capitalism.png: Living Wage as a Service (LWaaS)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > capitalism.png: Living Wage as a Service (LWaaS)

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

In related horrible articles look what USA today did lol.

It's a article about a 20 year old working in Target by her Chud dad/

Working to make a company richer so they can do more stock buybucks and executive compensation is not heroic.

Especially since grocery stores are one of the highest risk jobs right now.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/04/15/coronavirus-turns-target-worker-into-dads-hero-frontlines/5137575002/

quote:

I wanted my daughter to go to college, to discover her passion and make her mark in the world.

But it turns out she knew where she was needed.

She works at Target.

Normally, she�s stationed in the beauty section, keeping the shelves stocked and dispensing advice. Lately, she�s been selling a lot of hair color and nail care products for people who can�t get out to the salons.

While the coronavirus has made shut-ins of most of us, she ventures out nearly every day into an environment we�ve been told to fear, where one careless sneeze in her proximity could imperil her health or make her a danger to all those she loves.

She still comes to dinner on her days off. Given our history, I forgive the wary look in her eyes as she greets me, uncertain if the night will end with a thinly veiled lecture about life choices.

In normal times, she can deflect these efforts with anecdotes from work. Most are stories about obnoxious customer behavior that she collects like currency to dish out over spaghetti and garlic bread.

Now, the store she described sounds familiar, but altered in ways reminiscent of the dystopian young adult novels she grew up with, like �Hunger Games.� Her stories remind me of the grizzled veteran in war movies who frightens new arrivals with tales from the front. I half expect her to say, �You can�t know what it�s like unless you�ve been there.�

Instead, what she said was: �It feels like Christmas, but everyone is terrified.�

Signs and messages broadcast through the store�s public address system gently remind customers about the need for social distancing. Cashiers wipe the credit card machine with a disinfectant after every transaction. Two people do nothing but clean shopping carts. Another staff member circulates through the store and wipes down anything a customer might touch.

For Isabel Catron, 20, stocking shelves at Target became a front-line position in a pandemic.
For Isabel Catron, 20, stocking shelves at Target became a front-line position in a pandemic.
HANDOUT PHOTO
�The first week we were flooded with people,� my daughter recalled. �Groups of 30 to 40 people waiting outside when the store opened at 8 a.m. They rushed in to grab all the toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, frozen food, water, milk, eggs, butter and meat.

�Now there�s a limit on many things you can buy.�

Customers seemed panicked but understanding, at least at first.

�There were rude people, but they could still see hope at that point,� my daughter said. �After two weeks of hearing �maybe tomorrow� � people start to get more exhausted. More desperate.� She recalled the experience of a friend, a young woman of Asian descent who worked the self-checkout line the day the store put purchase limits in place.

When my daughter asked how her day went, the woman�s eyes started watering. �I�ve been having to take things away from people,� her friend explained. �People have been calling me names.�

Hoping to elicit a smile, my daughter said, �Who�s been calling you names? I�ll go beat them up.�

Her friend shrugged. �People just don�t like Asians right now.�

My daughter, blond and about as white as bed linen, is spared the animus of racial prejudice, yet it�s hard enough to get through most days without the customer-service smile wearing thin.

Once, a fashionably dressed older woman stood directly over her while she restocked shelves. After my daughter moved 6 feet away, the woman apologized for getting in her way.

�No, you�re fine,� my daughter said. �I just don�t want to get too close.�

The woman�s face pinched with indignity, as if she�d been accused of casting an odor.

�It�s not anything against you,� my daughter hastened to add. �I work with the public all day. No telling what I�ve been around.� She managed to keep the smile in place until the woman moved on.

Such incidents normally would set off my daughter, not in the moment, but later, when she unloaded her frustrations over tacos and guacamole. Now, showing new depths of empathy, she demonstrated a responsibility to put the actions in context.

�People are more irritated in general,� she told me. �A lot of people are losing their jobs. They�re having to be cooped up in their homes, a lot of them with their families, who they don�t want to be cooped up with. Then the overall anxiety of a pandemic and a lack of supplies. Finding the supplies you need but being limited to buying only one or two. I understand that would be frustrating.�

Before my daughter finished her shift that day, a woman in her late 50s came into her area. My daughter looked up and smiled.

�She gave me a little wave and said, �Thank you for working.� I said, �Of course.� I didn�t know what else to say to that.�

Over years of reporting, I�ve met many first responders whose work I admired. They are here for us on our worst days, offering aid when we need it most. If we�re lucky, most of us won�t need to call on one of these heroes. But as we brace for weeks, if not months, of social distancing and self-isolating, how many of us can manage without a grocery store or pharmacy? Their low-wage workers are redefining what it means to be a hero to our communities.

�I�m not running into a burning building or saving a kid from under a car,� my daughter said after I made the analogy. �But I understand that it�s important to have workers at these places because people have very limited options for feeding their families and getting medicine.

�It�s just my job. I wake up and I have to go. 'OK, there�s a pandemic. Let�s do what we have to do and just keep showing up on time.��

I looked at her across the table as if seeing her for the first time in weeks. It�s easy to forget how quickly the world has flipped upside down. Even with the extraordinary precautions the store is taking, the daughter I�ve spent two decades feeling a need to protect from the world is putting herself out there every day to help the people in her community. The greatest risk my wife and I have faced are the occasions when we open our door to her and share a meal from across the table.

After dinner, my daughter retrieved her keys and readied to leave. She had a morning shift the next day and wanted to get to bed early. An awkward moment passed as we looked at each other, neither moving forward for the usual farewell embrace. She knew after she left that I would be wiping down door handles, light switches and anything else she had touched, but we did not speak of it while we made plans to see each other again and said goodnight.

My 20-year-old daughter works at Target.

I couldn�t be prouder.

etalian has issued a correction as of 14:33 on Apr 17, 2020

# ? Apr 17, 2020 02:30

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 25, 2024 19:16

human garbage bag: Jan 8, 2020; by Fluffdaddy

CEOs travel a lot by helicopter.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 02:31

mojo1701a: Oct 9, 2008; Oh, yeah. Loud and clear. Emphasis on LOUD!
~ David Lee Roth

Ruffian Price posted:

It's the Arrested Development meme again but it's true. Get rich enough and you stop being able to comprehend any amount of money. If anything you want is effectively free to you, all values between zero and billion get blurred together.

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1250767653238648834?s=20

# ? Apr 17, 2020 02:35

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

mojo1701a posted:

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1250767653238648834?s=20

lmao most people probably spend $800-$1000 on housing costs at best case so it barely covers one month rate.

Even worse in higher cost areas in which housing costs would be 1800+

# ? Apr 17, 2020 02:36

Eat This Glob: Jan 14, 2008; God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Who will wipe this blood off us? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent?

hobbesmaster posted:

you're not supposed to pay your rent or utilities, you have the llc that owns your house declare bankruptcy, duh

true

# ? Apr 17, 2020 02:37

Xand_Man: Mar 2, 2004; If what you say is true
Wutang might be dangerous

etalian posted:

In related horrible articles look what USA today did lol.

It's a article about a 20 year old working in Target by her Chud dad/

Working to make a company richer so they can do more stock buybucks and executive compensation is not heroic.

Especially since grocery stores are on the highest risk jobs right now.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/04/15/coronavirus-turns-target-worker-into-dads-hero-frontlines/5137575002/

My daughter risks her life for minimum wage so people can buy pillows and I treat her like a leper

So proud right now

# ? Apr 17, 2020 06:47

grandma why: Sep 24, 2010; terrible

death !

# ? Apr 17, 2020 15:06

Koishi Komeiji: Mar 30, 2003

https://twitter.com/kron4news/status/1250871324077027328
Happy 82nd Birthday , Eleanor Collins! :suicide:

# ? Apr 17, 2020 15:38

bring back old gbs: Feb 28, 2007; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

etalian posted:

lmao most people probably spend $800-$1000 on housing costs at best case so it barely covers one month rate.

Even worse in higher cost areas in which housing costs would be 1800+

it's barely a rent payment to the coast and actually a significant windfall for flyover states. the $1200 number was probably laser targeted to help only trump's base lmao

# ? Apr 17, 2020 15:58

voiceless anal fricative: May 6, 2007

I just realised, if they think $1200 is enough for 10 weeks then they think you can live on an annual after-tax income of just over $6000.

Also some banks were taking the $1200 if people's accounts are overdrawn, so people weren't even seeing the money:

quote:

Some banks are putting customers’ deposits from the federal government toward negative balances in their accounts — leaving those unfortunate taxpayers with nothing, the New York Times reported Thursday.
...
While the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill Congress passed last month largely protects the payments from state or federal debt collection, the feds have told banks there’s nothing to stop them from taking the money to pay off outstanding debts they’re owed, The American Prospect reported this week.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/banks-are-taking-coronavirus-stimulus-checks-for-overdrawn-accounts/

# ? Apr 17, 2020 16:43

Shame Boy: Mar 2, 2010

Koishi Komeiji posted:

https://twitter.com/kron4news/status/1250871324077027328
Happy 82nd Birthday , Eleanor Collins!

The mask is supposed to cover your nose too, Eleanor :colbert:

# ? Apr 17, 2020 16:51

Complications: Jun 19, 2014

bike tory posted:

I just realised, if they think $1200 is enough for 10 weeks then they think you can live on an annual after-tax income of just over $6000.

It's literally $3 per hour, restaurant minimum wage.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 18:49

Meme Poker Party: Sep 1, 2006; by Azathoth

Complications posted:

It's literally $3 per hour, restaurant minimum wage.

lol I was about to call you out as a disingenuous douche, because it's stupid to divide the payment according to 24 days when only eight hours are normally worked. But before doing so I ran the numbers in my calculator and :prepop:

Holy poo poo.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 18:58

Complications: Jun 19, 2014

Chomp8645 posted:

lol I was about to call you out as a disingenuous douche, because it's stupid to divide the payment according to 24 days when only eight hours are normally worked. But before doing so I ran the numbers in my calculator and

Holy poo poo.

Of course I figured it off of the expected fulltime job 40 hour work week, I'm not a savage. :cripes:

# ? Apr 17, 2020 19:01

Meme Poker Party: Sep 1, 2006; by Azathoth

Complications posted:

Of course I figured it off of the expected fulltime job 40 hour work week, I'm not a savage.

You did it man, you did good. You easily exceeded the low expectations I have of the common poster.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 19:22

T-man: Aug 22, 2010; Talk shit, get bzzzt.

Imagine how much posting we could be doing where hours worked went down as productivity rose. Imagine an 8 hour work week, and I don't mean per day.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 19:36

Lambert: Apr 15, 2018; by Fluffdaddy; Fallen Rib

So far, it's clear people are posting way less when they're not forced to sit at work for 40 hours a week.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 00:02

SpacePig: Apr 4, 2007; Hold that pose.
I've gotta get something.

Didn't a whole lot of people also get Toxxed after Bernie dropped out?

# ? Apr 18, 2020 00:12

Warmachine: Jan 30, 2012

SpacePig posted:

Didn't a whole lot of people also get Toxxed after Bernie dropped out?

Many of us paid our $10 tax and came back. Those who hadn't already doubled down on No Joe.

Posting is a full time job.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 00:15

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1250728138327261185

# ? Apr 18, 2020 08:48

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

Queensland government backs down from Tenant Assistance laws during coronavirus as the Landlords win concessions including that tenants must prove they've lost more than 25% of income to seek discounted rent and that landlords will have the ability to seek debt collectors to track down tenants to pay the discount difference back after lockdown is over.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 09:25

Svensken: May 29, 2010

Parasites

# ? Apr 18, 2020 09:46

KozmoNaut: Apr 23, 2008; Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle

Zenithe posted:

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1250728138327261185

Better to destroy food than to give it away, because god forbid people get fed for free.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 09:49

Inceltown: Aug 6, 2019

KozmoNaut posted:

Better to destroy food than to give it away, because god forbid people get fed for free.

It costs money to harvest food. It is literally cheaper to let food rot in the ground than it is to pick it. Capitalism is poison.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 11:12

Marenghi: Oct 16, 2008; Don't trust the liberals,
they will betray you

He could have offered to let people pick it for free.

You keep what you can carry.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 11:48

Danaru: Jun 5, 2012; 何 ??

Lol that living in a post scarcity world is entirely possible for parts of the planet but that would make a completely made up number go DOWN!!!!!!!!

Danaru has issued a correction as of 12:11 on Apr 18, 2020

# ? Apr 18, 2020 12:04

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

Zenithe posted:

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1250728138327261185

by "no one is buying", it means "commercial food distributors aren't buying"

it's not like demand for food is even down. the capitalist supply chain has just completely seized up

# ? Apr 18, 2020 14:29

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos

Marenghi posted:

He could have offered to let people pick it for free.

You keep what you can carry.

he could've also charged people 5 bucks to u-pick, and he probably would've made a profit!! Californians are the stupidest mother fuckers on earth

# ? Apr 18, 2020 14:44

Spazzle: Jul 5, 2003

Main Paineframe posted:

by "no one is buying", it means "commercial food distributors aren't buying"

it's not like demand for food is even down. the capitalist supply chain has just completely seized up

If only we lived inder socialism we could still go to restaurants?

# ? Apr 18, 2020 15:06

Elman: Oct 26, 2009

Spazzle posted:

If only we lived inder socialism we could still go to restaurants?

People still eat the same amount of food, with or without restaurants.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 15:13

Professor Shark: May 22, 2012

Are farmers setting food on fire in front of starving people yet like in Grapes of Wrath?

# ? Apr 18, 2020 15:27

Brain Curry: Feb 15, 2007; People think that I'm lazy
People think that I'm this fool because
I give a fuck about the government
I didn't graduate from high school

Professor Shark posted:

Are farmers setting food on fire in front of starving people yet like in Grapes of Wrath?

maybe over zoom

# ? Apr 18, 2020 15:28

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

Elman posted:

People still eat the same amount of food, with or without restaurants.

well, not really, no. I�m not saying for a second that there aren�t terribly perverse capitalist incentives playing out here.

But under semi-lockdown you�re going to see a lot more demand for non-perishables and longer term perishables as opposed to some veggies and other foods that quickly become pretty undesirable if not fresh.

Rice, Flour, Beans, and other things that freeze or can or dry well are easier to stock up a week+ supply at a time while people minimize trips to public spaces than things like fresh leafy greens.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 15:31

AceClown: Sep 11, 2005

# ? Apr 18, 2020 16:25

Orange Devil: Oct 1, 2010; Wullie's reign cannae smother the flames o' equality!

If I ever get to operate a guillotine and start having doubts, these will be the articles that will let me steel my resolve and do what needs doing.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 16:50

Siljmonster: Dec 16, 2005; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Orange Devil posted:

If I ever get to operate a guillotine and start having doubts, these will be the articles that will let me steel my resolve and do what needs doing.

when you use it for the last time, make sure the image gets taken too, gently caress that aloof CEO trying to vacuum

# ? Apr 18, 2020 17:04

Arcteryx Anarchist: Sep 15, 2007; Fun Shoe

I mean I�m pretty sure that guy is growing lettuce in the imperial valley which is already a hilarious act but even if he offers some take what you want deal like only 5 people could show up because it�s in BFE

# ? Apr 18, 2020 17:10

human garbage bag: Jan 8, 2020; by Fluffdaddy

Peanut President posted:

he could've also charged people 5 bucks to u-pick, and he probably would've made a profit!! Californians are the stupidest mother fuckers on earth

hmm, so the problem isn't capitalism then.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 17:25

SardonicTyrant: Feb 26, 2016; BTICH IM A NEWT
熱くなれ夢みた明日を
必ずいつかつかまえる
走り出せ振り向くことなく
&

Peanut President posted:

he could've also charged people 5 bucks to u-pick, and he probably would've made a profit!! Californians are the stupidest mother fuckers on earth

RaTiOnAl AcToRs

# ? Apr 18, 2020 18:01

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# ? May 25, 2024 19:16

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

Spazzle posted:

If only we lived inder socialism we could still go to restaurants?

if only we lived under socialism, restaurant food could be diverted to non-restaurant uses such as feeding the poor

people are stocking up on non-perishables that last forever because the standard food distribution system has utterly broken down, and isn't interested in fixing the breakdowns because it's more profitable for distributors to just hoard their cash and ride out the shortages rather than scaling up operations to resolve a temporary crisis

# ? Apr 18, 2020 18:05

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