At 15 I was able to work as a bag boy at our local supermarket, Publix. On my first day at my first job I watched a video that taught me proper etiquette while on the clock, how to pack groceries in bags (tip: don’t put the bread on the bottom and stack cans on top of it) and general maintenance, like spot-mopping and polishing the register.

The company prided itself on customer service. It was mandatory for a bag boy to push the cart to the customer’s car and load the groceries. Most of the staff were teenagers and, as such, the shenanigans that I witnessed and partook in could fill an entire book.

A favorite occurred when an entire case of Froot Loops cereal had been crushed in shipping. I was ordered to put the damaged boxes in the Returns bin, which I did...but not before I plucked the prize from all 12 cereal boxes: a Wacky Wallwalker.

Using several accomplices, we chucked the Wallwalkers up to the high ceiling of the store—where they stuck, waiting patiently to drop down on their unsuspecting victims. Some hung around for days. Every once and awhile I’d hear a shriek echo through the store and find that brightly colored rubber octopus splayed out at the scene of the crime. I can’t believe I’d gotten paid for that sort of entertainment.