Aauugh!�

2001-10-15

I found out what kind of job my stepson got. Selling vacuum cleaners. Selling stinking vacuum cleaners! He gave up a paying, if totally crummy, gas station job to sell vacuum cleaners. Not only did he quit his job, he left without giving the poor guy any notice. Now he's worse off than before he'd ever had a job. Before, he had no reputation, now he has a bad one.

His dad and I both tried to talk him out of it. Although there was a big argument beforehand. His dad thought it might be good experience for him. It will be a good experience in humiliation. He hasn't even filled out a W2. I think that's a pretty good indication of how much they think they are going to pay him. Stepson thinks he's going to get a base salary $1,400 a month. I think he's going to get diddly squat. And if he tries to sell us one of those freakin' vacuum cleaners I'm going to make him wish he'd never been born. I'm coming to the conclusion is that this is the way Kirby sells vacuum cleaners. They take kids, desperate for jobs. Keep them in training for a couple of weeks. The kids make the pitch to their partents, the parents feel sorry for them; they've been in training for a couple of weeks. Parents buy an outrageously expensive vacuum cleaner, Kirby pays the kid some minimal amount. Kid never sells another vacuum cleaner and that's that.

There's a job fair locally on the 24th. I was planning on going to see if I could get a part time job around the holidays. I'm taking him to it, no matter what he thinks.

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