Henry Rifle Forums

Most of my friends in high school had summer jobs. My grand daughter has a summer job and that jog my memory on the summer jobs I had. So here's the question. What was the most weird or interesting job you had? I had two. Working for my uncle who owned two cab company's in Sioux Falls washing, cleaning the cabs and filling them up.That was a summer of education provided by the cabbies. By the end of summer, I knew what liqueur stores did not ID, what bars to avoid , where the gambling joints were and where the "cat houses" were. Who some of the "bent cops" were that could be bribed to over look some traffic violations. I was 16 and if my mom knew of my education, my Uncle Vern would have been in a world of hurt.

My second most interesting was a relief elevator operator. My mom got me a job as a display boy at Montgomery Wards. I would help set up displays and any other stuff they needed done. It was a four story building and elevator was manually operated by humans. One day the main guy never showed up for work and his back ups were unavailable. The store manager spotted be, asked how old I was(17). Old enough (not really) he said. Took me over to the elevator, gave me a quick tutorial (was not that hard) and for the next hour I ran the elevator between floors until the backups arrived. I felt very important. The rest of the summer I was the relief
guy. It was really cool job and I met a lot of girls.

How about your summer jobs.

Being raised as a farmer's kid I pulled weeds out of soy beans until I turned 10 and then I drove a tractor and cultivated beans and corn while my little brother pulled weeds and cried in the same field. (He really hated it!).
My Dad also had some cattle trucks and grain trucks and when I turned 16 he put me in tandem truck and I followed him around the state hauling grain for elevators.
The first Summer out of HS I ran a mower for the county mowing ditches with my Uncle. He was great to work with.
That next Winter I was working on a ranch tending cattle when Dad bought me my own semi to drive. I was still 17.
I drove semi all over the mid west for eight years until Uncle Sam sent me a "Greetings".

I worked in an autobody shop after school for three years. I had to stoke the coal furnace, take out the trash, clean the restrooms which included a large wash room and dressing room, and most important park cars. That meant I had to drive them. At 16 I got to drive some very cool cars. We did custom work so that meant hot rods.

I got to be around autobody men and learned a lot. At first they didn’t want me around and one old mechanic yelled I’m there to clean toilets not bother them. So I cleaned toilets and their work stalls. Turns out they never had anyone that would clean it very good and after six months of making everything sparkle they came around and started teaching me. Even the old man. He actually taught me the most.

The shop sponsored a race car at the local track and I was on the pit crew which at 16 that meant I fetched the real crew burgers and coffee. But it also meant I got to drive them all home after a race when they were too drunk.

Best job I ever had.

Back in the day I worked pumping gas for a country store. I was 13, back in those days people would pull up to the pumps and I would greet them and ask them regular or premium? Besides filling their gas tank I washed their wind shield, checked their oil and tire pressure.

Another summer job was running a sonic welder for blister packing objects. For eight hours a day I would stand at the end of an assembly line, place object on a cardboard sheet, line it up, place a clear plastic cover over object and push a foot pedal until it beeped and sent it down the line. For 8 excruciating hours a day it was wash, rinse, repeat. I thought they could hire monkeys to do that. Couldn’t wait for summer to end.

I was a YMCA Day Camp counselor in 1966. It's where I met a pretty, teenaged lifeguard who later became my girlfriend and wife. What a magical summer that was.

My summers in high school were swimming for swim team. I also got my Red Cross Water Safety Instructors cert. I taught swim up through senior life guard and canoeing. I also managed a small town swimming pool. Intermittently I drove a delivery truck (like UPS/Fedex) for REA Express. In college, I assist managed a large swimming pool, taught swimming lessons and was assistant swim coach. Midway through college I transferred to another school, worked in a tire/brake shop and pumped gas. Learned to do tires and brake jobs and do lube and oil changes. I also did some survey work for a housing developer. I graduated from college and until retirement did engineering work year round.

Wasn't really a "summer" job, but at 14, I got my working papers and got a job at a local car wash. The owner wrote on the working papers that I'd get $1.50 an hour, but he only paid me $1.00. He said tips would make up the rest, but it never did. Apparently he did that to everyone there. After doing a couple jobs there, the guy working in the entrance, where you get out of the car and tell them what kind of wash you want, he found out that I didn't smoke or do any other drugs, so I became his partner there. This guy's name was Ernie, and he was really the only adult besides the owner and the lady in the booth where you paid for your car wash. She also was who counted out the tip box and gave everyone their share. Working in the entrance, Ernie was on the driver's side, and I was on the passenger side. I'd collect the floor mats and steam them on a rack while he talked with the customer and started vacuuming. He told me that any change on the floor on my side was mine, but the ashtrays and everything else were his. He'd collect the change, and any leftover roaches or whatever else was in the ashtrays, and send the car on through the car wash. After a couple hours, our pockets bulged with all the coins we'd pick up. Occasionally people would complain, and he'd tell them that the vacuum sucks everything up and they could go look in the drum where it all ends up, but nobody ever did. Had that job for a few months and it was the biggest collection of misfits you could imagine. The owner would punch people out and not tell them, but he never really messed with me, I think cause Ernie liked me.

The summer between my freshman and sophomore year I went to work for a pharmacy/variety store sweeping the floor and stocking shelves. Worked for a guy who had retired from the Air Force at the local airbase who took me under his wing and taught me how to work. Great guy. Worked there thru high school and a little beyond and by the time I left I had mastered every job there other than filling prescriptions. We had a contract Post Office that did all the functions of a regular PO that I worked and of course ran the cash registers for the store. We had everything from basic auto supplies and hardware to cosmetics (which I avoided ). Started at 1.40 per hour but got steady raises as I mastered more tasks.

Years later when I was working for a sporting goods wholesale company my old boss from the summer job would stop in. He became the maintenance guy at a local pie company (Vern’s Pie if you remember Sir Henry). He would bring us a pie and buy fishing tackle at wholesale price. He was pretty popular with my co workers and boss.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Sun May 25, 2025 9:43 am

The summer between my freshman and sophomore year I went to work for a pharmacy/variety store sweeping the floor and stocking shelves. Worked for a guy who had retired from the Air Force at the local airbase who took me under his wing and taught me how to work. Great guy. Worked there thru high school and a little beyond and by the time I left I had mastered every job there other than filling prescriptions. We had a contract Post Office that did all the functions of a regular PO that I worked and of course ran the cash registers for the store. We had everything from basic auto supplies and hardware to cosmetics (which I avoided ). Started at 1.40 per hour but got steady raises as I mastered more tasks.

Years later when I was working for a sporting goods wholesale company my old boss from the summer job would stop in. He became the maintenance guy at a local pie company (Vern’s Pie if you remember Sir Henry). He would bring us a pie and buy fishing tackle at wholesale price. He was pretty popular with my co workers and boss.

I definitely remember Vern’s Pies. They were the best restaurant pie ever made! I actually have a story know as the Vern’s Pie Massacre.

To add to my story about working in a body and fender shop after school I came to work one winter day to see a Vern’s Pie truck that had been wrecked. It actually only had superficial panel damage on the Grumman delivery truck. It was winter and the panel was not in stock and couldn’t be delivered for at least a month.

The boss told me to throw all the pies away as they were all an insurance loss. When I headed for the van one of the body men grabbed me and told me to park it on the north side as close to the building as I could. Turns out none of the 600 plus pies were damaged. They just couldn’t be sold.

Being winter the temperature wasn’t going to be above freezing for at least a month and being parked on the north side the van would not see sunshine in just as long. So we all feasted on pies for the next month. We would all take a few pies home each night and we were giving them away to friends and family. For one month I was the most popular student in school.

I told my future wife on our first date and she worked at a restaurant 120 miles away at the same time. She was familiar with Vern’s Pies and knew what having 600 Vern’s Pies would be like.

Wish I had one right now.

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Sun May 25, 2025 4:41 pm

I actually have a story know as the Vern’s Pie Massacre.

Great story. Should find its way into a script.

That’s a great story Sir Henry. Pretty smart co workers you had.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Mon May 26, 2025 10:00 am

That’s a great story Sir Henry. Pretty smart co workers you had.

I knew you would like it. I just looked Vern’s Pies up and found this. Hard to believe they were making 25,000 pies a day.
https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles ... oreclosure

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Mon May 26, 2025 12:58 pm

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Mon May 26, 2025 10:00 am

That’s a great story Sir Henry. Pretty smart co workers you had.

I knew you would like it. I just looked Vern’s Pies up and found this. Hard to believe they were making 25,000 pies a day.
https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles ... oreclosure

Thanks for the link. Interesting history of the demise of Verns. As I recall the pie tins were heave duty and reusable.

I worked at a paint and body shop summers in college. We were always up for a good practical joke. The boss was a heavy drinker and the first thing he did each morning when he got there was to go to the refrigerator and get a big drink of cold water. One of the Pink Panther movies had just come out with the scene of Cato hiding in the refrigerator waiting to attack Inspector Clouseau. We took the shelves out of the old fridge and my buddy was lookout. When he saw the boss's truck pull up he alerted me, and I crawled into the fridge and closed the door. (Kids, don't try this at home!)

When the boss opened the door, I jumped out, letting out my best Karate yell and chop. He nearly fainted. That was the talk of the shop for the rest of the summer.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Wed May 28, 2025 9:00 am

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Mon May 26, 2025 12:58 pm

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Mon May 26, 2025 10:00 am

That’s a great story Sir Henry. Pretty smart co workers you had.

I knew you would like it. I just looked Vern’s Pies up and found this. Hard to believe they were making 25,000 pies a day.
https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles ... oreclosure

Thanks for the link. Interesting history of the demise of Verns. As I recall the pie tins were heave duty and reusable.

Yes and they go for $40 each on eBay.

My Summer jobs? Well depends on what years and really started at age 12 with neighborhood paper route I had for 2 years and then later working at the radio/CB shop where my brother worked repairing installing CB radios back in the late 60's. Then Summer of 1970 was an usher at local movie theater and thru Junior year of high school. In Senior year of school I got on at local TV studio learning the ropes of TV broadcasting in the CATV industry which turned into a full time job at graduation in 1972 until Spring of 1973. Let me tell you that was one FUN summer!

I worked in a lumberyard every summer.

Did a lot of sweeping and lumping wood around.

At 14 years old they gave me the oldest forklift to drive. Told me to take the dumpster around and clean up the 3 acre yard. It was awesome driving a forklift @ 14 years old!

One summer it was a downturn in the economy and the lumberyard didn’t have work for me. I had a friend that worked at a garden center. I got a job there and guess what they had. A forklift, so I became the official yard guy and rotated the pallets of moo poo etc.

I was a bonus for the manager with my experience of driving

With today’s rules I would never be allowed to do what I did back in the day .

Well lucky me, my nephew has a summer job in the Adirondacks. He will be at camp all summer.
He has a second option if we want privacy when there, but he's one I like and we can have him around. He's inspecting boats for invasive species.
Woo hoo.

I’m now on the other end of this summer job thing. Now I’m the employer of a 14 year old neighbor boy. I’ve had other kids but they don’t have drivers licenses and depend on mom to get them here. So I would have to deal with mom’s schedule too. With the neighbor boy he can drive his four-wheeler over on lettered road. You can’t take a four-wheeler on numbered roads here in Price County.

So he works two hours a week as my grounds keeper. Granted I do 90% of the overall work but that other 10% is important. Yesterday he pulled the belly mower on my Simplicity. I didn’t think he could do it but he was able to get down on the ground and figure it out from my instructions.

As he worked we talked and he likes gardening which surprised me. Next week we are going to be planting flowers.