DelGrosso’s shouldn’t be teen’s first pick for job

Zakary Hicks, Reporter

The truth about DelGrosso’s amusement park job is that it isn’t an ideal job,  I advise anyone to reconsider because no one should let their experience of their job at DelGrosso’s to be their only outlook on future jobs. 

DelGrosso’s is a very popular Italian amusement park that welcomes kids of all ages.  I remember going there as a kid with my family, and some of my favorite times were there.  I never realized just how imperfect the place itself is, until last summer.

At 14, DelGrosso’s allows anyone to become a food service member, games employee or custodial worker.  Like many other teenagers did, I applied to DelGrosso’s as a food service worker thinking that if I wanted money, I need to take what I could get. After working a whole summer long, I realized that it wasn’t a good idea.

Kids from Tyrone, Bellwood, Tipton, Altoona and a lot of the other cities in Blair County always tend to go there in their early teens.  They all just see it as their first job and don’t really realize until they start there that it is a real-life job. So many employees quit or don’t come back the next summer because it isn’t just the work, it is the constant neglect and drama the employees have to be put through everyday.

When someone works there obviously it is hard because it is always busy.  While dealing with working hard all day, employees are treated very unfairly by their supervisors.  The managers, food service supervisors and the president all pick favorites. The reason why it isn’t a good place to work is because it isn’t a realistic place to work.  A typical day when working there is constant glares from superiors or noticed scoffs by other people. It would be more understanding from employees, but from your boss it isn’t.  Although every job has drama, DelGrosso’s takes it to the next level. Personally, there were so many times I made up my mind to quit and then ended up not quitting. The only reason I didn’t was because I knew I needed the money.  

An even bigger problem is the inconsistency of the schedule.  Just because someone is scheduled to work doesn’t mean he or she will.  If there is bad weather they call off employees or even if the crowd just isn’t as large as expected.  Even worse is being put on hold.  This makes it impossible to do anything but sit and wait to see if you might work.  I live thirty minutes away from the park, and some other teens live even further.  Many times we would leave for work to be called and told we were no longer needed.  Getting sent home early is also a frequent occurrence.

DelGrosso’s can fix itself by overseeing the people they put in charge of their employees.  They can also improve by handling issues consistently. The problems that arise show more training is needed for those in supervisory positions.

In conclusion, I do not recommend DelGrosso’s employment to anyone.  There are many places that offer jobs to 15 year olds, so 14 year olds should wait until the next summer to have more choices.