Monday, March 11, 2019
Side gigs part 6, or...
The power of rivers...
November came with a dull thud. Horseman's Hollow was over and my apartment still wasn't sold, so my financial situation was still a mess. I began looking a little farther afield (always dangerous), and I was planning to attend a conference in Las Vegas about making more money in a number of long-term ways. I didn't go, though I did get all the recordings and hand-outs, which was that I should have invested in the first place. I had a credit with the company holding the event, so the info didn't cost me anything more than I had spent a while ago anyway. As for the usefulness of the information or why I didn't go, that's a topic for another post.
Even if I had gone to Vegas, I still needed (wanted?) to have more money coming in over the short term. Christmas bells were ringing in my ears, as were Christmas bills. I was still driving for Lyft, but the demand had slipped as the weather turned colder, making the effort less and less profitable. As the rewards shrank, so did my motivation. As the holidays were fast approaching, I thought about working at the various malls in my area, but there were two issues: 1) getting recognized by students and/or colleagues, and 2) Where should I work and for whom?
Technically, the first concern was always in effect as a Lyft driver, but it never really bothered me while driving. Perhaps it should have, but as the one behind the wheel, I always felt I has some authority over the situation, and with a ball cap and sunglasses, felt pretty anonymous anyway. It more likely that I simply didn't think about it, as I was forcibly ignoring more serious risks already. Horseman's Hollow had me under a mask and makeup, so there was no chance I would have been outed. Working in a store for the Christmas shopping season left me much more open, but I still wanted to try. I wouldn't work in Westchester, so where could I go? Thankfully, I was able to use the Hudson Valley's geography to my advantage.
When I worked at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack from 1998-99, the bar scene in White Plains had come to life. The northern terminus of Mamaroneck Ave., known primarily for bus stops and a pizza place, suddenly had multiple restaurants, Irish pubs, and a new shopping center. My friends at the Rainforest Cafe knew all of this, and the area was only 13 miles away from West Nyack. so why whenever I invited them to come over, with me as the designated driver, would they never ever go? The Tappan Zee bridge.
For whatever reason, the Hudson river represents a psychological barrier. People just don't like to cross it. I'm no fan myself, especially the Bear Mountain Bridge, with it's horrible Parkway, but I will do it despite those misgivings. Why it doesn't affect me as much as others, I can't say, but I know how powerful it is. With that, I felt safe looking at potential jobs at the Palisades Mall, and the irony alone made that a tempting option. The other choice was Woodbury Commons, an outlet mall in Orange County on the other side of the Bear Mountain Bridge. I was fine with either, so I went to various website to see which stores were hiring. Since this was a deliberate effort, rather than just reacting to outside forces (Lyft), or trying a new experience on a whim (Horseman's Hollow), I could afford to be a little more choosy.
While looking at the places that were hiring, and there were many, I narrowed them down to the following stores: Macy's at the Palisades Mall, Target at a number of locations, Under Armor at Woodbury, and New Balance at Woodbury as well. Why did I choose these stores over so many others? Easy, either I or someone close to me likes shopping there.
My buddy Greg often said that if you're in need of something, work in that industry. You'll gain either free or heavily discounted access to the products or skills offered. Whatever my financial circumstances, and they were often dire, I always had food to eat as a restaurant worker. When I wanted to go to grad school, I worked at Mercy College. Greg is obsessed with electronics, so he repairs computers, and worked on photos shoots for Playboy. He gets free computer parts to custom-build high-end computers, and has older, though excellent, cameras. He refuses to address the rumors about models. For myself, I didn't expect an avalanche of free swag, but a discount on clothing, etc., would be a nice addition to whatever money I was making. Of course, I expected free tickets to Horseman's Hollow as a performer and came away empty-handed, so I looked to confirm that these stores offered some sort of discount to even seasonal temp workers, and all my choices did, to one degree or another.
The list was further narrowed pretty quickly. Moleskine, which sells expensive journals, didn't have any openings in Woodbury, only Manhattan and White Plains. The city was too far and Westchester was out of the question for the obvious reasons, so I crossed off that store. Target's application process was aggravating to say the least, so I put that choice to the side. I don't remember why Under Armor didn't work out, and that left New Balance and Macy's. Both had fairly simple application processes, so I sent the info electronically and hoped for the best. Macy's sent me an email asking me to make an appointment at one of their mass hiring events in White Plains for all the Hudson Valley stores, and New Balance called me to come in and be interviewed. The appointment at New Balance was before the event as Macy's, so I went to Woodbury and hoped for the best.
The New Balance interview went extremely well, and I was hired on the spot. I was getting $13 an hour, a free pair of sneakers, two red shirts, and 50% off anything the company sold. With that, I was a Christmas employee at a huge outlet mall, soon to be surrounded by young kids working at the stores, yuppies from the city, and foreign tourists with limited English. I was always fine as a customer or an observer, but now I was a part of all this, and required to engage with the system. To say I felt out of place is an understatement. My first day was actually the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I had the week off anyway, and I was able to take all the classes needed to insure HR compliance and get to know the other employees. My presence raised a few eyebrows, but once everyone saw I was there to work, I was fine. The store was closed on Thanksgiving, so I had a few days to relax, eat turkey, and prepare for Black Friday, and all its implied madness.
November came with a dull thud. Horseman's Hollow was over and my apartment still wasn't sold, so my financial situation was still a mess. I began looking a little farther afield (always dangerous), and I was planning to attend a conference in Las Vegas about making more money in a number of long-term ways. I didn't go, though I did get all the recordings and hand-outs, which was that I should have invested in the first place. I had a credit with the company holding the event, so the info didn't cost me anything more than I had spent a while ago anyway. As for the usefulness of the information or why I didn't go, that's a topic for another post.
Even if I had gone to Vegas, I still needed (wanted?) to have more money coming in over the short term. Christmas bells were ringing in my ears, as were Christmas bills. I was still driving for Lyft, but the demand had slipped as the weather turned colder, making the effort less and less profitable. As the rewards shrank, so did my motivation. As the holidays were fast approaching, I thought about working at the various malls in my area, but there were two issues: 1) getting recognized by students and/or colleagues, and 2) Where should I work and for whom?
Technically, the first concern was always in effect as a Lyft driver, but it never really bothered me while driving. Perhaps it should have, but as the one behind the wheel, I always felt I has some authority over the situation, and with a ball cap and sunglasses, felt pretty anonymous anyway. It more likely that I simply didn't think about it, as I was forcibly ignoring more serious risks already. Horseman's Hollow had me under a mask and makeup, so there was no chance I would have been outed. Working in a store for the Christmas shopping season left me much more open, but I still wanted to try. I wouldn't work in Westchester, so where could I go? Thankfully, I was able to use the Hudson Valley's geography to my advantage.
When I worked at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack from 1998-99, the bar scene in White Plains had come to life. The northern terminus of Mamaroneck Ave., known primarily for bus stops and a pizza place, suddenly had multiple restaurants, Irish pubs, and a new shopping center. My friends at the Rainforest Cafe knew all of this, and the area was only 13 miles away from West Nyack. so why whenever I invited them to come over, with me as the designated driver, would they never ever go? The Tappan Zee bridge.
For whatever reason, the Hudson river represents a psychological barrier. People just don't like to cross it. I'm no fan myself, especially the Bear Mountain Bridge, with it's horrible Parkway, but I will do it despite those misgivings. Why it doesn't affect me as much as others, I can't say, but I know how powerful it is. With that, I felt safe looking at potential jobs at the Palisades Mall, and the irony alone made that a tempting option. The other choice was Woodbury Commons, an outlet mall in Orange County on the other side of the Bear Mountain Bridge. I was fine with either, so I went to various website to see which stores were hiring. Since this was a deliberate effort, rather than just reacting to outside forces (Lyft), or trying a new experience on a whim (Horseman's Hollow), I could afford to be a little more choosy.
While looking at the places that were hiring, and there were many, I narrowed them down to the following stores: Macy's at the Palisades Mall, Target at a number of locations, Under Armor at Woodbury, and New Balance at Woodbury as well. Why did I choose these stores over so many others? Easy, either I or someone close to me likes shopping there.
My buddy Greg often said that if you're in need of something, work in that industry. You'll gain either free or heavily discounted access to the products or skills offered. Whatever my financial circumstances, and they were often dire, I always had food to eat as a restaurant worker. When I wanted to go to grad school, I worked at Mercy College. Greg is obsessed with electronics, so he repairs computers, and worked on photos shoots for Playboy. He gets free computer parts to custom-build high-end computers, and has older, though excellent, cameras. He refuses to address the rumors about models. For myself, I didn't expect an avalanche of free swag, but a discount on clothing, etc., would be a nice addition to whatever money I was making. Of course, I expected free tickets to Horseman's Hollow as a performer and came away empty-handed, so I looked to confirm that these stores offered some sort of discount to even seasonal temp workers, and all my choices did, to one degree or another.
The list was further narrowed pretty quickly. Moleskine, which sells expensive journals, didn't have any openings in Woodbury, only Manhattan and White Plains. The city was too far and Westchester was out of the question for the obvious reasons, so I crossed off that store. Target's application process was aggravating to say the least, so I put that choice to the side. I don't remember why Under Armor didn't work out, and that left New Balance and Macy's. Both had fairly simple application processes, so I sent the info electronically and hoped for the best. Macy's sent me an email asking me to make an appointment at one of their mass hiring events in White Plains for all the Hudson Valley stores, and New Balance called me to come in and be interviewed. The appointment at New Balance was before the event as Macy's, so I went to Woodbury and hoped for the best.
The New Balance interview went extremely well, and I was hired on the spot. I was getting $13 an hour, a free pair of sneakers, two red shirts, and 50% off anything the company sold. With that, I was a Christmas employee at a huge outlet mall, soon to be surrounded by young kids working at the stores, yuppies from the city, and foreign tourists with limited English. I was always fine as a customer or an observer, but now I was a part of all this, and required to engage with the system. To say I felt out of place is an understatement. My first day was actually the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I had the week off anyway, and I was able to take all the classes needed to insure HR compliance and get to know the other employees. My presence raised a few eyebrows, but once everyone saw I was there to work, I was fine. The store was closed on Thanksgiving, so I had a few days to relax, eat turkey, and prepare for Black Friday, and all its implied madness.
