Many Oakmont students have side jobs, usually working after school or on the weekends. After all, as a teenager, you’ll need cash for a car, gas, college savings, and your own expensive purchases. 

I am one of those many students who has a job. Specifically, I am one of a few Oakmont students who are also employees of Market Basket. With that, I am ready to speak of my almost year of experience so far as an employee, and how my shifts usually go. This can also be a great resource for any Oakmont students not sure where they want to work.

There is also a very important dress code employees must follow. As such, I make sure to arrive neat, have my tie straight, and be looking sharper than a razor.

When I arrive, I’ll go to the break room, and then leave a couple minutes before my shift starts. After going down to put on my apron, I go to clock in, and put my coat in the closet. By the way, clocking in is just swiping your employee card in the machine. Once all that is done, I’ll go up to the front desk to get my first assignment.

The great thing about working at Market Basket checkout is that even as a teenager, there are many things you can do.

Bagging (the most common job) is great, as it stays pretty static, and that can be a double edged sword. After all, it’s just pretty much just standing in place for a couple of hours, making small talk to customers, and playing real life Tetris with their groceries.

Other than that, Breakdown is a common task. It’s pretty much just going into certain aisle, moving things to the front, putting things back, and helping customers. With this, you also might be put on a cleaning task, like wiping up a spill, or sweeping away a million grains of rice, like I had to once.

What would a shift be without carts? It could be for 50 minutes, or for hours. Collecting the carts from customers and the cart collection areas can also be a double edged sword. Since you’re outdoors, the weather can and WILL impact you. Bringing a coat and gloves during the winter isn’t a bad idea. In my experience, I go out on carts usually for ⅔ of or my full shift.

Now that you’ve been properly equipped with the knowledge of jobs that teenagers do at Market Basket, I’ll speak about my experience with my job so far.

When I get to the front desk, I’ll usually wait a minute for an assistant manager (or even manager) to tell me what to do. Most commonly, I’ll be put on bagging first.

The great thing about bagging is hearing somebody say something along the lines of “I’m going on for you”. But, being the one who says those lines makes you really want to be the one going off. Nonetheless, I muster the will to lock in, and focus on bagging. 

I find bagging pretty easy, as long as I stay at a steady pace, I can get customer’s orders bagged on time. This is easier said than done, because I’ve had many shifts paired with fast cashiers. In my experience, I’m much better off being a fast bagger with a slow cashier.

Small talk is one of those things I also try and do while bagging for customers. Many will appreciate the kind gesture.

Usually, I’ll bag for an hour, in a specific checkout lane. Usually, checkout lanes will open or close depending on how busy the store is (more open means more customers). As such, during my shifts, I’ll usually switch around which checkout lanes I’m told to bag at.

After bagging for some time, switching between lanes, I’ll usually be sent on my break. My shifts are usually 5 or 6 hours long, giving 10, or 30 minute breaks respectively. 

For my 10 minute break, I’ll usually buy myself a drink, and chill in the break room. I’ll probably scroll on Instagram Reels, or talk to a friend, who’s also on their break. On a 30 minute break, I’ll take the time to buy myself a meal. A fried chicken sandwich, Coke, and a Snickers bar is my go to. Nonetheless, once I’m in the break room, I’ll usually go back to the same activities I did earlier.

Once my break is over, I’ll go back to the desk area, to get my next task. Some shifts, it might just be right back to bagging, or something like breakdown. But, I will usually be sent out on carts.

After being told to go on carts, I’ll suit up, putting on my jacket, gloves, and neon cart vests. Cart duty is, in my opinion, my best strength at work. I usually bring in new carts every 3-5 minutes. Other things I’ll do are help customers unload groceries into their cars, and occasionally clean up messes made outdoors.

Carts at first are very easy. I try to keep up a solid pace of 6-8 carts per load. If I am feeling energetic, I’ll do close to 10 carts per load. Yet, it can get tiring for some. However, I nonetheless find it to be my favorite task.

On some rare occasions, customers make messes. I had once gone outside and saw that a customer had just spilled a jug of iced tea. By that point, I went to pick up the mess. The spilled jug was disposed of, and the spill was deemed “good enough to just let it evaporate”. Yet, if a spill is close to a store entrance, I’d dispose of the damaged item, sweep/mop the floor, and put down a wet floor sign along with it.

When I’m pushing carts, I try to hit the more crowded cart zones first. Sometimes, the more crowded ones have 6 carts, sometimes 18 carts. I’ll also try and speed up or down my loads, depending on how many customers are grabbing carts.

For me, I go back and forth, between inside and outside. Grabbing and loading carts, helping customers, and bringing in more carts. I enjoy that cart duty is very repetitive.

Once enough time passes, I’ll go in for a minute, and buy myself a drink. I push carts better when I am hydrated.

After I get my drink, I’ll usually take a minute to drink, then go back to pushing carts for another 10 minutes. By this point, I usually have less than an hour in my shift. In my last hour, I usually try to get as many carts in as possible. I’ll go from 6 carts per load to 7 or 8. Time flies by then.

By now, this point in my shifts becomes very back and forth. Inside with a cart load. Outside to get some more carts. Back inside, and right out the door. Help a customer to get their electric cart, or get the excuse to ride one to put it back inside. Then, grab some more carts.

Eventually, my shift will end. I take my neon cart vest off, put my gloves in my pocket, and clock out. Then, I go to the availability sheet, to sign up for next week’s hours. If I have some time to kill before my ride arrives, I’ll go and buy myself a meal. 

To conclude, I have a very average work life, and my shifts usually entail bagging and carts. Now you know what happens in the shift in the life of the world’s most average Oakmont-Highschooler Market Basket employee.