Sonja Gantt NewsChannel 36 Anchor

Editor's note: Sonja Gantt blogs each week for The Charlotte Observer's mommy site, MomsCharlotte.com.

I have a new appreciation for those who make their living in fast food restaurants. Saturday I spent my afternoon working a concession booth at UNCC's basketball game. My daughter and her Girl Scout troop are working to raise money to go overseas in 2010.

I arrived ready to cook since we were selling Bojangles chicken. But instead I was put out front on a cash register. The assignment made me a little nervous from the beginning. I figured I wouldn't have to do much math since I'd heard today's computerized registers do it for you but I knew there'd be pressure. I was right. Imagine the sounds of an arena, a line of people saying their orders faster than you can find the item on the touch screen and the constant battle of trying to remember if the money in your hand is supposed to go back to the customer or in the drawer and you get an idea of what it was like. I'm grateful 49er fans didn't complain about their slow service... at least not to my face.

And if you've ever wondered why someone has struggled with what you think is a simple order, blame the cash register. My computer froze twice -- once when someone tried to pay with a debit card even though we only accepted cash (I'd already rung up the order and the computer wouldn't cancel it) and again when a student asked me to check the balance on their meal card. You feel really bad when you have to shut down a line. You can just hear everyone thinking, "Great! Now I have to go to the back of the other line. I'll never get my food!"

Thank goodness both of my major problems happened after half-time. My thanks to Raul (who works for UNCC) and Henry (who works for Bojangles). They trained me well and truthfully I know it wasn't the computer's fault. It was definitely operator error.

I'm proud of the girls -- Kendall, Olivia and Kelly wore themselves out making smoothies and Gabrielle and Renee were great at filling drink orders and making sure people got their food. I do think when they travel overseas they will appreciate it more since they're putting in a little "sweat equity."

o the other parents, cooks Rodney and Kenny, "supervisors" Sarah and Debbie and fellow cash register operators Zeta and Kecia, I'd work with you guys again anyday. And to anyone running a cash register, if I'm in your line I promise to be patient, always state my order clearly and tell you if I have coupons at the beginning of the order.

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