!!There are no poles involved in this method!!
Are you broke because college is taking every single dollar you have? Are you comfortable and just want to save up for future events and car payments? No matter what your reason is for wanting to earn more money, this is how I earn about $400 in just one day!
Okay okay I’ll tell you already. I work for concessions at the Cintas Center. If you have no idea what the Cintas Center is, Cintas is where our basketball, volleyball, and larger events are held. I specifically work for the men’s basketball games. Men’s basketball is very popular at our school because we have a kick(***) team! Shameless promo, we’re #4 right now on the NCAA AP Top 25.
ANYWAYS: I’m a waitress in the box suites. For this I have to go in the day before the game to fill the refrigerators with drink orders, put chaffers in the rooms in case the guests ordered hot foods, make sure the rooms are clean, and anything else I need to do to ensure that game day can go smoothly and they’re content with everything.
On the day of the game all of the waiter/waitresses go in about two and a half hours early to put ice in the rooms, put all their cold and hot food orders in (snack mixes, pizzas, and cookies to name a few), and just make sure everything is set up and ready to go before the doors open. By the time all of that is done you’ve already gotten all the steps and calories you need to hit the goal on your fitbit. Then, you go in to each suite, like a waitress at a restaurant, and ask them if they need anything, if everything tastes alright, and if they’re happy. During the game they can order more food and drinks as they need so you run to the kitchen and the basement cooler A LOT. The hardest part about all of that is maneuvering your way through the crowds. You’re carrying a lot of drinks so you want to get to your suite as fast as you can, but with all of the fans talking and going to the concession stands it’s like a maze to get to where you need to go. After getting an obnoxious amount of blisters and sweating enough to count walking as a workout, it’s halftime.
Halftime is when we call last calls. For last call, the suite holders need to order whatever they think they’re going to need for the rest of the game. Most of the time this is when they order a lot of beer and you’re searching everywhere hoping you’ll find a cart so you don’t have to lug two cases of beer around. If you’re lucky though, your suites say they’re all set and you just go add their orders to their bills, run their cards, get their signatures, and you’re done!! This is when you get to take your break and you’ve been waiting for this break since you got there. This is the time all of the waiter/waitress get together, talk about the game, or the suites, or all the homework they have to do and just relax.
After the game ends, you have to wait about 20 minutes for the suites to clear out. Some suites leave earlier than others but the ones that leave early are your saviors. Once the guests leave the suites you can go in and clean. We aren’t in charge of sweeping or mopping or deep cleaning. We just dump the ice, throw the trash away, and collect all the dishes to take to the kitchen. After all of that is complete you’re done!
It’s a LONG day and you work your butt off. It’s all worth it though when your tips add up to $459. Some games are better than others. I’ve had games I’ve only made $100 in tips but that’s still a lot of money. Plus, that’s on top of the $9/hour you make. Obviously not all schools are the same, but if you’re interested in doing this and you’re not afraid to put in a little hard work, I’d contact the concessions manager and see what they have available. We don’t have football here at Xavier but I’m guessing that other schools have the same opportunities available at football games. If you go to a school like Alabama, I’m sure you’d be bringing in the big bucks too.
One down side that people bring up often is that you miss out on the experience of watching the games with all of your other friends. This, for me, isn’t as big of a deal because I didn’t start this job until my sophomore year and I got all the experience I needed my freshman year. It is fun watching and cheering and painting your face for game days and I do miss it sometimes. However, I do still get to watch the second half and the money is all worth it.
Another positive to this job is that you only have to work game day and the day before. Of course you can pick up other shifts in women’s games or catering. If you really don’t have time in your schedule but you can fit in usually at most 2 days a week, I would go for it. I’m currently an intern with the Flying Pig Marathon and with that and classes I’m so busy; but this job doesn’t ask for a lot of days out of you so it’s easy to fit into your schedule.
I would 10/10 recommend looking into how you can get involved in concessions at your school! I’m sure they’re always looking for help and it’s a casual and fun thing to do when you’re not slaving away at homework!