Branch office assignment a 'lifestyle thing'

Going to work for Tom Davison and Tom Roydhouse is all about playing cricket, sitting in the sun and catching up with friends.

And selling the odd Christmas tree.

The pair are among dozens of students out selling Christmas trees.

Their spot is outside Parnell District School and they reckon they have twice the fun they would have in a shop job.

"We make as much money as our friends and we sit in the sun," Tom Roydhouse says. "It is a lifestyle thing."

From 9am, you will find the university students relaxing in deckchairs waiting for their next customer.

Or perhaps playing cricket on the grass with friends who come and go, keeping them company in the quiet times.

On a slow day they sell seven trees for up to $35 each, on a busy day, 20. They make $15 on every tree.

The pair say the days go quickly and it is a good opportunity to hang out together, but despite this they treat selling Christmas trees seriously.

Now, in their third summer, they have built up a reputation and even send out pamphlets so people know where they are.

The dads are the best customers, they reckon, because they're not that fussy, but once their wives come along, choosing a tree becomes a whole new ball game.

"The ladies are more picky," one of their friends says.

"The best customers are the dads who don't really care."