Your First Job

[EastsideQT]

While having lunch this week at Vincente Cuban Cuisine which is located at 1250 Library I thought about my first job which was in that very building. Long before the restaurant opened it was The Good Housekeeping Shop which was an appliance store. In 1964 while a junior at Southeastern High School I was hired there as a file clerk making a whopping .75 per hour. I worked there after school from 4:30-8:30pm and all day on Saturday. When I graduated in 1966 I was hired full time and my salary soared up to $2.00 per hour. What and where was your first job?

[Blueidone]

First job was working in 1966, working as an usherette at the brand new "Gateway Theatre" on Van Dyke in Sterling Heights. I worked there when it opened...as the largest single theatre in the state of Michigan with over 1400 seats. Started in summer between my junior and senior year in high school. Starting pay was $0.90/hour. After working for about a year, I made my way up to $1.25/hour.

It really was a good job. Boss was a great guy...retired Detroit policeman. Last name was Gosselin, I think. He was very protective of the staff and a great guy to work for. Worked there until I went away to college.

[lpg]

First job was working with my mom at a laundromat in a shopping center around 1963. I had access to the bosses office where the quarters were kept. One day I opened a different desk drawer and found his stash of Playboy magazines. As a 14 year old, I only read the articles. The 2 owners were really nice guys and treated us well. My first real job after graduation was at Scott Paper Company in Delray.

[eno]

My first job after graduating high school in '69 was as a porter/dishwasher at the Arnold Home at 7 Mile/Greenview. My job was to take meals up to the residents, retrieve and wash the dishes afterwards. I don't recall how much I was paid. I worked part-time except for one week when I took over for the stock clerk who was going to a festival at Woodstock, NY. I started my career as a clerk with the City the following spring.

http://www.detroityes.com/webisodes/...-Arnold/01.htm

[Margarite]

First job was in 1967 at Zenith Carburetor later know as Bendix and then Facet Fuel Devices Division. It was at the foot of Hart off Jefferson. Started there as a Kelly "girl" at $1.45/hour. After six months or so I called Kelly and asked about a raise. Got a nickle and thought I was a great negotiator. Found out later that the raise came because minimum wage had gone up. Loved it and worked there until 1984 when the plant closed after a long and nasty strike by UAW workers. The operation was moved down south and salaried workers were encouraged to stay with the company for the "quality of life" offered by a move down south. I was happy with the quality of life here and turned down a transfer. To this day I do not regret that decision.

[EastsideAl]

Pumping gas at Vernor and Parker back in the '70s.

[ASR89]

I started my first job in August of 2006 between my junior and senior years of high school, and I worked as a cashier / photo lab technician at a CVS.

[Islandman]

First job was flipping burgers at the Detroit Zoo during summer vacation in the 80s.

[Ray1936]

First job? Well, 1948, delivering the Detroit Times. Think I made seven bucks a week as I recall. Later on, over to the Free Press for about a year delivering the evening [[yes, evening!) paper. Then three months at Big Bear Markets [[Borman Foods) starting at 50c an hour, and about 1952 started at Fromm's Hardware, 8670 Grand River. Good job for a young guy, learned a helluva lot there. Worked there for three years while attending WSU and then on to the DPD.

[skyl4rk]

I started working in a sawmill at age 14. I still have all ten.

[East Detroit]

First full-time job?

Killing people and blowing things up for the US Navy.

[EastsideQT]

First job? Well, 1948, delivering the Detroit Times. Think I made seven bucks a week as I recall. Later on, over to the Free Press for about a year delivering the evening [[yes, evening!) paper. Then three months at Big Bear Markets [[Borman Foods) starting at 50c an hour, and about 1952 started at Fromm's Hardware, 8670 Grand River. Good job for a young guy, learned a helluva lot there. Worked there for three years while attending WSU and then on to the DPD.

Wow...the Detroit Times...not that's something I haven't heard anybody talk about on DetroitYes!

[Searay215]

First job.....Palmers Restuarant in Eastland Mall when it was still open air. Bus boy.....$1 an hour, big money..... It was down stairs near the barber shop.

[PalmerWoods]

I started working in a sawmill at age 14. I still have all ten.

Same, except I started at age 10. And I have nine left.

[mikefmich]

YMCA @ Harper & Gratiot.
90 cents an hour.....think it was 1966.

[Don K]

First job was after sophomore year in high school [[1970) in the packing shed of a peach and apple orchard in South Jersey, about 15 miles outside Philadelphia. I don't remember the wage rate, but it was sub-minimum [[farms don't have to pay minimum wage), and I see from my Social Security statement I earned the princely sum of $346 that summer. Long hours at times [[14-15 hours a day at the height of peach season) all at straight time [[farms don't have to pay time and a half either), but if I hadn't known before then that I really wanted to go to college that would have convinced me.

First real job was when I moved to the Detroit area in 1978 to work as a financial analyst for Ford Credit. I retired from Credit at the end of 2007, and except for a year and a half working in Japan I've been a resident of the Detroit area ever since.

[EastsideQT]

YMCA @ Harper & Gratiot.
90 cents an hour.....think it was 1966.

I was in that building a few weeks ago doing a presentation.

[thnk2mch]

My first job was as a dishwasher at Red lobster in Westland, circa 1978. It was in the winter, and I walked home from work soaking wet. It sucked. I only stayed there two weeks, long enough to buy a leather jacket and then I was onto bigger and better things. Pumping gas.

[EastsideAl]

YMCA @ Harper & Gratiot.
90 cents an hour.....think it was 1966.

The place where I learned to swim, only a couple of years earlier.

[rodj44137]

Had paper routes with both News and Free Press. First real job was working a the Red Barn on Eight Mile by Ryan in Warren. First job after high school was parking cars in a parking lot down the street from the Michigan Theatre until I went into the Navy in 1967.

[garyalex]

My first job was as an usher at the Beverly Theater on Grand River. I had to do work like taking tickets, changing the marquee to show which films were currently playing, adjusting the curtains to fit the screen size, dealing with unruly customers, etc. All this for less than $1 per hour. I'm not complaining. It was good experience.

By the way, I remember that Good Houskeeping store on Library street. I bought my first component stereo system there in the 70s. As I recall, I paid for it in installments. Lost it in a burglary before I'd finished paying for it.

[lilpup]

I got my first newspaper route in 6th grade delivering the Royal Oak Tribune. After my older brother quit on his route I expanded and recruited a friend to take yet a third route - we subbed for each other when needed. I had both of my routes until I graduated from high school.

I imagine there aren't very many neighborhoods left that support a walking delivery route for kids nowadays. The national title route I have now is a daily motor route of almost 50 miles for 200-250 papers.

[sumas]

Started babysitting when I was 10, area residents thought I was older.

First real job, I was 14 and was a dietary aide at Deaconess hospital, summer job. Took the bus, think I made $1.35 an hr. Bus fare was 35 cents.

Then I worked at a local coney island after school. To this day, hate hot dogs.

[EastsideQT]

My first job was as an usher at the Beverly Theater on Grand River. I had to do work like taking tickets, changing the marquee to show which films were currently playing, adjusting the curtains to fit the screen size, dealing with unruly customers, etc. All this for less than $1 per hour. I'm not complaining. It was good experience.

By the way, I remember that Good Houskeeping store on Library street. I bought my first component stereo system there in the 70s. As I recall, I paid for it in installments. Lost it in a burglary before I'd finished paying for it.

I bought my first stereo component there too [[on credit) in 1965. I paid $5.00 month until it was paid for. I still have it. I've been thinking about selling it but can't bring myself to do it....yet.

[Rochelle St.]

Montgomery Ward at Fifteen Mile and Gratiot in Mt.clemens MI.
Started as a tire buster in the auto dept. for $4.12 an hour in 1986.
I was there until the company went out of business in early 2001.