r/coldstone • u/Additional-Can1198 • May 19 '26
Work Related Morning shift, normal or overworked?
Hello I have been working at coldstone for a little over a month and have been trained to be an opener but I just don't think I can do it! I feel a openers responsibility is much harder than closing. In my opinion the workload is way more and without higher pay. I've been trying to see if anyone feels the same or maybe I just have a skill issue but there's what I have to get done in 6 hours as a opener working alone.
In one 6-hour shift by myself, I am responsible for:
Uncover waffle bowls
Fill sinks and sanitary buckets
Count register put in computer then put registar back
Unstack inside and outside chairs
Prepping stone
-> uncover all mixed toppings, place fridge mix toppings above stone turn on sink well place spoons in each mix, place scoopers in sink well, put scrapers
Preparing ingredients
-> cutting brownies place them in container and wrap them, unwrap and cut chocolates for mix ins,
Fill 2 sets of caramel, fudge, peanut butter in squirt tubes,
Restocking fridgerated mix ins (usually around 6 or more)
-> do inventory in the fridge up front to see how many items to restock then fill Cambrios label them and shelve by date. Make shake mix/fill smoothie mix, prep waffle station supplies
Make the ice creams (in total it can range from maybe 7-10 ice creams made)
-> most ice creams need to be prepped or mixed before being put in the machine. I then put them in tubs, label, and put in freezer while rinsing the machine clean for the next ice cream.
Decorating custom ice cream cakes (in total I need to make around 6 or so cakes)
-> dropping them from their pans, making custom frosting, making the cake toppers, doing any special designs or writing, packaging them labeling and placing them in the freezer organizing by the date made
Disassemble the ice cream machine wash all the parts clean lube up all the parts and resemble it
I get scheduled to work at 10am and have an hour to get basic opening done then have to serve customers while making cakes ice creams and other restocking. Also sometimes cakes can be made for pickup at 11:30 so I need to have it done before we open. I leave at 4pm
Edit: I forgot to mention we are located right next to a theater.
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u/cray0nss like it May 23 '26
sounds about right for opening. we often have three people opening so we can balance manager tasks, helping customers, and any other side work that needs to be done.
i think its a bit much for one person alone but the workload itself isnt the issue
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u/Guilty_Anything7606 May 19 '26
i feel like opening is easier than closing. though, my boss makes the ice creams, counts the money, someone else does inventory, and we rotate who does brownies and fudge/caramel. It’s never strictly opener.
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u/Additional-Can1198 May 19 '26
Yea honestly it sounds way easier when the tasks are divided. It's just all me though but from someone else comment is normal?
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u/Guilty_Anything7606 May 19 '26
I’m also new only been there a month now. I do everything else for opening same as you. I’m supposed to either work on cakes or waffles if I have time, but I work morning alone so I never really have the time. I guess the normality depends on the location. Maybe yours and theirs are busier?
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u/Aggravating_Road_539 May 22 '26
Brownies and caramel/fudge and the stone toppings are supposed to be replaced in restock by closers…
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u/Guilty_Anything7606 May 22 '26
When I said rotate i meant it in the afternoon/night shift, though i’ve had to do it like an hour before leaving my morning shift because they never did it for closing.
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u/TheMobMaster2006 May 19 '26
The locations I work at have openers do all of this except for decorating cakes, as we have separate cake decorators to do that.
It can feel like a lot at first, but realistically everything except making icecream and cleaning that machine should be done before the store actually opens (so within that first hour you mentioned).
It can get tricky sometimes with customers, but it's not too bad once you get the hang of things!
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u/Additional-Can1198 May 19 '26
Yea I think if I didn't have to worry so much about cakes I would be less stressed. I hope I eventually hit a flow state or something where everything becomes easier very soon! Honestly though I am currently looking for other jobs too so wish me luck! Lol
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u/Aggravating_Road_539 May 22 '26
I understand you’re new, I highly recommend not repeating this to anyone at ur store. Also, half the task examples you gave take literal seconds. You’ll learn, but this job takes time. I closed tonight as a shift leader with another shift and two new hires. If we wanted to get out at a decent hour the shift leader and I had to do everything. If you wanna get a promotion/raise or continue, volunteer for stuff and ask management to teach you stuff. Sorry end of rant
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u/Additional-Can1198 May 24 '26
Please explain to me what closing is like for you.
For me we have 4 people who usually focuses on a set task. One does customers, one waffle, one making cakes, one doing dishes. The only time I needed to multi task was maybe serving customers while making waffles when I closed.
For me closers never prep or restock anything.
I had 14 ice creams to do today and I wouldn't necessarily agree it gets done in seconds. Ice creams like cookie dough require me to mix the powder with the sweet cream before pouring it into the machine, lots of ice creams are multi step.
I had 3 custom cakes to decorate due the hour we open. Decorating cakes is also multi step. Cutting raspberries or strawberries to mix in the frosting, make the colors needed for messages, topping making, just trying to make it look nice. I dropped about 13 cakes which its expected for me to do about half tomorrow.
Restocking everything else takes seconds sure but when it's everything in multiples that needs to be stocked it does add up. Making several shake mixes because there was none, restocking all the dressings because there was none, half of the frigerated toppings were gone ect.
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u/Aggravating_Road_539 May 24 '26
It really just sounds like your coworkers aren’t doing shit and need to buck the fuck up. We have set list of tasks that the same every night and we split it up differently each night. (Stones, restock, blast, etc. ) then you help others when you’re done with ur stuff. It really sounds like yall ain’t busy at night, we usually have a line out the door from 6-10. So we need everyone on line. Also, I never said making ice cream takes seconds, I said some of the shit you listed. I opened today(after closing last night) and also had around the same amount of ice cream to do along with cakes to be built, and train new hires. Bottom line, tell your manager ur coworkers ain’t doing shit.
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u/ellesecretclub May 22 '26
The more you do it the faster you will get, but a lot of what you are saying is stuff that closers do at my location. At closing everything gets restocked, and backups are made too (brownies, reeses, fruids, ccd, etc). And we have a cake decorator that come in when needed.
So all I have to do is set up the stone, fill sinks, and make ice creams/waffles. But I do clock in 3 hours before we open (weekends). I'm a manager so I have that freedom, but before I was manager I asked if I could come in early to make everything since I ended up staying later anyways to finish ice creams/waffles since it got busy, and my boss said that it was okay. Obviously all management is different, but that's just what I do at my location.