I graduated in 1965, and had started working as a "car hop" at the Dixie Drive-In since I was 14 years old. I didn't remember that my sister followed me in the work endeavor! My sister graduated in 1967, so she must have started working there about the time I was done. Oh my - do you think there was a minimum wage back then. Don't think so. This slip, shows that she worked 60 hours for .75 cents a hour! Then looking closer, you'll see that after the gross earning, the taxes were subtracted, and ALSO the shortage she had for that pay period! Oh I laughed. After all said and done, for the 60 hours from Aug 16 through Aug 31, 1965, she got a whoping $29.82! So kids today. Do you want a job for those wages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What did you get with your first pay check! I remember what I got. I spent my check on a little AM white bakelite radio. (wish I still had it) So spose my whole check must have gone for the radio; and I'm sure it probably wasn't much over 10-15 dollars! Georgia (little sister) said that is what she bought too! We each had our own room, so I'm sure she needed a radio too!
I remember as I got older than the 14 years old, that I worked the weekend late night shifts. Tips were good, but the hours were very late!!! On Saturdays I'd work until 3 am. We were always open til the wee am hours, because the dance halls closed after 1 am, and you'd get the "drunk" crowd that would come in and spend money and order a lot of food. The older "Harsha" guys were always there, and of course you had to be able to take the teasing! One night as I was carrying out a big tray of food and drinks out to their car (the tray would hang on the window edge), as I was almost ready to hand it on the opened window, one of those big, big bugs (think water beetle) flew and "clung" to my face - my cheek!!!!!! OMG! I screamed, the tray went flying (some food inside the car and on their laps and all over! I ran with this stupid bug still hanging on my cheek, to inside the Dixie where the owner (big guy) Art had to get it off me. With me still screaming and by now crying! Oh to this day, I'm still scared of those bugs. Of course they were flying all over the drive-in, because bugs like lights and maybe "car hops"!
Not end of story. I had to pay for their new meals that were ordered up, and offer to get their clothes cleaned = (lucky me because my parents owned the local dry cleaners!). I don't remember if they actually did get their shirts laundered or not, but the offer had been delivered!
Then I took a lot of teasing after that about the whole incident. Now it's just funny. Had forgotten about it all until I saw Georgia's pay stub.
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Not counting baby sitting my first job was at our local library in 1966. The pay first started at 1.10/hr, but when the minimum wage went to 1.25 I got a raise. I must have put a million books back on the shelves during my time. I waitressed at a local restaurant during college. The pay was 55 cents an hour, but the tips were very good and working 6 days/week in the summer I was able to pay for about a third of my college expenses. I dropped a few things, including a spectacular drop with plates of fried fish. It's 40 years later, but I still can remember the minute those plates of fish went flying into the air.
I enjoyed your post so much. That's horrible about the bug on your face! My first job was during high school at the local "Bargain Store." They sold clothes, shoes etc. from name brand businesses that had closed. I was to keep the piles of shirts etc. neat! I bought a winter coat with my first paycheck - $15!
I sheared Christmas trees..and I bought books to read at Woolworths in DL. I think we made 50 cents an hour and got a bonus at the end if we showed up everyday for the three or four weeks that we worked.
This was a funny post, I am sorry I laughed at the thought of you screaming at a bug and dropping food and plates all over. I hope the tips were good there..because I know the gals that worked there had their work cut out for them...I CANNOT believe that you were charged for shortages..for food then it should have been at cost..not at the actual price on the menu. What a rip off:(
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