I’ve worked in a mall for the majority of my time since High School- lets call it… 8 years. When I got my current job, I was excited to find out the store I am in, is no longer in a mall. Don’t get me wrong, working in Corporate America, there are a lot of bonuses to being surrounded by other stores where people can just wander in and out as they please. Numbers can be higher for the store, and for the employees -you can easily walk next door and buy a new shirt if you spill coffee on the first one. And by spill coffee, I mean “spill coffee”, like I used to do when I just no longer liked what I was wearing. This was fabulous for my wardrobe, awful for my bank account.
Another feature of working in a mall that was awful for my bank account, was also awful for my stomach, in more than one way. Most retail employees, at one time or another, fall into the Food Court Curse- yes, this is the official term, that I just made up.
The food court is not that appealing as a regular shopper (to me at least); it has cheap, crappy food, that won’t really satisfy or fill, and you’ll be running to the nearest bathroom in minutes- hopefully you’re in a department store at the time, they’re the only ones that have them available. To a retail employee though- the food court turns into this escape. No matter where you work you are required to take a break after a certain number of hours; the food court gets you out of the store, away from customer. It’s a place that you can go with your coworker to chitchat or to meet up with employees of other stores. It is also a place that is selling food, that looks more appealing, than what you brought from home.
Food also seems like a good deal when you’re paying $6 a day for a portion the size of two meals. But if you work 5 days a week:
6×5= 30
And a lot of times, in retail, you’re lucky if you only work 5 days a week. The salad I make and take to work every day costs a total of $7, this lasts me all week. So BAM I’m saving $21 a week, which equals, $1,092 a year.
While I watch people’s wallets get smaller, I watch their stomachs quickly expand- myself included. Eating unhealthy one day a week is okay, you can get away with it, sometimes two on a special occasion. But every single day, that’s just bad news bears.
Even not being inside a mall, I still have trouble some days, there is a McDonald’s run at least once a day. That’s why I make my meals at the beginning of the week. It’s why I leave my money at home- debit card, credit card, every form of money McDonald’s will possibly take. This is especially the case on payday.
My other strategy is that every time someone gets food, I google the amount of calories in it. Shockingly, my brown bagged lunch suddenly looks better.
I refuse to fall back into the fast food cycle, I refuse to give my body anything less than the best when it comes to my daily meals. I didn’t get fat from eating vegetables before, that’s for sure.
What food temptation is at your work place?
What is your strategy against it?
17 Comments
that is crazy but so true. I think where you work and what it is near is a huge factor.
It’s so incredibly huge, and it’s hard to recognize how much coworkers affect our eating but they really do.
I always bring my lunch to work, as do most people here so other than the odd Timbit run there isn’t much temptation. In university I worked at a chocolate & ice cream shop and we got freebies which was pretty nice, if not entirely healthy
I hear you on the temptations! We have a coffee shop at work that is just down the hall. It also carries junk food. I never go over there, but I do have the urge to every once in a while!
When a coffee place sells junk food I’m in such big trouble. I NEED my coffee, and then when I’m looking a tthe food I will also feel like I NEED that.
My big food temptation with work is being too lazy in the morning to pack a healthy lunch at home. Sometimes there are also talks I should go to with lots of cookies, and they always happen right when I’m getting hungry. I try to keep a big stash of Clif bars in my desk so I can get something quick that’s also healthier than a lot of crap out there.
I’m WAY to lazy in the morning to pack a lunch that’s why I make sure I pack a weeks worth at the beginning of the week. There’s no room for excuses
I don’t work in the mall, but sometimes people always leave out candy. I won’t sneak the crappy things like taffy. But if they want to leave out their super fancy chocolates, that is my weakness! I usually bring my lunch everyday because of my short lunch time, but if I don’t bring it, I usually go for a Wendys salad because it is one of the closest places to me.
Oooo fancy chocolate, yes, that’s hard to resist. Wendy’s salads are pretty good, personally I like the McDonalds grilled chicken salad, but that’s pretty much only if I’m going into starvation mode.
There’s always treats in the kitchen…or candy on someone’s desk…I just step back and walk away
lol
Candy on the desk is always hard for me. It’s so easy to just grab one piece, but then suddenly you’re on piece number 20!
I had the same problem when I worked retail (and actually gained 30lbs from it!). I’m really spoiled now though. While I often bring my own lunch, I have many options at work that are healthy. I follow weight watchers, and my company has a section in our cafeteria with 3 daily hot meals and 5-8 sides that include points plus values and are portioned. In addition, we have various other stations including salad and deli stations. My food temptation is always the pizza line (conveniently next to the weight watchers station!), and I’ll occasionally let myself get one…and then quickly remember it totally wasn’t worth it.
Holy cow! A WW station!? You are spoiled! Where do you work? That’s fantastic!
We have so much free food at work — breakfast meetings with pastries, lunch meetings with pasta and cookies, afternoon meetings with cookies, monthly donut days, Friday afternoon ice cream bars … I finally realized that I really do prefer my own food — the catered food is not worth all those calories! — and bring my own lunch to lunch meetings, although I still am tempted by a certain type of brownie ….
Wow, you’re basically being forced to eat badly! Good for you to know that it’s not worth the calories, plus your food from home is probably much yummier!
I teach so I have to eat lunch with me kids. School lunches are ridiculously expensive for teachers and haven’t gotten an y better since I was in elementary school 20 years ago. Luckily lunch is one of the only times I am not tempted.
I believe it! Have you seen http://neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk/ ? Check it out, it’s a 9 year old girl in the UK who posts about her school lunches.