20 years ago a cashier position in a grocery store was a well-paying union job with a pension. It could literally be your career. You could buy a house, raise a family, and retire from that position.
20 years ago a cashier position in a grocery store was a well-paying union job with a pension. It could literally be your career. You could buy a house, raise a family, and retire from that position.
tflyghtz@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Reagan is already 40 years ago buddy. 2005 couldn’t do that for you.
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
Yeah, I’m talking about pre and post self-checkout. 2005 absolutely could have done that for you.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
Cashiers in 2005 were making $7.25/hr, dude.
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
New hires were, yes. Because of automation (and position hybridization, the rise of the gig economy, despecialization, and the rise of Walmart, of course). This is exactly the point that I’m making.
tflyghtz@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Damn! Which country do you reside in?
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
The U.S. We still had strong union grocery stores right up until automation hit. Then you get the big UFCW strike in California in 2003-2004, and what you’re left with is a store full of a bunch of people who are making middle class wages, but all new hires are making $8/hr with no benefits. Get on another 20 years, and that’s basically everybody working at a grocery store now.
Reaganomics absolutely blazed the trail, but self-checkout finished the job.