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Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U) 📊

Posted by Wotcher User icon on August 25, 2026, 12:45:01

Since many here seem to be UI Grads from the 80s, 90s & 00s, and I assume... like me... had to work (some of us numerous) jobs to help pay for tuition, etc. (or at least to have money for O'Malley's quarter beer days), I'm wondering:

The most difficult thing in the world is
to know how to do a thing and
watch someone else doing it wrong,
without commenting.
-T.H. White

No idea. I worked at Champaign's fourth most popular music store. We were

Posted by doubledown User icon on August 26, 2026, 09:03:51, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

also an unauthorized service center for whatever broken music equipment people might bring in.

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neither of those but i lasted about 3 days one summer at SuperValu in Urbana

Posted by lcubed User icon on August 25, 2026, 16:09:25, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

stocking pallets full of groceries.

i forget how cold one of the freezers was kept but that job sssssuuuuccccckkkkeeedddd

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I lasted 2.5 days one summer at Shad Khan's Flex-N-Gate factory in Urbana*

Posted by Tortillini User icon on August 26, 2026, 09:13:09, in reply to "neither of those but i lasted about 3 days one summer at SuperValu in Urbana"

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stocking pallets full of groceries.

i forget how cold one of the freezers was kept but that job sssssuuuuccccckkkkeeedddd

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I was a townie in C-U during that time period. Have heard of Horizon but not Hobbico*

Posted by ECEIllinois User icon on August 25, 2026, 15:18:18, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

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Hobbico was a great place to work until the Sackville-Baggins family took over.*

Posted by DT User icon on August 25, 2026, 14:23:41, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

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Frickin' Lobelia*

Posted by Stu User icon on August 26, 2026, 08:54:27, in reply to "Hobbico was a great place to work until the Sackville-Baggins family took over.*"

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Chicken Little poster child

I'm getting the sense that, with 16 of 20 responses saying you've never heard of either...

Posted by Wotcher User icon on August 25, 2026, 14:20:58, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

none of you were townies.

Interesting, though. This satisfies my curiosity and tells me what I wanted to know.

The most difficult thing in the world is
to know how to do a thing and
watch someone else doing it wrong,
without commenting.
-T.H. White

never heard of either*

Posted by VIV User icon on August 26, 2026, 08:48:49, in reply to "I'm getting the sense that, with 16 of 20 responses saying you've never heard of either..."

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none of you were townies.

Interesting, though. This satisfies my curiosity and tells me what I wanted to know.

"the alchemy of the tartar sauce and cheese with the fish combined with the buttery steamed bun is so good." - Sounder re: a Filet O Fish

I worked at Horizon for a couple months between high school & college

Posted by illini21 User icon on August 25, 2026, 13:49:12, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

so kind of?

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Sounds to me like a "yes"*

Posted by Wotcher User icon on August 25, 2026, 13:51:35, in reply to "I worked at Horizon for a couple months between high school & college"

The most difficult thing in the world is
to know how to do a thing and
watch someone else doing it wrong,
without commenting.
-T.H. White

For reference to those who have never heard of either...

Posted by Wotcher User icon on August 25, 2026, 13:29:13, in reply to "Poll: Specific Job While Attending the UI (or Just Living In C-U)"

Hobbico an international manufacturer, distributor, and retail outlet for hobby supplies. It was in the top 15 of employers in the C-U area. Discounting the colleges and hospitals, they were top 5 of all private employers in the area. They were also, at one time, the largest shipping account for UPS in the state of Illinois south of I-80 (no way to compete with the size of some Chicago area companies, of course). So... not just a small little niche company, but a large employer.

Horizon was their number one competitor, and some years back bought out or merged with Hobbico (or something along those lines). So there is now only Horizon, no more Hobbico.

The most difficult thing in the world is
to know how to do a thing and
watch someone else doing it wrong,
without commenting.
-T.H. White

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