[jcommin]

From your post "35% of the workforce making minimum wage or less are in the food service/preparation industry where 53% of them made tips, commissions, or other OTC.




35% of these jobs are in retail, are not 40/hr week jobs. I'm sure there are good reasons for doing it - insurance, benefits, etc. These jobs typically have high turnaround. Retailers such as Target and Wall-mart have full time employee training programs that may train up to 250 hires a month. The problem as I see it is the amount of hours offered cannot offset taxes, ss deductions plus transportation expenses. It is almost a zero sum - which adds to the high turnover. The retailers know this and it must work to their advantage.

I was in a Cracker Barrel restaurant a few years ago in Alabama and talked to a elderly woman who waited on me. Her wage was $2.50/hr plus tips. Now Cracker Barrels typically cater to the traveler and vacationer. Depending on the economy and time of year - this could be feast or famine. They aren't 40 hr/ wk jobs either.


You could focus on high volume stores or trendy bars and I'm sure many make allot of money - on the average maybe not.

I don't think these are living wages. But we also need cheap labor. This affords our lifestyle.

Some of these low paying jobs beg for labor. In the affluent North Shore of Chicago, kids get better allowances than working part time. I live in a upper income area in the city and when I stop in at the Whole Foods store, I know those who work there couldn't afford to shop there.