Summer at Gimbels

Summer at Gimbels in the Eastland Mall. I’ve been talking about my college experience and the academic challenges that I faced. Today’s post will tackle one of my first summer jobs. I was a stock boy at Gimbels Department store in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.

Make money

I didn’t work a job during high school. Mom and Dad didn’t push me that direction. Marching band required an enormous amount of time and they knew that it would be nearly impossible to balance a job with the hectic Norwin scheule.

But, high school was over. Someone contacted me about marching in a drum corps called the “Steel City Ambassadors“. I only knew about high school marching band. I didn’t even know that there was a thing called, drum corps.

When I brought up the idea with Dad, he quickly replied with, “Summer’s are for making money, not making more bills.”. And the discussion was over.

So, I found work at the local Gimbels department store.

Union

This would be my first experience in a union “shop”. I had no idea how naive I was and how much I was about to learn.

This Gimbels store was located in North Versailles, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh in the ’80s was a blue collar town. Your value was based on how hard you worked. Your education was irrelevant and to some extent it was frowned upon. The guys I worked with knew me as ‘college boy’. I don’t remember hearing my name come out of their mouths.

I enjoyed the work. In many ways it seemed easy. Almost like free money.

Conflict

Until… I was working a late shift for an “all night” sale. We had a bare-boned, skeleton crew on hand. I sat in the stock room, waiting. _{You never know when you are on the cusp of a learning experience. They don’t announce themselves. And, I was about to experience some learning!}

The intercom announced that a stock person was needed on the floor. I responded. The department manager told me that an empty table had fallen over in the aisle and he needed me to take it off the floor. No problem, easy peasy.

I got a flatbed cart and took the table downstairs. The tables were stored in a caged area, but the door to the area was locked. (Reader take note!). I decided to lean the table against the cage. Someone could move the table into the cage when it gets unlocked.

Piece of cake. I finished my shift and went home.

Trouble

It was a few days before my next shift. I clocked in and was immediately met by Gus, my boss. Here is the exchange:
Gus – “Did you move that table when you worked late?” – He then pointed to the table that was leaning against the cage. (I thought that it was odd that it was still where I left it. Reader, once again, take note!)

Me – “Yes, the floor manager said I needed to get it off the floor.”

Gus – “Moving tables isn’t your job. Your job is stock!”

Me – “Ahh, I…”

Gus – “Janitorial moves tables and they’re ticked off about that table. They want to know who moved it!”

Me – “Ahh, I…”

Gus – “I had to calm them down. They wanted to beat the sh#@ out of you after your shift today!”

Me – “I’ll put it back!!”

Gus – “You won’t touch that table! And they’re not going to touch that table either, because they didn’t put it there!” I could see that he had never met someone as dumb as this ‘college boy’.

Me – (Why didn’t I join the Steel City Ambassadors?)

I lived. Apparently Gus intervened on my behalf and I survived by the skin of my teeth.

Abrupt ending

Many businesses were in trouble in the early 80’s and Gimbels was at the top of the list. And, to compound the problem, the union was in contract negotiations. Gimbels couldn’t pay what the union wanted.

We went on strike. Gimbels went out of business. My summer job was over.

I didn’t have a lot of luck with my summer jobs. More later.