Sisters Share Their Summer Job

Isabelle and Becky Merritt share a summer job with special benefits,  working a merchandise stand at Jiffy Lube Live. “It’s an awesome job,”  said Isabelle. “We can hear the concerts because our stand is right next to the stage.”

Each individual band’s road crew provides merchandise, such as T-shirts and posters, and the Merritts help unload, count, sell and repack the items.

“We work well together, getting everything done for the stand quickly and efficiently,” Becky said.

The job enables the sisters to see the actual musicians and to catch a glimpse of what happens behind-the-scenes.

“The artists will be walking around before the shows," Isabelle said. “We’re not allowed to talk to them, but they’ve waved at me. Sometimes I hear the sound check too, which is pretty cool.”

Most concert-goers are "pretty normal", but drunken attendees can exhibit unusual behavior. “One person asked me if she could trade her beer for a shirt,” Isabelle chuckled. “I said, ‘no, thank you.’ ”

Concerts usually begin in the afternoon and end after dark. "It goes by really fast,” said Isabelle. “For the Rascal Flatts concert, we arrived at 11 a.m. and we didn't leave until about [midnight],” she said. “We’re usually pretty exhausted by the end.”

In the fall, the sisters will return to their studies.  Isabelle, 16, is a student at Robinson Secondary School, and Becky, 20, studies biology at George Mason University.