By John Stouffer

October 1, 1998

Derek Miller, owner of Bad Boyz Toyz in Orland Park, Illinois, says his employees are split 50-50 between part time and full time. With four locations around the perimeter of Chicago, each store employs seven or eight people. There's a commission program for the managers, but not for the employees. Non managers get paid between six and twelve dollars an hour, depending on how long they've worked for the store and how much experience they have selling the different products.

"A commission program wouldn't be fair," says Miller, "because the employees don't work the same hours and have no control over what hours they do work." Shop workers do get to use free season passes to the different local resorts and can ride any of the demo boards in the store. "Employees really don't need to buy a board for the season," he says. "But if they want to, they can get a pro-form deal."

Bill Thoms, a manager at Bill and Paul's Sporthaus in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says full-time employees make between 24,000 and 29,000 dollars a year, while part-time employees start at minimum wage and receive reviews and possibly pay raises every 60 days. The 40-year-old shop employs sixteen people during the summer and 30 in the winter.

There are no special sales incentives for employees. "Commission programs are too cutthroat," he says. "Everybody's like family in the store."

The shop offers full health benefits for the full-time employees. After 30 days of employment, part-timers get 25 percent off merchandise in the shop, while full-timers get 35 percent off, and several local ski areas offer free lift tickets to anyone with a paycheck stub.

Ryan Leege, owner/manager of Freestyle of Duluth in Duluth, Minnesota, recently bought the store with his father, so for the first time he's making a salary instead of getting paid hourly. But the part-time employees in the store are making $7.50 an hour. He's currently thinking about having a commission program for board sales only, but hasn't worked out the details yet.

The shop gets season passes to one of the local hills, so all the employees at Freestyle can use them when they go snowboarding.

According to Whitney Gameson, manager of Let It Ride in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, the store has eight employees, six of whom are part time. Their pay range is six dollars to $6.50 an hour, while the full-time employees make around nine dollars an hour. There's only one local hill, Snow Creek, and the shop employees don't get any discounts for it. They do get to buy products from the store for ten percent above cost.

There are seven employees working at F.A. Skates & Snowboards in Arlington Heights, Illinois, says Owner Robert Wright. Three work full time, while the others work part time. Wages vary between seven and twelve dollars an hour, and medical benefits are offered as well.

Employees can buy products in the store at cost, and can snowboard for free at some of the different hills around the area. Wright says the store also throws a holiday party and holds barbecues during the year for employees.