A Day's Pay For A Day's Work?
In 1967/68 i was so busted i worked at a Car Wash- the biggest i had ever seen-On Gervais St in Columbia SC. They only had a small permanent staff because they couldn’t have 40-50 workers getting paid on a rainy or otherwise lousy day with no business. They hired Shapers (guys that showed up hoping to work) on a daily basis and I was “lucky” enough to get picked one beautiful Saturday near dawn.They probably hired 40 extras that day.
The cars were lined up the street, up the hill waiting for us to open before 6AM. I was put at the end of one of the assembly lines to quick dry every car that came by before it was sent out to one of several groups for completion. I had to walk along drying them as they moved to the ‘finishers’
The line of cars never let up from 6:30 Am until closing. I estimated i dried somewhere around 1500-2k cars that 12+ hour day. Maybe 2–3 a minute i figured.
They gave us 30 minutes for lunch in a dark depressing concrete room with a free cellophane-wrapped HALF Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich AND a 10 Oz Pepsi! I never saw a 10 OZ Pepsi before or since.
At the end of the day they presented me with a check for $9.72 ( all taxes deducted). I never worked another day for them and at the end of the year i received a W-2 form in the mail.
In 2000 or so, i drove by for nostalgia reasons and it was still going and i was just informed it is still going and has been there since at least 1951.
The cars were lined up the street, up the hill waiting for us to open before 6AM. I was put at the end of one of the assembly lines to quick dry every car that came by before it was sent out to one of several groups for completion. I had to walk along drying them as they moved to the ‘finishers’
The line of cars never let up from 6:30 Am until closing. I estimated i dried somewhere around 1500-2k cars that 12+ hour day. Maybe 2–3 a minute i figured.
They gave us 30 minutes for lunch in a dark depressing concrete room with a free cellophane-wrapped HALF Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich AND a 10 Oz Pepsi! I never saw a 10 OZ Pepsi before or since.
At the end of the day they presented me with a check for $9.72 ( all taxes deducted). I never worked another day for them and at the end of the year i received a W-2 form in the mail.
In 2000 or so, i drove by for nostalgia reasons and it was still going and i was just informed it is still going and has been there since at least 1951.
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