Giggin' It Up

I found the personal account of a McDonald’s crew member particularly interesting in part because I was a McDonald’s crew member when I was 16 years old. My experiences working there perhaps is no different than Kysha’s with the exception of flirting with boys in the drive-thru. Unfortunately, many of my friends at the time had not gotten their license yet to shape my experience in that way. I also was absolutely horrible at drive-thru. The work ethic at McDonald’s Kysha describes is extremely accurate what the managers and owners expected of their crew members. For example, when there were no customers around you were not allowed to sit around or “rest.” You were forced to clean/sanitize any messy areas on the counter, lobby, the outside, or even the bathroom. Stocking was also an option if there was down time. Even though if everything was stocked up and clean, you would have to make it seem as if you were busy. I often found myself pretending to be working while there were no customers. Indeed there was absolutely no “free time.” Your time is the owner’s time. Your time does not belong to you. It belongs to McDonald’s. Time is money.

Relating Kysha’s experience of the “business” or “pseudo-business” of this particular work, I find stark contrast to this labor sphere to the street market vendors I observe in Ha Noi. For example, many people who sell and provide services on the streets around HANU perhaps own their time. Unlike McDonald’s enforcement of busy-ness when there is downtown from customer service, the street market vendors and servicers simply just chill or have conversation with their family, friends, or neighboring businesses. Even in the restaurants when a worker is not the owner, they still have some sort of control over their time, especially the idle times during their shift. This article helped me reflect on the ways in which societies and peoples interpret the notions of capital, time, work, leisure, and ownership. Having in the insider perspective of being an actual crew member of McDonald’s definitely helped my own understanding of the work spaces and its relative philosophies. I would like to know more about the work spaces in Ha Noi and how they operate it. What are exactly the similarities aside from the differences?