I worked for Picadilly sportswear. I started as an errand boy.It was part of my job to go out for sandwiches. I pickrd up about 40 lunches a day. Finally I said this has got to pay me money. The guys gave me tips but I had to pay for my own lunch. I said, "bullshit."

I told the owner of the luncheonette, "I'm going to have to stop buying my lunches here."

He said, "Why."
I said, "your competitor says that if I buy lunches theree, my lunch will be free and he''ll give me a dollar besides."
The guy offered me five dollars and free lunch every day.
SO I said, "I'll take the five dollars."

Somebody hears me tell somebody that I got five dollars.
The guy said, "you're buying our sandwiches and you're getting five dollars for it?"
I said, "yes."
He said they should get something off the sandwich prices.
I said, "I'll stop getting the sandwiches. I've got news for you. I stop getting the sandwiches and you guys will be in trouble."
I went to the guy who sold the sandwiches, and said, "they're raising hell about my getting sandwiches.

He said, "I'll give you ten dollars."

so i started getting the the sandwiches for $10 a week.
One of the guys heard I was getting $10 and said, "I'm going to tell them you're getting money for this"

And I said if you can tell them with a broken jaw, go ahead."

Also in my career I went to work for another group, Smilen Brothers. They called themselves fruiterers of distinction, . I worked on and off with them for a number of years.
I waited on trade. I sold them fruits and usually I imduced them to purchase a little more than what they came in for . . .not because I wanted them to get more healthy by eating more fruit.. We got little gifts for increased sales... I would get more prizes for selling fruit to them. At a certan point it was a habit which I kept up over the years.
I'd suggest we have a special this week only on McIntosh apples. If you like pears we have both this kind and that kind . You have a choice or you can have both. By speaking well of our selection it would induce them to get more fruit.
Also we got a percentage of money, fr selling over a certain quantity. This induced me to keep on talkng about our merchandise. I never tired of talking about new things..

I worked for them for many years until I became ill and then I had to stop working altogether.
I was well into the 1950s. As a result of a serious heart attack I was forced to slow down. I tried to convince every customer I was especially interested with them and I also tried to work well with my coworkers. One of the man things I tried to keep track of was knowing where the fruits came from and what seasonal fruit was approaching. There's a season for peaches, pears apples of different kinds. I decided to learn all I could for the foods I sold and pass that info on to my customers for bigger sales and more usage. If you can induce a women t put up preseves she might put buy 25 Poussin. or onions for pickling.

After I graduated from elementary school, I went to Boy's High. This was in 1925,I was t herea week but could n't continue my family needed me to go to work. I went to work as a Western Union messenger. The first office i worked oat was locatred at 92 Wall Street. This station's was"RS." We covered the Wall St area. Frim Brioad ST to the water frontMost of the people ZI served were at steamship lines and brokerage firms-- mostly coffee tea and sugar. Whenever necessary I filled in at various officees in the city.
I was a meesseger also at the4 Equitable inthe 30s.uptown buiklding. I served a lot of tie in the fur and garment districts.

As a western union messengert I enjoyed meeting somr famous personalities. I met them whe niu delviered to telwerams to them. Some marked personal, had to be delivered directly to them and signed for by them.
The only one I remember was Biully deBeck. He was a cartoonist an he did Barney Google and sparkplug. Actually I rmember more about his giant dog.iI think it was was a bull mastiff. He lived in an apartment on W. 94h St not to far fro Rioverside Drive.

Incident in the Candy Store

We were a bunch of kiods just hanging around. Somebody said, "Let's go to Pop's Candy Store."
And another kid said, " Yeah let's help hom out wwith his candy." And everybody laughed.
We started to go.
In the store, I started to talking to the man behind the counter.
I asked him about the candy business and how muh the candy cost and what I would do when I grew up. If I should open a candy store.
Meantime the kids were going behin the counteer. The candy store man caught one of the boys stealing candy. The man immediatey stopped talking to me. He ran out and got a cop. We didn't know what he was doig. We thought he was scared. He cae back with a cop. SOme of the kids were there.
"Which one," Asked the cop.The man pointed at one of the ringleaders, and I didn't say anythng. I was worrying about what was going to happen to me if I was caught.

I fond an opportunity to slip out of the store and I ran home.
Later I learned that the cop had learned them they could only come in one at a time and hey had to show their money.
Later on, one asked me whaere I went.
"We all went home," I said. "I wait home too.
Later on in the evening. after supper. I met with some of theguyd andt they asked me wwhere I went.
I said I dont'st want to do that stuff.
Angelo said, "This Jew bastard knows what he's talking aboiut and I agree with him.
That was the first time I was called A "Jew Bastard" And I thanked him..I thought it was a compliment.
It felt good to be one of the boys.
But soon after, what with my bar mitzvah, I became a man.

Afteter that, I went to play with kids on another bloick.