When I worked in retail, I was paid just over minimum wage and given no more than 34 hours a week so that the company I worked for (Old Navy) didnt have to treat me as a full-time employee and offer me health benefits. The turnover rate at my store was over 75%. Its cheaper to keep an employee than to train a new one, and it pays to have happy, content employees who are knowledgable, well-trained and have experience in their field. Weve created a society where people in retail and food service jobs are demeaned; they shouldnt make a living wage because their work isnt REAL work. Maybe they should find a REAL job and then theyll get paid real money. Yet, each and every one of us has a great deal of contact with these people, who provide services to us that we need and expect. These ARE real jobs, useful and necessary jobs. If Best Buy paid a living wage to their computer sales associates, and those associates were trained and knowledgable, just think of how much less youd complain about the dumb Best Buy employee who couldnt help me at all. Instead, we are basically forcing young people in to 4 year colleges, most of the time having no idea what they really want to do (because thats the only way theyll get a real job) so they can rack up student loan debt only to become underemployed. Because this is better than working in food service or retail? Its time to re-evaluate priorities.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:31:31 +0000
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