Staffer Shares his Favorite Stories from Working at Local Car Wash

As my sophomore year came to a close, I knew what was coming: I had to find a job. My parents had told me for years that once I could drive I needed to be working. I had heard many horror stories from stereotypical teen jobs with terrible bosses and unforgiving hours, but luckily, for me, I never had to deal with that. I applied and got hired at Waterway Gas and Car Wash. This truly turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me in my high school years. Waterway gave me great working experience as well as great stories. Along with the great stories have also been some weird ones as well. Who would have guessed that I would get slapped by a customer, or that working a less than appealing Sunday morning shift would result in the formation of some of the closest friendships I’ve ever had. Basically what I’m trying to say is that as I leave my job at “The Way” I have had so many great memories to look back on and I actually will miss it as I go off to college next year.1) When Customers Attack 
Every week I spend 23 hours at Waterway, having the exact same conversation over and over again. “Would you like to get your wheels cleaned up with that? Interested in Bottom Blasters? How about a clear coat protectant?” I always received a casual yes or no answer. Until one day when a prius-driving woman in her mid 40’s took that simple “no” answer to the next level. She slapped me across the cheek and exclaimed “Give me what I want and don’t ask questions!” I truly had no idea how to respond. I mean, do I hit her back? No, I couldn’t do that. So, I just finished writing her ticket, handed it to her and said have a good day. I looked over at my co-workers on the lot who were in disbelief in what they witnessed. She ended up returning and apologizing profusely. However, next time I offer someone the bottom blasters I may be more hesitant.2) Meeting the Employee Toilet
I was officially a working man. Making a living. Heading into the office.  Okay, it wasn’t really an office — it was a carwash. My “office” rotated throughout the day from a mud filled pick up to a spotless Mercedes. It was my first day working at Waterway and because of my ten hours of training I knew I could get the streaks out of a windshield like a pro but I was still extremely nervous. As I walked out the door of my house it was sticky outside. It was a hot, humid spring morning and was going to be a very warm day for washing cars. I was in a hurry and breakfast was the least of my concerns.  Running into work, I quickly realized how crazy the day was going to be. After three hours of manual labor washing cars I was beginning to feel a little sick.  I hadn’t had much water and was beginning to regret it. Long story short, I asked to go to the restroom and ended up spending half an hour throwing up into the less-than-appealing employee toilet. You could say I got to know that toilet very well very early in my Waterway career. As I began my walk of shame from the bathroom I decided against telling the manager.  I would not be labeled as the kid who threw up on his first day. I guess I am now.

3) #W.O.E.
“Waterway Over Everything”. This phrase used by our employees is simple but catchy, and a wonderful representation of how we feel about Waterway. W.O.E. has gone from something fun that the employees at my location said and has grown into a phrase used by several hundred employees around the four Kansas City area stores. One morning, while the crew and I were doing our weekly Sunday stretches we came up with the idea for a hashtag on Twitter. #W.O.E. was born. W.O.E. is great because it has been a way for all the employees from different schools to connect on twitter. Anyone outside of the “Waterway cult” may see it as annoying, but we see it as a way of life. It truly is an explanation of our love for Waterway. Yes, I did say love.

4) Waterway Apocalypse
Waterway closes promptly at 8 p.m. every Monday through Saturday.  Except for one chilly Monday morning in February this year. It had been a pretty normal day and the rush of customers was starting to slow down around 6:30. But all of sudden it got quiet, and one by one the lights began to flicker. This was before daylight savings so at this point it was pitch dark and every single light on the property had gone out. Of course, in perfect Stephen King fashion, three cop cars came screeching by, adding to the eeriness of our “Waterway Apocalypse”. We tried to close the door to the carwash but of course had no power To this day we still have no idea what happened that night but the carwash opened as always the next morning.

5) The Sunday Morning Crew 
The best part about Waterway is the Sunday Morning Crew. The crew is a group of part-time employees that have worked together almost every Sunday for the last two years. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this group and this truly is why I love Waterway so much. Most kids my age hate their jobs and could never possibly get excited to wake up at 6:30 both weekend mornings to go to work. But because of the group of friends I created at Waterway I was able to get excited for it. Over the last couple of years several traditions have come from the Sunday Crew. Our weekly breakfast run to Winsteads has become a huge hit but the best tradition of this special crew is definitely the stretching and active core session. We spend Sunday morning recuperating from the night before and the stretching is a relaxing way to do this. With this group it doesn’t matter where we go to school or how old we are. We all work at Waterway and that’s all that matters.

6) “Pencil Shavings”
People say don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I learned that was definitely true while at Waterway one day. I was going about my work; I had dried the car off and moved inside to vacuum.  As I moved toward the center console, I noticed a funny smell. As I reached for my Windex to clean around the cup holders I noticed something. That something was a bag full of what looked like pencil shavings and a pipe. I quickly put two and two together and realized that the bag was not filled with pencil shavings at all. I truly had no idea what to do. Should I pick it up to move it or just leave it and pretend I never saw it. I choose to not even touch the “pencil shavings”. As I finished the rest of the car I signaled to the waiting room that I had finished by waving my towel in the air. Expecting a man who had not bathed in weeks, possibly a Bob Marley look, to emerge I was completely thrown off guard when a recently bathed middle aged businessman in a black pinstripe suit came out to claim his car and “pencil shavings”. You really can’t judge a book by it’s cover.