not your million dollar kind--darn it--
but the garden-variety-salesmen-type.
My dad was a salesman for a living--
he used to say he could sell
"ice to an eskimo"
and when he left the house it was,
"I'm goin' to see a man about a dog"--
which, until I was like 8 or 9 years old,
I thought he was actually going to see
a man
about a dog.
Because of my dad's job--
a Food Broker,
we had lots of different kinds of
food
and
other products come thru our house
in huge amounts that most of my friends'
homes did not--
such as a freezer full of
Sarah Lee cakes and pies,
PeterPaul candies by the boxfull,
RiceaRoni by cases,
GreenGiant frozen foods
Kenner toys like Barbies, Suzy Homemaker ovens,
"Skip-its", and all kinds of toys.
Since giveaways have always been around,
he'd have odds and ends of little things too--
and my mom would set us little kids loose in the
neighborhood
to sell whatever we could--
one year,
it was christmas candles shaped like
snowman, Santa and Mrs. Claus, christmas trees, etc.
We piled them in the wagon
and went door to door
with my 4 year old brother in the wagon
and went around the block selling them for
.15 cents a piece.
We made some extra cash,
and gave mom some quiet time.
It also taught us lessons on being
social.
Mom would coach us before we left
with our wagon:
"Ring the doorbell and wait for them to answer.
Say, 'Hello Ma'am, my name is _________.
I've got some beautiful candles I'd like to show you.'--
Then hold them out so the person can see them,
and tell them they're for sale for fifteen cents.
That's one dime and one nickel."
And that's what we did.
We were always looking for opportunities to sell things--
my dad had a good job but was terrible with money.
It was either feast or famine
around our house.
I mean it--
there were weeks where we only had
rice-a-roni for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Or
just Sarah Lee cakes and pies
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To give some perspective,
I was nearly 40 years old before I ever
bought
a single box of rice-a-roni
or a Sarah Lee pound cake.
Anywho--
When I was around thirteen,
I would look thru magazines and come across
little ads to sell
Burpee Seeds
or
All-Occasion -Cards--
the companies would send you
samples
that you could take door to door
and order sales for--
or with the seeds,
you could just sell what they sent you;
split the profits down the middle
and send them their share via money order.
The All-Occasion-Cards,
usually had
"personalized imprinting" on them,
so you could only sell about half of them
upfront,
the rest had to be special ordered.
I also had summer jobs
selling the Miami Herald,
the Charlotte Observer,
and the Denver Post--
depending on which city I lived in--
my brothers and I all did that.
I also picked peppers and
cucumbers as a kid in Florida.
But that's another story.
I babysat all the time
for neighbors and friends
through most of high school.
My first real job
was at Lakeside Amusement Park
in
Lakewood, Colorado
as a Games Attendant.
It was a great job for a teenager--
when we weren't on the clock,
we could ride rides for free--
and what's not to love about that?
My second real job was
at Target!
No kidding!
I loved it then and I love it now.
I am a jack-of-all trades--
I've worked as a
*Chairside Dental Assistant,
*Yogurt/Ice Cream Store Assistant Manager,
*Cambridge Diet Consultant's personal secretary, (do you remember Cambridge Diet?)
*Retail sales: Sears, in their women's department;
*JCPenney's Fine Jewelry associate and merchandising assistant,
*Restaurants: Winchell's Donuts, Red Lobster, Pizza Hut,
*So-Fro Fabric Store clerk
*Bank Teller for Nationsbank and Bank One,
*Chiropractic Office--front and back office,
*411-phone operator & an answering service operator,
*floral decorator's assistant,
*midwife's assistant,
*doula,
*home stager,
and something that is on the horizon
that I am so stinkin' excited about!
Times have changed so much--
it's cliche but it's true--
I would never send my kids
around a neighborhood to sell
anything without me--
we don't even do fundraisers for schools
that involved door-to-door sales.
It's just too dangerous.
Neighborhoods aren't the same anymore,
ya know?
I learned things from my experiences
doing different jobs
from a young age--
One is,
you can learn just about anything
if you have the right attitude
and the right teacher.
Another is,
there are few things sweeter than
earning a paycheck
no matter how old you are.
You can make some great friends
in the process too
and your understanding of the world
around you has more clarity
when you've learned something new.
I have more patience at restaurants
and with waitresses--
because of that one summer at Pizza Hut.
Same goes for waiting in the lines
at the Bank.
I appreciate floral arrangements on a different level,
because I was the prep-gal for the florist.
The dentist office is no more a mystery than a
Chiropractic office to me.
I'm as comfortable in one as the other,
and so are my yahoos.
I love to listen to birth stories
or home decorating ventures...
the process of each is so interesting to me!
With each job
I've gained or refined a talent--
whether it's a mechanical talent
or a social awareness,
it all adds up.
Work is good for the soul.
What about you?
What kinds of jobs have you had?
Any that you loved or hated?
When I was a kid, my siblings and I would bake various things and sell them door to door. I've worked fast food, in the locker room at BYU (one of the most unpleasant jobs I've had), taught drama lessons, voice lessons, and done yard work--anything to support the family!
ReplyDeleteWhat is on the horizon???? You have me so curious now. C'mon, you can't throw a little teaser out like that and then leave it. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd my mother used to always say she was going to "See a man about a horse." I seriously always believed her as well--although I wondered why she was always seeing about them but never getting one. And whenever we would ask what was for dinner she would say buffalo. Funny.
I think it is great you have had so many jobs. I have a friend like that and I call her for help all the time because she has done everything. Makes you realize that all of our experiences not only benefit us, but also increase our opportunities to serve others.
I can't wait to hear about what you've got going "On the Horizon" - sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteI too used to sell anything and everything door to door as a kid.
I would make craft items as a teen and sell them.
I got my first real job in the mall at a clothing store when I was 15 - my folks didn't have much money and so if I wanted clothes or make up or ??? I needed to earn the money myself. So I always had a job at the mall in clothing stores, jewelry stores, I scooped ice cream, I worked in food service in college, I've been the dreaded telemarketer, I was an office manager, I did daycare for many many years...I can't even remember all the jobs I had but I do agree that it helps you learn more about the world when you have a job, it is nice to earn your own paycheck! Great post!
I, too, want to know what's just around the corner that you're "stinkin' excited" about! You like to torture us, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I've worked as a waitress, an administrative assistant, a paralegal, a teacher, a psychotherapist, and a writer. I like writing the best, because I can do it from home!
=)
On the horizon. What????
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is, according to the book I was reading yesterday, neighbourhoods are actually safer now than they were thirty/forty years ago. This book theorised that the constant focus by the media on doom and gloom caused us to have a perception of danger than simply didn't exist.
ReplyDeleteWhich is all very fine and probably true, but my instincts are for protection, even if they were media-created, and I just can't give my child the freedom I had when I was young.
My father was like yours, my childhood similar. I was working for my own money from a very young age.
You have quite the diverse resume! I'm excited to hear about your on the horizon stuff. I have a much more limited job experience (minus the mom jobs) of Arby's, janitor, file clerk, and transcriptionist.
ReplyDeleteMy first real non-babysitting job was at Artic Circle. I actually got fired, which still makes me laugh. It worked out through, because I then ended up getting a joba t a small bookstore, which was the perfect job to put myself through high school with.
ReplyDeleteMy 8 year old belongs to an elite performing group of violinists, and they are taking a tour next summer to Europe. I told her she had to earn some of her own money, so over the fourth of July, when we were in Torrey, UT for the festivities, she stood on a corner and played her violin. She made $58 in one hour, and was pretty darn proud of herself.
Oddly enough as I think about it, I've either been in housekeeping, food service or customer service. All prepping me for being a MOM and wife! All lifes lessons are good lessons!
ReplyDeleteTrying to not be distracted by your horizon and think back to my jobs -- I've been a tour guide at an outdoor historical park, a manager at a mini-golf-on-steroids place, a child care teacher, a maternity clothes sales person, worked in a children's bookstore and then, oh yeah, my "real" jobs in PR at a hospital, pharmaceutical company and a university. Not sure I've landed on my dream job yet. Still trying to decide what to be when I grow up.
ReplyDeleteI like how you guys were little entrepenuers! What a fun story! When I was a teen I did babysitting, but what I really made money at was washing and/or waxing people's cars. I had quite the clientele. I dropped out of school at 16 and learned how to run a printing press and that's how I put my self through college. I've done a million other things too. There's always value in learning something new.
ReplyDeleteMy worst job was working at a fish factory in Alaska, but I also learned a whole lot that Summer. My best job was definately - travel agent. Loved the benefits!
ReplyDelete