Thursday, June 08, 2006
First Job
When I was 16 I operated the Tilt-A-Whirl and a number of other rides at Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Illinois. It was a great first job, even if I was too troubled and immature to realize it most of the time.
So many memories...
- first black friends (lots of fun Italian-Americans, too)
- 20 minute bumper car rides
- learning the true meaning of heatstroke
- evil bosses (who are now suing each other, ha ha!)
- $2.85/hour (Illinois state minimum in 1984) starting slave wage.
- scaring the hell out of people on the ferris wheel
(and getting scared myself by a lawsuit years later) - breaking the gender barrier as the first male worker in the games booths
- driving around, always on the lookout for cheep beer available to minors
- first time quitting a job in disgust for more pay
(a pattern I would repeat for the next 15 years) - lots and lots of vommit
(not mine, that would come later)
There's nothing like one's first job, is there?
I would love to hear if any of my readers remember their first jobs. Please share in the comments.
posted by Full Metal Lunchbox @ 9:20 AM
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AH the first job.
My first job was working in the shoe department at SportMart. The first two weeks I was like are you kidding me with this? Then I got my first paycheck. How fun was that moment. Open the envelope...really $200 all for me. Working in the shoe department I didn't save much money over the summer as it all went back into shoes and sports wear.
I met my best friend while working there and we are still friends almost 10 years later.
It was the first time a boy (shh!!!) asked for my phone number. He kept asking me questions about roller blades and me not know anything about them just kept making stuff up. When he ran out of stuff to ask about the skates he asked for my number. :-)
I quit because it was time to go back for my senior year of high school and I didn't have time to work during the school year. I went back to SportMart the following summer, but again quit at the end of the summer when I went off to college. It was a good first job, but that's about it. I was glad to move on. Too much politics between the shoe & clothing department :-)
My first job was working in the shoe department at SportMart. The first two weeks I was like are you kidding me with this? Then I got my first paycheck. How fun was that moment. Open the envelope...really $200 all for me. Working in the shoe department I didn't save much money over the summer as it all went back into shoes and sports wear.
I met my best friend while working there and we are still friends almost 10 years later.
It was the first time a boy (shh!!!) asked for my phone number. He kept asking me questions about roller blades and me not know anything about them just kept making stuff up. When he ran out of stuff to ask about the skates he asked for my number. :-)
I quit because it was time to go back for my senior year of high school and I didn't have time to work during the school year. I went back to SportMart the following summer, but again quit at the end of the summer when I went off to college. It was a good first job, but that's about it. I was glad to move on. Too much politics between the shoe & clothing department :-)
Hardee's. I worked the cash register as did most of the females. I bought a sewing machine with my first paycheck.
The most memorable things all happened on the night I worked an accidental 12 hour shift.
It started as a normal evening shift - probably only 4 hours over the dinner rush. Then someone did not show up and I agreed to stay until midnight. Then at about 8:00 someone dislocated her finger washing her hands. No shit, I saw it. So, I agreed to stay on a bit longer, do an eight hour shift or so.
I only worked night shift a couple of times. We were open 24 hours, but not very busy and night shift was a lot of heavy cleaning. The managers made it okay by allowing more goofing off than usual. On this particular night, the shift manager made donuts out of the cinnamon raisin biscuit dough. This was at about 3 AM.
Earlier in the evening, maybe about 10, a kid about my age (16) came in. He was supposed to be meeting his friends. He waited. And then ordered. And waited. And chatted with me. He was from Solon, or some other small town near by. I finally determined that he was supposed to be meeting his friends at the Hardee's in downtown Iowa City. He drove there, but they had already left. So, lacking anything better to do, be drove back to the Coralville Hardee's to hang out. He'd clearly developed a cruch on me and wrote his phone number on part of a french-fry container. I did give him my number, but he had the mis-fortune of calling the next morning when I was still asleep and being the heartbreaker that I was, I never called him back. It wouldn't have lasted; he listened to country music.
I was washing dishes which was sort of off in the corner and I got forgotten about, probably due a shift change. I think that I emerged at about 7 AM, asking to go home and the new shift was appalled at my 11-13 hour shift. I was a little delirious, but mostly from the Zen of doing dishes at the end of such a long shift. Oh, and this was the first and last time I washed dishes there; I ruined a pair of shoes.
It was a summer job between junior and senior year of college. I wasn't sad to leave and didn't return. But it wasn't the worst job I've had.
The most memorable things all happened on the night I worked an accidental 12 hour shift.
It started as a normal evening shift - probably only 4 hours over the dinner rush. Then someone did not show up and I agreed to stay until midnight. Then at about 8:00 someone dislocated her finger washing her hands. No shit, I saw it. So, I agreed to stay on a bit longer, do an eight hour shift or so.
I only worked night shift a couple of times. We were open 24 hours, but not very busy and night shift was a lot of heavy cleaning. The managers made it okay by allowing more goofing off than usual. On this particular night, the shift manager made donuts out of the cinnamon raisin biscuit dough. This was at about 3 AM.
Earlier in the evening, maybe about 10, a kid about my age (16) came in. He was supposed to be meeting his friends. He waited. And then ordered. And waited. And chatted with me. He was from Solon, or some other small town near by. I finally determined that he was supposed to be meeting his friends at the Hardee's in downtown Iowa City. He drove there, but they had already left. So, lacking anything better to do, be drove back to the Coralville Hardee's to hang out. He'd clearly developed a cruch on me and wrote his phone number on part of a french-fry container. I did give him my number, but he had the mis-fortune of calling the next morning when I was still asleep and being the heartbreaker that I was, I never called him back. It wouldn't have lasted; he listened to country music.
I was washing dishes which was sort of off in the corner and I got forgotten about, probably due a shift change. I think that I emerged at about 7 AM, asking to go home and the new shift was appalled at my 11-13 hour shift. I was a little delirious, but mostly from the Zen of doing dishes at the end of such a long shift. Oh, and this was the first and last time I washed dishes there; I ruined a pair of shoes.
It was a summer job between junior and senior year of college. I wasn't sad to leave and didn't return. But it wasn't the worst job I've had.
What a great post.
My first job was serving ice cream at Dave's Tastee Freeze on 58th and pulaski. I had to wear a blue TF shirt but begged my way out of wearing a dorky paper hat. I was ten or eleven years old. Dave was my grandfather's best friend - practically family - and I was watched like a hawk (unfortunately I missed those great first job rites of passage such and never got to misbehave). I was much, much younger than the other staff and do remember learning a lot about sex from the other kids. I also learned some alternative uses for hollowed-out apples (don't worry, they weren't served to the public).
I worked at the Tastee Freeze every summer until after Freshman year of high school. My best memory actually occured during my walk home one day. My best friend at the time - Tim Z.- worked in his father's grocery store about 10 minutes away. I would always stop in to buy a drink and chat. Tim's father was a very cute, very sweet, but very old-fashioned and strict Islamic man. I guess he grew suspicious and weary of my daily visits because one day he cornered us near the juice stand and began lecturing Tim about how we were too young for THIS (chatting?!?!?). He kept asking us "what do you think you are doing?" Tim, always the respectful and considerate son, choose this moment to egg his father on. To my horror he began insisting that we were doing "very bad things" and I found myself in the middle of a family squabble. Being a young and stupid high school student I was unable to see Tim again until the academic year began (remember what it was when life revolved around the school year???), so this hung over my conscious for many weeks.
I guess if you knew the players involved you would understand why this is so damned funny.
Wow, sorry to ramble on there. I haven't thought about this for years.
My first job was serving ice cream at Dave's Tastee Freeze on 58th and pulaski. I had to wear a blue TF shirt but begged my way out of wearing a dorky paper hat. I was ten or eleven years old. Dave was my grandfather's best friend - practically family - and I was watched like a hawk (unfortunately I missed those great first job rites of passage such and never got to misbehave). I was much, much younger than the other staff and do remember learning a lot about sex from the other kids. I also learned some alternative uses for hollowed-out apples (don't worry, they weren't served to the public).
I worked at the Tastee Freeze every summer until after Freshman year of high school. My best memory actually occured during my walk home one day. My best friend at the time - Tim Z.- worked in his father's grocery store about 10 minutes away. I would always stop in to buy a drink and chat. Tim's father was a very cute, very sweet, but very old-fashioned and strict Islamic man. I guess he grew suspicious and weary of my daily visits because one day he cornered us near the juice stand and began lecturing Tim about how we were too young for THIS (chatting?!?!?). He kept asking us "what do you think you are doing?" Tim, always the respectful and considerate son, choose this moment to egg his father on. To my horror he began insisting that we were doing "very bad things" and I found myself in the middle of a family squabble. Being a young and stupid high school student I was unable to see Tim again until the academic year began (remember what it was when life revolved around the school year???), so this hung over my conscious for many weeks.
I guess if you knew the players involved you would understand why this is so damned funny.
Wow, sorry to ramble on there. I haven't thought about this for years.
My first job was washing dishes in downtown Gainesville, Ga at a bar/restaurant called the Downtowner.
I was slow and inept a that job and could barely keep pace.
Luckily, there was plenty of beer and pot towards the end of the shift. Just what a growing 14 year old needs! Once, I left the back door open and they could smell the ganga all the way at the bar.
Great post, Josh. I may follow this up on my blog with other employment stories.
I was slow and inept a that job and could barely keep pace.
Luckily, there was plenty of beer and pot towards the end of the shift. Just what a growing 14 year old needs! Once, I left the back door open and they could smell the ganga all the way at the bar.
Great post, Josh. I may follow this up on my blog with other employment stories.
Mine was a paper route. It was actually pleasant (like mowing the lawn) you just get into a groove and then you have lots of time to yourself to think.
My first "real" job was Burger King and that was where I met Antonia for the first time.
My first "real" job was Burger King and that was where I met Antonia for the first time.
Hobie, that's a good story.
Steve, I didn't know about you meeting Antonia at Burger King. It must have been the uniforms!
Steve, I didn't know about you meeting Antonia at Burger King. It must have been the uniforms!
My first job was working as a hardware clerk - for my dad no less. I stared at the end of 8th grade, and worked for him on and off until I was 19.
My dad works with a bunch of certifiable folks - "passle of idiots" gets used on a regular basis. While I was there, a forty-year-old friend of his coworker's and the janitor hit on me. (Both within dad's earshot - not smart.)
I quit for good when I left my hometown for good.
Although I worked in a hardware store for five years, I still don't know much about home repair and no, I cannot thread pipe.
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My dad works with a bunch of certifiable folks - "passle of idiots" gets used on a regular basis. While I was there, a forty-year-old friend of his coworker's and the janitor hit on me. (Both within dad's earshot - not smart.)
I quit for good when I left my hometown for good.
Although I worked in a hardware store for five years, I still don't know much about home repair and no, I cannot thread pipe.
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