10/5 - Meet the Staff! (part 1)

Wahhhhhh!!! I get to interview some of my staff! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ It's awesome that I, Amy Amusement, get to pick out some of the Amusement Staff this time and acknowledge the work they've put in! I THINK Sue may have one interview as well, so I can't take all the credit (although my department is AWESOME ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/)  Every other Monday, we nominate one to two staff members of each department and talk about what a typical day at Round 1 is like, what their experiences are and much much more! 

This week's Meet the Staff Feature goes to The Amusement Department's:

 Bryan Vo and Tue Hong!

Photo courtesy of Allen Tran of The Nerd's Tier. Day 1 of Round 1's Grand Opening.

These two have been working at Round 1 before they first opened their doors. Both of them have been diligent in making sure that customers are happy and satisfied, that the crane games are nicely adjusted and that every customer is helped with their game card woes. They do so much more than the call of duty and are dedicated to making the customer's experience an enjoyable one!

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20-year-old Bryan has been seen as a celebrity of sorts for Round 1! He has numerous reviews about him on Yelp in giving people useful tips for the crane game machines (and not by giving those prizes out for free). Bryan has a true passion in making customers smile while still adhering to Round 1's rules and is the most friendly individual you could ever encounter at Round 1!

Amy: So what brought you to getting a job here at Round 1? Was it friends? Word of mouth?

Bryan: I got a job here because I am in love with the arcade scene. I'm 20 years old, but I've never had the experience in working in an arcade. So I really wanted to check it out and just have fun with it. I knew about it from someone very close to the FGC (Fighting Game Community) and they said, "Hey, why don't you try it out?". I nailed my interview, but for the wrong department: Amusement was full. So I tried out for bowling, but my boss really liked me, so instead of bowling, they put me in amusement.

One of the duties of being in the Amusement department is helping out customers at the Prize Counter.

A: I hear from many sources that you are the "study guide for the crane games". Can you elaborate on that a little for me?

B: What people usually ask me is "how do I win"? And I tell them, "Well, first, I need to see how you play." Obviously, I'll joke around with them (the customers) and say, "Oh, to win, you need to put it in the hole." or "To win, you pick it up and then put it in the hole". (laughs) I always joke around with them and they seem to like it. But, after a while, I ask them, "What is your highest math grade?" and I will say, "Let's say you are in Calculus: imagine that your crane is your calculus test and I am your study guide. I'm not your answer sheet, but your study guide."

Bryan is putting a new plush out after a customer just won one just five minutes before this picture was taken.

A: Would you say customer service is "job number one" to you?

B: Yes! There will be some other coworkers that say, "no, customer service isn't everything", but for me, I honestly believe that customer service is everything. It's because if you keep them happy, they'll come back, they'll spend more money and they'll help support the store as well.

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Tue may be small, but she packs a punch! She became one of Amusement's Lead Associates within one month. She is full of energy, a great personality and a great attitude when it comes to the workplace. There is never a moment where Tue is standing around aimlessly: she will find things to do, from cleaning game screens to doing inventory in the back. 

Amy: So if I recall correctly, this is your first job! How are you enjoying it so far? Any ups? Any downs?

Tue: As a first job, Round 1 has made the experience much more enjoyable than I expected. 

As it goes, I wouldn't have had such a positive work environment without my coworkers. Most of them have been with me since day 1 and we've been through a great amount training and hardships together to get where we are now. A very big pro for me working at Round 1 is that I get to be around the arcade often. Recently, I've started playing rhythm games, so it's great to be able to see and interact with the arcade community almost daily. Another great thing about working here is being able to see our customers happy once they win our plushies from either cranes or the redemption room. We strive to help everyone win, so it's a great feeling when they do. Our Round 1 store had just opened, so we're still working the quirks out behind the scenes and on the floor. One con I can think of would be seeing a bunch of cute Japanese stuffed animals coming in every week, and I can't have them!

Typical day for Tue: adjusting plushes in the crane games and positioning them for customers.

A: You became an Amusement Lead in less than a month! What do you do as a lead? Are you delegating more? Helping out more customers? What do you do?

T: I'm very excited because I've always loved taking leadership and helping everybody out, be it customers or my fellow staff members. Starting this role as a lead in the future sets a lot more responsibilities in terms of working behind the scenes, like counting inventory for our plushies and redemption prizes. The other leads and I help represent and keep things organized and running smoothly for our coworkers. We take initiative and hope everyone follows in their own way and do their best! Unfortunately, I'm not on the arcade floor as often anymore, but I always try my best to still go and assist our customers whenever I can. That's the fun part of amusement!

Tue giving a customer some tips as to how to play the crane game.

A: What is the one thing you'd like people to know about Round 1?

T: Round 1 includes a great amount of entertainment like bowling, karaoke, billiards, ping pong, darts, and of course our arcade. A few tips for an enjoyable visit to our store would be, one, you can get $1 off discounts at almost all of our departments (bowling, karaoke, billiards, etc) in Round 1 by purchasing a club card by the Game Cards counter by our mall entrance. Two, if you're having trouble with any of our cranes, don't hesitate to ask one of our amusement employees. We can give quite a bit of advice and maybe it'll help you!