  Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2563 Registered: 10-2003 |
Summer of 1974...I worked for 6 weeks at Westcott Paper Products (now Westcott Displays; http://www.westcottdisplays.co m/) on Cass and Amsterdam. A high school friend worked there the preceding summer and suggested I apply for a job. We worked 6 days a week, making $2.00 an hour with no taxes taken out, so each weekly paycheck was $96. Basically it was assembly line work, and it supported the auto industry through packaging auto showroom displays and preparing pages and sample for the sample books used in the showrooms so that customers could pick out their colors for the interior seats and vinyl roofs. Found out a few years ago during an Auto Heritage Tour that the Westcott factory building was originally a Cadillac factory. Cool! | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 296 Registered: 01-2007 |
5 yrs old delivering the Det. News on my bicycle with my older brother. I think he paid me $1/week. First paycheck job was at 16 as a Petroleum Transfer Engineer (I did full-serve gas pumping and ran the cash register for self-serve and candy & nuts customers.) At that time, Mobil gave 3 or 4 cent a gallon discounts for cash. You got good at doing math in your head. Not like today's college stoogents at the drive thru's. "That'll be $4.56" You hand them a $5, a quarter, and a penny. And they try to hand you back 50 instead of 70 cents! | ||
D2dyeah Member Username: D2dyeah Post Number: 80 Registered: 09-2005 |
Prop building for the display dept. for Crowley Milner Co. downtown. It was great, as we had our own elevator at our disposal and we could zoom anywhere in the store. The building was big and had a lot of dead space to snoop into. The employees Cafe was great and had good food that was cheap, compared to going to the neighboring places. I think I made about $50. a week, this was 1970, and we used to go to work at Hudson's at Thanksgiving- Xmas time and make extra $$$ doing freelance work. Had to keep that quiet. | ||
Dorothyd Member Username: Dorothyd Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2007 |
Worked the concession stand at Fairview Gardens Roller Rink in Detroit. | ||
Senior Member Username: Senior Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2004 |
Paper Route for the Detroit Times, but first actual "job" was stockboy at Neisner's on Harper & Chalmers for a whopping 55 cents an hour. After 3 months got a "raise" to 57 1/2 cents an hour. Mr. Greenburg, the Manager, shook my hand and made a big deal about the "raise". | ||
Zxzm Member Username: Zxzm Post Number: 54 Registered: 10-2007 |
Jrvass, that's because we use debit cards today. Pfffft! | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 51 Registered: 02-2007 |
Age ten,walking thru Midland Auto Parts on Livernois with my father.He would buy the scrap radiators and hubcaps.As I walked I would touch any and everything on the ground with a magnet.What didn't stick was put into piles that I would load into drums.This was then sold at the metal shops along Dix or Central Ave.Made better cash than the paper route guys.This was 1967. | ||
Dbc Member Username: Dbc Post Number: 85 Registered: 09-2006 |
Picking pumpkins at age 14 on a farm in Canton, which is now ... surprise, surprise ... a strip mall. | ||
Vetalalumni Member Username: Vetalalumni Post Number: 794 Registered: 05-2007 |
Iheartthed, not sure whether Rustler's Steakhouse became Flaming Embers Steakhouse. Luckycar, I vaguely recall the Midland Auto Parts on Livernois, is it still there? I often shopped at the various yards along Livernois for spare parts for my used cars. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 4545 Registered: 10-2004 |
That Cadillac building on Cass is the one posted a number of times for the railroad crossing at Cass. | ||
Yaktown Member Username: Yaktown Post Number: 252 Registered: 02-2006 |
My first job was busboy at the Bubble & Squeak restaurant in Commerce. (Ring a bell, 56packman?) I was 17 and after a month I got moved back into the kitchen where I did prep work: making salads, desserts, washing dishes, etc. I only lasted 3 months total and then took the summer off to party. I go back once in a great while and just learned the owner died just a few months ago. The best part was eating the best fish & chips and coleslaw ever! | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 3048 Registered: 06-2004 |
twelve years old delivering the Royal Oak Tribune Monday-Saturday and doing my own collections - 60 cents a week rain or shine later took over my brother's street, too had it until I graduated from high school gave good service (usually), got good tips it paid for my first year of college | ||
Drifterlee Member Username: Drifterlee Post Number: 17 Registered: 09-2007 |
Michigan Bell on Northwestern after I graduated from Pershing High in 1969. I took art so they put me in the drafting dept. Saved up enough money to go to start Wayne State in January of 1970. I made $110.00 a week. I should have stayed there. I would have a pension now, LOL! | ||
Caldogven Member Username: Caldogven Post Number: 130 Registered: 05-2006 |
My first real money making job was delivering the "Detroit Shopping News", to I think it was about three thousand addresses in the heat of the summer and the snow and cold of winter. All for the fabulous sum of about three dollar a month! | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 608 Registered: 07-2007 |
taking out the trash | ||
Detalum Member Username: Detalum Post Number: 3 Registered: 09-2007 |
Greenfield's restaurant on Woodward. That was in 1965. I bussed the tables, washed dishes, and ate well. | ||
Cheddar_bob Member Username: Cheddar_bob Post Number: 1474 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Yeah, that would really suck. Wait. No, it wouldn't. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1886 Registered: 12-2005 |
Yaktown--I don't know from the bubble and squeak restaurant, Commerce area was pretty foreign to me until my sister moved to White lake and I had to start driving on all of those Commerce roads. Where is it located? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3387 Registered: 10-2003 |
I've been to the Bubble and Squeak. It's on one of the Commerce roads I think. Neat little place. Haven't been there in quite a bit. | ||
Unclefrank Member Username: Unclefrank Post Number: 110 Registered: 03-2006 |
Worked in a bike and hobby shop. $1 an hour back in 1971. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 300 Registered: 04-2006 |
In the late '70s, we lived on the east side of Detroit, and my father managed a 7-Eleven in St. Clair Shores. I used to work the cash register and stock the shelves and the walk-in cooler and such. I even made Slurpees behind the counter. (This was long before they put the machines on the other side of the counter.) Only two flavors were available at any time. It was usually Coke and Mountain Dew. It was great fun for an 8-year-old boy. I was even on the official payroll. Not sure exactly how my dad "managed" that! I even stayed there overnight with my dad on a few occasions when the midnight shift guy failed to show up and my dad had to cover for him. At that age, I was fascinated just being awake in the middle of the night. And it sure beat stayin' at home with my old lady. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 509 Registered: 05-2004 |
Besides the normal newspaper route, I was a packer at Wrigley's Supermarket on Greenfield just south of Grand River back in 1965. I made $1.65 and used to go up the Federal's and blow my checks on Beatle HiFi records among other things. By the way, there is still a Stan's Market on 5 Mile just south of Farmington Rd. in Livonia. | ||
Willmess01 Member Username: Willmess01 Post Number: 30 Registered: 02-2007 |
My first job (1995-1998) was working as a stock person for Vegas market on Kelly RD. That was a ton of fun. No real responsibilities and hardly any pressure. I used to walk the mile from home to there and when I think about it now, I miss the simplicity of those days. I wish I could walk to work now. I also used to maintain our high school athletic field off of Utica rd. That was great fun cutting grass all day on a riding lawnmower. I worked with and met some great people there..... | ||
Margaret Member Username: Margaret Post Number: 241 Registered: 06-2007 |
my first job was when I was in high school, late 60s, at the Kresge's on East Jefferson near Chalmers. I sold cosmetics, jewelry, stuff like that. it was neat. | ||
Schoolcraft Member Username: Schoolcraft Post Number: 119 Registered: 07-2005 |
Worked as a stock boy for a party store in Detroit for Iraqis(Chaldeans). 1974. They had a paneled back wall with a hole. As I ripped up boxes in the back as a stockboy, I would watch every once in a while, my boss pull out a gun while looking thru the hole and suspecting trouble. Nothing ever happened but he was going to protect his sister working the counter ringing up the sales.(Of course, they now have the glass protectors like most places). They paid me under the table as I was 14 and liquor was sold there.Always remember the flag of Iraq pasted on their rear view window of their car(Monte Carlo) | ||
Daf Member Username: Daf Post Number: 36 Registered: 02-2007 |
Employer's Temporary Service, 1971-73. I was/am tall, I could pass for 18, so they didn't card me. $1.65 an hour. Great way to learn that I did NOT want to be a factory slob for keeps. Grimy, backbreaking work, bastards for bosses, and a real scam going with OSHA rules (flagrant violations everywhere) and with the industrial clinics - didn't matter how badly hurt you were, they'd write up papers saying you could work the next day. I had 2 serious injuries in 3 years, both (1 back, 1 foot) left me unable to walk for several days - both got paperwork saying "can return to work tomorrow". What bullshit. Still, a good first job. Got an extended assignment at Nationwide Papers on Nevada by Mound - loved that job! And the Better Made factory - by the time I was done there, I went a good two months before touching another potato chip. Still enjoyed it though. I needed a steadier supply of coin though. Got a keeper job at Hammer Industries, $2.85 an hr., lots of overtime. Mostly okay, though they were paying off the OSHA guy so they could tape down the safety buttons. I finally decided I had to leave after working a 2-man press with 3 of the 4 buttons taped down and "Crazy Eddie" in charge of the one remaining button. Nearly lost my arm twice that night. I <3 my degree and my desk job. ;) | ||
Mother_earth Member Username: Mother_earth Post Number: 17 Registered: 09-2007 |
9936 Sussex...did you know Dick Carr. He worked for Adrian Cleaners for years, he was the drapery man, and a good friend of ours. He hunted and fished with my husband. Dont know when he left there. | ||
Conman Member Username: Conman Post Number: 44 Registered: 06-2006 |
I delivered The Detroit News from the age of 12 to 16, what a blast, made big $$$ for a kid my age, $400 in tips at x-mas from 75 customers. Went to Disney World and a dude ranch in Texas. Memories I'll never forget. I currently live in a house on an old route I offen reminiscence. My carrier delivers with a car. Too bad. | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 38 Registered: 10-2007 |
Mother-earth: I definitely remember Mr. Carr. He worked in the back, and did a lot of deliveries, so I didn't have much interaction with him. I just remember that the drapes always looked good! | ||
Mother_earth Member Username: Mother_earth Post Number: 18 Registered: 09-2007 |
9936 Sussex....he used to go to a customers home and remove the drapes take them to be cleaned and then bring them back and re-hang them. What service. Ah, the good old days! |
