After 1 Hour Of Unloading a Truck, I Walked Away From This Craig’s List Gig $30 Richer

It was an hour worth of grunt work.  And it occurred at 10 PM, in a neighborhood I had never been in before, with a group of guys I had never met before.  But after an hour of hauling packaged furniture off a 28′ box truck, I drove home $30 wealthier than I was the previous hour.

When I pursue a gig off Craig’s List, it doesn’t always pan out.  But, even though it doesn’t pan out, I reiterate to the employer that if they have other opportunities, then I’d like them to consider me for the work.  And that’s what happened here.

I had emailed this person a few months ago, about some labor he was looking for.  But my inquiry was too late, and the gig got booked.  But I told him to consider me next time he has some menial grunt work.  And he did.  He contacted me at 7 PM on Saturday, February 25th.  He needed help unloading a box truck:

So, I didn’t know what to expect.  All I knew is that I could pocket $30 for an hour’s worth of labor.  And the only thing I would be doing otherwise is sitting at my house.  So, rather than sit around, I could be earning some cash.

The guy lived in one of those cookie-cutter developments.  But when I arrived, there was a large, Penske, 28′ box truck in his drive-way.  I approached the truck, and looked in the back.  And it was PACKED with unopen boxes of furniture:

There were tables, bunk-beds, coat racks, night-stands, and even a few couches.  I asked a few questions, and apparently the guy purchased the inventory from some auction in North Carolina.  And after he wont the auction, he had driven the truck all the way back to Pennsylvania.  So this guy was clearly a hustler.  And it piqued my own curiosity to see what kind of hustle this actually was.

But nevertheless, the boxes needed unloaded.  He insisted on putting everything in his garage.  And the garage was smaller than the truck.  So there was A LOT of stacking, from floor to ceiling.  But that wasn’t my department.  There were 2 other guys that showed up, and I was inside the truck with the other guy, helping to move the boxes to the lift gate on the end of the truck.  And the other guy helped to unload it and stack it with the owner inside the garage.  It was a very sophisticated operation.

But an hour later, the box truck was empty:

This was a nice site.  Because honestly, when I first saw the packed truck, I thought it would take atleast 2 hours to empty.  I was actually contemplating if I should abort the gig.  But I stuck it out, and wrapped it up.

And here’s what this guy’s garage looked like after:

And his wife was lurking around the entire time.  I think she was pissed.  But I didn’t care.  Because I was $30 wealthier.  And that’s how you put money back in your pocket.