What Goes On Under Your Car

[Note: This is a student essay, created before the use of Blogger.com with this assignment or the requirement of visuals.]

            On a cold October day you’re not particularly in the mood to change your oil, so that would you rather go to than the Tire and Lube Express at Wal-Mart. As customers gradually pull up to the “Shack,” as the workers would call it you were drawn to the light bluish gray color with two sliding window on both sides of the shack.  The “Shack,’ is where the staff wait for customers to arrive.  It provides shade and AC in the summer, and in the winter protection from the weather and heat.  The Customer parked their vehicle next to the sliding window closest to the passenger window. A young girl comes out of the shack bundle up in a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a blue smock vest with her nametag on the left side, which read Tina. Below her nametag had five stickers, which show the staff and customers the accomplishments of the employee who wear them.  The first sticker is given when they have passed being a greeter and show they have the ability to welcome you to the store; the second one was for CP, which means you can display courteous behavior skills to all types of customers that arrive and shop in the store. The third sticker was LBP, which meant lower bay personal, and tells that you have been trained in this service area and are proficient.   The fourth sticker was UBP, which represents upper bay personal, again trained and proficient in this area. The fifth and final sticker was for tires, and you guessed it she is trained and proficient in this area also, even if she is a girl.  As Tina was slowly walking her blondish brown hair was flowing in the wind. She came to the driver’s side window. The customer kindly rolled down their window. With a bright smile she asked “What can I do for you today?”

            I would like to have my oil changed. While she asking the customer a few question, Tina was writing in her hand held computer the customer’s phone number, name and address, scan vehicles identification number, which is either on the windshield or inside the door. The hand held computer reminded the driver of a game boy. Thought she was playing a game while working but was mistaken by the hand held. After the complication with the hand held. Tina kindly asked for the year, make of the vehicle and exact mileages. Quickly wrote the information into her hand held. After all the questions were over Tina said, “Is that all you need?” The customer replied, “Yes” Tina then said pull around to Bay one.

            Honk the horn and bring in the car. The technicians get right to work by cleaning the windshield, checking the presser of the tires, and vacuuming. After cleaning the vehicle they check the oil level. Next fill the washer fluid and power steering. Follow by checking the filter and transmission fluid. Then they drain the oil. Replace the filter. Check transfer case and differential. Put the drain plug back in. Finally they fill the oil pan. Check for leaks. Then recheck the oil level. Make sure the caps on tight. Drive on out of the bay.

            For an oil change you go through a different package such as Value Package for $21.96 which includes Pennzoil 5W30 or 10W30. Value Plus is for $25.96 that uses whatever brand of oil and weight the customer wants. Premium Package $29.97 uses synthetic blend of oils or if the customer wants to use his or her own brand or weight. Premium Plus $39.97 uses synthetic blend of oils or if the customer yet again wants to use his or her own brand or weight they can. All of these packages include up to 5 quarts of oil, an oil filter, lubricate chassis, vacuum interior, wash exterior windshield. An air pressure, they get checked for tire tread depth. They check for battery, lights, and air filter, wipers if they need to be replaced. Check and fill all differential fluid, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid and transmission fluid. After everything is done it should only take about 20 minutes to do an oil change.

            There are eight Bays’ all together. Bays one through four are only for oil changes. Bay five through eight are for tire changes. You can only go one way through bay one through four, which is straight through bays’, one, and three, which goes straight through to bay two and four. Bay five through eight you can go either way it doesn’t matter. In the middle of the Bay’s is the shop where all the workers are completely filthy from head to toe with grease and dirt. They have dark blue shirts and pants with there name tags on the left. The manager and lead technician wear gray shirts with dark pants.

            When going through bay one to your left is a cart holding paper towels and spray to wash and dry the windshields. Next the to cart is a power vacuum to clean out the vehicles before they get an oil change. Directly next to the power vacuum is a shelf that holds the wiper blades and air filters. Further down to bay two are stairs to the lower bay, which is underneath the garage. This makes it easier for the technicians to change the oil on there feet, than rather on their backs. After you past the steps there is a desk, which holds the tools as well as batteries and filters. To the right of the desk is an area where they drive the car up on to so when the technicians are changing the oil they can go to the lower bay, and go right under the car to change it. Straight in front of the car are enormous long yellow tubes full of different types of oils that they just grab one nozzle. Fill the vehicle with the correct amount needed.

            In bay three you have the power vacuum and air compressor to your right. When you go further down to bay four on your right, there is a frame cart for tools that is two sided so both bays can use these tools. As you walk down a few feet is a stand for the oil filters. To the left of all the rather neatly stored tools is another area for the cars to pull straight onto to make it easier for the technicians to change their oil.

Bay five you go straight in. You are surprised by two large blue car lifts. The one to the right is for standard cars. To the left of it is for mini vans or small SUVS. Moving along to bay five you run into a mounting machine and a balancing machine to tell you if your car is out of line. If it needs more weight somewhere. As you move onto bay 6 you run into another lift for cars, mini vans and small SUVS.

            In the final two bays, bay seven and bay eight you scamper across two enormous yellow tubes. The tube to the right is for truck. The tube to the left is for big vans. The yellow tubes raise the vehicles so it becomes easier for the technicians to take the tires off. In the middle of bay seven and eight is a mounting machine and balancing machine to test if your vehicle is out of line. Moving further down is two more large yellow tubes to raise and lower the trucks and vans.

            Once you get past all the bays you encounter a large quantity of tires just rows and rows of them all sorts of types and sizes. To the left of all the tires is stairs that lead you to more tires but aren’t for cars or mini vans they are for tractor-trailers and ATV tires.

            While the customer was waiting for my oil to be changed Tina graciously tells them about her job being a Service Writer/People Greeter. Since the weather wasn’t 90 degrees we decided to sit in the shack. As they stepped in there was a built in bench to the right. We sat down on the bench. Became comfortable. She just started chattering away about being a Service Writer/People Greeter.

            Tina was saying she has worked at Wal-Mart since January of 2006 as a cashier. One day they needed someone to work at the Tire and Lube. Tina graciously said “Yes, anything to get away from this job!” She was saying it wasn’t hard to work at the Tire and Lube. That anyone could do it you just have to be 18 years or older to work at Wal-Mart.

            To do tire changes you have to get sizes of the tire. Find out how many tires the customer want. Have the customer pick the tires out. Then go inside to double check if they have that many tires available of that size. After you check to see if they have those tires, you then ask customer if they want to keep the old tires or have them dispose the old tires for $1.50. Ask if the customer wants Road Hazard Warranty, which is $9.76 a tire. But includes free flat repair at any Wal-Mart or Sams Club in the country. If you don’t take the warranty Wal-Mart is not responsible for anything that may go wrong with your tires. If the customer wants Lifetime Balance $7.50 a tire, which come with a free lifetime rotation. Free Lifetime Balance at any Wal-Mart or Sams Club in the country. One-Time Balance $5.00 a tire where tires are balanced then. That’s it. It takes about 40 minutes to put on 4 brand new tires.

            After it was all said and done it was time for Tina to ring up my total for my oil change. She gave the customer their total. They gave her the money. Thanked her for making the time fly by!

“Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood”

[Note: This is a student essay, written before I began using blogger or required images. You can still judge its content.]

Coming through Bloomsburg along Columbia Boulevard, just outside of campus, stands a tall, glowing green and red sign, leading the way to one of Bloomsburg’s most delicious restaurants, Applebee’s. The bright alluring sign of Applebee’s is visible from far away, just as the aroma captures the nose when walking in from the parking area. The parking lot that surrounds the restaurant is home of the famous “Carside To Go,” which allows a customer to pre-order their food and pick it up in just enough time for a late-night dinner or snack. A collection of memorabilia from several local schools and sports teams plaster the inside of the entrance next to the door that opens to Applebee’s. “Welcome to Applebee’s, how many will be in your party tonight?” proudly questions a tall, thin waitress dressed in an all-black Applebee’s uniform.

 As I am shown to my table, close to the large bar in the center, I notice the crowd located in almost every corner. My boyfriend takes his seat as he quickly orders his favorite meal, the Zesty Ranch Chicken Sandwich. Visiting Applebee’s is always an exciting date because we both love the food and atmosphere. There are the families, the couples, and the occasional group of college students filling each table. I am welcomed by an older waitress, who suggests several drinks and appetizers worth ordering. As one of the perks for arriving after nine o’ clock, Applebee’s offers their famous “Half-Priced Appetizers”—including everything from mozzarella sticks to the cheesy bacon tavern chips. A frequent visitor claims to always order the boneless buffalo wings. “I get them at half-price after nine, which is cheap for a poor college kid like me.”

Lining the ceiling are several televisions and decorations from several movies and television shows. As I notice myself being entertained by the many drinks being made at the bar, I see how quickly the bartender moves in making the concoctions, and the many colors coming from the beverages. A variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks are offered including banana berry splits, margaritas, martinis, both beer and wine, and an assortment of lemonades including strawberry and raspberry. The bartender carefully creates each thirst-quencher with additions of cherries, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup.

 As I waited for my Club House Grill, I sipped on the delectable taste of my raspberry lemonade, and looked into the dessert menu, which includes my personal favorite, the Apple Chimicheesecake and the Triple Chocolate Meltdown. I am lucky to save enough room for these desserts from the large meals provided.

The Applebee’s menu includes everything from appetizers, meals, desserts, and a special weight watcher’s section for those counting calories. There are options for almost any person, and combinations of food that are sure to satisfy any individual. Not only is the food nourishing and delightful, but also comes at a reasonable price to fit any budget.

‘Have you saved any room for dessert?’ questions the waitress, as I slowly chomp on the last few bites of my Club House Grill filled with ham, turkey, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, and barbeque sauce. The cheerful and friendly atmosphere always seems to swindle me into ordering one of the gigantic desserts offered. “Yes, I would like to have the Blue Ribbon Brownie.” Served warm, this mouth-watering dessert fills any appetite with its large size and vanilla ice cream and fudge covering the brownie.

Over the years, I have visited several of these restaurants in areas such as North Carolina, where locally we now have them in many nearby towns. Our Bloomsburg Applebee’s is just one of the many that fill our country through forty-nine of the states. The first Applebee’s was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in November of 1980 by Bill and T.J. Palmer. After opening the first restaurant, nearly 1,800 more have opened throughout the country and world. Each Applebee’s celebrates “local life” by garnishing its walls with memorabilia.

From the far end of the restaurant, the innovative birthday chant from Applebee’s can be heard, with a dessert entering from the kitchen. The colorful entrance of the restaurant filled with balloons and adornments can now be seen at the birthday table with balloons for the young boy who has enjoyed his Applebee’s dinner. Waiters and waitresses walk from the kitchen carrying many different meals, desserts, drinks, and appetizers, while keeping a pleasant and welcoming attitude to all customers. Circling around in a different fashion is the restaurant manager who questions each table. “How is everything tonight, and is there anything else that we can do?” he inquired

Whether it is to enjoy a fun evening with friends, a first date, or a family dinner, Applebee’s is a restaurant that will satisfy the hunger of nearly every person. Founded in 1980, Applebee’s has grown into one of the most well-known restaurant chains in the country, serving new entrees and specials all of the time. The restaurant accommodates to a variety of customers including those with few extra dollars to spare, and those in a hurry with the “Carside To Go.”

After paying the bill arid leaving a large tip, I felt content with my choice of restaurant and I left not only feeling full, but pleased with the service and attention I was given by the employees. Staggering with a full stomach, the door opened instantly by one of the hostesses that shouted promptly, “I hope you enjoyed your meals and please come see us again!