Comments on: My Worst Day Jobs: I Almost Sold Sex Toys and Might Have Worked for an Arms Dealer http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/ Everything About Money You Were Too Polite To Ask Wed, 22 May 2013 04:06:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: momoneymoproblems http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7169 momoneymoproblems Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:05:35 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7169 i tried to be a domanatrix in manhattan. all the other girls were horrible and kept talking about how 'new girls always steal' while looking pointedly at me. i didn't have appropriate lingerie, so i have to borrow some from the communal closet. the only perk was they let you smoke indoors cause otherwise people would figure out what was going on. i kept telling everyone my real name and getting yelled at for not using my 'professional name'. i tried to be a domanatrix in manhattan. all the other girls were horrible and kept talking about how ‘new girls always steal’ while looking pointedly at me. i didn’t have appropriate lingerie, so i have to borrow some from the communal closet. the only perk was they let you smoke indoors cause otherwise people would figure out what was going on. i kept telling everyone my real name and getting yelled at for not using my ‘professional name’.

]]> By: cmcm http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7073 cmcm Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:20:44 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7073 I used to do psych/medical experiments for extra cash during uni. For the most part it involved filling out surveys to assess my level of self-respect (low). But I always tried to get in on the more insane ones because they paid more. Some highlights: 1. An experiment about motion sickness that involved jumping on a trampoline whilst watching myself in a mirror, followed by being strapped to a wall and slowly tipped back and forth while a camera took pictures of my eye. Actually, the worst part of that one was the fact that it required a constant light in my eye, which was attached to an ill-fitting mouth guard, consequently making me drool all over my face the entire time. 2. Several experiments about pain, which involved either dipping my arm into freezing water for as long as I could or being mildly burned with a hot sensor. Turns out I have a high pain tolerance (or am just highly tolerant in general). I used to do psych/medical experiments for extra cash during uni. For the most part it involved filling out surveys to assess my level of self-respect (low). But I always tried to get in on the more insane ones because they paid more. Some highlights:

1. An experiment about motion sickness that involved jumping on a trampoline whilst watching myself in a mirror, followed by being strapped to a wall and slowly tipped back and forth while a camera took pictures of my eye. Actually, the worst part of that one was the fact that it required a constant light in my eye, which was attached to an ill-fitting mouth guard, consequently making me drool all over my face the entire time.

2. Several experiments about pain, which involved either dipping my arm into freezing water for as long as I could or being mildly burned with a hot sensor. Turns out I have a high pain tolerance (or am just highly tolerant in general).

]]> By: Tess Y.@twitter http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7065 Tess Y.@twitter Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:10:13 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7065 I had to shred dead people's medical files. Mind you, the shredder was cheap and would overheat after about a minute of shredding. Long, long days. The good part was not feeling guilty looking at other people's x-rays and MRI's. I had to shred dead people’s medical files. Mind you, the shredder was cheap and would overheat after about a minute of shredding. Long, long days. The good part was not feeling guilty looking at other people’s x-rays and MRI’s.

]]> By: Sarah Martin@facebook http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7040 Sarah Martin@facebook Sun, 17 Jun 2012 03:15:03 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7040 I once had to compile brochures for insurance agents around South Carolina. Each batch was a different number - I had paper cuts all over my hands after 3 days work. I've also worked for the National Rifle Association in their "recreational shooting" department filing gun permits. I was the receptionist for numerous crazy psychiatrists who were always hours later for their patients as they took naps in their office. I've worked at McDonald's in the drive -thru. I've been a macrobiotic deli employee. But I always loved bartending and waiting tables the most. I once had to compile brochures for insurance agents around South Carolina. Each batch was a different number – I had paper cuts all over my hands after 3 days work. I’ve also worked for the National Rifle Association in their “recreational shooting” department filing gun permits. I was the receptionist for numerous crazy psychiatrists who were always hours later for their patients as they took naps in their office. I’ve worked at McDonald’s in the drive -thru. I’ve been a macrobiotic deli employee. But I always loved bartending and waiting tables the most.

]]> By: Subway Suicide@twitter http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7031 Subway Suicide@twitter Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:05:41 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7031 I've been a Denny's hostess, a paintmaker, a produce seller and a photo editor at a large metropolitan tabloid. Guess which of these jobs was the worst! I’ve been a Denny’s hostess, a paintmaker, a produce seller and a photo editor at a large metropolitan tabloid. Guess which of these jobs was the worst!

]]> By: spirochete http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7029 spirochete Sat, 16 Jun 2012 10:02:51 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7029 I, an American expat, briefly worked as a reservationist at a very posh London restaurant - to pay the bills while I finished up a post-grad degree. A reservationist, by the way, answers telephones, takes reservations, and puts the reservations into a computerized system. I'd been doing it, using exactly the same system, for various restaurants around the US for <i>years</i>. It... is not a difficult job, and I'd always enjoyed it. (Nice people and good food!) This place, though... My office manager drank too much, often, and would tell me much too much about her disintegrating marriage while drunk. And the following few days she'd treat me with excruciating chilliness, to keep me in my place. She also regularly made fun of my accent. And, two months after I started, she spent a day making strange, pointed, passive-aggressive remarks about how people often mispronounce her name. Six hours into my shift she took me upstairs into the manager's conference room to explain that <i></i> was mispronouncing her name, had been doing so for two months, and why wasn't I smart enough to understand that's what she'd been communicating all day? My co-reservationist, meanwhile, who'd been working there for four years, would regularly sigh heavily, get up from her terminal, walk over to mine, pull up a chair, and explain to me in painstaking detail how incredibly incompetent I was. After a particularly brutal week of this, I took her aside and tried to talk to her about how her behavior upset me, using the most diplomatic "I feel.." phrases I could muster. She told me I just can't take criticism. The owner of the restaurant got drunk at the Christmas party and spent an hour explaining to me that post-grad degrees are a waste of time and money, and betoken a student's selfishness and spoiled upbringing. I stuck it out for three months. Because I am a masochist. I, an American expat, briefly worked as a reservationist at a very posh London restaurant – to pay the bills while I finished up a post-grad degree. A reservationist, by the way, answers telephones, takes reservations, and puts the reservations into a computerized system. I’d been doing it, using exactly the same system, for various restaurants around the US for years. It… is not a difficult job, and I’d always enjoyed it. (Nice people and good food!)

This place, though… My office manager drank too much, often, and would tell me much too much about her disintegrating marriage while drunk. And the following few days she’d treat me with excruciating chilliness, to keep me in my place. She also regularly made fun of my accent. And, two months after I started, she spent a day making strange, pointed, passive-aggressive remarks about how people often mispronounce her name. Six hours into my shift she took me upstairs into the manager’s conference room to explain that was mispronouncing her name, had been doing so for two months, and why wasn’t I smart enough to understand that’s what she’d been communicating all day?

My co-reservationist, meanwhile, who’d been working there for four years, would regularly sigh heavily, get up from her terminal, walk over to mine, pull up a chair, and explain to me in painstaking detail how incredibly incompetent I was. After a particularly brutal week of this, I took her aside and tried to talk to her about how her behavior upset me, using the most diplomatic “I feel..” phrases I could muster. She told me I just can’t take criticism.

The owner of the restaurant got drunk at the Christmas party and spent an hour explaining to me that post-grad degrees are a waste of time and money, and betoken a student’s selfishness and spoiled upbringing.

I stuck it out for three months. Because I am a masochist.

]]> By: pearl http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7018 pearl Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:31:08 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7018 I temped once. It was for ringing up lawnmower purchases after people returned their old, inefficient lawnmowers (I think) in the parking lot of Angels Stadium on a Saturday morning in June 2009. We rode a school bus there. It was... interesting. I got a free hat out of it. I temped once. It was for ringing up lawnmower purchases after people returned their old, inefficient lawnmowers (I think) in the parking lot of Angels Stadium on a Saturday morning in June 2009. We rode a school bus there. It was… interesting. I got a free hat out of it.

]]> By: Marissa http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7010 Marissa Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:50:54 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7010 @Megano! Really? I didn't get that sense from the writer at all. And I was surprised there could be something worse than the Cigarette Girl gig. The staffing agency job sounded horrible from the "I love my job!" pin to the passive aggressive boss. @Megano! Really? I didn’t get that sense from the writer at all.

And I was surprised there could be something worse than the Cigarette Girl gig. The staffing agency job sounded horrible from the “I love my job!” pin to the passive aggressive boss.

]]> By: Brunhilde http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7009 Brunhilde Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:48:25 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7009 I spent one summer making 10lb blocks of ice, and one summer at a hardware store assembling BBQs, seed spreaders, picnic tables... Whatever people had ordered from us. It was a small town, so people didn't just go to Home Depot or whatever and pick this stuff up, we would order it and assemble it (and sometimes deliver it). I spent one summer making 10lb blocks of ice, and one summer at a hardware store assembling BBQs, seed spreaders, picnic tables… Whatever people had ordered from us. It was a small town, so people didn’t just go to Home Depot or whatever and pick this stuff up, we would order it and assemble it (and sometimes deliver it).

]]> By: stuffisthings http://thebillfold.com/2012/06/my-worst-day-jobs-i-almost-sold-sex-toys-and-might-have-worked-for-an-arms-dealer/#comment-7008 stuffisthings Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:46:47 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=6427#comment-7008 @Megano! You can also read "lathe" for "desk." @Megano! You can also read “lathe” for “desk.”

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