Five people, five terrible jobs

They write it down so they don’t say it out loud. Pick one and start at their latest shift.

  1. Hello my name isMarcyPhone support, ConnectaLink Broadband

    Call center horror stories, one headset at a time

    Marcy Pruett, 34, has answered the phones in Tier 1 support at ConnectaLink Broadband for four years. She is required to say “I completely understand your frustration” and does, about ninety times a day. What she actually thinks goes in brackets.

    Read the diary (2 entries)
  2. Hello my name isGazLine cook, Bonfire Grill & Taphouse

    Kitchen horror stories from the grill station

    Gary “Gaz” Toomey, 29, works the grill at a Bonfire Grill & Taphouse off the interstate. He has burns on both forearms, a manager called Trent, and no time for capital letters. Writes on his phone during the ten minutes the fryer takes to heat up.

    Read the diary (2 entries)
  3. Hello my name isBevCashier, SaveRite Foods

    Grocery store horror stories from till number 4

    Beverly Okafor, 63, has worked till 4 at SaveRite Foods for twenty-two years. She has seen everything twice. She keeps count, she keeps calm, and she very nearly never swears.

    Read the diary (2 entries)
  4. Hello my name isPriyaAssociate, Halberd Strategic Partners

    Corporate horror stories, sent at 1:47 a.m.

    Priya Raman, 27, is an associate at Halberd Strategic Partners, a management consultancy with a glass lobby and no clocks. She writes in timestamps, in the language of the office, which gets less polite as the night goes on.

    Read the diary (2 entries)
  5. Hello my name isDennisCaptain Corny, Twin Rivers Huskers

    Life inside a mascot costume

    Dennis Wilkes, 41, is the man inside Captain Corny, an eight-foot ear of corn and mascot of the Twin Rivers Huskers, a minor-league baseball team. Captain Corny cannot speak. Dennis, off duty, has a lot to say.

    Read the diary (2 entries)

Your turn

Got a job worse than all five? Tell us.

The shift, the boss, the customer. Five minutes, under a pen name, and nobody at work ever knows.

Tell us about your job