- the people. aside from a few unfortunate volunteers, the fair is a great place to work. everybody works so well together and we all balance each other out, and the fact that we can tolerate each other for 70-80 hours a week has to say something.
- the lack of hierarchy. at some jobs, it's pretty clear who's been there the longest or who's the boss's favorite. not here. so the newest person on staff notices an easy solution to a problem that's bugged even the director? hey, that person's congratulated, not glared at or ignored.
- the trust. it feels like i've known my boss for a long time, but in reality, we've only worked together for about 15 days total. still, he hands me more than $150,000 to count and strap, locked in a room without security cameras, by myself. there's no way he would know if i took $100 here or $50 there -- but he trusts me, and i love that.
- the environment. seriously, what other job is going to pay me to sit at a table for 11-14 hours a day, reading and skyping and playing with my little ipod apps? i mean, yes, i answer questions and make change, but more than half of my day is a waiting game. my boss would prefer that we stay entertained by whatever means necessary instead of idly sitting there, falling asleep.
- the familial aspect. corny as it sounds, it's kind of like one big, happy family. (most likely because at least 75% of the fair staff is actually somehow related.) the guys i work with take such good care of me - making sure i'm getting enough breaks to get a good lunch and dinner, walking me to my car at the end of the night, and ensuring that security is top-notch when i'm dealing with anything larger than $10,000 at a time. it kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
- the way the fairgrounds become like a second home. i guess when you're at the fair from open until close (16+ hours) every day, you're bound to... move in, just a little bit. at the beginning of fair week, people are a little touchy about what they bring in, but by the end of the week, we're dumping our lives into the office and we're prepared for overnights, at least three meals, and four days worth of boredom. it's not unusual to walk into the boss's office and see somebody who pulled an all-nighter to get the next day's attraction set up asleep on the floor.
- the way responses become automatic and we all get snarky. it pissed me off the first year, but now i love it. someone will come on the radio and say something like, "a young pregnant woman is feeling a bit affected by the heat. she says she's only just gotten here and would like a refund." automatic response: no! pause, then snarky response: i can see it now, throngs of unhappy pregnant women faking labor pains to get into the fair for free!
- the food. i can't lie, the food is good. yes, it makes me feel about as crappy as i would with the stomach flu, but it tastes so good. squeaky cheese curds, deep fried veggies, made-to-order slushies, deep fried snickers bar covered in powdered sugar, optimist sandwiches, and all the food i still have to try! i feel like i should make a list of all the food vendors, just so i can be a bit more efficient with my sampling.
- the balancing. i like figuring out what the gate workers have done to screw up their poor drawers. it's like a complicated puzzle to solve, but it's all the more rewarding once i finally do. of course, there are times when i can't justify it - being $2.33 over when tickets cost $10 each is a bit difficult to explain - but most of the time i can figure it out. filling out the paperwork and making it look neat and pretty with "cash required" and "cash received" being the same number may just be my favorite task.
- how fast it goes. sure, the rainy nights drag on, but when we have a well-known entertainer and we're bringing in money in any container we can find - boxes, bags, pockets - the time flies by. it seems like the week has just started, then it's over in the blink of an eye.
- the pay. yeah, it's a good final point. i love almost everything about the fair. but in addition to that, i get paid well. in one week, i'll easily make over $600. that's enough to cover rent and utilities for a month, with a little bit left over for fun. $600+/week for approximately half my time being spent either reading, skyping, or playing facebook games - not many other people can say that.
jul 26 2010 ∞
aug 2 2010 +
aug 2 2010 +