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Ever since I was old enough to understand about money, I wanted to earn my way. With 11 siblings, allowances were pretty much unheard of unless you were told specifically that you would be paid for washing the car or raking leaves.
Even at the preadolescent age of 12, I could earn some money by babysitting in our neighborhood that was experiencing a true baby boom. There were jobs to be had, but babysitting was sporadic. There was no guarantee each week of earning enough money to purchase my heart's desires.
At 50 cents an hour, babysitting wasn't always lucrative enough to allow many visits to the local drugstore where I would buy the latest Teen Beat magazine, Milkshake candy bars and banana Popsicles. The lady behind the counter pretty much knew what I wanted when I showed up on a Saturday morning.
She would let me know when The Monkees were featured in the magazines because she saw that I was a big fan of that silly singing group of the '60s. There were other teen idols -- "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." TV stars, and of course, anything relating to the Beatles.
When I hit my teens, I was old enough to get a "real" job where a Social Security card was required for employment. Like many of my readers, that job was at one of the city parks. I first worked at Oglebay Park's outdoor swimming pool. There in the cool, damp locker room area, I checked in visitors' clothing for safekeeping while they enjoyed the amenities of the swimming pool. Each basket was assigned a large safety pin with a number that coordinated to the basket.
It was pretty mundane work and, although the pay was not much higher than babysitting, there were more hours involved. That allowed for an actual paycheck. It was a shock the first time I noticed I was paying taxes. The only good thing is that I got another check from the federal government later on for paying those taxes.
In high school, downtown businesses offered the best opportunities for after-school and holiday employment. I sold jewelry at Christmas time at L.S. Good and Co. The jewelry counter was at the front of the store near that much-talked-about, wide, air-controlled front door. I was always shivering as snowflakes were known to enter the store along with shoppers.
Later I moved on to Hornes of Wheeling where my employment became a full-time job in the bridal department. Working for Fred Horne and his family was a memorable experience where friendships were made and memories held for years.
For many young workers, it was the third in Wheeling's retail trinity -- the Stone and Thomas Department store -- where jobs were plentiful.
No matter where you worked, it was not unusual to share a booth at the old DiCarlo's or a piece of lemon meringue pie and hot dogs at Louie's during our lunch hours.
But all these years later, something strange is occurring. A local businessman laments to me how he cannot find workers. He has an established meat market popular with so many in the community. Young people are involved in sports or other activities, taking them out of the employment line, he remarked.
And then there is simply a shortage of people of all ages willing to put in the required time and effort to make a living. The scourge of illegal drug use also shortens the list of possible employees. Was it the pandemic that still keeps people out of the workforce to this day? What are people living on if not collecting a paycheck? I don't have the answers, but I can't imagine not wanting to earn your way. That used to be the American way. What has happened?
Heather Ziegler can be reached at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.