My next job was at Domino’s Pizza. I spent 10 years working for a franchisee in southern California. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work. I have many funny stories to tell about my days at Domino’s. It was back when they had the 30-minute guarantee. Talk about pressure. I still have dreams about having to answer phones, make pizzas, and tend the oven, while guaranteeing 30-minute delivery. After 10 years I was pretty much capped out salary-wise and ready for a change.
My wife worked for a store called Natural Wonders. She was offered a store manager position in the San Francisco area. It was supposed to be in a place that she would possibly be promoted to district manager. We had no children at the time, and we liked the area, so we said, “why not?” It will be a great experience.
We figured I could get a job in the pizza industry pretty easy, which I did. I went to work for Round Table Pizza. I was the store manager of the Hayward store. I really liked the people at RTP, but I didn’t like the location. I didn’t like the 40-minute drive and I didn’t like the area of my store. I had a bad feeling about taking the job, but I needed to get the job so we could move up there.
It took about 2 months for my feelings to be justified; I got robbed. I was coming out of my office when I notice my cashier with his hands up. I saw a guy in an Oakland Raider jacket pointing his gun at him. “ OMG the store is getting robbed!” I thought to myself.
“Take me to the safe mutha fucka!” I heard over my left shoulder. I turned around to see another Oakland Raider fan with his .45 pointed in my face.
As we walked back into my office the guy put the gun to the back of my head. I can still remember how hot the metal felt. I didn’t want to look at him. I just opened the safe, with the gun on the back of my neck the entire time.
I got the safe open and said, “there it is!” I never turned to look at him. “That’s it mutha fucka!” Oakland Raider fan said. There was about $400.00 dollars. “That’s it, it’s all there in the safe!” “OK asshole, you move an inch and I’ll blow your fucking head off!” Then the guy takes what’s in the safe and leaves.
I wait in my office, still on my hands and knees, until I hear one of the employees, “Tom, are you OK?” Whew, it’s over.
About 10 minutes later I’m being interviewed by the policed. The only description of the robbers I could give them was 2 black guys, medium build, with Raider jackets. That would be about 30% of the people who live in the area. Another thing they wanted to know was how much money did they get? “Well, they got about $400 from the safe, and about $80 from the till up front.” I replied. “Well that wasn’t too bad; had you made a deposit earlier in the evening?” the officer said. I sheepishly grinned, “Nope, that $3500 deposit would be in the desk that you are sitting on.” as I pull out the money to show him.
As far as robberies go, I guess it went really well. Hell, there were 3 customers in the dinning room that didn’t even know we were robbed. I was actually more nervous about 3 weeks later when I had another incident involving guns.
I knew I was lucky and that it was just a matter of time before it would happen again. That’s when I decided to move up from the fast food industry to retail! I would spend the next 8 years a Home Depot. I’ll blog about HD another day.
10 comments:
Woah! I don't even had a funny, sarcastic, or otherwise snarky comment to make about this entry. Glad you're here to blog about it! :o)
Oh, and you're Beauty control comment cracked me up! Good for you for thinking your wife's beauty is out of control! ;o)
Man, that would have scared the hell out of me. I think I would have quit my job, right then and there.
I'm ever so glad you made it through that scene. Holy Cow!
Hayward... what the hell you thinkin man... fucking Raiders!
Just wanted to say Hi and let you know I stopped by, have a great weekend!!
Crazy! I am glad it was all okay. I read the other story you linked, I can see why you were concerned.
One time while working in cotton fields in Phoenix at night, (I'll have to explain why another time)I nearly hit an "intruder" on the head with the shovel because my coworker had me convinced it was the boogie man, turned out to be a cop. Glad I didn't.
So anyway I am hungry, how about a thirty minute pizza dude? Hold the anchovies and the malathion, but add some capsium okay?
hey sweet friend, glad you liked the Teddy Bears... ;) Oh come on now, admit it... deep down you have this insatiable urge to hug 'em and squeeze 'em and call 'em Goerge. ;) I'm really glad that your incident with the robbers worked out in your favour... getting away with 400.00 is much better than getting away with your life. And smart thinking, keeping the bulk of the money in an alias location; was that on purpose or by coincidence?
Anyway, I must run. Crazy busy these days... but who isn't, right? I hope you're well my friend, and lets hope your weekend is spilling over with goodness and sunshine,... and teddy bears. heehee See you soon. (hug). Yvonne.
G- That still cracks me up. Who actually needs "Beauty Control"
Nat- Read the linked story, having the cops point a gun at me made me more nervous.
Stepmonster- You don't know how many times I've said, "Fucking Raiders"
NEDL- Hi, back at you.
Nora- I have hid many anchovies in my pizza making days. Bury it under some extra cheese and they never know it until it is too late.
Yvonne- Uhh, right about that whole teddy bear thing. Just dumb luck about the money in the desk.
Ah yes, I was held up, too, at my part-time job in HS working at Vic's Cornpopper. Though I don't know the feeling of a gun to my neck, I do clearly remember seeing that loaded revolver pointed at my gut; six silver tips waiting to go.
I'm a natural people-watcher. In the 1m visit I was able to give the police a complete description from the Harley-Davidson bandana, mirrored sunglasses, blue-and-purple flannel shirt, faded blue jeans, and white Conversen hi-tops.
They caught him 3 days later. I thought I had dealt with that just fine until a few years ago when hubs took me to a shooting range. I'm great with a rifle. But when I held that .38 I started sobbing uncontrollably. Needless to say we wrapped up that day pretty quickly.
i was a little caesars girl myself.
i was never held up, but my boyfriend at the time swiped a sleeve of cups when my back was turned.
the cups showed up the next weekend at a frat party.
pizza, pizza
I did read that link and totally understand where you are coming from... ESPECIALLY having lived with my dad, the cop, for so long.
I hope neither of us ever has to face a gun pointed at our heads ever... in our lives.
Yikes!
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