“Time Changes, Yesterday-Today-And even Tomorrow”

A good place to work…

The month of  “AUGUST” was a very good month for me – – when I was only seventeen and was looking for work.

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This is what  the telephone “NIGHT SHIFT” looked like –  and for working that “NIGHT SHIFT” –  you would make a little extra money –  and to make some extra  money – well… that was good music to my ears.

They may not have  the same  switchboard as seen above –  because some years later –  when I came back to work for the telephone company –  they had  a desk type  –  where two operators would sit –  and the seating was lower to the ground.

So… instead of the  high chairs… as  you  can see one of the “operators” getting ready for the correct height… that she needs to be able to sit comfortably,  and take calls and write up tickets for  all of the charges, per call,  needed to be completed.

The reason that I applied for work at the “TELEPHONE Company”  – my Mother told me that a friend of hers’ was hired on a “temporary” basis –  and she stay there for thirty years.

It is good to know… that “temporary work”… can last, just as long as you do want to work!

My Mother’s friend had told her that  –  her job was working in  an  office and since she did not know  for sure…  if everything that she was doing was correct –  that she would take all of the paper trash…  that she put into  the  trash can –  with her  at the end of the day… by putting all in a bag – so that if they checked her trash –  they would not  know –  how much she did not know about  her  job.

When I applied for work… they give you several tests to see what your strong work tendencies are –  and for me  “numbers” seem to be the way for me –  which  would be as an “operator” –  since there was a lot of figuring… as to  the time and charge for calls –  at that time –  almost all calls had extra charges.

If you were in downtown  – Saint Louis and making a call to Arnold, MO –  that was a time and charge call –  the minutes and the phone number required you to make a ticket with the numbers, that the customer  called, with  the  time and charge –  in case you needed to call the “calling customer” back with the charges –  and or if that call was being made from a “COIN BOX PHONE”  –  you would need to call that customer back and have them, then  drop  in the correct   “coins”    in the box.

Not only did you need to be able to write words and numbers correctly on small tickets –  you also needed to be able to discern the sound of a Nickel  coin dropping into the  coin-box phone  –  from maybe that of  a quarter or dime.

And of course you needed to recognize how many quarters were going into the box –  as all boxes with coins were checked against the tickets that were made.  There were times when someone would put coins in too fast  –  hoping to confuse you – – then you would have to… refund those coins and have them dropped in slowly so that …the correct amount could be collected.

NOW… that I think about the  “coin-box telephones” – 

In the world today…  I do not believe… that I have seen  these,  “coin-box telephones”  any where at all,  as they were a very popular  and necessary way  to make   a phone call… back then and  when necessary… a very long time ago!

  Of course in the old “MOVIES” they always have them –  so…   for today…  everything is NOW  charged to that  good old  “CREDIT CARD” –  what a difference…  even within my LIFE time!


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