what was your First Job?
 

We've talked about odd jobs, dream jobs, worst jobs, etc., but never what was your first job?


My first job was at Mr. Chicken (this can only be found in Cleveland and surrounding cities) on Northfield Road in Bedford Heights. I was 14 but turned 15 that summer. My duties were order prep, cashier, and biscuit maker. :D I had finished the 9th grade and worked there during that summer in 1990. My mom made me quit when school started because I was starting high school and was taking a lot of honors classes. I made $4.00 an hour but got paid every week. Uniform was GROSS -- yellow polo shirt, DOO DOO BROWN work pants, and a DOO DOO brown visor with yellow script advertising the restaurant.


So come on and share. . .

My first job was at a college bookstore -- Univ. of Detroit-Mercy. I was 16. It was right before the winter term and I stocked books and got trained on the register. The asst mgr told me I needed to be fast because the the lines would be LOOOONG and the students want to get out of there! (Once I got to college, I could totally relate) It kinda irks me now when a cashier is taking his/her sweet time bagging my stuff and giving me my change.

I worked part time, except during Christmas break -- I was there full time to get ready for the new term. Got paid 5.00 dollars per hour. My uniform was whatever I'd worn to school that day. After the rush ended, I got stuck doing busy work (sizing t-shirts, straightening, once the manager asked me to refile her rolodex b/c she dropped it and everything fell out.:mad: )until Feb when the asst mgr called me at home and told me I was being laid off. :( I went back for a few weeks during the spring term though.

My first job was at Sonic. I got a job when I got my first car at 16. I worked there most of my way through high school and then senior year I started at Sam Goody (where I worked til junior year of college...been unemployed ever since). My starting pay was 4.75. Gawd, that sounds awful now. We did get 50% off the food and free drinks though.

Good topic, CT4.

My first job was during the summer of 1998, right before my senior year of high school. This was the same summer that my grandma passed away. :( The only reason I looked for a job was to take my mind off of her passing.

Anyway, my first job was as a cashier at Price Chopper (a NorthEastern grocery chain).

Okay, a quick sidenote which I know I will get clowned for. When I was like 7 or 8, my dream job was to be a cashier. I thought scanning groceries was like the BEST job to have. Whenever my mom and I would go grocery shopping, I would unpack the groceries and pretend I was a cashier. :p (Let the clowning begin)

Anyway, my starting salary was $5.15/hour. Our uniform was dark-colored pants or jeans, a white shirt and an apron. Since I was under 18, I had to wear a BRIGHT RED apron.

I eventually was moved into the video department and then the customer service department.

I used to have so much fun clowing the customers that came into the store. It's amazing what or who you'll see there. I worked there until my sophomore year of college with an ending salary of ONLY $6.50.

I'm not gonna clown you Gina, because I wanted to do that too! It's all good girl!

My first job was at Lerner New York (now known as New York) as a sales associate. I worked there from my sophomore year to freshman year of college. They gave great discounts too. Those were the good ol' days!

I feel you. I wanted to scan stuff too and call for a price check. "Marv, I need a price check on tampons, extra absorbent." (Remember the GG episode where they all bought condoms and ended up getting a price check, LMAO) I served as a cashier at a variety of places, but never at one where I got to scan. The library does not count.:(

No clowning from me either. I'm a little worse. I used to think it would be cool to be a cashier at Target. I was older, though like 12, 13. Well, I became a Target cashier my junior year of college. It sucked! I hated being an employee where turnover was so high, it took almost a month before anybody remembered my name. One of the managers noted on my record that I called in once, even though it was school related (so clearly education can't be on the priority list at this Target)

But, some folks were lucky to come through my line. If the price didn't scan and it was something pretty inexpensive, I told the customer to pick a price between x and y and that's what I sold it for. I wasn't into price checks, especially over a knick knack in clearance! I quit in December, but the day I did, I let my roomate get some pajamas on my discount, then told the manager I was quitting. She just shrugged and told me where the resignation forms were, like folks quit ALL the time.:rolleyes:

By the way, Librasoul, love your signature. Will & Grace is one of my favorite shows.

Thanks!! Will and Grace is my fave!

My first job was a babysitting job. It was the summer after the sixth grade. The little boy I used to watch was named Andrew. I was in the local grocery store one day and this little boy that was about 1 1/2 was running from his mother. He ran straight to me and grabbed my leg. When his mother tried to take him, he reached for me to pick him up...so I did. When I tried to give him to his mom, he would not let go of my neck :rolleyes: . So after about five minutes of this, I agreed to walk her to her house with hopes that he would eventually let me put him down. Well so much for that, I ended up staying there until about 8 o'clock when the little lad fell asleep. A couple of weeks later I ran into Andy and his mom at the store again and he reached and cried for me like he had lost his mind. She then asked me if I was interested in babysitting...at first I was looking at her like she was crazy. When she said the job paid $60 per week;) it was all good. I watched Andy all summer and made a killing.

I used to do this at the grocery store too. Especially when it was real busy, i.e. the 1st and 15th.

My First Job.......
 

was at T. J. Maxx. The store was BRAND NEW and we helped to set the store up for the GRAND OPENING. I was 16 years old and a junior in high school. I worked there for 6 months and I quit because I became a cheerleader.

My starting salary was $6.00/hr and I was there part time. The uniform was anything that you wore plus a burgundy smock and a name tag.

It was cool there, until all my friends that I had made left. Thats when I had to go.

My job was the register in the front and the layaway department in the back. I hated it, but at least I had my own money for a minute.

Peace
Q

My first job was in college because MOM and DAD was not having me work during High School. I worked the NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY in the city. With this job, you HAD to be in school and they always checked. It was dirty, dusty and very disgusting....and that includes some of the people who worked there. I would look for the books patrons requested and deliver the books to them. The weirdest and craziest people used to and still come to the library. Boy, those were the days. I started off with $5.50/hr and the wage went up every 4 months when you were reviewed. I never went through the raise because I was promoted to a higher rank so I went from $5.50 to $7.35 and then to $9.05. I made a pretty penny out of that job, but I finally left after 3 years.

My first job was at a summer day camp. I was 14 and I was the teacher's assistant for classroom of twenty toddlers. The youngest kids were 16 months and the oldest were about 2 years old. There were two or three really sweet little kids in this class, but the rest of them were absolute terrors. It was so bad that actually had a gray hair for six months after the end of the camp. That wasn't the worst part though.

The teacher that I was assisting was a former hippie and woodstock fanatic that didn't want to let go of her glory days. She worked my last nerve. She would let her grown children, who still lived at home and did not work or go to school, come to the classroom when they were high and eat the kids' snack food to fulfill their munchies. Never again.

$4.35 an hour was not enough for all of that.

My first job was as an security attendent at the Jazz Fest. We had to check bags to make sure no one was bringing in prohibited items, as well as make sure no one tried to sneak in. If anyone has EVER been to Jazz Fest, you KNOW that it is during the last weekend in April, first weekend in May. They are THE HOTTEST days in history and you are GUARANTEED some rain on one of those days.

On the first weekend, it was BRUTALLY hot outside. The following weekend, we had TORRENTIAL rain on that Saturday. We had NO shelter from the heat or rain. Needless to say, I did not go back the next year.

I went to the Jazz Fest this year and it was UNBEARABLY hot outside. I saw that they had made some renovations and now there were cool spots for most of the workers. Some areas just provided no refuge. They don't pay enough to withstand those conditions for a whole day.

When I was 14, almost 15 and a freshman in high school I started working at Little Caesars pizza. It was a good job to have as a teen. I made 5.15 an hour and all the free pizza I wanted.

I first job was, like most girls, baby sitting. When I was in Junior Hi I had to pick up this little girl from her afterschool program, give her a snack, start dinner and watch her intil her grandfather came home about 3 hours latter. I don't remember how much I was paid, but I'm sure it was not much.

My first "real" job was at Long John Silver's. I am obviously much older than most of you, because minimum wage back in '83 was around $3.35 an hour. I remember how happy I was when I got 3.50! LOL I was the cashier and food prep girl, so I had to scoop up the cold slaw, refill the ketchup bottles, etc. I absolutely HATED the uniform. It was polyester with red, white and blue vertical stripes that would not have been flattering on anyone. It was an A-line cut, so it looked like a maternity top. I remember having to work the Friday after school started (the night of the first big football game for all of the high schools) and I stopped at the popular McDonalds after I got off work to get a bite and see who was there. The next week at school there was a rumor that I was pregnant! Seeing that I was a virgin, I would like to see that happen!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

The summer after 10th grade i worked as a waitress at IHOP. I made about 2.25/hour because waitstaff kept all tips (but people in this hood DON'T tip).

They put me on the weekday morning/early afternoon shift when the restaurant was D-E-A-D so i never really had the experience of serving people who actually DO leave tips (example: groups, families after church, ballers after a night at the club).

My mom was dead set against me working because i had to ride the metro back and forth (i was only 15) and i wasn't really making any money anyway. My dad let me work the whole summer so i could "learn some responsibility." I didn't gain anything from that experience but about 20 pounds! :o

My first offical job was at Church's Chicken...my my my....I never worked so hard in my life for 5.15. Though it did teach me the value of hard work. I must admit after I left I was sure there was nothing I couldn't handle. Yeah....fast food will do that to you...lol

Baby sitting like most folx. But my first REAL job was right out of college as a merchandising trainee for a large retail store in St. Louis. I thought I was hot stuff until I went into debt because I practically spent all of my paychecks on clothes, etc. because I had a 20 percent employee discount. And if we put it on the store's charge (which they automatically gave to employees) we got an additional 20 percent off. :(

I know how that works..They tell you that it's a discount REALLY, it is another way of making you buy more and save less. I worked at a retail store for a little while, sure I had a new wardrobe but my credit was sitting on rocky legs for quite a while..lol

My first job was @ Drug Fair (like Eckerd, CVS or Walgreens) when I was 16 going on 17 (fall 89). I was a cashier & made $4.25 an hour. The uniform was pants (no jeans), a white top & a red apron. I quit in summer 1990 over some bull. I was in south GA with my parents and we had to stay longer for some reason. I called to tell them I wasn't going to be back when I initially said I would. They said they needed me to be there because for whatever reason, I was on of 2 cashiers on the schedule (as if that was going to change the fact that I was physically not in the state). I politely reiterated the situation & told them if they can't understand that, then I quit.

My first job was I think the Summer of 97, It was at Charleys Steakery at Randall Park Mall in North Randall (Cleveland). I only worked two days and then I was told to leave early on the second day and that I would be called if I was needed, basically I was fired! I guess I wan't made to work in fast food. After that I got a job at on of the shoe stores at the mall, I am more a retail person!

My 1st job when I was 14 or 15 was at Roy Rogers. Good lawd! To this day, I will NEVER work at another fast food place. EVER! I'd rather be broke. I was there for 2 months and quit because I was being sexually harrased by most of the boys that worked there, and my manager kept trying to come on to me!

Granted, they did, and still do, have some BOMB chicken, but it took me a while to even step back into a Roy's! Especially after I witnessed some nasty stuff done to the food! But every now and then, when I'm on the NJ Turnpike, the PA Turnpike or I-95 South, I smile and stop for a couple of wings and a biscuit when I see that brown and beige sign...

My first job was at Wilson's Leather and Suede, my senior year in high school. I thought that was the best job in the world and I got the opportunity to meet some really great people!!! I'll never forget it, especially those annoying sales quotas that I didn't make after the Christmas season!! None the less, it was cool and it I learned alot about sales.

My very first job was selling "Grit Newspapers" when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. I was a magazine junkie (still am) and it was in the back of "Right On." I convinced my mother to let me sell the papers and we went out a got a checking account (joint of course since I was a minor).

For my first gig, it wasn't that bad b/c it was something I wanted to do. But I had to cease selling b/c folks just couldn't get it and refused to get it.

My loyal customers were loyal b/c they saw someone who they thought was cute going door to door trying to sell a paper that almost no one ever heard of. It was fun though.:)

The first taxable job I had was picking tobacco in CT. Now that was some grimmy work. Folks do a double take when they learn that I picked tobacco. I don't know what they think of me, but they always say, "I can't believe YOU picked tobacco." Believe it and the stories from that. :rolleyes:

True that. One of my other jobs was at Lerner New York when I was a college sophomore. I was told that I had to wear current LNY (or a similar version from Express or the Limited) clothes and every month they would have about four, five outfits that would cost the customer 55-60 dollars and sell it to us for 30-35. A decent amount of money was given right back to the store and I had to rid myself of that Lerner card...y'all ain't paying me enough to model.

My first job was at Burger King. It was through the Diversified Occupations program at my high school that was offered to juniors and seniors. I hated Burger King. I was on the cash register, I was in the back making Whoppers and getting burned by the French Fries, and I was on the drive thru. When I applied for the DO program, I was hoping to get a job at Wal-Mart as a cashier since Wally World gave a decent discount and had their HS employees work good, school-activity friendly hours. Plus they paid better than minimum wage which was $4.25/hr in 1991. But the year before, some DO kids they had were caught stealing and for the next few years, they refused to hire high school kids.

Anyway, I got tired of working BK on Friday and Saturday nights only because my parents complained about me missing church so much. Then they complained about how much gas I was burning up going back and forth to work in their car, but they wouldn't let me ride to work with a girlfriend from school who worked there too. (Can't you tell my folks were SO thrilled about me working? :rolleyes: ) The straw that broke the camel's back was when they got mad at me for switching with someone at work so that I could go see my then boyfriend play his last football game as a senior. They told me that I should have worked that night and not switched because that made me look irresponsible. :confused:

So I quit and since I didn't have any money to pay for my senior year stuff (invitations, ring, etc.) that next year, my grandmomma told me to order the most expensive stuff since my We-don't-want-you-to-work-while-in-school-parents were going to pay for everything. And believe me, I did. ;)

Working for the Mayor
 

My very first job was working for the first Black mayor of Atlantic City NJ. He had a summer youth program & I was a "Bus Greeter". Basically, I gave information about the city and I provided directions for the tourist. I was 12yrs. old at the time and it was a very big deal for me. I made a whopping 300 every two weeks...that was big money for me at the time. I used my earnings to buy my school supplies for the new school year.

lol..I know that's right.

ttt

Cashier at The Sports Authority. I only lasted three days. My first day there was also my first day of my freshman year in college. I was pretty overwhelmed with it all, so I walked.

My first job was at a pager/cell phone shop called Better Beepers Plus on Azusa Avenue in West Covina. It was minimum wage, but I had a lot of fun. I used to see a few people that I knew from high school, so that made it even better.

My first job was at McDonald's. I made $4.10 an hour but as CT4 said, I was paid erry week, and dressed to impress in High School.

They took me out of the drive thru area because when a customer came around I had that Cafeteria Lady look and demeanor....

My uniform was PolyAUNTester, thick and hot and it was a rust color. Once I was promoted to head fry girl, I was able to wear cool comfy cotton.................ahhhhhhhhhhh:rolleyes: :) :p

My first job was the summer before my Junior year in HS at Ted's Hush Puppies shoe store, I made $5.15/hour. Since Hush Puppies aren't trendsetting shoes I dealt with either real old people or kids/teens in private school who had to wear them with their uniform, and it was a requirement that you had to put the shoe on the persons foot for them (maybe thats why I hate feet so much now)

Ooh Ooh
 

My first job was a Physical Therapy Aid at Columbia Rehabiliation Clinic in 1997. I was 15 years old.

The one I currently have. :rolleyes:

I will have to split this in two b/c I had my first "temp" job I made money at and my first "real" job.

My first "temp" job was as a concessionaire at Ohio Stadium selling Cokes at OSU home football games in the fall of 1987. I would sell 20 Cokes in a "rack" for $1.50 each and make 10% off each rack I sold ($3.00/rack). My first day I made about $20 but that was the hardest $20 I ever earned: The rack was heavy from all those Cokes, my hands got blistered, Coke spilled all over my outfit (they had no lids), and the bees tried to eat me alive.

I tried that twice and I said: NEVER AGAIN!!

My first paying job was at a local Wal-Mart-esque store called Harts. I was the Electronics Sales Clerk, but I also sold hunting and fishing licenses, live ammo, and firearms (and get this--I was only 16 years old). I worked during the Christmas holiday, began December 15, 1989, and ended January 12, 1990. I was actually fired with no reason given, but after dealing with all the bulljive, I didn't really care. I opened my first bank account on January 25 of that year with the money I made ($255), and still have that account to this day.

My first job was at Krystal's when I was in the 11th grade (not as good as White Castle) I got paid $5.50. We had to wear navy pants, black shoes, and some ugly Krystals shirt with sandwiches all over it. I hated it, and I found out that the onions that they used were not real...they are shipped in a box and look like saw dust. I am a sophomore in college and work at The Gap. It is ok, but I love the discounts, which are more harm than good.:rolleyes: