HOW DO I GET OFF THIS ROLLER COASTER

It was July 1961 and I had just returned from six months active duty... It was time to go to work. Where do I start? First, I went to North American to see about getting my old job back. My former position had been filled and I had the option of being placed in Classification or Underwriting. This was not appealing and I didn’t want to bump the person in my former position. I found a job at Hartford Insurance for $385 a month, a far cry from the $425 previously earned at North American... The job provided no challenge or opportunities and ended within six months. Next stop, ITT Kellogg on Pulaski near Chicago Avenue... It was in accounts payable and paid $425 a month. By 1962 the company was moving, and time to move. I went back to the Employment Agencies. and found Montgomery Ward Catalog at 618 Chicago Avenue. was searching for Merchandiser Trainees, Stock Floor Managers and Traffic Managers. There was a fee attached to the job. The company paid half and the client paid the other half of one month’s pay. I agreed and was hired as a Merchandise Trainee aka Control Buyer / Re-buyer. The $94 weekly salary was paid in cash. Within a year Wards switched to payroll checks and a comprehensive benefit program...

Wards would turn out to be the best hands-on experience I could ever receive. It was worth more than the $200 I paid for the job. I was oriented in all facets of mail order: credit, traffic, stock, buying, shipping receiving etc. After several weeks I was placed in Department 18, Towels and Linens. The former head of the Unit had transferred to the Buying Office and the assistant Richard Warren became manager. Rich was an excellent mentor and we made a good team. I quickly learned the art of forecasting and reordering merchandise. We were responsible for towels, linens, bedspreads, sheets, pillows. Our major suppliers were Cannon Mills, Scranton Linens and Fieldcrest. The January White Sale was our peak selling period. The trick was to order the right amount of merchandise based on catalog layouts and history. Each re-buyer was evaluated on out of stock merchandise called ship laters and/or omissions. At the end of each catalog: Winter, Spring, Fall, Mid Summer or other specials you were evaluated on accumulated overstock. This affected the markdowns or profit/loss you made for the company... The job was to get good turnover, get it in and get it out. I was now an entrepreneur managing a small business with inventories of over three million dollars. It was a fast moving operation where you not only ordered merchandise but managed the receipt of shipments. It was not unusual to run down to the dock, get a dollie and bring boxes up, to fill orders. On my finger I wore a small box cutter to open boxes... You moved and thought quickly... I worked closely with the people on the stock floor to keep on top of things... The ladies had names like: Johnny and Jimmy and were called Trouble Clerks. . They were important cogs in the operation. Everything ran well until Rich took a position in the Buying Office. I felt I had the skills to replace him, I feared his replacement would not have the skills or experience to produce good outcomes. I knew the replacement was no Richard Warren, and I would be dependent on his performance. I didn’t like the situation, so once again it was off to the employment agencies. With my new skills; I quickly found a re-buying position at McMaster Carr, a company that sold mechanical goods through a catalog. The interesting thing about this company was that they stocked little merchandise. The customer would first order than you would buy... The pay was good, including Saturday overtime. The problem arose when the manager stood over a worker’s shoulder to monitor the work or continually observe you from his desk. I felt the Gestapo was watching... Within a month I called my former Ward Unit Manager to see if I could come back... Without hesitation, he said yes.

When I came back, I was assigned to work for Ray in Children’s Wear. I wasn’t fond of
Ray, but we tolerated each other. In a short time I was promoted to manage my own section of Boy’s wear. Department 31.. This would be especially challenging since the seasons were short and volatile. I was responsible for shirts, underwear, boy’s suits, socks and accessories. Sometimes we used middlemen such as Handles man on Michigan Avenue to fill or cover out of stock needs. I can recall an incident when I needed a few white robes for Christmas. I ordered one dozen and the vendor shipped 12 dozen... The vendor wanted me to eat the mistake; there was no way you could sell 144 robes in 100 years. The job required firmness and quick reflexes. In time you learned to predict an accurate amount of merchandise. The trick was timing, to have the stock in and out quickly to produce a good turnover. It was demanding, but challenging. Where could you be responsible for so much and be paid so little? “Only in America.” In three years time, between 1962 and 1965, I was earning about $9000 a year. Then the inevitable happened. It was time to plan Back to School buys. The season was extremely short, two to three weeks... The normal procedure was to split two buys, 50/50. I recommended buying 80% to be delivered just before the season began. I could not picture 50% as sufficient for the first buy. My Unit Manager rejected my plan. So what happened the 50% was quickly exhausted with 50% still 5-10 days away. There was no way to buy or receive sufficient substitutes to meet the demand. I did my best to fill what I could, but the bins were exhausted. My Manager, a graduate of Tuley High School, caught me early one morning and accused me of not doing my job. He felt I had not stayed late to fill orders. I guess he didn’t realize there was no merchandise. This struck a chord and I told him to stick the job where the sun doesn’t shine. I walked out. When I got home I called our superior and told him what had happened and that I quit. In a few days the Budget Manager called me to interview for a position. As I arrived for the interview I discovered that the House Manager had been fired. This was not the time for an interview. The interview turned out to be a slap in the face. Before I left, I asked the Budget Manager why he called me, was it to belittle or discredit me? Was it to test my temper? I did my job, the unfortunate part was that management failed to recognize or understand the intricacies of making smart buys. Policy over-ruled the facts. Maybe the Managers and I learned a lesson on how to manage tempers and make better business decisions.

Whatever the outcome, the experience was invaluable. I learned to work in a stress filled environment which offered tremendous responsibility. I learned to negotiate buys and shipments. I learned to promote overstock thru the Wards Catalog Outlets and became analytical in decision making. Wards offered me the opportunity to go to New York in 1962 or 63 for a buyers meeting... At that time I visited the New York World’s Fair I rode the crowded NY El and watched the hustle and bustle of New Yorkers on their way home. There were no regrets. Wards was my best and most rewarding job between 1960 and 1970...

Again it was time to dust myself off and get back on the roller coaster. Many former Ward employees had gone to Allied Radio which was located on Western Avenue and Washington. After a short break I applied and was hired as a relay re-buyer. The people I knew said they liked Allied and found it less stressful than Wards. The one thing they didn’t know or understand was Herman B. Herman was a nice person but he was a madman. He was to be my manager. As soon as he came to work he would swear and cuss at people. From day one I knew I couldn’t work under Herman’s conditions. The people I worked with were fine but Herman, no way. After a month or so Herman got into an accident and was off recuperating. The place was quite and enjoyable... By that time my decision was made and once again I was in search of a new position. The Agency I went to introduced me to John S , the owner of Landfield Printing. John had been a former print buyer for Brunswick Corp. Somewhere along the way he bought Landfield Printing which was located at 117 W. Harrison. He offered me the position as Assistant to the President. I was to be his right hand man. In fact I was to become his only man. It turned out that John had an office adjacent to Harrison Litho, a large printing company in the same building. John gave the impression that this was his operation. The position paid $600 a month, with the intent to take over the operation in several years. Well that was wishful thinking, because I became a secretary and bookkeeper. John knew I was an officer in the National Guard and felt I had the connections to get large printing contracts. No cigar. In reality John was a broker for printing. He would procure a job from US Gypsum or Brunswick and farm it out to Harrison or Burton Printing. He was a middleman. Within a year, I noticed a change in attitude, and I started a new job search. Before I landed a position John let me go. He said his son was coming to work for him after their Akron Dumont TV venture failed. John told me to write a check for the week and that I was to leave. I told him it would have been fair to give me notice to find a position, I eventually discovered that John was upset that I had taken off for National Guard Riot Duty. This was not hidden; when I applied it was clear about my position in the Guards...I guess if I brought in Guard contracts there would have been no complaints. In January 1967, while working for John, Chicago endured one of its largest snowfalls. It started snowing in the morning and by afternoon traffic had come to a standstill. I asked John if I could leave early, he reluctantly said yes. I was able to take the downtown subway to Chicago Avenue, but nothing was moving, I went back down and took the subway to Division and Milwaukee. I was living with my parents at 4334 W. Iowa Street which was between Augusta and Chicago not far from Division Street. When I got to Division, again nothing was moving. I decided to start walking. I tried calling home, but the phone lines were down or tied up... There was no transportation or communication. I walked to California and Division where I spotted a bus which took me to Division and Pulaski. I again started walking, the snow was knee deep, cars were stranded everywhere. I reached home at 8PM. My father was still not at home. He made it at about 4AM. The next morning I called John and told him I wouldn’t be able to make it because of the 23 inch snow storm. The City was shut down. John didn’t understand the City was closed. He thought I was cheating and should be at work That incident and his initial misinterpretation made it clear that I had made a big mistake.

OK, rack it up as another mistake and let’s get back on the roller coaster. By this time employment agencies had become a thing of the past and my resumes were going out. No one was responding. For awhile it looked hopeless. I had an interview with Reliance Trading Corp. on South Iron Street near Ashland Avenue. I thought the interview went well but never received a call. I called and was invited for a return interview... I talked to the VP, Terry Simmons and found that John S. had given me a bad reference because of my National Guard Duty and who knows what else. I explained to Terry what had happened and he hired me. Reliance Trading was owned by Maurice Goldblatt, one of the founders of Goldblatt. Department Stores. Reliance dealt in marketing artificial flowers, from Hong Kong, through a catalog. My title was Assistant to the VP. Because of my previous experience, at Montgomery Ward, I was able to create a manual inventory control system for the organization. I was paid the same $600 a month. During my 3 years at Reliance I got married and my perspective of work became more serious. The title of Assistant to the VP or President had no value; I needed a career with growth. The computer field was growing and offered new opportunities and the needed growth. At that time colleges were not into computer technology... Automation Institute a subsidiary of Control Data offered a program in RPG, COBOL, BAL, Unit Record and Data Analysis for $1800. I needed the background and experience to enter the field. The program gave me some knowledge, but failed to break any doors down. The school provided no help in job procurement. I found an ad in the Tribune for a Methods Analysts Trainee position at North American. So I left Reliance and returned to North American to begin a career in Data Processing.

It was now 1969 and things had changed at North America. It was owned by CIT, a large Financial Company. The old friends were gone. I was to work for Fred F. to write procedures. There was no formal training or approach to train or prepare for this position. My objective was one year in a DP related title and organization. The business environment did not look good. On top of that my independence and values collided with Fred and the lead programmer John M. John had worked for North American when they were still on unit record. During my employment I was still attending Automation Institute. The organization was very cliquish. You joined or became an outsider... Every morning the discussion centered on sports, you had to know every box score or activity to be a part. Once a month it was the men’s club. This did not appeal or interest me. I wanted to go home and do my own thing... That didn’t sit well. I wasn’t one of the boys. I had my family and school to occupy my time. In 1969 Georgie was born and too celebrate I brought some Whitey White Owl Cigars to hand out. I know they weren’t expensive Havana Cigars, but who would believe the gang wouldn’t take one. This was an insult to a happy occasion. This certainly wasn’t a match created in heaven. To make it worse, I went to a seminar, in a Western Suburb, and instead of returning to work, when it ended at 11, I went by my mother’s to do some work. George Tindall, the big manager, checked on the time and wasn’t happy. It was wrong and I took advantage of the situation. By the end of 1969 I was looking for a new position. I had finished my classes and had gained the needed Data Processing Experience. Fortunately for me I was ahead of the game. By 1970 I was told that I was being let go. Fred didn’t feel I was cut out to become an Analyst, I was suited for Accounting. I found an ad in the Trib for the City of Chicago; they were looking for a System Analysts. After some testing and interviews I was hired. It paid $10,800 with excellent benefits. I gave my notice. The boys didn’t believe it. On my last day with little to fill my time, Fred and John thought it would be appropriate for me to do some filing. They brought a couple of large trays of IBM cards for me to work on. I thought this was the lowest of the low. You thought the cigar incident was insulting. I went to Personnel and explained the situation and stated I was not to be humiliated and wanted to leave. I left North American forever.

From 1960 to 1970 I learned many lessons. I was introduced to the real world. I met many nice people and some not so nice... I learned that things change quickly and contingency plans need to be part of your life. .. A job was a job, not the end to satisfaction or happiness. John S with his self righteous attitude was the biggest disappointment. To bad mouth and hinder someone’s future because they served their country was uncalled for. . John S. and Fred F. must have been very unhappy people if they would intentionally humiliate or belittle someone. On the other hand there were good people like Terry Simmons who offered me money from his pocket, or Richard Warren who shared his knowledge and skills to help me advance. They accepted me for who I was, not who they were or who they thought I should be. .The lessons of those 10 years would shape my behavior and future actions I learned that you didn’t have to sacrifice your values or principles to be a success... I retained my character, dignity and integrity. Money or position was not the ultimate goal in life. I show no malice to anyone, you accept it as part of life, a part of the game. You move on and continue to play, you never give up. My approaches differed from what others desired, but that was me and how I worked or got things done... It was now time to get off the roller coaster and turn the page for new and successful adventures...