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}Persuaded by a colleague to go “undercover” as a low wage worker, Barbara Ehrenreich, author of 21 books, discovers what it truly takes to survive on minimum wage. The award-winning columnist and essayist finds that even those who work full time can not escape poverty. Ehrenreich tells her story of her experience in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota working as a waitress, maid, nursing home aide, and a sales associate at Wal-Mart. She opens the eyes of Americans to the problem that the truly poor face every day.

Nickel and Dimed: May 13, 2011. Journal 4

This section begins when the author continues searching for affordable housing and a possible second job for the weekends.  She gets some responses, but like earlier in the book, nothing works out in her favor.  She eventually moves into the Comfort Inn where she hopes to move out of after a couple of nights.  When the author is working in the lady’s department at Wal-Mart she notices the moms that come through with their children in the carts.  She becomes aware that these are the same moms who have to pick up after their kids who leave things laying all over at home.  Now the roles are reversed.  When moms come to shop at Wal-Mart, they are the ones who can pull things off the rack and leave them lying wherever.  Later in this section, while working at Wal-Mart, Ehrenreich starts to wonder “why anyone puts up with the wages they’re paid” (178).  She realizes that so many of the people working at Wal-Mart truly are poor and doing everything they can to make a living.  It’s not long after that that she begins the initial planning for starting a union.  She feels strongly about this so that the Wal-Mart employees might someday have better working conditions. 

As a group, we all agreed that the evaluation was very useful.  It had very helpful statistics that put things into perspective.  We thought that it was important to include how much the wages have increased in the evaluation.  We all felt that minimum wage hasn’t increased enough to compensate for the increases in our daily necessities, the biggest being gasoline. 

We felt it was interesting that companies will easily give their employees “free” meals, discounts, or special treats, but at the same time, they have a hard time giving their employees a raise.  It seems that they will do whatever it takes to avoid paying higher wages because they can’t be taken away unlike some of these perks.  One of our group members can directly relate to this.  She and her co-workers were given free lunches as a perk instead of getting a raise.  Now their free lunches have been taken away.

Our group ran across a book that is very similar to Nickel and Dimed.  Scratch Beginnings, written by Adam Shepard, tells of his experience attempting to live on minimum wage.  Nickel and Dimed was his inspiration for his book so readers interested in Ehrenreich’s book may enjoy Shepard’s as well.  Another similar experience is Morgan Spurlock’s making of 30 Days.  He and his fiancé attempt to live on minimum wage for 30 Days.  They end up getting in several arguments and deal with many misfortunes.  Similar to Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed, Spurlock and his fiancé struggle to succeed living on minimum wage. 
For more information on Scratch Beginnings and 30 Days, check out the links below.
http://www.scratchbeginnings.com/
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/morgan-spurlocks-30-days-living-on-minimum-wage.html

10 Additional Sources on Poverty & Minimum Wage

Works Cited

“About Poverty.” Poverty. U.S. Census Bureau, 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 May 2011. The U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates how they measure poverty.  There are several statistics to show increases in the number of people in poverty.

Hough, Andy. “How to Get Ahead on Minimum Wage.” Money. U.S.News & World Report LP, 25 June 2010. Web. 13 May 2011. This article considers what it takes to live on minimum wage.  They specifically discuss how to cut back on housing, transportation, food, and entertainment.  In the end this article suggests that getting by and even getting ahead while living on minimum wage can be done.

“Living Wage Calculation for Wisconsin.” http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/‌states/‌55. The Pennsylvania State University, 2011. Web. 6 May 2011. This website calculates both the living wages for a certain county and the poverty levels in the county.  It looks at separate expenses like food, childcare and housing.  It also looks at typical hourly wages for various jobs.

“Minimum Wage.”  30 Days. FX. 15 June 2005. Television. This video is the story of Morgan Spurlock’s journey through living on minimum wage.  Him and his girl friend decided to try this experiment to see if it was possible to support themselves while only earning minimum wages.

“Minimum Wage Laws in the States - January 1, 2011.” United States Department of Labor. Division of Communications Wage and Hour Division, 2011. Web. 13 May 2011. The United States Department of Labor has an incredible amount of information on labor and wages.  This specific page has the minimum wages for each state, and includes a map of the U.S. to illustrate which states pay higher, lower, or the same as the Federal minimum wages, and which states do not have a minimum wage law.

Pete. “Overcoming Poverty Consciousness.” My Financial Awareness. My Financial Awareness, L.L.C., 2008. Web. 9 May 2011. This website is about defining poverty and how it happens. It gives advice how how it can be prevented and overcome.  It is very informative for those that are in this kind of situation.

“Poverty in the United States-FAQ.” National Poverty Center. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. 9 May 2011. This website addresses some common questions regarding poverty in the United States.  It discusses how the U.S. measures poverty, how many people are born into poverty, how poverty changes over time and how poverty is different throughout the country, among other topics.

Shepard, Adam. Scratch Beginnings. N.p.: Harper Paperbacks, 2010. Print. This book is about Adam Shepard’s journey to start with nothing and make a life of himself on low wages.  He was inspired by “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich to write this book.  If you were intrigued by Ehrenreich’s story, this would be a great read for you.

“The Story of Stuff.” The Story of Stuff Project. Creative Commons, 2011. Web. 13 May 2011. The Story of Stuff Project addresses environmental, social, and economic concerns.  The Story of Stuff Project includes a book, videos, and a website with additional sources and an ongoing blog.

Walmart Workers Speak Out About Abusive Working Conditions. YouTube. N.p., 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 May 2011. This YouTube video hears from two former Wal-Mart employees.  They are both very much opposed to opening Wal-Mart stores throughout New York City because of the awful working conditions.

Discusion Leader. Section 8. Pages 199-221. Alex Webster

According to Ehrenreich the poverty system needs to be overhauled. If it were up to you how would you determine what the poverty level would be?

a.    I would actually have numbers compiled for what is needed to live at the bare minimum of human decency. Anything under that would be poverty. This is a better way than 3 times the cost of food. This is an outdated method. Food has actually gone down, while rent has gone way up.

The author brings up the topic that employers will often give perks over wage increases. Have you ever had a job that employed that same strategy?

b.    Yes, my job pays very low, but I get a 5% discount for me and my family. This is there way of trying to give a perk. But if they want to they could take it away. They know that it will cost much less than if they were to give people raises.

Ehrenrecich brings up the issue of wage secrets. Have you ever experienced how people refuse to discuss wages?

c.    Yes, when I was first hired at my job, my mother told me not to tell anyone how much I was making. It was none of their business and it could get me in trouble. But eventually I found out what people were making. When I came to Eau Claire I found out that people were all making more than me for the same job.

The author discusses how mangers believe without them the workplace would halt to a stop. Do you agree with her claim that managers are not as useful as they think?

d.    Yes I believe that mangers rarely get me to work any harder. I think that there seem to be many bosses. Some are useful but there doesn’t need to be as many as there are. The more managers there are the less that actually gets done. Managers are paid to do supervise and not actually do work.

Graphic Organizer. Section 8. Pages 199-221. Kassi Bierman

    

     As the rich buy out all of the housing they leave the lower standards housing options.  These low quality housing options are usually not in the main part of the city but instead are farther away.  This causes even more expenses for the poor people, including gas and the extra time spent driving and commuting.  This cheaper housing is not inexpensive though; it is still nearly unaffordable for minimum wage workers.

Summarizer. Section 8. Pages 199-221. Brittney Nehring

This is the Evaluation section of the book, and she does exactly that.  Barbara reflects on what keeps these wages low.  She talks about how the labor shortage in many cities could be because of the unwillingness of people to work these low wages.  It was interesting how she says employers will often do anything except raise wages, instead they will offer free meals and discounts because these things can easily be taken away if needed.  One thing that restricts people in the low wage jobs from leaving is the fact that many of them don’t have their own transportation and rely on someone else.  This prevents them because they would have no way of getting to work if the distance was greater.  People also stay at these low wage jobs because the employers make them feel unworthy, therefore they think they are getting paid all that they are worth, and couldn’t get higher pay.  Ehrenreich writes this section in a way that shows she has done the research and knows what she is talking about.  She explains reasons for why things are the way they are with low wages and also is very confident in what she believes when saying poverty should be treated as an emergency.  This section is written to put some additional meaning to her experience.  It is also written very casual as the rest of the book was.

Vocabulary Builder. Section 8. Pages 199-221. Kallie Thoreson

TENEMENTS pg. 199 – a run-down and often overcrowded apartment house, especially in a poor section of a large city

ARCHAIC pg. 200 – marked by the characteristics of an earlier period

UBIQUITOUS pg. 201 – existing or being everywhere at the same time

 CARPING pg. 203 – to find fault or complain

AVOWED pg. 203 – to declare openly, bluntly, and without shame

RECALCITRANT pg. 205 – hard to deal with; not responsive to treatment

EUPHEMISMS pg. 208 – the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

OBEISANCE pg. 212 – expressing deep respect before a superior

AUSTERE pg. 214 – giving little or no scope for pleasure

NOUVEAUX pg. 216 – having recently become rich

Graphic Organizer. Section 7. Pages 169-199. Alex Webster

Barbara is working at Wal-Mart and living at the Clear View Inn. The inn charges more then she expected so she has to get food aid. Clear View becomes even more expensive so she moves into the Comfort Inn. But in the end even this is too expensive. She eventually quits her job and ends her experiment.

Discussion Leader. Section 7. Pages 169-199. Brittney Nehring

·         Do you feel that Barbara gave up too easy or do you think she had to? Why?

I think that she gave up really easily, but I think that she knows that too.  Like she said, she could have moved somewhere else to where she could find affordable rent, but instead blew most of her money.  I think that another reason she gave up this easily was because she had achieved what she wanted and was satisfied.  She proved that rent is way too high, and jobs pay way too little.

·         Barbara talks about a man named Stan who dropped out of college because working and going to school was too much to handle, how do you feel about this?

I think that this happens to a lot of people actually, and I can relate to the feeling of doing both.  Most of the time I feel so overwhelmed because I work a very stressful job 16-24 hours a week.  I don’t get to enjoy every weekend like other students who don’t work.  Work cuts out time that I should be doing homework and tires me out.  I also know that I need to work this job so that I can pay for gas, food, and other things I need.  But I couldn’t imagine having to pay rent on top of that, I would probably have to drop out or go part time like many students do.

·         She talks about a co-worker at Wal-Mart who might leave the $7/hr. job for a $9/hr. job do you think that this would be enough for a minimum wage?

I think that this would definitely make a difference because in a 40 hour week that would be an extra $80 so in a month about $320 extra.  This extra money each month would help so many people out who are living on minimum wage.  However, I still feel that even $9/hr. is not a livable wage.  I earn nearly $12/hr. and still wonder how people at my job pay bills and rent, and support families off of this income.

·         Do you agree when she says that “no job, no matter how lowly, is truly unskilled?”

I do agree with this for the most part, and I don’t think that most people recognize this.  For example, I don’t think that people realize even a gas station attendant has to acquire some skills.  They memorize codes for items in the store if there isn’t a scanning system, count money all day, and have much patience for unhappy customers.  I think that every job requires skills even if it is just being able to handle the stress or doing that job when other people wouldn’t want to do it.

Vocabulary. Section 7. Pages 169-199. Kassi Bierman

1. exorbitantly, page 170: beyond a normal or acceptable limit
2. unprecedented, page 172: not known or experienced before
3. cursory, page 172: acting or done with excessive or careless speed
4. bemoaning, page 172: expressing or suggesting mourning
5. revel, page 175: to take pleasure in
6. guffaw, page 178: an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
7. servile, page 178: showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
8. abasement, page 178: behave in a way that belittles or degrades
9. denature, page 178:  To change the nature or natural qualities of
10. terra incognita, page 180: Unknown or unexplored territory

Summarizer. Section 7. Pages 169-199. Kallie Thoreson

In this section of the book, Ehrenreich is still searching for a new place to live.  She finds some possibilities but always ends up ruling them out because they are too expensive or too far away from her job.  While working at Wal-Mart, she comes to the conclusion that the majority of Wal-Mart associates are poor.  She can tell this by a few particular characteristics:  crooked yellow teeth, inadequate footwear, hairstyle, and a hopeless look.  When the author cannot find affordable housing, she makes reservations at the Comfort Inn for close to $50/night hoping it will only last a couple of nights.  Later in this section, Ehrenreich starts to seriously consider “why anyone puts up with the wages paid at Wal-Mart” (178).  She gets talking to several of the other Wal-Mart associates and brings up the idea of starting a union; however, this idea never gets put into motion because it isn’t long before the author is through with her experiment and through working at Wal-Mart.  Ehrenreich begins the evaluation by saying that during her experiment she was a person of “average ability”.  She said that she was capable of learning the jobs she worked and also capable of making mistakes.  Ehrenreich ends this section by saying that something is wrong “when a single person in good health, a person who in addition possesses a working car, can barely support herself by the sweat of her brow.  You don’t need a degree in economics to see that wages are too low and rents too high” (199).

Up until the point in this section where Ehrenreich starts brainstorming about a union, she writes with personality.  Most of the book has been written this way – a way that shows her motivation and excitement for this experiment.  When she starts tossing the idea of a union around, that is when the tone of the writing shifts.  It gradually becomes more dull and depressing up until the end of the Minnesota chapter.  Then, as the evaluation starts, the tone changes again.  Because she is now writing for a different purpose, the writing is more informative and less story-like.   

Nickel and Dimed: May 4th, 2011. Journal 3

In this section of the book, Ehrenreich leaves Maine after quitting both of her jobs.  She moves to Minnesota and lives in her friend's apartment for a few days.  She then begins her search for jobs and places to live.  She is offered a job at Menards and Wal-Mart.  She finds out that most jobs require a drug test, which she has some doubts on whether she will pass.  She ends up declining the job offer at Menards, despite the higher pay, because of the long shifts and discrepancy in pay.  After completing the long orientation process at Wal-mart, she begins work there. 

We were shocked that she included in her writing her use of marijuana.  She described how she was worried about not passing her drug test because she had used the drug prior to applying for these jobs.  For this reason, she kept job searching just in case she failed the test; she was making sure she had a backup plan.  She did Internet research to find ways to pass a drug test after using the drug.  She also spent extra money on detoxification materials and drank excessive amounts of water to try and cleanse her system.  We were surprised that she would include this and admit to using an illegal drug.  Up until this point, we would have been surprised that she even used drugs.

In one of our classroom discussions we talked about power and how people take advantage of it.  This related to our book in a few ways.  First off, we could easily notice how all of Ehrenreich’s bosses had power over all of the other employees.  These bosses abused their power because they controlled the rest of the company.  The employees felt like they had no power; they felt threatened by their bosses if they were to do something wrong.  One example of this is how the workers at Wal-Mart are not allowed to sit or even use the bathroom while they are clocked in.  This is considered ‘time theft’ and the employees are subject to punishment.  The employees are not allowed to do anything that is not work related on company time; the bosses control everything the workers do.  Employees have very little power, if any, in their workplace.  They do not have opportunities to make decisions within the company and they have to follow every rule that the bosses give them. 

We found one section of the book exceptionally well written.  She explains how she feels that the ‘Barb’ that she is known as at Wal-Mart is different than the ‘Barbara’ that she is in real life.  She says that ‘Barb’ is “meaner and slyer” than her real self as well as “not quite as smart” as herself (169).  She explains that she begins to resent some of the customers, like if they mess up her clothing displays for example.  She also describes how she dislikes when a newer employee tells her what to do, or questions whether Ehrenreich has done her job correctly.  She finds herself acting like this ‘Barb’ only when she is working at Wal-Mart, as if the place changes her personality.  We feel that this section was written really well; we noticed that she starts writing more aggressively during this part of the book compared to the earlier sections. 

We can relate to this section when she plans out her breaks during her shifts.  She explains that she only has two fifteen minute breaks and she has to use them wisely.  She mentions how she will try to use the restroom before her break starts to give her more time to rest during her break.  We also do this when working at our jobs. 

Graphic Organizer. Section 6. Pages 143-169. Brittney Nehring

Barbara learns all the rules of a Wal-Mart associate and the history of Wal-Mart.  She decides to call Menards to ask what time she is supposed to come and finds out it is an eleven hour shift and the man says he doesn’t think she will make $10/hr. She says she will send her knife, vest, and tape-measure back and doesn’t want the job.  She moves to Clearview Inn where the rate is $245/week.  These rooms stink of mold, fresh paint, and mouse droppings.  After a few days here, she comes home from work (at Wal-Mart) to the owner telling her the sewage backed up and she moves to a different room.  She works in the ladies wear at Wal-Mart and seems to like it, but doesn’t like the person she is becoming.  Barbara empties carts and puts things away constantly, ordering things by style, color, and size.  She finds herself getting distressed when someone is in her area.  She begins to feel that this area is hers to rule over and control.  Ehrenreich finds that Wal-Mart, as well as Menards, refers to their customers as “guests.”  At the very end of this section she was planning to move to Hopkins Park Plaza, but her room was either taken or not ready until the following week.

Vocabulary. Section 6. Pages 143-169. Alex Webster

143 Grandeur - the quality or state of being grand
143 Anthropological - Humanistic studier
146 Dexedrine - Drug used to control symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
149 Prettifying - To make pretty
150 Neurotic - Crazy
151 Rankles - Cause annoyance
155 Uninitiated - Not told to do something
156 Depredations - Stealing
156 Gentility - Refined
160 Daunting - Seeming difficult to deal with

Summarizer. Section 6. Pages 143-169. Kassi Bierman.

  In this section of the reading, Barbara attends her Wal-mart orientation after passing her drug test.  She though she wouldn't need this job, since she was supposed to make ten dollars an hour at Mendard's, but after hearing of the pay rate and lack of overtime pay at Menard's she turns down the job and relies on Wal-mart.  She then goes to move into her motel room when her finds that her room has been given away.  She instead gets a room at the Clearview Inn, which is much closer to her Wal-mart job.  She has to bargain for a room that doesn't smell like mold and this results in a room with a broken window screen and no deadbolt lock on the door.  There is a lack of privacy here and she admits that she feels unsafe for herself and her belongings.  There are minimal places to get food around her room; after complaining about this a coworker surprises her with a sandwich one day because she felt sorry for Barbara.  She later begins her first day at Wal-mart, amazed at how simply the daily tasks are,  varying from hanging up clothes to separating items by style.  She end up having a shift change and begins working the night shift where she will receive an extra half hour of pay and a dinner break.  Here she works a new coworker who she dislikes.  Barbara begins to realize that working here is making her turn 'mean.'  She notices she is not always polite and peppy as she used to be on the first day.
     The author writes the section much like the rest of the book: very casually.  She uses good word choices that serve to describe and illustrate each paragraph very well.  She seems to portray herself as a bit above the rest of her coworkers.  She describes how the jobs she is given to do at Wal-mart require a very little IQ; this downgrades any of the employees that have any difficulty doing their tasks.  She makes herself seem smarter than the rest of the people there. 

Discussion Leader. Section 6. Pages 143-169. Kallie Thoreson

1.     In this section of the book, another Wal-Mart associate brings the author a sandwich because she knows Ehrenreich is having a hard time making ends meet financially (163).  How do you think Ehrenreich felt when she accepted the sandwich?

As this book progresses, the author is realizing more and more what it means to be poor.  Earlier in the book, Ehrenreich bought a can of pop for another maid because she knew the other maid couldn’t afford to buy it.  Now the author is on the receiving end.  At this point in the book, several things have made the author realize what it means to be poor, but having a co-worker bring her food really emphasizes it.  When Ehrenreich was working with The Maids, she was poor, but she seemed to stay ahead of the other maids.  It almost seemed like she didn’t want to become quite as poor as they were.  The author is now in her last location and trying hard to make it through the last few weeks.  The further along Ehrenreich gets into her experiment, the more she learns about what it means to be poor. 

2.     Throughout the book Ehrenreich has dealt with unpleasant supervisors.  She is currently annoyed by Rhoda at Wal-Mart.  How can we use this in our everyday lives?

The author has had to work for some not-so-great employers.  The reason for these bad experiences may be because 1) they have personalities that don’t mix well together, and 2) her supervisors/employers might simply just be rude.  This shows readers that sometimes we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to do.  There will always be people out there who have clashing ideas or personalities from our own.  It could be a classmate, a co-worker, a boss, or just an acquaintance.  In her book, Ehrenreich shows her readers how to work around it and not let it get to you. 

3.    One thing that has changed for Ehrenreich because she is living on near minimum wage jobs is her living conditions.  She is now living with screenless windows and without air or a fan (158).  How would your living conditions and anything else change for you if you tried this experiment?

I can’t say that I currently have great living conditions.  Living in a dorm room definitely has its challenges, but I know it is far better than how the author is living.  There are also a number of things that I maybe take for granted that I would have to give up:  shopping, going out for lunch or an ice cream cone, driving, entertainment, and my cell phone plan are just a few.  My physical health would probably become very poor.  In this book Ehrenreich has held jobs that are physically demanding on her body and are very tiresome.  Plus working two jobs would be draining and could very possibly limit sleep.

4.     Ehrenreich performed this experiment more than ten years ago.  How do you think her experiment would differ in today’s economy?

Ehrenreich’s experiment would be vastly different if she repeated the experiment in today’s economy.  I don’t think it has become easier for people to live on minimum wage over the last ten years.  If anything, I think it has become much more challenging.  I think finding a job would be next to impossible.  Even if the author did find work, she knows that having one job paying minimum wage isn’t enough for her to pay enough rent to live inside.  Finding a job that pays more than minimum wage with the skills and experience she lists on her resume would be incredibly difficult.