Among Friends

[Somertime]

I was a sophomore in high school, no work papers necessary.  For the Christmas Season after school, I was a wrapper at B. Altman's & Company in Manhattan.  Every day after school, late night on Thursdays and all day Saturday for $35.00 a week.  The wrapping department was in the basement.  All the wrapping paper and ribbon was in big rolls above your head.  The merchandise would come down through pneumatic tubes with the receipts, you would wrap and tie the ribbon into bows, attach the receipts on the outside and place on a conveyor belt where it would be sorted to either be shipped out or returned to the floor for the customer to take home.  If you were really, really good you were placed on the floor in the personal gift wrap section.  I thought $35.00 a week was a lot of money!  After all these years, I still wrap the same way.............all the same paper, wired ribbon with home made bows!

[alicedee]

I only babysat in high school.  After graduation I got hired at our small town newspaper.  I typed copy, learned to set up ads, answered the phone, etc.  Eventually they let me write a few things.  It was fun.

[amyb]

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@Mj12 wrote:

When I was 16 I was an Usherette at the Garden State Arts Center in NJ.  After we directed people to their seats, we stood in our area and watched amazing concerts every night in the Summer.  Best job ever.

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That was the same with my summer theater job...saw so many performers..back then the perfomer did a week of shows, often the headliner would have a comedian opening for them...by the end of the week we'd know the act by heart, lol.  Saw so many singers, groups, musicals...and the comedians then...George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, David Brenner, Robert Klein... all the greats. 

There was a tavern on the grounds and another Inn in town with an actual train for a club car bar where all the ushers would go after work (once we were legal at 18...I started the job at 17)...our group of ushers bonded for the summer, had picnics at people's houses...it was a GREAT job for that time of life.  Sometimes certain groups of performers would do an event, like a softball game, and we'd get to be involved.

[Deb665]

At 16 I was hired by a local clothing store to wrap Christmas gifts!  I loved that job!  It was great fun to make sure you had a pretty package to hand over to the customer.  One trick for speedy wrapping was to wrap the bottom and top of boxes separately when there was a lull.  Then when there was a rush all you had to do was add tissue paper, put the halves together and tape the sides!  These sweet people paid us above minimum wage and gave us Christmas bonuses!  

[caroln242]

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@Imaoldhippie wrote:

I dont believe I have ever had an Illegal paying job.

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I think the inference is the first job that had to be reported to the IRS.  A paycheck with taxes, etc. taken out.

[caroln242]

I was 16 and started working at a Fannie Mae candy store.  One of the perks was you couild eat all the candy you wanted.  I guess they knew that after one night of that, they didn't have to worry about the employees eating too much of the candy anymore!  I'm a chocoholic, but even I have my limits!

[Marp]

What Was Your First Legal Paying Job?

The answer to your questions is also the answer to a security question on some websites.

[aroc3435]

@amyb   Sounds like the Oakdale in Wallingford, CT.  Have happy memories of attending shows there over a few decades.

aroc3435

Washington, DC 

[Suzeecat]

15 and in my last week of high school, I got a job as the receptionist at a local manufacturing company, my starting pay was $1.65/hr.  The first day on the job I woke up with what appeared to be german measles (I knew I had been exposed at school).  I put on a long-sleeved dress (couldn't wear pants in an office in those days) to cover the bumps on my arms and went to work! I didn't have a car so my mom would drop me off & pick me up, until I had to work late one day and she got mad for having to wait.  Then, I took a cab until I could afford a down-payment on a car. 

[dulwich]

At 15 y.o. got Saturday job in Woolworths on their detergent/cleaners counter- loved it.  Worked at it for  a year.