Rita’s Italian Ice has a variety of products that so many people have grown to love. They are most famous for their Italian Water Ice and their frozen custard. Together you can mix them in various types of ways to make different delicious creations. Rita’s is a great place to go to in the summer for a nice cool treat and a fun place to be. Little does everyone know that Treat Team Members go through every day while working there.

In honor of Rita’s opening again for another season and working there for almost a year, why not share some of the struggles I have faced.

15. Spelling

Stickers themselves are a struggle, but on the stickers you need three things. The correct day the ice was made, the type of ice that it is and what consistency it is. Sometimes spelling is optional. The names of ices aren’t hard, yet sometimes the ice maker doesn’t know how to spell them!

14. Comments that come with prices

“Two regular ices is that it?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Okay your total is $6.66”

“Oh man. Can you add like a penny to the total, or something? That’s such a bad number!”

13. Breaking Scoopers

When a scooper breaks after you are done smoothing out a fresh batch of ice. You then have to tell the ice maker they have to make an entire new bucket because the plastic from the handle shattered in the ice.

12. Promotions

Candy Land. The same concept as McDonalds’s Monopoly, except when you have to stand around for three hours sticking the pieces to all of the cups in the store!

11. Freezing Machines

Its one thing when you over freeze ice a little and just have to let it melt back down. But when you over freeze the entire machine. The middle shift gets to have a field day with cleaning the machine!

10.  People Calling for Flavors

There is an automated message that tells people the flavors for a reason. Just push 2, don’t wait on the line for us to answer.

9. The Foam

The Triple Bowl Sink is filled with soapy water on one side, sanitizer in the other and foam that just gets in the way in the middle.

8. Blendinis

Nothing makes a bigger mess than blending ice, a topping and custard.

7. Sizes

Our sizes are kids, regular and large. If you say you want a small I’m making you a kids because a regular is medium. Don’t complain when you say you wanted a regular. If that’s what you wanted then say regular!

6. Stains

Cherry, Swedish Fish, Red Velvet, and Tropical Punch are the worst. Sometimes it looks like I could have killed someone with how red my hands are.

5. Sticky

Everything is covered in sugar. EVERYTHING when you leave the back door open on nice days for some fresh air you get little friends.

4. Opening on Sundays

Saturday openers should get enough change from the bank for Saturday and Sunday. Keep in mind. The bank isn’t open on Sunday. Then Sunday closers never have change and they blame the openers!

3. Working on Cold Days

So its only 25 degrees out. Why are we open again? People are getting hot chocolate and coffee. NOT ICE!

2. Eating Everything

You cant stop eating everything that is in front of you. Its all just right there. Then you wonder why your favorite jeans don’t fit anymore.

1. First day of Spring

Hands down, the busiest day of the year. Who ever thought of giving out free ice all day? All Hands on deck, in order to serve the hundreds of people that are about to swarm the store at 12pm when the door is unlocked. 15 full buckets of ice, GONE.

Not all of these are severe struggles, but when you work at Rita’s and this happens all the time, it gets annoying. Even with these struggles, it is hands down one of the best jobs I have ever had. Its super fun and you can meet so many people. Sugar washes away, and the stains fade, but the experience from this job will last forever.