Chuck E. Cheese-in’ behind the mask
Many high school students remember going to Chuck E. Cheese as children: playing arcade games, winning tickets and earning prizes. Paige Ross, senior, now relives her childhood on the other side of the tracks as she works at the amusement center located in Thousand Oaks.
Ross began working at Chuck E. Cheese at the beginning of July, and plans to stay there until she leaves for college at the end of the academic year.
“I applied everywhere under the sun. I applied mostly in Los Angeles County, because their minimum wage is higher. But one day, I was driving down Hillcrest and there was a huge now hiring sign on the side of the building,” Ross said. “I applied and they hired me the same day.”
Ross’s jobs include greeting customers as they enter, filling the salad bar and wearing the Chuck E. Cheese costume during parties. “When I stand at kid check for eight hours a day, it’s really difficult. There’s a lot of kids that come up and they slap you or poke you and they want to tell you something, but you can’t leave this five feet area,” Ross said.
Ross acknowledges that some aspects of her job are more difficult than others, but feels that she has benefited from working there.
“I love my coworkers. Some of them are super fun and we always hang out after work. Usually, I have to work till like midnight, so we always hang out after and we just do whatever,” Ross said.
Because of her decision to begin working over the summer, Ross inspired one of her friends to take up a job as well. Chandler Ruggiero, senior, began working at Jersey Mikes shortly after Ross began working at Chuck E. Cheese.
“I know her getting a job and earning money made me want to get a job and start earning money. Although it takes a lot of time, and you might not be able to go to all the social events that you want to, in the end it’s worth it,” Ruggiero said.
Ruggiero has heard several stories about Ross’s work experiences- some good and others bad- but at the end of the day Ross has never regretted her choice to work there. “She’s really brave. And I think it’s important that she’s kind of tough through some of the hard times she has had at work because if she does what she does, you just have to learn how to deal with the bad parts. So it’s inspiring to keep going,” Ruggiero said.
Tyler Peterson, senior, is a long time friend of Ross and has seen how she’s grown in the past several months.
“I think she’s gained a lot of social experience. She has to interact with so many different types of people where you wouldn’t necessarily be interacting with, like families on a regular basis. But you’re kind of forced to in an environment like that,” Peterson said.
Though Chuck E. Cheese isn’t exactly how she remembers it when she used to go as a child, she appreciates the new experiences she has had as an employee.
“There’s always been a lot of special needs people that come in, like adults that are special needs,” Ross said. “There’s a lot of people with a mental special handicap and they just are really excited to see Chuck E. Cheese and so it’s really fun when I get to put on the costume and they’re super excited to see me. It’s awesome when they run up and hug me.”
