O'FALLON, Ill. — Everyone hates clearing the snow off of their car on a snowy day but imagine doing that, just to get to work to do it 100 times over again.
That’s what Derek Thomas and his co-workers at Auffenberg Nissan have to do every time it snows.
"I don’t think anyone ever wants to clean their car off in the morning,” Thomas said. “Go out in the cold after being inside. It's just another part of the day"
Thomas has been a sales associate/snow remover for five and a half years.
Before uncovering vehicles, he has to cover up himself.
“I have a hooded piece to go across my entire face and neck,” Thomas said. “Then I have my jacket which is wind proof, water proof, and thermal. With the regular work clothes beneath."
Then, he’s ready to hit the lot because there’s over 1,000 cars to be cleaned between all of the Auffenberg dealerships.
“Thirty minutes to an hour per lot,” Thomas said.
Thomas and his coworkers give each car the love it deserves, only clearing off the windows to avoid scratching the paint.
“Customers has got to be able to see through the windshield to drive it," he said.
Thomas doesn’t mind clearing cars. His handy Snow Joe makes the job easier.
"They are extremely helpful,” he said. “I would rather use one of these than a snow brush.”
Given the forecast, his task could be a lot harder.
"When we have ice,” Thomas said.
“You have to go around and start all of the cars, get them warmed up so the ice will be thawed, and the window will be clean."
The task is daunting, the conditions aren’t perfect, but Thomas still finds time to have fun.
“It's always about the group of people you work with,” Thomas said. “We have tons of fun while we are here. We will get out here and throw snowballs at each other and make the best of it."
