OT: What was your first job as a teenager?

[uconnfan68]

Long time ago, I guess before health standards for restaurants, I worked at a Dunkin’ My daily tasks were as a porter(cleaning toilets and mopping floors) followed by. a donut finisher( filling and sugaring them)

Worked at a camp in MA near Plymouth, and one of my evening tasks was to drive to Dunkin Donuts University in Newton for their leftovers. Used to use those filler machines too. We’d try to see how much we could get in before it broke through the outer donut.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Caddying at Doral Arrowood in Purchase NY.
That job suuuuuucked.

Great thread topic though

 

[Hunt for 7]

Am I remembering correctly, but didn't kids sell their paper routes when they were no longer going to do them? I covered my neighbor's Journal Inquirer route a few times, but never got one. I think eventually, businesses bought them all up.

Could have been but there were politics in my situation. My friends father was a local politician (will leave it at that to protect privacy), no one was going to get that particular route from that family. Around Christmas time my friend made a nice bonus from his customers. I would bust him into giving me 5% of his holiday take for the weeks I filled in.

Sometimes he gave in if it was a good year. It’s funny this only went on for three maybe four years but when you are 13-15 years old three years seemed like forever.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Being a paperboy back in the day was basically a mix of mob boss and intelligence officer. You knew everything—who was behind on bills, who just got a new car, who was vacationing based on the mail pile-up and the temporarily suspended delivery request. You overheard stuff through screen doors, spotted late-night guests sneaking out in the morning, and if you kept your mouth shut? Boom—holiday bonus. Respect was earned, not given. Cross me, and your Sunday Courant might just land in the puddle. We weren’t just slinging papers—we were running the neighborhood intel network with spokes, ink, and silence.

Exactly….

 

[Dooch]

Fortuna's Deli in Bridgeport. Made meatballs among other things, lol

 

[Ha Who]

I was probably somewhere between eighth and 10th grade. A bus boy at Willie steakhouse in Manchester.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I stocked shelves at Edwards in Litchfield, CT. I think it is a Stop & Shop now.

 

[yungdowork]

Worked at a deli. Took 2 slicer wounds before I decided to find a new career path

 

[superjohn]

I stocked shelves at Edwards in Litchfield, CT. I think it is a Stop & Shop now.

I knew it when is was Finast. Finast/Edwards is now an Ocean State Job Lot. Stop & Shop is 30 seconds up the the street towards the center of town.

 

[Kolumbo]

first job as a teenager. HAHA. work? just kidding

newspapers of course. First real job, dishwasher at a golf course. got some great food but the job was awful for a measly 20% of what today's minimum wage is. The industrial dishwasher was burning hot, cleaning the big rubber mats, it was a hot mess.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I knew it when is was Finast. Finast/Edwards is now an Ocean State Job Lot. Stop & Shop is 30 seconds up the the street towards the center of town.

I was working there right when it switched names.

 

[DbaltUC628]

Cromwell KMart. Started in Housewares, but also handled front registers, service desk, garden shop, electronics, layaway, and even the grill. Yes, I did a couple blue light specials. I was grossly underpaid in the 80's at about $4/hr. Landscaping jobs after that.

You from Cromwell? I grew up in Cromwell. I’m 43. Frequented that Kmart lol what a small world and some great memories.

 

[DbaltUC628]

True value hardware store in Cromwell. 5.25 an hour. Then Dunkin’ Donuts in Cromwell avenue in Rocky Hill.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Tobacco Picker

Shade or broad leaf? I picked corn as 13 year old, then shade tobacco at 14 and 15. It was hard work, but all my friends work there and it taught us the value of hard work and earning a buck.

 

[HCCForever]

Also Hartford Courant carrier and mowed lawns starting at age 11. That's when I learned that 2% of my neighborhood were nasty people. How do you yell at an 11 year old because your paper didn't arrive by 6:30 am? Damn those Sunday papers were friggin heavy. Sometimes my dad would drive me around on Sundays when he saw I was struggling.

Sundays were tough but Thanksgiving paper was unbelievable. Speaking of nasty people, one clown called me up on Thanksgiving complaining about not getting the comics. They shut up pretty quick when I reminded them that there was not a separate comic section on Thursdays.

 

[WrenchFan69]

I was a youth basketball ref and camp counselor before I turned 16. Then my first real job was as a summer janitor at my local elementary school while I was in high school.

 

[QDOG5]

After my first job making 8.50 an hour as a camp counselor I decided to try some thing more lucrative. It wasn't legal at the time and there was some risk but it paid well. For the last two years of high school and through college I sold _eed.

 

[Steve UConn72]

My dad was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawai'i from 1957-61, and our on-base housing was across the street from one of the enlisted men's housing. My brother and I sold newspapers to the soldiers for one of the two Honolulu papers (the Honolulu Star, I think). Didn't make much money, even in 1960 dollars, but back then you could take a quarter to the base movie theatre, pay 15 cents to get in for the Saturday matinee (with newsreels!) and buy a candy bar and a popcorn with the leftover dime. After moving stateside in 1961, I mowed lawns and did some babysitting. My dad used to make us put 10 percent of our lawn mowing earnings (usually about 20-30 cents per yard) in a jar to cover gas and wear and tear on the Toro. My first "real" job (with a paycheck) was cleaning offices after hours for $1.50/hour, which was minimum wage in 1967, I think.

 

[temery]

My dad was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawai'i from 1957-61, and our on-base housing was across the street from one of the enlisted men's housing. My brother and I sold newspapers to the soldiers for one of the two Honolulu papers (the Honolulu Star, I think). Didn't make much money, even in 1960 dollars, but back then you could take a quarter to the base movie theatre, pay 15 cents to get in for the Saturday matinee (with newsreels!) and buy a candy bar and a popcorn with the leftover dime. After moving stateside in 1961, I mowed lawns and did some babysitting. My dad used to make us put 10 percent of our lawn mowing earnings (usually about 20-30 cents per yard) in a jar to cover gas and wear and tear on the Toro. My first "real" job (with a paycheck) was cleaning offices after hours for $1.50/hour, which was minimum wage in 1967, I think.

Did the enlisted men pay/tip better because your dad was an officer?

 

[Horsebrnhil]

May 1966, Willimantic, CT.
Barker's department store, in the shoe section. Oh yes, HATED IT.

 

[LBird33]

Delivering Sunday newspapers with my older brother. It was his rout he had about 90 customers. I was 8 yrs old. I thought the tip were awesome. Had some really quirky customers. Were particular about where we left the papers. Where to find the money for the paper. Christmas time was great. (Tips) and brutal the papers were twice as thick because of all the adds and flyers. lol

 

[Methalius]

I was 13 when I worked in a liquor store sorting empties. Back in the mid 80's that had to be all hand sorted and counted. I think I worked 12 hours a week and I got paid $4 an hour under the table. I'd also help carry out heavier items to cars and what not.

 

[Deepster]

I was 13 when I worked in a liquor store sorting empties. Back in the mid 80's that had to be all hand sorted and counted. I think I worked 12 hours a week and I got paid $4 an hour under the table. I'd also help carry out heavier items to cars and what not.

I worked in a package store once. There I learned beer doesn’t come shipped in the six pack plastic rings. I got paid to sit there and put them in the rings.

 

[Steve UConn72]

Did the enlisted men pay/tip better because your dad was an officer?

They did tip occasionally, but I doubt anyone knew who our dad was. On Sunday a lot of them asked if our comics had "Dick Tracy." Sadly, no. We had Beetle Bailey as our headliner.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

Lot attendant at Sam's Club on the Berlin Tpke (old location by Home Depot)

Put your carts back, people! It's really not that hard!