MY FIRST JOB
Well I never had a choice about my first job after leaving school. I really wanted to stay on at school to do Typing , and shorthand, but being the eldest of seven children, my Father was quick to point out that I had been kept for almost fifteen years, and now it was time for me to start work.
My Father had got me the job at the Chemists, so like it or lump it , that was where I was to start work.I worked at a Chemist that was also a wholesale groceries. I was the only assistant on the Chemist side, but if we were quiet I did help to pack groceries on the other side.
I did enjoy my work, and I settled in fast, the only bug bear, was that every five weeks I worked until seven thirty at night, as there were five Chemists in town , and we had to take turns at staying open late to cover the Doctors surgeries, and they closed at seven, so we had to allow time for patients to get to us with their prescriptions.I was never paid any extra than my paltry £2 – 6s per week for doing this.
My employer’s mother wanted to send me to University to become a Pharmacist, as I helped to mix ointments, could do the tablets and things on prescriptions, but Dad refused to let me go. I was very disappointed with him.
I did have some really funny experiences in the shop, example, we had a dwarf lady who lived in our town, and one day I was packing groceries, when one of the grocery assistants called me to say I had a customer….me only being about 4ft 9ins went to see who it was, and as we had a very high counter I could not see Rita,[the dwarf lady] so off I went back to pack groceries again. This happened a couple of time , and then she started banging her walking stick, I soon knew she was there then. LOL.
Needless to say I enjoyed the work , and later went to work at another chemists.
Can anyone else give an insight to what they used to do?
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I’ve had more jobs over than my working you life than you could shake a proverbial stick at ! ? When I first left school , in the dark ages , I got employed as a trainee florist , that didn’t last long as I developed a rash from handling the moss needed to line the wreaths ! I too have worked in a chemist tania and so many other shops serving the public I can’t remember them all. As you might have gathered I never ever made sales assistant of the year or even the hour ! I finally found my niche back in the sixties when I became an auxiliary nurse and continued in that career until forced into early retirement , with a ruined back , in 1994. I’m now a lady of leisure and enjoying every moment. Keep up the good work tania it makes good reading. ?
Well, Scopio, I have nearly always done shop work, I did try to do factory work, the pay was good, but the work was too repetative for me.After hubby came out of the services, we did shop management. I always like meeting people, although I am very timid and quiet….Thank you..I try
I completely messed up that first sentence , but the thought of retyping all with my one fingered pecking makes me loose the will to live – so I won’t ! !?
Hi Tania snap…..my first job from school was in a chemist too…could read the prescriptions and make them up but always had to be checked by the pharmacist first….most embarrassing time in my work there……one day a customer came in and asked for a pack of three…..don’t laugh I was 15 and innocent and it wasn’t a barbers ……so off I pop in the back and ask my two work mates what he meant…..they said they didn’t know and told me to go back and ask him what a pack of three was and what exactly they were used for ….this I did….his reply…….well if you don’t know I am not going to tell you and off he trotted out of the shop…needless to say my workmates were cracking up with laughter……the chap later became my brother in law…..
Hi starlette, I too was caught out by that as was my Sister, I was told that if someone asked for something, and I did not know what it was to ask what it was for lol ,well being just 15 years and still wet behind the ears, a bloke came , and asked for a packet of Durex, I had never heard of them and was about to say what are they for, when one of the grocery assistants ran over, and said they are here. good grief. Talk about embarrased.
Tania, I find your personal experience blogs very interesting and thought provoking. As you know I am not keen on copy and paste stories I think this goes back to times where “friends” used to send me these on a daily basis and eventually it ended those friendships. I have just seen most of these stories or versions of them over the years. For myself I started in a pet and garden shop. As someone very shy and not used to approaching people I soon realised what commission meant and quickly came out of my shell. I do thank my first job for changing how I am with others, it also gave me a good insight and also made me better at reading people, thank you for this blog. Catlady
Catlady, Thank you for your comments, I am pleased that you like the personal blogs, but I am not good at blogging Personal things,I know you do not like copy and Paste stories, and yes they appear many times, but there are some people who do like them, so I will try harder with the personal blogs , but occasionally do a copy and paste for other people….once again …Thank you
Good story Tania
Thank you grandmaj
The story of your first job will have rung true with many of us, but I prefer to move past my first job and 2nd and 3rd,
when I was called up for the RAF, and received 28/9pence
per fortnight! (1947) but this was really where my life began. I was a musician in the RAF Poice Band and as such was involved with music every day.
Little did I know then that a few years later Music would become my life, and further that it would open up a professional career here in New Zealand – and now into my 90’s Music is still a major part of life.
What a lovely story, drummer, how lovely for you to become a professional musician, well done!
Thanks Tania for your blog ,I started out as a very young girl in a service station serving petrol and doing the office work.Must say I was glad when I was old enough to go nursing,dont think that was a very good job for me but I did enjoy my nursing experiences.
My Father was the only Porter at the local Cottage Hospital when I was little, I was too nervous to become a nurse, but admired anyone that did, well done you!