May 26, 2005
Is it still a meme if it's unsolicited?
Mr. Wheaton links Lileks' column about bad summer jobs and then lists his own which include department store salesman and pool boy (that last one actually explains a lot), which got me thinking about my own crazy jobs. All of these were during college:
1. Hostess at Ground Round, Prudential Mall, Boston- without a doubt, the worst job I ever had. Rude people both worked and ate there. The waitstaff would get mad if I sat black people at their table (and that included the black waitstaff) but as that was 75% of our customer base, there wasn't a lot I could do about it. Nightmare.
2. Cashier at Store 24, Boston- I was always falling for guys who lived in other countries. There was something about guys in my dorm, on my block, hell, in my state, that was always unappealing. So, I fell for the German guy, the Scottish guy, the Greek guy. Basically, I got this job to pay my phone bills. Internet wasn't that widespread then and if I wasn't on the phone with the foreign guy, I'd probably have to talk to people that I'd have to see all the time. Sure, Store 24 mostly employed ex-crackheads but Boston was cold and the store was right around the corner from my apartment. I was there for awhile but it all ended when a 6'3", 350lb guy I worked with ordered me to do something (despite not being my superior at all) and I refused. He smashed the cash register with his fist in front of customers in anger. I said 'ok, then', walked out of the place and never came back.
3. Bartender at a really cheesy nightclub, Scotland- This lasted all of two weeks. When you hear that they don't tip in Europe, it's true, they really don't tip. Most of the people would have the exact change, to the pence, ready for me. I could've lived with the low pay but it was torturous watching people have fun when I couldn't. Previous jobs in nightclubs in NY had me promoting the club and therefore basically just socializing, not having drink orders barked at me by a frantic, untipping mob.
4. Credit Card Sales, Boston- You know those people on college campuses that offer you free t-shirts in exchange for signing up for a credit card? That was me. This is not as bad a job as it sounds. I got to approach people that looked interesting and it paid pretty well. It's the devil's work, though. I wonder how many of those people are in debt now.
5. Surveyor for a baby stroller company, Boston- This seemed like it was the dream job. They sent me 20 surveys and were paying me $10 each. What I hadn't counted on was that I needed to approach people with baby strollers, and therefore babies, who are the least likely people alive to complete a 5 page survey on a street corner. It took forever and was not worth the $200.
If you feel like sharing your worst jobs, leave 'em in the comment section or trackback from your blog.
Posted by Karol at May 26, 2005 03:16 PM | TrackBackTechnorati Tags: bad+summer+jobs Ken+Wheaton James+Lileks
Good ones. I left out of my restaurant experience the fact that, for the few weeks I was a dishwasher, I was a nonperson to the waitstaff, who were oddly snobby for a bunch of people who served food.
Posted by: ken at May 26, 2005 05:45 PMby the way, if it's gonna be a meme, you have to annoy five other people with it.
Posted by: ken at May 26, 2005 06:47 PMor is it more of a meme if you don't tag people? the idea spreading from person to person without being forced upon them...
Posted by: Alceste at May 26, 2005 07:31 PMI worked in the back of a Honey Baked Ham store one Thanksgiving to Christmas during college cleaning and preparing hams for the Chrismas rush. I wouldn't eat ham for years after doing that gig.
Posted by: Director Mitch at May 27, 2005 02:14 AMSorry to hear about Store 24 - was it in a really scary neighborhood? They always seemed to be for some reason.Once had to check i.d.'s at Foxboro Stadium for beer, was fine during concert/soccer season (Most people don't get tanked at stadium concerts, least not in the stad, soccer dads tend to have a nice imported ale and leave it at that) Football season starts, cue hordes of 300lb, blotto since 8a.m. in the parking lot assholes feeling like a fight with small college girls. grr.
Posted by: Steff at May 27, 2005 06:59 AMI think i know the exact sore 24 you're talking about. Worst job (so far) - working as a secretary at an orthodontist office in Newton who would routinely overbook patients (the man was a "savvy" businessman and by savy i mean greedy). I had all these annoyed patients (specifically the angry parents) to deal with, a pure nightmare.
Posted by: Petitedov at May 27, 2005 08:26 AMMy first was at a butcher, where I had to cut upo a chicken in less than 30 seconds. We had the great firtune of being a high-end meat market, so let's say I knew what exactly went into it.
The best perk was that we smoked our own meats. And my job was to close the store at night, and often take the meat out that had been smoking all day. There is no greater ecstacy than opening a huge door to smokehouse full of jerky.
Needless to say, I ate better than my father for 2 years.
I also delivered Pizza, which was very cool for the freedom. Yeah, I was a stupid-shirt-wearing dork, greasy and probably a slob like cab drivers, but I also got free pizza. My only tale worhty of movies was being offered bong hits by some stoners. I did not inhale.
I also worked as an ESL tutor in college and at Kinko's. I did summer construction, building those cement barriers you see in front of so many New York buildings or dividing highways. I got my forklift license and did other odd jobs since it was my friend's dad's company. He had more than 30 classic cars in a garage on the property, and I often had to polish them up for competitions. I recall spending 6 hours! sanding the lining around the windshield of a '58 corvette. Ridiculous? Well, that car won a national championship show contest. At one show, I actually did the white glove test under the car (you don't drive these class of show cars), and checked every screw to make sure the threads were turned exactly in a perfect cross.
Posted by: Scott S at May 27, 2005 10:08 AMIt's the Store 24 on Huntington, right across from Northeastern. There is a 'cool' Store 24 (mostly punkish college kids worked there) further down Huntington, across from Berklee, but the one I worked at really was mostly crackheads trying to go straight.
Posted by: Karol at May 27, 2005 10:34 AMBetween my freshman and sophomore years, I decided that I had to break out of my quiet and non-assertive shell. So I got a summer job selling encyclopedias door-to-door.
I trained for three days by going with their best salesman on sales calls. He was successful by having the heart of a serial killer. The first day I went out by myself and knocked on 20 doors. 19 doors were slammed in my face, and finally a woman listened to me.
As instructed I said to the woman. "Could you go get your husband so that I can talk to both of you about the educational future of your children." She replied, "My husband died last week." Then she burst into tears.
I said, "Oh" and turned around and left her house and immediately quit my job.
Oh, Jake. That's when you should have moved in for the close. I mean she probably got some hefty life insurance payout. I suggest something like "i'm so sorry to hear that ma'am. May I suggest our deluxe encyclopedia set to keep you company with years of information?"
Posted by: Not Dawn Summers at May 27, 2005 10:59 AMDawn:
My trainer with the heart of a serial killer would have done just that.
Because I do not have the heart of a serial killer, I could never be an encyclopedia salesman nor could I be a lawyer.
Posted by: Jake at May 27, 2005 01:10 PMJake,
You SHOULD have said, "So, what you're saying is you need a new man in your life?"
"Heart of a serial killer"? Jake, you've got it all wrong. Once you take the oath and are admitted to the bar your heart is removed and placed in a glass jar. The jar is then given to your mom.
Posted by: Not Dawn Summers at May 27, 2005 03:32 PM
