Shitty jobs are shitty jobs whatever industry they're in.

My weirdest job was stuffing pillows into plastic bags at a pillow factory, with the occasional detour to feed bales of polyester fiber into a viscious fiber-combing machine with inadequate safety guards. It was nine or ten days straight for ten hours a day. It was unionized, too, so the overtime added up to quite a lot. I survived by bringing in a walkman and listening to my few tapes over and over again. The regulars were so bored that they occasionally got into fist fights to break the monotony of stuffing rolls of polyester into pillow covers.

Madbastd  2 Nov 2003

Fast food work got me to my lifestyle today - administrative librarian at a prestigious U.S. university in New York state. I am deeply grateful for this.

It began when I was 15. I couldn't drive. My dad would pick me up at 10:30 p.m., or 11 p.m. weeknights or weekends. Now that I am his age when he did that, I understand the disruption of this late evening chore. It was called the Frosty Whip, on the main drag of my little town in rural southern Illinois, between the drug store and the IGA (a grocery store). The Frosty Whip was owned by a local family, a single establishment of burgers, double burgers with cheese, shakes, and yes, chicken. It was clean but still smelled of grease. I smelled of grease. I saved 50% of every paycheck. It paid for college and got me out of there.

One night, carring a tub of rancid french fry grease accross the parking lot to dump into the barrel behind the IGA, I made a vow. I was going to do better than this in my life. I still remember the darkness, the balmy spring night air. That grease just stank, and it was heavy, hot, and a struggle. I couldn't hate it recklessly because it would burn me, and I knew in the bigger picture it was my ticket out, but I vowed. And it worked.

I stayed in the job, learned I could work quickly in a rush, and could balance cash register receipts of over $1000 at day's end. I turned 16, then 17, then 18. In the later years I would drive myself, and missed dad sitting in the tiny smelly office, waiting and drinking a shake while I counted $1,223.17.

I went to a good college, and got work study in the library. I earned a masters in information science. I live a genuine middle class lifestyle now, with relief.

Two days ago, my prestigious library hosted a Halloween bash for over 500 students. I was in charge this year. Cleaning up at the end, I noticed a wide circle of sicky dirt on the marble floor where we had served cider. Ugly, and it would be Monday before housekeeping arrived. I asked for access to the mop closet, and found a yellow bucket of semi-dirty water with a damp mop. I sprung into action, manuvering that mop and bucket like a pro. To my surprise, my colleagues were impressed. Can't everyone do this? My years at the Frosty Whip were vindicated? Well, lets not go that far. To say some skills come in handy today, in unlikely places, is about as far as I can go.

Brenda Reeb  2 Nov 2003

With my friends from the youth movement we were about to go to camp & wanted some pocketmoney. A bunch of us got together & through the youth labor exchange got jobs at the local airport catering facilty. Remember those horrid trays of food you receive during long distance flights?

Well, that's what we did: trays pass by on a conveyor belt and each of us put on 2 dishes or utensil set on the tray.

The first hour was somehow... passable, the second rather boring, during the third hours feet and hands become numb (it's cold) and serious boredom sets in. Beyond that... we were counting the minutes, then the seconds.

Towards the end of the day i had to put on little cupcakes topped by a cherry. By that time my mind was so shot, i counted the minutes by deeply pressing the cherry into the cake muck on every 10th cupcake. My collegues did some rather more disgusting things, not to be specified here.

Ever since i have real respect for the people doing this kind of work on a daily basis.

yuyu  2 Nov 2003

Never eat the coleslaw at Zaxby's (a chicken chain in the south).

It is prepared by combining prepackaged lettuce and carrot shreds with prepackaged orange colored sauce. I have no idea what is in the sauce, but it smells. Then, the mixture is supposed to set out for 5 minutes, at room temperature, uncovered. Note, I said that it is supposed to be set out for 5 minutes, at busy stores, with few employees, this stuff can set out for hours.

S  2 Nov 2003

I dont have a fast food story, actually I am a Culinary Student so I try to keep my fast food employments at a silent state as not to get ostercized here at school. But anyways what I have to say, this story had me in stitches, laughing right out loud. Great story, Portland rules and write on man.

Jordan   2 Nov 2003

nah. but i worked for "i can't believe it's yogurt" in tucson arizona. i was a yogurt jerk. for at least a year i tortured my lactose intollerant body with near daily helpings of sweet yogurty goodness. years after i left, friends would lamment about my departure and their loss of foot high taster cups.

ah - good times. good times.

the mighty jimbo  3 Nov 2003

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