no time to eat at work what to do?

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Do you get bathroom breaks? Because I can eat a bar in about half that time. You don't have to have a sit-down meal in a 7 hour shift. Eat a meal before and after and a protein bar or something filling but quick in the middle.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    Ask the customer if they are happy with crumbs in their hair and multi-task
  • shayemimi
    shayemimi Posts: 203 Member
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    I thought legally you had to have a break every 6 hours. I'd bring this up with them.

    You probably do, but in a salon, when clients are booked according to time, you don't always have that luxury. Clients hate to wait, but will often show up late etc. (which sometimes works out to time to scarf food, lol) or they ask for extra things, which means more money for you, etc. so eating isn't priority. It should be, but the reality is, it isn't. You work for yourself in a salon most of the time, except for the assistants, where you work for the busy stylists, and they REALLY need your help,so you run run run all day... I know , I've been there,lol. It's HARD work.!! So even tho you may have the right to a break, in this industry it just isn't always realistic...

    They get lunch breaks in the hair salons where I've had my hair cut! In a lot of industries you get busy and have days where you don't get chance to eat, but it's not usually every working day.

    No,it's not every working day, but it is most days, for me at least. I book a client every hour and usually it takes about 50-60 min per client. So sometimes you do have a few min, but if the client is late, or wants extra art, etc. you don't get a lot of time, and I think the op's point is sometimes you don't have time to go heat up a proper lunch, and sit to eat it etc, at least not without putting other things behind. Her time is scheduled around other people's time...the stylist AND the client, and then there's extra cleaning etc. Sometimes it just doesn't work...


    Protein bars are also a good idea, I do that sometimes,but because I work with people and I'm spending the whole hour touching their hands , a cup to sip works best for me.

    I COULD book off time for lunch, but because my clients basically get booked on the hour, it throws things off to book of time, And time is money lol. I hate having an hour with nothing booked because I needed 20 min to eat.

    The stylists at my salon DO book lunch breaks off, I just don't... The assistants DO get lunch breaks , but sometimes I know they just eat a little here and there as there is time when it's especially busy. You just have to be creative and find foods that you can munch on while working. Clients really don't mind. :)
  • cokekitty
    cokekitty Posts: 26
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    I'm a full time college student that also works on campus so I TOTALLY know where you're coming from. Smoothies and meal shakes are going to be your best friend. Whip them up before you go to work, and sip them throughout the day. Try to bring other little snacks if you can, too, like trail mix or grapes or other little things you can munch on if you have time. But definitely bring smoothies and meal shakes. Get yourself one of those huge insulated cups with like a straw and just fill that bad boy to the brim with drinkable-food-y goodness.

    I've never been a stylist at a salon or anything so I can't speak from the employee's perspective, but from the perspective of a client (sort of...I get my hair cut at a salon once in a while lol) I can tell you with the utmost sincerity that I'd be HEARTBROKEN if I knew the person serving me was sacrificing their own health just for my hair! It wouldn't offend me at all if my stylist munched on a handful of Chex Mix or something while waiting for my hair to dry. In fact I'd probably feel compelled to bring them lunch myself if I knew that was happening. No one should be forced to starve for the sake of their job. That's ludicrous!
  • Als1855
    Als1855 Posts: 6
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    I'm a professor and three days a week I lecture from early morning to about 10pm with about 15 minutes between classes. On those days, I found I was only eating about 600 calories which is just horrible on so many levels. My solution was planning.

    I bought a Crockpot and on Saturday or Sunday would prepare my lunches (in one crock) and my dinners (in the second crock). I bought the 1-cup portion size Ziplock Plastic Containers and would apportion my crock-pot meals (veggie lasagna, stew, low-cal chicken pot-pie stew with no breading, etc) between them and would freeze them. I them bought two "lunch-crocks" from Target for $19.00, which holds about 16 ounces. That gave me an extra liner to work with and I could use the second lunch crock at home on the weekends without having to carry it back and forth to work. You can also buy extra liners directly from Crockpot Corporation for about $5.00 each.

    On the three days that give me the most hassle, I put my food in my lunch crock and then plug it in. It heats slowly for hours, thaws it out and when I have 10-15 minutes to eat, it is hot and ready to go. As soon as I finish my lunch crock, I throw in my dinner and the process starts all of over. This changed everything for me. Now my diet is pretty consistently 1200-1500 calories a day and I feel great.

    Oh, by the way, I can't caution you enough. I wasn't drinking water, either, on those days and the severe dehydration I experienced almost put me in the hospital. Don't let that sneak up on you.

    I hope this helps. I appreciate your challenges, here.

    Here is the Target link for a lunch crock.

    http://www.target.com/p/crock-pot-lunch-crock/-/A-14846175

    Good luck.
  • ritoosh
    ritoosh Posts: 190
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    I thought legally you had to have a break every 6 hours. I'd bring this up with them.

    You probably do, but in a salon, when clients are booked according to time, you don't always have that luxury. Clients hate to wait, but will often show up late etc. (which sometimes works out to time to scarf food, lol) or they ask for extra things, which means more money for you, etc. so eating isn't priority. It should be, but the reality is, it isn't. You work for yourself in a salon most of the time, except for the assistants, where you work for the busy stylists, and they REALLY need your help,so you run run run all day... I know , I've been there,lol. It's HARD work.!! So even tho you may have the right to a break, in this industry it just isn't always realistic...

    They get lunch breaks in the hair salons where I've had my hair cut! In a lot of industries you get busy and have days where you don't get chance to eat, but it's not usually every working day.

    corporate/franchise salons like supercuts and fantastic sams ofc they have to follow the rules, but privately owned salons where people are renting the chairs its up to them on if they want to take a lunch or not
  • ritoosh
    ritoosh Posts: 190
    Options
    I'm a professor and three days a week I lecture from early morning to about 10pm with about 15 minutes between classes. On those days, I found I was only eating about 600 calories which is just horrible on so many levels. My solution was planning.

    I bought a Crockpot and on Saturday or Sunday would prepare my lunches (in one crock) and my dinners (in the second crock). I bought the 1-cup portion size Ziplock Plastic Containers and would apportion my crock-pot meals (veggie lasagna, stew, low-cal chicken pot-pie stew with no breading, etc) between them and would freeze them. I them bought two "lunch-crocks" from Target for $19.00, which holds about 16 ounces. That gave me an extra liner to work with and I could use the second lunch crock at home on the weekends without having to carry it back and forth to work. You can also buy extra liners directly from Crockpot Corporation for about $5.00 each.

    On the three days that give me the most hassle, I put my food in my lunch crock and then plug it in. It heats slowly for hours, thaws it out and when I have 10-15 minutes to eat, it is hot and ready to go. As soon as I finish my lunch crock, I throw in my dinner and the process starts all of over. This changed everything for me. Now my diet is pretty consistently 1200-1500 calories a day and I feel great.

    Oh, by the way, I can't caution you enough. I wasn't drinking water, either, on those days and the severe dehydration I experienced almost put me in the hospital. Don't let that sneak up on you.

    I hope this helps. I appreciate your challenges, here.

    Here is the Target link for a lunch crock.

    http://www.target.com/p/crock-pot-lunch-crock/-/A-14846175

    Good luck.

    hmmm that's a good idea. im not much of a crock pot person only when my mom cooks food in the crock pot. I know drinking water is another problem of mine. I would take a bottle of water for me but sometimes by time I would get to it itd be warm lol but I definitely need to start drinking water again

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