My first Job

This is the building now. It was just a brick  building when I worked there.

My first job was being a file clerk at Bestform Foundations. They made bras, girdles and tights. 
Girls/women were not allowed to wear pants to work. It had to be a skirt or a dress.  If you wore pants because of the weather or you got a ride from someone who had a motorcycle (like I did) you had to change into your skirt/dress as soon as you got into work. 
You had to punch a time card when you arrived and left. 

The bathroom was HUGE and it had a fountain in the middle that did not work.
 One wall was toilet stalls and the opposite wall were sinks. There was also a Matron. She was an old woman named Margaret and her job was making sure the bathroom was clean and if any body needed help. (If you needed a pin or a kotex etc.)  She retired a few months later and they did not hire another matron. 

When I was there, we got our first copy machine! No more putting a piece of carbon paper between two pieces of paper and then trying to get them all into the manual (no electric) typewriter, straight!   I am proud to say I was the first to copy a body part. My Hand. LOL 

Our machine looked like this.  

I worked in the File department  which was  where you started. You got to know the companies that buy from us. There were 3 other girls plus our manager.  I made some good friends. Sharon and Diane were my best friends. 

Upstairs was the computer room. Yes, computers were starting to enter into businesses. It will be years before pc's come around.  This is what our computer room looked like.

I know, hard to believe.  But we thought it was amazing!

This company was run by a jewish family. You were not going to get any higher than a secretary in this company.  Being Catholic and female were two strikes.   

Men were allowed to smoke at their desk we had to smoke in the bathroom. 

I soon worked in the order department which was in the same area but we had desks. lol

I think that's enough for now about Bestform. 

Me at 16.