Nickel and dimed : on (not) getting by in America

 

      During my college years, I held several odd jobs to support myself while I was in school. As a freshman, I became a part-time sales rep for a department store, making a measly $7.50 an hour. Being lucky to live at home rent-free, my expenses were minimal. In fact, my only out of pocket expenses were gas money, one credit card bill and one cell phone bill. I knew I was privileged, but I couldn’t help but wonder how Elsa, a co-worker and single mother, could support herself and her young son on such a low wage. <a href="http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/nickelanddimed.htm">Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America</a> by Barbara Ehrenreich puts that theory to the test.

Nickle and Dimed is an important book because it allows its readers to understand the complexities of working a low-wage job and what it means to survive on limited incomes. During the time this book was written and published, the poverty rate in America in the year 2000 was about 31.1 million, according to data presented by the Current Population Survey in the <a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2000/highlights.html">U.S. Census</a>. In 2009, 43.6 million people were in poverty, up from 39.8 million in 2008—the third consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty, according to the <a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/index.html">U.S. Census Bureau</a>. The statistics presented only mean one thing—the state of the American economy has taken a turn for the worst.

Both amusing and entertaining, Ehrenreich chronicles her experience in low-wage positions as a waitress and hotel room attendant in Florida, a housekeeper and kitchen worker at a convalescent home in Maine and a retail worker in Minnesota. Ehrenreich explains her purpose of this experiment in the introduction of her book—she took the cheapest lodging and accepted work in the best paid minimum wage job available for this project. Throughout the book, readers get a first-hand account of what it means to be part of what Ehrenreich continuously refers to as the “working poor.” As defined by the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2000.htm">United States Department of Labor</a> in a profile conducted over a decade ago, the working poor are individuals who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force, but whose incomes fell below the official poverty level. In the book, Ehrenreich poses as a low-wage worker, meaning that most of the time, she was unable to take notes until she was away from her subjects. Readers will probably be able to tell that the description of certain accounts are not as vivid as others, however, her humorous storytelling compensates for the lack of in-depth description and lyrical writing. Instead, Ehrenreich gives it to her readers straight—no sugar coating the severity of her bare-bones situations; her thoughts on cleaning toilets while posing as a housekeeper display her directness perfectly. Another notable example of this writing style can be found while she explains her interactions with a co-worker, Holly, who is injured on the job and her run-in with their boss, Ted.

In her exploits, Ehrenreich experiences a seemingly never-ending struggle in finding affordable and safe housing in the three states she lived in. Readers will find a commonality in all three chapters—the most affordable housing had two options: to share with a number of other people in an uncomfortable and crowded living situation or to live alone in a poor and dangerous neighborhood. In Ehrenreich’s footnotes, the number of affordable housing had declined nationwide since 1991. By 1997, 36 units were available for every one hundred low-income family. According to affordable housing statistics provided by <a href="http://www.habitat.org/how/stats.aspx?tgs=Ny83LzIwMTEgNzo0ODo0MiBQTQ%3d%3d">Habitat for Humanity</a>, in order for the average person to afford the “fair-market” pricing of a two-bedroom apartment in the United would have needed to earn in 1999 (around the time her book was written). This is especially true for someone like myself; just graduating from college and making just enough to scrape by—the last time I attempted at living on my own in sunny Los Angeles, California—the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a fairly nice and quiet neighborhood near the city is $1800, and continues to skyrocket; therefore, I continue to live at home until I can afford the “fair-market” prices. Friends of mine who have bravely tested the waters and have attempted to move out on their own also echo these same sentiments—their choices are much similar to my own: live at home where it’s free and safe or live on the cheap in an unsafe area.  

Another salient issue presented in this book is healthcare—or the lack of it. In her journey, Ehrenreich came across many individuals who often worked long and arduous hours and ignored their various illnesses because it would take away from their work or because they were simply encouraged by employers to “work through the pain.” Ehrenreich unexpectedly experiences difficulty without healthcare and ultimately makes a decision that she asks her audience to judge for themselves. According to an article in <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-09-17-uninsured17_ST_N.htm">USA Today</a>, more than 50 million Americans were without healthcare in 2009. In 1999, according to a survey by the <a href="http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/cb9/cb9.pdf">Medical Expenditure Panel</a>, about 28.9 million Americans were uninsured for the entire year. The way Ehrenreich portrays the issues associated with healthcare is both maddening and heartwrenching. Readers, with healthcare and without, will get a no-holds-barred education on what it means to be without such a basic need.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Ehrenreich’s book is the violation of worker’s rights throughout her experience. Although she chooses to maintain the anonymity of most of the places she posed as a low-wage worker, Wal-Mart somehow escapes this privilege—and justifiably so—Ehrenreich explores her personal issues with the multi-national retail giant. Of all the themes presented in Nickel and Dimed, I found this to be the most relatable because I experienced some of the same issues and often harbored the same feelings of anger toward the larger corporations that tend to take advantage of their employees and treat them as second class citizens. From the absurdities in the “personality surveys” for prospective applicants and the long, often unnecessary training modules that suck the life out of employees before they hit the selling floor, to the ridiculous punishments for offenses like “time theft,” interacting with co-workers while working and attempting to start a union—this chapter will bring back memories of contempt in anyone who has ever worked in retail.

For all its humor and frankness, Nickel and Dimed calls attention to a serious issue happening in America right before our very eyes. Many people are struggling to attain the basic necessities that the majority of us take for granted. As a young college student that has experienced some of these issues first-hand, I can say that Ehrenreich’s portrayal of the low-wage worker is brave, raw and most importantly, very accurate. Although this book was written over a decade ago, I believe this book is a necessary read because of its relevance to today’s weakened economy. While companies continue to downsize, jobs are becoming more scarce and the cost of living continuously reaches new heights, readers can be thankful for the lessons Ehrenreich attempts to teach us all—the American dream as we know it is slowly fading. We live in a time where college students and those with limited education are now in the same boat, trying to survive the ups and downs of the economy. Back in my days as a low-wage worker, I always thought my education would be a way out, but as things get worse, I’m now skeptical of the future. As I prepare to graduate and move into the corporate workforce, I still often wonder how people the “working poor” survive on such limited means during the economic recovery and if Elsa ever made her way out of the department store, never to return. Ehrenreich dives into the world of the low-wage worker head-first and comes back with some surprising answers. The question is now: what do we do about it? Read for yourself and decide.

 

 

NICKEL AND DIMED

            I enjoyed reading Barbara Eherenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America because it analyzed the struggles low-wage workers face trying to stay out of poverty. I related to the same problems stated in Eherenreich’s research on low-wage workers. Throughout my college career, I had to work to support myself because my family wasn’t able to help me financially. I worked at 24 Hour Fitness as a service representative making $9.00 an hour on 35 hours a week, which made it hard to focus completely on school because my degree was the key to avoiding this stressful lifestyle. Working full-time gave me minimal time to study and the money I did make wasn’t enough to cover my living expenses.

 

            Nickel and Dimed is a perfect read for any college student paying for their education that struggles to survive financially off low-wage living. <a href="http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.htm">http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.htm</a> states that students are increasingly likely to work during college. Students between the ages of 16 to 24, who work full-time has increased from 49 to over 60 percent dating back to 1984.The fact is low-wage jobs don’t offer a comfort of security financially or stability working with the company. Eherenreich’s research gives college students understanding of the low-wage jobs they currently hold aren’t giving them the proper rewards for their hard work. College students are faced to resolve obstacles larger than their pay rates but when an issue occurs their quickly punished. It becomes frustrating to work in an environment when your dedication to the job isn’t rewarded but these are problems low-wage workers have been dealing with for decades.

             For example, a temporary low-wage job for a college student can be one of many for an earner with a family leaving them with one option, which is to work whatever hours and salary to provide for their family. The only reward for college students experiencing low-wage work is they will earn a degree leading to more opportunities. As for the low-wage worker the only reward is keeping a job while dealing with lack of recognition, favorable salaries and violation of rights.

            Eherenreich traveled to three different locations in America to live the lifestyle of a low-wage worker. She holds jobs as a waitress, housecleaner and Wal-Mart sales representative. The book is an experiment to see if she could live off her wages, which was $7 an hour working full-time. She quickly learned the salary given is difficult to find affordable housing. In most cases rental living requires the first month’s rent and a security deposit upfront. The salary was impossible to save up enough money to pay for resulting in options such as living in a car, motel, friends or homeless. Throughout the book it was easy to see the relationship between the employee and employer was dysfunctional. Employers’ used their power treat the workers however they chose. For example, Eherenreich’s was a housekeeper in Maine and her co-worker Holly broke her ankle but was afraid to report it to the manager because she feared her job would be terminated. Another indication why she wouldn’t do anything about it is because there isn’t any healthcare provided for her.

            According to <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/whatswrong/">http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/whatswrong/</a>  47 million US residents don’t have health insurance because employers are leaving healthcare coverage up to the employees to activate. How can any person working for a boss that doesn’t allow you proper lunch and bathroom breaks deal with the abuse day-to-day? Eherenreich tries to invoke a union between the workers to stand up to their abusive management but they find themselves hesitant with the high risk of losing their jobs. Ehrenreich's research expressed her feelings that stayed consistent after every job regarding how struggling it is to survive of a low-wage salary and the lack of rewards for the hard work delivered daily. She gives the reader insight in each city on how it feels to live in poverty which continues to increase now over 14 percent stated in the <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf">http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf</a>.

            College students are likely to have one or more jobs while attending school to pay for tuition.       The most common jobs for students are retail, restaurant service or receptionist. These jobs require a lot of mental and physical stability that has been overlooked for generations. College students don’t realize the time and effort they put into their jobs doing whatever it takes to make management happy while they get no credit for ultimately keeping the business intact. I believe managers have instilled an environment where doing more than usually is called a team player but a financial reward is not deserved for the superior work. For example, while I worked at 24 Hour Fitness my job was to help the customer’s with their needs such as towel service, re-racking weights and cleaning the locker-rooms but often I was asked by managers to take guest on tours. Now I didn’t have a problem taking guest and signing them up for memberships but receiving no commission for the sale and being yelled at about no towels on the floor by the same manager that told me to sale memberships isn’t fair. It was a terrible feeling to know I couldn’t do anything right at the gym and extra compensation was definitely out of the question.

           

            College students can relate to this experience because they have felt the effects of being treated poorly and not receiving the proper rewards for their services. The problem doesn’t stop there because after spending 40 hours a week dealing with unfair working conditions you still have to keep in mind the main goal of graduating college so you can bypass low-wage work. On average stated in <a href="http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.html">http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.html</a> 38 percent of college students will drop out of college because of financial pressure. Another example, at 24 Hour Fitness my wages are barely enough to pay my rent, my social life is non-existence because I work all the time and the reward for the hard labor is a movie from red box. While the women Ehrenreich observed through her experiment they barely make enough money to take care of themselves let alone a family. The book helped me realize that this issue is national and there are people in worst situations than I’m in. I liked how she strategized how to save money and find a home that would be in her price range.

 

            Ehrenreich delivers an interesting book that dives right into the problems low-wage workers face in society. I related to most of the issues that come with a low-wage job. The book helped me to articulate what is unfair about my current work environment and the environment of other low-wage workers. After reading this book I can honestly say I understand the hard work low-wage workers do every day without complaint. Ehrenreich is trying to get across the readers that hard work labor receiving low wages is unethical and a reoccurring issue in society that hasn't been reprimanded. I realized that I was struggling but not to the magnitude of these women trying to support their loved ones. The low-wage workers of this society is truly the backbone of the country as they prove to adjust to harsh measure trying to live the “American Dream”

NICKEL AND DIMED

            I enjoyed reading Barbara Eherenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America because it analyzed the struggles low-wage workers face trying to stay out of poverty. I related to the same problems stated in Eherenreich’s research on low-wage workers. Throughout my college career, I had to work to support myself because my family wasn’t able to help me financially. I worked at 24 Hour Fitness as a service representative making $9.00 an hour on 35 hours a week, which made it hard to focus completely on school because my degree was the key to avoiding this stressful lifestyle. Working full-time gave me minimal time to study and the money I did make wasn’t enough to cover my living expenses.

 

            Nickel and Dimed is a perfect read for any college student paying for their education that struggles to survive financially off low-wage living. <a href="http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.htm">http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.htm</a> states that students are increasingly likely to work during college. Students between the ages of 16 to 24, who work full-time has increased from 49 to over 60 percent dating back to 1984.The fact is low-wage jobs don’t offer a comfort of security financially or stability working with the company. Eherenreich’s research gives college students understanding of the low-wage jobs they currently hold aren’t giving them the proper rewards for their hard work. College students are faced to resolve obstacles larger than their pay rates but when an issue occurs their quickly punished. It becomes frustrating to work in an environment when your dedication to the job isn’t rewarded but these are problems low-wage workers have been dealing with for decades.

             For example, a temporary low-wage job for a college student can be one of many for an earner with a family leaving them with one option, which is to work whatever hours and salary to provide for their family. The only reward for college students experiencing low-wage work is they will earn a degree leading to more opportunities. As for the low-wage worker the only reward is keeping a job while dealing with lack of recognition, favorable salaries and violation of rights.

            Eherenreich traveled to three different locations in America to live the lifestyle of a low-wage worker. She holds jobs as a waitress, housecleaner and Wal-Mart sales representative. The book is an experiment to see if she could live off her wages, which was $7 an hour working full-time. She quickly learned the salary given is difficult to find affordable housing. In most cases rental living requires the first month’s rent and a security deposit upfront. The salary was impossible to save up enough money to pay for resulting in options such as living in a car, motel, friends or homeless. Throughout the book it was easy to see the relationship between the employee and employer was dysfunctional. Employers’ used their power treat the workers however they chose. For example, Eherenreich’s was a housekeeper in Maine and her co-worker Holly broke her ankle but was afraid to report it to the manager because she feared her job would be terminated. Another indication why she wouldn’t do anything about it is because there isn’t any healthcare provided for her.

            According to <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/whatswrong/">http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/whatswrong/</a>  47 million US residents don’t have health insurance because employers are leaving healthcare coverage up to the employees to activate. How can any person working for a boss that doesn’t allow you proper lunch and bathroom breaks deal with the abuse day-to-day? Eherenreich tries to invoke a union between the workers to stand up to their abusive management but they find themselves hesitant with the high risk of losing their jobs. Ehrenreich's research expressed her feelings that stayed consistent after every job regarding how struggling it is to survive of a low-wage salary and the lack of rewards for the hard work delivered daily. She gives the reader insight in each city on how it feels to live in poverty which continues to increase now over 14 percent stated in the <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf">http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf</a>.

            College students are likely to have one or more jobs while attending school to pay for tuition.       The most common jobs for students are retail, restaurant service or receptionist. These jobs require a lot of mental and physical stability that has been overlooked for generations. College students don’t realize the time and effort they put into their jobs doing whatever it takes to make management happy while they get no credit for ultimately keeping the business intact. I believe managers have instilled an environment where doing more than usually is called a team player but a financial reward is not deserved for the superior work. For example, while I worked at 24 Hour Fitness my job was to help the customer’s with their needs such as towel service, re-racking weights and cleaning the locker-rooms but often I was asked by managers to take guest on tours. Now I didn’t have a problem taking guest and signing them up for memberships but receiving no commission for the sale and being yelled at about no towels on the floor by the same manager that told me to sale memberships isn’t fair. It was a terrible feeling to know I couldn’t do anything right at the gym and extra compensation was definitely out of the question.

           

            College students can relate to this experience because they have felt the effects of being treated poorly and not receiving the proper rewards for their services. The problem doesn’t stop there because after spending 40 hours a week dealing with unfair working conditions you still have to keep in mind the main goal of graduating college so you can bypass low-wage work. On average stated in <a href="http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.html">http://www.duck9.com/College-Student-Drop-Out-Rates.html</a> 38 percent of college students will drop out of college because of financial pressure. Another example, at 24 Hour Fitness my wages are barely enough to pay my rent, my social life is non-existence because I work all the time and the reward for the hard labor is a movie from red box. While the women Ehrenreich observed through her experiment they barely make enough money to take care of themselves let alone a family. The book helped me realize that this issue is national and there are people in worst situations than I’m in. I liked how she strategized how to save money and find a home that would be in her price range.

 

            Ehrenreich delivers an interesting book that dives right into the problems low-wage workers face in society. I related to most of the issues that come with a low-wage job. The book helped me to articulate what is unfair about my current work environment and the environment of other low-wage workers. After reading this book I can honestly say I understand the hard work low-wage workers do every day without complaint. Ehrenreich is trying to get across the readers that hard work labor receiving low wages is unethical and a reoccurring issue in society that hasn't been reprimanded. I realized that I was struggling but not to the magnitude of these women trying to support their loved ones. The low-wage workers of this society is truly the backbone of the country as they prove to adjust to harsh measure trying to live the “American Dream”

 

Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, Nickel and Dimed is very informative in explaining and exposing the physical and mental effects that low-wage jobs have on people. Furthermore, the book explains how it’s not a reality to survive off of minimum wage, getting a second job is necessary in order to survive. With Ehrenreich actually taking on the task of joining the low-wage workforce, give her book validity. I found myself relating with the book because I’ve had jobs in retail and customer service so I was able to understand the terms and concepts she gave about working in retail. Reading this novel gave me more insight on who Barbara Ehrenreich really is.

            In reading the article Class Warrior, <a href="http://moodle.csun.edu/file.php/18321/Barbara_Ehrenreich_s_profile_CJR.pdf">http://moodle.csun.edu/file.php/18321/Barbara_Ehrenreich_s_profile_CJR.pdf</a> I found out some interesting things about Ehrenreich. She was born in Butte, Montana in 1941. What interested me about her life was that her father started the cycle of obtaining a higher education. Her father, a blue collar worker, made a living as a copper miner, but he also attended school on the side; which lead him to getting accepted into the Butte School of Mines. This event changed her family’s economic status to middle-class. Ehrenreich took advantage of this class change by pursuing college. She attended her second school of choice, Reed College in Portland, Oregon where she received a degree in physics and later, cell biology. This was strange to me, how did a cell biology major develop an interest in writing?

            According to an article from Barbara Ehrenreich’s website, she just got interested in writing and being a reader helped her improve her writing skills. She has the spunk of an advocate, wanting to speak for those who didn’t speak for themselves; a theme that’s apparent throughout her book. She got the idea to write Nickel and Dimed which eating lunch with Lewis Lapham, the editor of Harper’s. She suggested that someone should go out and fit into a minimum wage lifestyle and report on their findings. Little did she know she would be just that “someone.”

            What interested me on Ehrenreich’s website was how it said Nickel and Dimed reveals a desperate need of survival.<a href="http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/nickelanddimed.htm">http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/nickelanddimed.htm</a> I agree with this statement because her journey, and the people who played parts in it, involved fulfilling the need of managing and getting out of poverty if possible. It’s impossible to live in poverty, especially with families. A lot of the people mentioned in the novel were said to have degrees of any kind. It makes me wonder if things would’ve been better for those who did obtain one. However, having a degree doesn’t guarantee middle-class or an elite status. Educated people are working at the same level as those who aren't educated and that’s a problem.

            Throughout the book, there are a few themes that keep showing up. Those themes are housing, physical health, unfair treatment of workers and of course not being paid enough money. I believe that Ehrenreich did a good job of including and describing each one of the themes. In terms of housing, Ehrenreich revealed that it was common for those making little pay to live in dangerous neighborhoods. They often had to live in areas that were risks for their families and themselves. On page 25-26 of the book, she describes the living conditions of a few of her employees in Florida. She mentions that many of them lived in crowded conditions or lived with someone, only a few of hem lived alone. This shows that these types of jobs require more than one income in order to maintain a household.

            Ehrenreich describes some aspects of physical health on her low-wage journey. She mentioned that she had to take pain medicine and her employees where getting hurt from the jobs. There is truth in this because having worked in retail myself, I’ve seen the effects it has o the bodies of employees; especially the older women who’ve worked at these jobs for years. They look hunched over, smoke often, not physically flattering at all. I’ve sat outside with women where they complained about pain from the job, while smoking, deteriorating their health even more. It comes to this because they are on their feet all day long, and it’s not just older women. I’ve had swollen ankles and headaches from constantly being on my feet.

            In Florida, there was an incident where an employee was called by a name other than his own and Ehrenreich took out the time to correct the mistake. This was her first act in speaking up for the unspoken. In the last section of the book where she works at Wal-Mart in Minnesota, she tries to bring out a voice in the workers by planting the idea of forming a union into their heads. They like her idea, but never joined her on it, mainly because they didn’t want to fork out more money.

            What I liked about the Wal-Mart chapter was that I was able to relate because I’ve worked at Target and I know how jobs like these operate. They want you to work according to their systems and standards there is no freedom as Ehrenreich describes on page 210 of her book:

“When you enter the low-wage workplace…you check your civil liberties, leave America and all it supposedly stands for behind, and learn to zip your lips for the duration of the shift.” She felt that there is no freedom in the work place when workers are treated as being low, worthless individuals. It plays a mental game on their minds, making them feel like they are at the bottom of the totem poll for work that those above them would never do, but it has to be done.

            The afterword section of Nickel and Dimed made me glad to read that some people were responding nicely to the contents of the book. I was especially glad to read that the housekeepers wanted Ehrenreich’s to speak up for them; this was proof to me that this book caused a spark of interest and even the hope of starting a movement in the workplace.

            I noticed the structure of the book was broken into three parts, Ehrenreich’s time in Florida, Maine and Minnesota. I found this way of organization made the book a better transition than if she went back and forth between places. I found her footnotes informative because they further broke down the material, especially when it came to figures and statistics. In a class discussion regarding Nickel and dimes, we came to the conclusion that the footnotes where left out of the story so that the reader’s attention wouldn’t leave the story. The reader could easily go back to look at the footnotes and their relevance with the material. Another element I enjoyed from the book was the humor in it. Ehrenreich has a witty tone throughout parts of it, which I found amusing.

            Although Ehrenreich was amusing in her book, the topic of poverty, she discussed isn’t. It’s prevalent today because so many people are working jobs that require a lot of work for little money. People are physically killing themselves to make rent, feed themselves, and have some sort of transportation; they are putting strain on their bodies, without much rest and have often picked up unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking. I believe the purpose of the book, Nickel and Dimed is to provide insight to not only those who aren’t aware, but to those who are, of the conditions a low-wage lifestyle entails. Furthermore, it gives readers a look into what they may be faced with, the unfair side, and the ugly truth of what it means to live in poverty.

 

I was motivated to read this book after hearing that college students at a school in North Carolina sought to ban it as a common book. What, I wondered, was so offensive about a book which, though controversial, seemed (from reviews) to be documentary in nature? What I found supported my initial view of the book--nothing offensive, written mostly in a documentary style, a narrative of the author's attempt to pay rent, buy food, and otherwise survive on jobs she obtains with a resume indicating three-years' of college and no work experience. Although the author's political and religious leanings are made obvious, there are, as she discusses in her conclusions, simple economic facts that are removed from political discourse--that working full time at minimum wage (and slightly above) scarcely provides enough money for basic survival in America. At the end, the author only briefly alludes to some possible solutions, but her purpose is not to provide answers, but to motivate others (especially those in the middle and upper-classes) to think seriously about problems of the working class. She meets her purpose quite admirably.