Pushing ice cream on wheels in 1980s Saskatchewan
'Remember to give those people a chance to hear the bells and get their money'
The strategy seemed simple: Go out there and sell ice cream to kids who want to buy it.
And in the mid-1980s, fellow kids were selling that ice cream on the streets of Saskatoon, Sask.
In July of 1985, CBC's Midday ran a report on the kids operating Dickie Dee freezer-equipped bicycles there and showed viewers how hard they were working that summer.
"There aren't many jobs these 13- and 14-year-olds can get. It's one of the only ways they can make money," reporter Sean O'Shea told viewers.
O'Shea said the ice-cream sellers got a commission of 25 per cent of what they were able to sell.
He asked one young man how much money he could make in a summer.
"Close to about $2,000, probably, or $1,500 or something like that," the young man said.
'Get their money'
Beyond the money, these young ice-cream sellers were also learning the subtle art of salesmanship.
"Be careful out there," a grown-up told a group of the young ice-cream sellers, as a CBC camera recorded a pump-up speech they got before heading out on their route.
"Go slow," he said, before reminding them to "remember to give those people a chance to hear the bells and get their money."
