Employee of the month
March 17, 2009 • written by Rachel Vegas
The phone rings inside 3rd Street Hydroponics, a quaint gardening warehouse in downtown Oakland. Hearing this, junior Amanda Lopes rushes towards the stairs in hope of answering the call, only to fall down the whole flight in front of the thirty or so customers in the shop.
“It was so embarrassing!” recalls Lopes.
Work isn’t always this dangerous for Lopes. She enjoys being cashier and bookkeeper for 3rd Street Hydroponics, a store which her parents own. Her duties include managing receipts, tracking taxes and of course, answering phones.
Being the boss’ daughter has its perks. Lopes works on Saturdays and some days during the week that she chooses herself. Such a flexible schedule doesn’t interfere much with her school work and free time.
Lopes sought out a job so she could put some money towards purchasing a car.
“I like to earn money instead of it just being given to me,” says the self-sufficient young woman.
Still, Lopes can’t resist having a little fun with the money she makes.
“I take half of what I earn and go blow it on shopping,” she admits.
For Lopes, having a job turned out to be not as bad as she first thought it would be. She feels that it is a valuable experience, for it is helping prepare her for adulthood. Decision-making skills are also sharpened on the job, as the choice of how to spend the paycheck lies in the hands of the worker.
As the youngest employee in the store, one would imagine that Lopes would be intimidated. But fortunately, her co-workers are fun and friendly.
“We joke all day and it makes our day go by way faster,” explained Lopes.
All in all, Lopes is happy with her job and is grateful for the sense of maturity and responsibility working has provided for her.
“When you get your first pay check, you feel a sense of accomplishment because it’s not your parents giving you money,” Lopes says with a smile. “It’s your hard-earned cash.”
On the job since last September, Lopes was recruited by her own folks. And while being a part of the family business is nothing less than admirable, there is a catch.
“I’m sort of stuck helping out until I die.”
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