Silence is GOLD-EN

When I was in high school, and universities, I had a lot of jobs!

Some were awful, some okay and some were actually a lot of fun.

One such FUN job was working reception at a well known, local gym.

NOT that I ever worked out – let’s not get carried away! But it was a bonus to have to wear a “uniform” to work that made it look like I did!

It was just fun to work somewhere where I got to know the people coming in, everyone was always happy to be there, the snack / smoothie bar was outstanding and they played music all day long! Ideal!

Not to mention, there may have been one or two good looking guys who came in to work out at the gym. Not that I noticed! 😉

Part of my job at reception was to make sure that I checked the membership card of everyone who came in the door. In fact, it was made very clear to me that this was the most important part of the job. So, having not yet honed my ability to question authority, I accepted that that was my role and took it very seriously.

I asked everyone who came in the door for their Gym membership card and if they didn’t have it, they were not allowed to come in.

One afternoon, part way through my shift, a large, well built, intimidating man came in to the gym and did not have his membership card. I stood up tall, put my shoulders back and looked him square in the …. chest…. and told him that he would have to come back when he had his membership card.

He was NOT having any of it!

He argued with me for some time that he WAS going in, membership card or not. I did my best, as a part time student employee, to enforce the rules, but he was NOT interested in listening to anything I had to say!

He finally DEMANDED that the manager come to the counter.

I called the manager on the intercom and he came out DIRECTLY, after I gave him a description of the “member”. This was my introduction to having to follow the rules and looking like an idiot when you learn, in front of the “exception” that there are exceptions to every rule. When the manager arrived at the front desk, the man was welcomed with open arms (attached to rather large biceps and an expansive chest) and was told to have a great work out and to go on through to the main gym.

The manager asked me to come back to his office with him so I did.

I was informed that I had just worked my last shift. WHAT?? The man to whom I refused entry was one of the owners of the gym and also a very well known, high ranking member of Hell’s Angels and apparently, I had pissed him off.

As I was leaving, the same man was complaining to one of the instructors at the gym that some idiot in a red Volkswagen Scirocco had parked in his personal spot and could they please page that person to move their car.

No need – it was MY car in his spot! I did NOT need to be paged and just high tailed it out of his spot!

Two important things that could have been a part of my training back when I had started at the gym. That the owner is SCARY and does NOT, in fact, have to show identification upon entering the gym and that we could not park in the unmarked spot that everyone was just supposed to know was reserved for him!

Lesson learned? Look carefully into your employer before you accept a job and know who you are working for. AND… don’t argue with the Hell’s Angels.