Advice for best Calgary Stampede Job

[Backlund22]

Hey guys! This is my first thread ever, but I've been visitng this site everyday for the past couple years! Anyways I'm 17 years old and I was wondering if any of you guys know what is the best job to get at the Calgary Stampede for my age. Got my interview tomorrow

[ricosuave]

Carny.

[WhiteTiger]

Get in as a Grounds worker (It sounds like the actual Stampede is interviewing you?).

You basically set stuff up, do some landscaping and the like before the Stampede. During the Stampede your boss will likely tell you to "go get lost for 8 hours" and give you a radio in case they need something, and then after you do some cleanup. Pretty easy, basic work.

[blankall]

I did ride ticket sales...it sucked. You were stuck in a booth for 8 hours. You need someone to relieve you if you want to go to the bathroom. You are expected to do all the calculations in your head and any mistakes you make are deducted from your minimum wage salary. It's easy to lose track of a couple of dollars when doing $10-20k worth of calculations in your head.

The only person you get to speak to is the person beside you in the booth. A lot of the people you work with are total weirdos and you believe me you don't want to work spend 8 hours in a small booth with them.

I'd be hesistant to work for Conklin games at all. Although I hear working the games is good, if you are a good salesman. You get paid on commission, but those jobs are impossible to get.

[Backlund22]

Yea I am going to the job fair tomorrow to get interviewed and give them an idea of what kind of job I want to do and hopefully I get what I'm looking for, but it's not a huge deal. I just wanna make some money for university hahah

[Hammertime]

Ah.. this brings back memories.

I worked one stampede at a Mitch's Foot Long hot dog stand, maybe 15 years ago. After what I saw and experienced that summer, I've never eaten anything from the stampede ever since.

Working in the food stands will change your whole view on food safety practices. I dare say it may even change your life.

[albertGQ]

"There are no bad Calgary Stampede jobs", Jim Flaherty

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by blankall

I did ride ticket sales...it sucked. You were stuck in a booth for 8 hours. You need someone to relieve you if you want to go to the bathroom. You are expected to do all the calculations in your head and any mistakes you make are deducted from your minimum wage salary. It's easy to lose track of a couple of dollars when doing $10-20k worth of calculations in your head.

The only person you get to speak to is the person beside you in the booth. A lot of the people you work with are total weirdos and you believe me you don't want to work spend 8 hours in a small booth with them.

I'd be hesistant to work for Conklin games at all. Although I hear working the games is good, if you are a good salesman. You get paid on commission, but those jobs are impossible to get.

Not sure if it matters but Conklin doesn't do the rides at the stampede anymore

[Northendzone]

If you were ten years older I'd have an answer for you.....

But for now, I'd say it is they guy that asks people if they want to go faster

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

But for now, I'd say it is they guy that asks people if they want to go faster

LOL! As a kid I lived close enough to the Stampede grounds that I could hear that guy 24/7 during the Stampede, even through closed windows. I used to run around the house imitating him for months and it freaked my mom out because she thought I looked up to him or something. Sadly, that career path never came to be

[calumniate]

Get something with tips. Otherwise you may as well shovel dirt and throw hammers. I worked in the grandstands at maybe 15.. made some decent money!

[The Goon]

Outrider.

[boogerz]

Be one of kids who cleans up the Range

80% of the time is downtime, there's large group of co-workers to shoot the sh*t with, and from my understanding they feed you.

Free food from the food court > free food from the grounds.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Divorce lawyer. Get studying.

[Oliwa]

Im 19 and I worked at the stampede for 3 summers. It's a decent gig if you just wannamaker a quick grand. I worked as a Sales associate and It's pretty fun if you want to work with hot girls. The only problem is that you would have to talk to people to sell merchandise. So if you dont like talking to people I wouldent suggest it.

[Rhettzky]

When I was younger I worked as an usher at the Grandstand and it was pretty cool. You work for about half an hour getting people to their seats and then stand around watching the show the rest of the time. I did it a long time ago but can't imagine it's changed much.

[Circa89]

Parking is good position to apply for at 17.

Easy work. I remember when I was 15 all I did was check for passes for the exhibitors in the round up. The lot filled up by 9 am and we just put a lot full sign up and did nothing for the rest of the shift. Perks included getting free sham wows if you reserved a spot.

[The Yen Man]

I worked as a parking attendant for one summer. I was at the handicap lot. It was pretty slack. The lot fills up pretty quick, and then I was free for the rest of the day. I remember playing a lot of Gameboy to pass the time.

[JD]

One year I was a grandstand usher and another year I worked as a "pot washer".

Grandstand usher might still be the most fun job I've ever had. As mentioned by Rhettzky, you show up an hour and a half before the rodeo and again for the chucks, give the chairs a wipe, then show a bunch of folks to their seats, and then stand around watching for smokers in the crowd. I imagine that was a more lucrative exercise back in 1993 than it is today, haha! Between shows, you have basically 200 other people roughly your age to hang out with at the grounds. Great great time.

Potwashing, well, that absolutely sucked. I quit after two shifts.

The downside was that grandstand usher made $4.50 per hour and potwashing was worth $5.50.

[puffnstuff]

Had the parking lot gig one year. Lots of standing around beside the Lot Full sign.

Til my second last shift at a off premises lot when some genius decided I should drive the shuttle van that went back and forth to the grounds. Give a 16 yo the keys to a 15 passenger van, hope he doesn't hit anything substantial. Brilliant idea! Only got lost a few times, til I figured out wtf I was doing or I made one of the passengers navigate for me.