatu is a fourth-year student majoring in communications studies with a minor in journalism. ✉ JO820471@wcupa.edu.