Great piece. Walmart (and many min wage paying corporate behemoths, I’m talking to you, Amazon) are the true welfare queens. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 book by Barbara Ehrenreich, details the life of the writer who spends three months living on wages paid by Walmart, Waffle House, and Merry Maids. Great read to raise your anger enough toward these parasite corporations that maybe you’ll boycott them and buy local.
Yes to your great book recommendation “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich. Get it, Read it— you won’t ever get a better sense of the indignaties, suffering and sense of despair these individuals face on daily basis. Gives accurate sense of what it’s like to walk in these “service workers” shoes. Should be a must read for those who don’t think we have caste system in U.S.
Walmart recently gave employees the 10% discount on groceries. And because Wally World never gives anything for free, they took away our one time bonus discount for Christmas. And the only reason pay has gone up is because their hiring policy is warm bodies wanted, cold ones considered.
I really try to avoid shopping at Wal Mart, because going there is so fucking depressing. Seeing the workers there makes me feel like I'm visiting a prison, and most of the shoppers also look so beaten down, that you feel you are participating in some lab rat experiment.. The discount giants, be they Wal Mart, Target, or Amazon, only make us all poorer and a society, and also make our collective humanity and morality greatly reduced, same as the exploitation of migrant farm workers. We have a lot to be ashamed of as a society, esp. our leaders of industry, tho they're the last ones who would ever feel shame or guilt..
Straight up explanation of the free market corporate corruption business model, which has infected nearly every part of our economy. The minimum wage in Iowa is still $7.25 an hour. SNAP doesn’t cover the minimum cost for food security. Social Security benefits don’t cover rising costs either.
Our social safety net is beyond torn; it’s an obscenity.
If possible, watch the 1927 silent movie masterpiece, “Metropolis.” It portrays the caste system created by the masters who’ve made us serfs, servants, soldiers and slaves.
In urban environments you have to cut up the spoiled produce or pour bleach on everything to prevent the homeless from dumpster diving and claiming they bought rotten produce.
Excellent piece. I grew up in a Kroger for food, but Walmart for everything household. I like you, started working as a teenager, but in California, most of my money was spent on gas, not on food. It wasn't until I was late 20s and took an au pair job in Italy that I really started to question where food came from with a critical, environmental eye. That experience eventually led to me pursing a food studies master's program in Rome, Italy. We should connect, I feel like we have a lot in common :)
One would think that Walmart type work opportunities are entry level with modest promotions to build resumes for more challenging opportunities and rewards elsewhere. Should a career beyond working the floor at Walmart one should realize that supervisory and management opportunities are few and far apart.
Wonderful piece- thanks for the reminder that the system is absolutely stacked against food access, food produced under good labor conditions, food that is clean and safe. It's sad that the most important things we need are the hardest to access.
One day, we will hold Walmart and similar business models accountable for all they owe the citizens of this once great country! (this was a great country in decline until Trump came in and is attempting to finish it off)
I had the same thought about myself when I saw her name haha. Is your DeVries side of the family from Michigan? In my family they were from Ottawa county, which I learned recently has a huge Dutch-descended population (as well as the surrounding area).
Great piece. Walmart (and many min wage paying corporate behemoths, I’m talking to you, Amazon) are the true welfare queens. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 book by Barbara Ehrenreich, details the life of the writer who spends three months living on wages paid by Walmart, Waffle House, and Merry Maids. Great read to raise your anger enough toward these parasite corporations that maybe you’ll boycott them and buy local.
Yes to your great book recommendation “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich. Get it, Read it— you won’t ever get a better sense of the indignaties, suffering and sense of despair these individuals face on daily basis. Gives accurate sense of what it’s like to walk in these “service workers” shoes. Should be a must read for those who don’t think we have caste system in U.S.
Walmart recently gave employees the 10% discount on groceries. And because Wally World never gives anything for free, they took away our one time bonus discount for Christmas. And the only reason pay has gone up is because their hiring policy is warm bodies wanted, cold ones considered.
I really try to avoid shopping at Wal Mart, because going there is so fucking depressing. Seeing the workers there makes me feel like I'm visiting a prison, and most of the shoppers also look so beaten down, that you feel you are participating in some lab rat experiment.. The discount giants, be they Wal Mart, Target, or Amazon, only make us all poorer and a society, and also make our collective humanity and morality greatly reduced, same as the exploitation of migrant farm workers. We have a lot to be ashamed of as a society, esp. our leaders of industry, tho they're the last ones who would ever feel shame or guilt..
Straight up explanation of the free market corporate corruption business model, which has infected nearly every part of our economy. The minimum wage in Iowa is still $7.25 an hour. SNAP doesn’t cover the minimum cost for food security. Social Security benefits don’t cover rising costs either.
Our social safety net is beyond torn; it’s an obscenity.
If possible, watch the 1927 silent movie masterpiece, “Metropolis.” It portrays the caste system created by the masters who’ve made us serfs, servants, soldiers and slaves.
In urban environments you have to cut up the spoiled produce or pour bleach on everything to prevent the homeless from dumpster diving and claiming they bought rotten produce.
Excellent piece. I grew up in a Kroger for food, but Walmart for everything household. I like you, started working as a teenager, but in California, most of my money was spent on gas, not on food. It wasn't until I was late 20s and took an au pair job in Italy that I really started to question where food came from with a critical, environmental eye. That experience eventually led to me pursing a food studies master's program in Rome, Italy. We should connect, I feel like we have a lot in common :)
One would think that Walmart type work opportunities are entry level with modest promotions to build resumes for more challenging opportunities and rewards elsewhere. Should a career beyond working the floor at Walmart one should realize that supervisory and management opportunities are few and far apart.
Really well written
Wonderful piece- thanks for the reminder that the system is absolutely stacked against food access, food produced under good labor conditions, food that is clean and safe. It's sad that the most important things we need are the hardest to access.
This is a great inside look.
Excellent expose from true life experience. Thank you.
One day, we will hold Walmart and similar business models accountable for all they owe the citizens of this once great country! (this was a great country in decline until Trump came in and is attempting to finish it off)
Baby Jesus is smiling at all of you who helped another person.
Meh.
That's what happens when you extort each other for permission to share a planet none of us actually own
https://open.substack.com/pub/eromad/p/rise-and-shine-slaughter-animals?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6i3odj
Good read! My son works there now. Never makes enough to do much.
Great article! I found you because one of my readers asked if we were related, haha. Maybe?
Maybe! I can't claim to know much about my married name, but have been in Iowa for generations!
I had the same thought about myself when I saw her name haha. Is your DeVries side of the family from Michigan? In my family they were from Ottawa county, which I learned recently has a huge Dutch-descended population (as well as the surrounding area).
Not from there, but around...common ancestor might be Johan DeVries?
Aw just checked and I don’t!
Well we can pretend we're related anyway, surely we are if you go back enough hahaha