re: Do kids still sit on Santa's lap?

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With everything going on in the news, I'd be scared to be a mall Santa.

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I bet mall owners are wanting to put them through a background check that would get Santa a security clearance at CIA or NSA. I wonder how they effectively manage the liability risk.

Time to start eating for next year then, ho ho ho.

Not the ones made by me

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Where did you get those numbers from?

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exactly, the few times i worked malls as security the santas they hired were just guys right off the street, no back ground checks or piss tests, and they were earning minimum wage to do it. one guy was even homeless and used the store bathroom to clean up so not to stink.

i would never trust who the frick might be the hire of the day to wear the suit, you just never have any idea who or what might be in that suit

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quote: Where did you get those numbers from?

exactly, the few times i worked malls as security the santas they hired were just guys right off the street, no back ground checks or piss tests, and they were earning minimum wage to do it. one guy was even homeless and used the store bathroom to clean up so not to stink.

i would never trust who the frick might be the hire of the day to wear the suit, you just never have any idea who or what might be in that suit

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Back in the late '70s and early/mid '80s, Al Copeland had his gigantic Christmas display at his home on Folse St. in Metairie. Generally speaking, it got bigger each year because Al was a "bigger is better" kind of guy.

Rumor has it that during the first few years he had a suitable large Popeye's employee play the role of Santa Claus. One year, one of them stuffed his suit with some expensive clothing, so Al looked outside his employee pool for a more honest, or financially liable, Santa. A friend of mine's father owned an employment agency and got the contract. He was on the hook liability wise, so he hired his son and me to be Santa on alternate nights. We were perfect for the role. Both of us were 6'-5"ish, although we'd require padding (Sadly, not so much anymore.) and he knew where to find us if we fricked up.

I think I got $8.00/hr at a time minimum wage was $3.35/hr. I was loving life! Way more teenagers than toddlers wanted to sit on Santa's lap. As a teenager myself (19) at the time, it was a beautiful thing. Me and alternate night Santa would later tell girls we had been Al's Santas and got occasionally good results.

Might maybe could have been the best job I've ever had, but it sure as shite wasn't worth $50,000 in two months.