Just saw a help wanted sign for McDonalds: starting at $18

where have you been? wrote:

Uh, have you not been paying attention to anything? Most small businesses either have gone out of business or they're surviving on PPP "loans" up the wazoo.

Most? No.

Surviving on PPP? No. That was last year and those loans are forgiven if you meet certain criterion such as keeping your staff.

Proud of what? Suffering? Doing without? There is nothing to be proud of there. That is a false pride similar to what front line workers are sold when they receive a cheap plaque celebrating some portion of their life wasted at XYZ employer. If you take pride in such things, then I have as a capitalist appeased you with a trinket while I hoard the only thing that matters, cash. I'll give you employee recognition awards, a day off here and there, maybe even flextime, because it's cheap and it'll shut you up, but I will not give you a permanent living wage which will cut into my profit margin. That would set a precedent, which is what Wall Street fears most. The extra UE as pandemic relief liberated many workers to now have some control over their destiny. They now have a smidgen of agency, of power. It's about time. th

jecht wrote:

tee totaler wrote:

[quote]jecht wrote:

[quote]do people think that's a lot? wrote:

It's been a long time since I was in high school and working low wage jobs. Is $18/hr considered a lot of money?

Nope, it's barely enough, and not even a solid wage in the midwest. I can make it work though

And I'm proud that I'm able to survive on such a low wage and keep going. It builds character.

Your post made me think after I read it twice.

I can't argue against you at all.

The company gave me an UberEats gift card in May and it was nice but I felt like I was being taken advantage of at the time. It was a gut feeling and I didn't tell anyone, just took it.

I got a FitBit at Christmas from my employer after they asked me what I wanted. I wanted a $200 Kroger gift card to help pay for food and to cut down on grocery bills and they said that they wanted something to give me more meaningful. I told them I was a runner and they got me a FitBit.

Maybe the "swag" I got is similar to what you're saying here.

The company does give us flex time and good PTO (3 weeks), and we WFH, but they keep moving the goal posts in terms of hiring people. In fairness, the mortgage industry is boom and bust at times so hiring cycles are not uniform in nature. My boss is open about PTO and time off, but as you said, they don't care, if they are making $ off me and underpaying me while getting good production.

In hindsight, I realize I was probably taken advantage of, and your post put everything into stark clarity.

As a foreigner, I'm baffled by this. Is the US cost of living that high?

I'm a single person with a professional job. I take home $4.7k a month, my mortgage is $1.1k, I can typically cover everything else with $2.5k, and the rest is invested in index funds.

When I read these threads, I feel like I should be buying second-hand clothes and using food banks to preserve my pathetic income, but I just know I'm not poor.

People on $200k struggling with rent, where does your money actually go? I'm curious.

Confused Brit wrote:

As a foreigner, I'm baffled by this. Is the US cost of living that high?

I'm a single person with a professional job. I take home $4.7k a month, my mortgage is $1.1k, I can typically cover everything else with $2.5k, and the rest is invested in index funds.

When I read these threads, I feel like I should be buying second-hand clothes and using food banks to preserve my pathetic income, but I just know I'm not poor.

People on $200k struggling with rent, where does your money actually go? I'm curious.

I lived in the US and Europe and life in the US is definitely more expensive. So many more things are required to just get by. Most places you need a car to get by, then many have student loan debt, insane medical cost etc. The list just goes on an on. However the main reason beyond just cost of things is lifestyle inflation and simply loving to go shop and spend money on random things. Social status is so insanely tied to what you have that like 90% of my friends in the US wealth signaled at any opportunity. And not just flashy cars or clothes. It's all for showing off.

In my little square of Europe I grew up we felt guilty about throwing things out, we would repair broken things and shopping frivolously is considered a terrible choice. It's not all black and white obviously but in the US you need to have certain things to belong to certain social classes and that class separation also exists in Europe but it appears way less costly to "belong".

What good is even $30/hour when average home prices is now $350K in most areas?

Anyone who thinks entry level part time jobs need to pay a "living wage" are too ignorant to be trying to discuss economics in public... or private.

fact czech wrote:

where have you been? wrote:

Uh, have you not been paying attention to anything? Most small businesses either have gone out of business or they're surviving on PPP "loans" up the wazoo.

False.

what rock have you been living under or what delusional land do you live in if you think this is false?

AsbelKiprop wrote:

fact czech wrote:

False.

what rock have you been living under or what delusional land do you live in if you think this is false?

It's called liberal land. They literally never hear anything that isn't an approved talking point.

Two words: class division. Even if they were making 1 million a year working at McDonald's, they'd still be predominantly living paycheck to paycheck if they're still the lower class of wealth. The government needs and thrives off of class division. They want people struggling and barely getting by to fuel their system of greed and corruption.

There has to be a certain breaking point where you just can't increase prices without losing customers.

If you pay fast food workers $20/hour and charge $15 for a low quality fast food burger most people will just cook their own food at home. Cooking fast food isn't a highly skilled job.

Steve The Addict^^^^^^^------- wrote:

Two words: class division. Even if they were making 1 million a year working at McDonald's, they'd still be predominantly living paycheck to paycheck if they're still the lower class of wealth. The government needs and thrives off of class division. They want people struggling and barely getting by to fuel their system of greed and corruption.

Oh please. The overwhelming majority of people living paycheck to paycheck in America are doing so because they make bad choices.

Finish high school.

Get a job.

Don't have kids until you are in a stable relationship.

TADA! You won't be poor in America. If you're a single mother at 19 working a fast food job you're not a victim of class division you just made a poor choice.

The DEMOCRATS thrive off of class division. Playing on the emotions of stupid people is their bread and butter.

michiganrunner55 wrote:

Film Rep wrote:

Bro, I spent like $20 for dinner at McDonalds the other day. Food for only one person. Me. 😣 Inflation is real.

Cost of living must be high where u live or u eat a lot. I can spend 7 something 8 at the most in Michigan for a meal at McDonald’s for myself

No. Film Rep is right. I noticed how a modest meal at McDonalds is over $20. Not going to McDs again. Whats the point if I have to eat unhealthy and it isnt even cheap?

Bullet_Proof wrote:

michiganrunner55 wrote:

Cost of living must be high where u live or u eat a lot. I can spend 7 something 8 at the most in Michigan for a meal at McDonald’s for myself

No. Film Rep is right. I noticed how a modest meal at McDonalds is over $20. Not going to McDs again. Whats the point if I have to eat unhealthy and it isnt even cheap?

Prices have almost doubled in the last 20 years which far outpaces inflation. A standard combo was under $4 even large sized in the 90's and now they are closer to $8. A family dinner now costs as much as most sit down restaurants.

Liberals are morons wrote:

Anyone who thinks entry level part time jobs need to pay a "living wage" are too ignorant to be trying to discuss economics in public... or private.

+1

America's fury wrote:

Liberals are morons wrote:

Anyone who thinks entry level part time jobs need to pay a "living wage" are too ignorant to be trying to discuss economics in public... or private.

+1

+1

There is a cap on how much you can charge for crap fast food and rapidly escalating wages will accelerate the time it takes to reach that point.

Long term solution is self service kiosks, automated burger flipping machines, and cashless pay all with a staff of 2-3 people to answer questions, and provide the food to the customer. Think about airport check-in kiosks and grocery store self checkouts.

AsbelKiprop wrote:

fact czech wrote:

False.

what rock have you been living under or what delusional land do you live in if you think this is false?

I live in reality where it is laughable to claim that most small businesses have either gone out of business or they’re surviving on PPP loans up the wazoo. Which is why you not the poster who made that idiotic claim will be able to provide any support to this fantasyland statement.

Bullet_Proof wrote:

michiganrunner55 wrote:

Cost of living must be high where u live or u eat a lot. I can spend 7 something 8 at the most in Michigan for a meal at McDonald’s for myself

No. Film Rep is right. I noticed how a modest meal at McDonalds is over $20. Not going to McDs again. Whats the point if I have to eat unhealthy and it isnt even cheap?

Lie and reported. I live in the richest county in the US and a meal at McD is 7-9$ If you want to go cheap, 2 Mcdoubles and a large soda are about 5$