Back when I was 16, I had a job sacking groceries at the Buy For Less on Northwest Expressway and Council. It was a shitty summer job and I was a shitty sacker, but it had its perks. For example, I got paid $5 an hour, which was 85-cents more than the minimum wage, and 60-cents more than what my friend Isaac made at Albertsons doing the same thing. Plus, an 18-year-old pregnant cashier would sell beer and wine coolers to me and my friends if we gave her $10. That got me some serious street cred in my high school clique. I was like Morgan Freeman in Shawshank. I was the kid who could get things.
Anyway, Buy For Less recently announced they are raising their minimum wage to $9 an hour. Of course, the Oklahoman sent poor little pickelo Jennifer Palmer to investigate.
Via NewsOK:
Inspired by Hobby Lobby's commitment to raising its companywide minimum wage, Buy For Less has upped the minimum wage of its employees to at least $9 an hour.
The increase went into effect Sunday and applies to nearly 200 employees plus all new hires, said Max Dubroff, human resource manager for Buy For Less, Super Mercado and Uptown Grocery Co.
“While we continue to give increases based on job performance, we think the federal minimum wage is not enough for our people and there is an immediate opportunity to correct it ... so we are,” he told employees.
Some thoughts:
• Usually when a sentence starts with "Inspired by Hobby Lobby," it has something to do with old bibles, glue guns and/or denying women health care coverage. It's neat to see that they're inspiring other businesses to help out low-wage employees. Hell, I'm even considering paying our writers. Just kidding.
• Does anyone else feel sorry for Jennifer Palmer? First she has to write about overpaid Hobby Lobby cashiers, now she has to do the same for sackers at Buy For Less. Don Mecoy better watch out. If they keep sending her out for these demeaning assignments, she's probably going to jump ship into PR. Also, expect Steve Lackmeyer to launch an investigation into the wages of downtown restaurant employees. He'll come up with any excuse to visit Hobbies Hoagies.
• While they are handing our raises to employees, can Buy For Less double the salary of the sushi chef on Expressway and Portland? I know it's grocery store sushi and everything, but it's actually pretty good. I've only had one Ogle Groupie get sick from it, and it's not that expensive. You should check it out.
• I went to one of this inflation calculator things, and making $9 an hour in 2013 would be like making $6 in 1995. So basically, the sackers at Buy For Less earn more today than I did as a teenager. As long as the pregnant cashier has raised her beer rates accordingly, I guess I'm okay with that.
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