My First Days as a Junk Man

During these unprecedented times, we take our role as an essential service provider seriously and we remain open to service our customers. We understand that everyone is very concerned with the potential spread of the Coronavirus. We’re following the guidelines put in place by the federal government, local governments and the CDC.

Below are some of the safety precautions we’ve implemented to protect our team and our clients:

We’re offering discounts for our customers who are able to stage their items outside of their property for pickup
We’re vetting our customers before scheduling appointments and while en-route to make sure they’re not showing signs and symptoms of illness
If the customer has access to masks or face covers, we ask that they wear them (if masks are unavailable, please maintain a safe distance of 6 feet at all times)
We are sending home any staff member exhibiting any symptoms of illness for the recommended period of time established by the CDC
All team members have been assigned masks and gloves
We are not assigning more than two team members to a truck
Our trucks and equipment are being disinfected daily
We’ve shut down our office from outside visitors and anybody who can work virtually is being encouraged to work from home
The company continues to hold regular team-wide virtual meetings to emphasize transparency and keep the lines of communication open
The decision to come to work remains 100% voluntary

We recently hired Patrick Drago as the newest member of the customer service team here at 123JUNK. As we do with all our new employees, we made sure to put Patrick to the test by placing him on the trucks for a few weeks to gain an appreciation of what it means to haul junk for a living.

Below is his account after his first few days.

“I had just moved to the area from Richmond, VA where I had been working for a law firm, sitting behind a desk 8 hours a day. There was a high level of apprehension, but also excitement as I drove my car up the hill toward the fleet of shiny red junk trucks that first morning. Day one was a crash course; I learned about face-to-face customer service, how to handle the large trucks, and how to incorporate Tetris into the everyday work environment – loading the trucks is a science!

The day went by in a flash as we drove from site to site, hauling out all sorts of items from customers’ homes. One treadmill in particular, made my back sore in a way that I can barely communicate on paper. I was amazed by how much my new colleagues could lift, relative to their own bodyweight. Two sofas, a massive entertainment center and several dozen industrial bins full of books later, I was physically exhausted. That night, I could barely stay awake during dinner.

My second day went along a lot like the first, except with an added level of total body soreness that had not been there the day before. Later in the day came my first multiple-truck job. I sat there baffled as I tried calculating in my head how 3 men were going to load 4 truckloads of furniture, books, magazines, clothing, and other assorted junk. ‘If anything spelled unfair working conditions, this was it,’ I thought to myself. Despite my initial concerns, we blew through the job in a matter of hours, while ensuring that the items were sorted and disposed of according to their value. As I got home and popped open an ice cold beer, I thought about my first two days and felt a sense of accomplishment and relief. I truly knew what it meant to be a junk man.”