by Jamie Gentner, Outpost Staff
|
In This Package On the web |
"Not really, it could go either way, but tonight I have a good bartender. He's fast," she answered. The section isn't too big. There are about six aisles to patrol, but it looks kind of packed. Here we go.
The first pass around people order their drinks. Some just want beer and water. Others want their version of some specific cocktail. Jen developed a mock shorthand for herself, as she writes the orders down on paper coasters. "You have to write it down if you have more than five or so people," she tells me. "It's amazing how strongly people react over a free drink that's made wrong."
Looking around, I notice that the casino hum has become background noise to me. I've been there long enough to get used to it. After she showed me the section layouts the casino floor suddenly wasn't too confusing anymore. There were a lot of people there already and it wasn't even past dinner yet.
Two hours go by like nothing. It's almost 11 p.m. Jen's shoulder is bothering her more. Another waitress is complaining that a strap broke on her shoe. Another girl is furious because a drunk guy keeps spilling on her. Of the problems listed, the servers were most interested in the broken shoes. Shoes. The most important accessory these women can own. The shoe conversation was more in depth than many college discussions. I ask where and how they buy shoes.
"Most of them are junk," Annie, 37, said. "It's hard for the new girls because they want their shoes to look cool with the outfit. It's really hard to find a good pair that look decent and are comfortable enough to stand a whole shift."
She tells me she usually ends up buying Capezios. Some of the other girls chime in. Their reasoning: "If women can dance in them for hours a day, seven days a week, in those shoes, I should be able to walk in them for eight hours."
At 1 a.m. it is time for Jen's break. She sits down with buffet food in the employee cafeteria and looks around. "Long night," she said rubbing her shoulder. "Tips are slow. I've only made about $50. People aren't too generous tonight."
She explains how the first half of a shift is usually uneventful. "People aren't that drunk yet, or couples are out together." It's the later people who are usually more wasted trying to win a million, she says.
Jen has about an hour to rest and then return to the floor. A few servers have been sent home already because their sections are so slow.
posted: 3/10/1998