A zillion years ago I was in an apprenticeship program in the building trades. It was tradition that you were basically a "waitress" serving morning break coffee and donuts, when you were the lowest paid helper in the crew. It didn't take me long to figure out that it was a great gig. You would drop whatever menial task you were doing, about 30-45 minutes before break and walk the whole job, searching for fellow employees. Then you would ask what they wanted, and be given cash, plus a tip. Usually at least one guy would tip you enough to cover your coffee and donut. Next it was off to the donut shop for a massive order. It was common to wrap up the morning run with a paid coffee and donut, AND at least half an hour's wage in your pocket. One job got to the point that there were about 25 employees on the job and I set up a commercial coffee urn and bought two dozen donuts a morning. That gig was paying 1 to 1-1/2 hours a day, in cash. So, being the "coffee boy" got you 3-4 hours a week of being paid to stroll the job and socialize, while collecting orders, and 2 to 6, or more, times your hourly rate in cash evry week, PLUS paid food every morning.
The odd part of this, is as the years rolled by, assigning a coffee boy became more of an issue. It was common for new kids to balk at being somebody's waitress, since it was beneath them. On several occasions I watched it turn into a pissing contest, as new helpers flat out told their bosses, "I'm not your bitch, if you don't like it send me back to the union hall". I just laughed. The same kid probably spent a thousand hours of his life hanging with his crew, walking around, socializing. But, when somebody asked you to do it, pays you, then gives you an opportunity to enjoy a nice weekly side hustle, you're too proud.
