Early Employment Instills Lasting Values

Who knew that a high school girl hired for Christmas season in the early 60’s at a local Five and Ten would be warned that she could be “paid in hard candy” if she did not sell enough of it, and that the money in the register had to be stacked so that the “Georges faced the street”? However, to my surprise, on pay day I was paid in cash in a little brown sack just like everyone else.

My boss taught me not to fold my arms as I worked so that I would appear to be ready for the next customer. I learned to ask for check approval for everyone, but I trusted my own judgment anyway if the customer was a local celebrity. When a customer paid in cash, I had to count out the change from the amount of purchase, since there were no computers to calculate everything for me.

I learned during inventory that every item, including the tiny bottles of Blue Waltz perfume, had to be counted -- even if their value seemed negligible to me -- and that a big part of inventory was cleaning the stock and straightening the shelves.

I have had many jobs since that first one, but not one has taught me more about work nor has offered me occasional free candy as one of the perks. Source - personal recollections; submitted by Helen Harding Henderson.