First Job

[Curt Luther]

We go on a walk last night, 3 miles overall, with a stop in the middle for ice cream at Rite Aid. That was my first job, scooping ice cream for Thrifty back in 1986. At the time, I kinda hated that job and by the looks of things last night, the people doing it now hate it too. In retrospect, it's the best job I've ever had. No stress, just give 'em two scoops of Butter Pecan. We're out of Butter Pecan? Sucks for you, what else do you want? Piss me off, and I give you "The Booger Cone". I made $3.65 an hour, 20-30 hours a week, and I couldn't spend it all. Gas was only a buck a gallon and I was too young to go to strip clubs.

I asked the "manager" last night if he was hiring and he said. "Yes". He couldn't meet my current salary demand though...

[Ashley Armstrong]

Agreed. My first job was probably my best, too.

I worked at Chuck E. Cheese, wearing the rat suit. Minimum wage and I got to run around in a ridiculous costume, playing skeeball and dancing on stage. And I got free pizza.

I quit when they decided they wanted a shorter Chuck E. (I was 5'10") and made me into regular waitress/hostess, giving *my* rat costume to this kid named Felix. I still harbor a special breed of resentment in my heart for Felix.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

First job: worked a phone room selling subscriptions to the Chicago Tribune. I sucked at it and was sacked after two days.

[Will Kalman]

My first job was repairing Commodore 64 computers and peripherals. No board-swapping back then, it was honest-to-God oscilloscope-and-solder work.

If anyone had a C-64 or Amiga repaired at Comsoft Computers in Sun Valley or Reseda, I was probably the guy. If you shopped there, we probably crossed paths.

After that, I moved to a competitor, Logical Choice for Computing in North Hollywood where we were big into Amiga and Atari ST computers.

[Bill Schenker]

He couldn't meet my current salary demand though...

As far as I can tell, that can only be met w/a few trips to Thailand and then relocation to Amsterdam.

[Robert Puertas]

My first job was working at the arcade down in the Balboa Fun Zone.
Talk about fringe benefits...
;)

The owner was a CalClub Spec Racer driver named Alan Sandoval.

[Sebastian Rios]

I had 2 jobs at the same time, Kinney Shoes Stock Boy, and Liquor Store Stock Boy. I would go to Kinney first,stock the new shipments and fix the restock errors from the salesdicks, and then go over to the liquor store and work in the walk in beer fridge, I had to make sure the shelves were never bare from the inside out.

Guess which one I quit going to after 2 weeks?
Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I got my final check from Kinney, but I probably owe the Liqour store when you add up all the sixers that went out the back door.

[Pat O\'Neal]

When I was 18, my girlfriend's father pulled some strings and got me my first real job: service writer at Scandia Auto Imports in Whittier, a Saab/Fiat dealership. Her father was a Saab mechanic. I made $600 a month, I couldn't imagine how I could spend all of that money. I also wasn't familiar with income taxes. It was the perfect job for a kid that loved getting grease under his fingernails. There was only one problem - the service manager was a complete a-hole. I hated him to the point that I entertainined the idea of taking his life. He was the stereotypical New Yorker with the ultra-thick east coast accent and attitude. I doubt there was any possibility that he found happiness in anything. He had this annoying phrase he'd say, something like "andthatorso". It was some Bronx expression I guess. I think it was really just a crutch he'd use when he didn't know what else to say, and he'd sometimes say it three or four times consecutively. He was the only reason I didn't last there.

[Curt Luther]

First job: worked a phone room selling subscriptions to the Chicago Tribune. I sucked at it and was sacked after two days.

Forgot about the paper route. Throwing the papers was OK, but the collections part sucked. There are still people that owe me for July and August of 1983, but I think one of them had to buy a new mailbox for some reason

[Tom Denham]

First legal age job or first job.
Started at 13 sweeping construction sites, and making very large trash piles. after school and on Sat. Lot of industrial development in L.B at the time , and finding job site was a bike ride away.
Then I was given a pick and shovel at 14 and dug ditches for a sprinkler install company.
At 15 I started pumping gas at a Texaco, there was full service back then " check your oil and fluids Sir", thanks for the 25 cent tip sir" pumped gas, and busted tires, for the first two years of HS.

[Reijo Silvennoinen]

Stocked shelves after school/summers for a couple of years at a grocery store - I can still find "stuff" in a grocery store as a consequence! Also a paper route for a bit when I took over for a friend who went on vacation....really hated one particular place where there were two dobermans running loose! Following that was a stint working for Kimberly Clark as a summer student doing road location (cutting brush/trees for new/old roads) and parks (camp/picnic sites - maintenance, repair work) work in the "bush" ... truly a fun summer.

Reijo

[Kevin Price]

Well it took this much time before my second post. My first through fifth jobs sucked, but in college I worked at the Sandune Liquor in Playa Del Rey. 4-10p.m, and dinner was included (usually a meatball sandwich from Millie in the back kitchen.) "Work" consisted of selling beer to beachbound hotties and delivering beer, smokes and food to those same hotties mid-party. The stories I have about that place. . .

Oh, and we usually took a 12 pack home at the end of shift.

It was the only place I ever worked that involved a gun, but we never got to use it.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Gigolo in the 8th grade.
Very soon I realized I could make more money pimping so I "semi-retired" only "serving" special clients.

[Rick Brown]

Not counting the paper route, which was pretty sweet since I lived in Corona Del Mar and the route included Balboa Island, was a beach lifeguard in Newport. High pay for a 16 year old, all day at the beach, nice scenery ;) . But also considerable responsibility. Did that every summer through Jr College.

[Ashley Armstrong]

Gigolo in the 8th grade.
Very soon I realized I could make more money pimping so I "semi-retired" only "serving" special clients.

Thanks, I just about choked on my soup there

[Rick Brown]

Very soon I realized I could make more money pimping so I "semi-retired" only "serving" special clients.

Thanks, I just about choked on my soup there

No, no, Steve, your first job, not describing your current profession.......

[Leonard Cachola]

First job was doing office work for a local tennis instructor. First legal age job was a sacker at a grocery store.

[Jayson Woodruff]

Worked at a bicycle shop 10-16. Was really nice when I got to high school, as it was 1/4mile down the street from school.

Got to watch the place go from a high end racing shop (before that stuff was cool) to a mountain bike shop (as that stuff became cool) to the #1 tandem shop in the country (made that stuff cool). Went through 3.5 owners, I came with the shop like inventory as I was basically an indentured servant for all the equipment I bought and used.

Next job was cutting big aluminum chunks into smaller aluminum chunks. Amazedly narrow focus and profitable business for the owner. Just about lost a finger there though dropping 800lbs off a table (stupid, stupid, stupid).

Went back to bike shops through collage (17-22). Turned down some pretty big opportunities there, but it was still just a bike shop and is no comparison to this job.

Jay W

[Leonard Cachola]

Next job ...

if we want to go to second jobs, my second one was a pizza delivery driver - first in a Chevy Chevette, then in a '92 Nissan Sentra SE-R.

[Don Salyers]

We go on a walk last night, 3 miles overall, with a stop in the middle for ice cream at Rite Aid. That was my first job, scooping ice cream for Thrifty back in 1986. ...

Thrifty Drug scooping and sweeping, put me through college. It was so long ago I can't remember what the pay was, but gas was around 4 gallons for that buck, of course a pound of hamburger was the same price. In fact, I think everything was about the same price give or take quarter...

Don

[Curt Luther]

We go on a walk last night, 3 miles overall, with a stop in the middle for ice cream at Rite Aid. That was my first job, scooping ice cream for Thrifty back in 1986. ...

Thrifty Drug scooping and sweeping, put me through college. It was so long ago I can't remember what the pay was, but gas was around 4 gallons for that buck, of course a pound of hamburger was the same price. In fact, I think everything was about the same price give or take quarter...

Don

I knew Don was cool

Hey Don, did they have "The Scoop" back then? I wish I would have stolen one of those. I actually worked for Thrifty for 9 1/2" years, through college and a few years after in management. In those years, retail management really went in the toilet, at least for larger chains. That's why I used the term "manager" above.

[Tom Tanquary]

At age 10 I went to work for my dad on his land survey crew (his second job), for $0.50/hr on summer evenings and year-round on weekends. I was part of the crew for the next 8 years but during that time I was also a hot dog vendor at high school events, a lawn care "specialist" (I mowed lawns), and a carney (I ran a Tilt-o-whirl, Looper Plane, and a Merry-go-round). Since 10, I have never not had a job. And it feels like it.

[Ashley Armstrong]

I've been craving a good hot dog for like 8 months. What's a good place to get one?

[Curt Luther]

I've been craving a good hot dog for like 8 months. What's a good place to get one?

Pinks in LA, or if you like chili dogs, there's always Tommy's. Closest Tommy's to Redlands is probably Corona.

[Damon Tolentino]

I've been craving a good hot dog for like 8 months. What's a good place to get one?

Pinks in LA, or if you like chili dogs, there's always Tommy's. Closest Tommy's to Redlands is probably Corona.

there is also a tommy's off of the 15, just south of the 91. there is an in-n-out right across the street from it.