Canvas Corp. Is the company that sells hot dogs, sodas, etc using sellers wearing bright green shirts and walking around with trays at New Meadowlands stadium, Prudential Center in Newark, PNC Arts Center, NJ, and Richmond stadium on Staten Island.
Canvas uses Craigs List to hire its sellers, promising tips, commission sales, and a chance to see the games. BUT once you have been hired and worked a day, they don't pay you the commission straight away. So now you are in the hole to them and awaiting a check by mail or next week sometime or when they get your address right or when the guy with the checks shows up or when you work at another particular event or when they are not so busy or dont have computer glitches... Get the gist?
If you are not a good seller, they never pay you the commission. If it turns out you are one of their better sellers, they pay you the commission but it works out that you didn't understand the formula correctly and the commission is actually less than you thought... Get the gist? And then if you show up at another event so you can actually be there to pick up your check, the commission is always a little bit less than even the now reduced commission formula that they explained to you last time... Get the gist?
And so you work the second even since you may as well get the tips and you need the money, but the commissions start to only be paid now and then and now only occasionally and then barely at all. If you complain, there's the threat that maybe you don't want the job (and they won't pay you any of the now substantially backed up commissions) and there are lots of other people lining up for a chance... Get the gist? Some staff wait two months for one commission payment.
The company relies on a high staff turnover to make this work. Mark Sarnoff also sounds very reasonable and has a multitude of plausible excuses why he "just can't pay you right now". But he also does this to many of his event managers and nearly all of the people involved in the operation are waiting for multiple commission payments.
If you use the job to watch the game, they fire you on the spot. There are tips but not sufficient to make the whole thing worthwhile.
Many of the staff are chosen becaue they are the sort who are afraid to speak up. When I quit, many were talking about going on strike but I suspect they don't have the gumption for it. And... Besides... Mark Sarnoff or his sidekick, Bruce Herzog... Can just get more sellers via Craigs List anyway. Its a good pitch that gets people to the game and, they may as well work becauses they can't watch the game, and they promise to get people all square away next week. Get the gist?
They claim to have offices on Park Avenue Sth. But these are per weekly rental offices and nobody is there from Canvas. Sarnoff's office manager has a voice message that will verify much of this - call Lynda Frewin at.
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