Bernie to Walmart: raise wages!

Forums: Minimum Wage, Walmart, Inflation, Bernie Sanders
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Bernie Sanders says it is 'grotesque' for Walmart to be owned by rich people and not raise minimum wage.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/06/04/bernie-sanders-walmart-minimum-wage-grotesque-and-absurd/1345549001/

But what would actually be more grotesque?
1) raising wages and prices, and thus hurting everyone on fixed income or who is unemployed or otherwise struggling without income?

or

2) maintaining and/or lowering prices so that everyone's money goes further regardless of whether or not their wages go up?

Wages are relative to prices. When wages go up, it puts upward pressure on prices. When prices go up, the people with the least suffer the most.

Why does Bernie Sanders want the people with the least to suffer the most by promoting higher prices and inflation?

Maybe because he's actually on the side of the big investors who stand to make the most money from raising prices.

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@livinglava,

Because Bernie doesn't understand economics and/or it sounds great on the campaign trail.

First off I am not a fan of the Walmart corporation - but Walmart increasing their starting salary will not solve or in the long run help their employees. The starting salary is not supposed to be a living wage. It is where you start. My 16 year old is out looking for a job with no experience (maybe working with kids) but really no experience - should she go into Walmart and make 15 dollars an hour? No - she should be paid her value. Then - as she gains experience her salary should increase with that. In addition - if she wanted to grow with Walmart - as she gains experience she could get promoted to assistant manager, manager, etc. where her salary would reflect a living wage.

Minimum wage should be those first working with no experience to move up to a living wage.

Now I do think that these CEOs and so forth are money hungry and overpaid - but raising the minimum wage isn't going to change that. Sam isn't going to cut his salary and benefits.

Increasing the minimum wage is going to reflect in the prices going up - and who is that going to impact --- not the wealthy they don't shop at Walmart.

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@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

Because Bernie doesn't understand economics and/or it sounds great on the campaign trail.

First off I am not a fan of the Walmart corporation - but Walmart increasing their starting salary will not solve or in the long run help their employees. The starting salary is not supposed to be a living wage. It is where you start. My 16 year old is out looking for a job with no experience (maybe working with kids) but really no experience - should she go into Walmart and make 15 dollars an hour? No - she should be paid her value. Then - as she gains experience her salary should increase with that. In addition - if she wanted to grow with Walmart - as she gains experience she could get promoted to assistant manager, manager, etc. where her salary would reflect a living wage.

Minimum wage should be those first working with no experience to move up to a living wage.

Now I do think that these CEOs and so forth are money hungry and overpaid - but raising the minimum wage isn't going to change that. Sam isn't going to cut his salary and benefits.

Increasing the minimum wage is going to reflect in the prices going up - and who is that going to impact --- not the wealthy they don't shop at Walmart.

You make a good point about entry-level wages, but the bigger picture is that Walmart could choose either 1) raise wage or 2) lower prices further or at least keep them low; and lowering the prices would be a better use of the money than raising the wages.

Why? because not everyone who is poor can work more. Walmart has greeters, etc. but it also has an army of poor people relying on it to provide basic goods, food, etc. So raising prices to raise wages for workers would hurt all those 'deplorables' who aren't exactly greeter material, but who still have a right to 'save money and live better' with what little money they have from whatever source.

So I don't see Walmart as being greedy when they keep wages and prices low. I see them as being generous to the poor. I just don't understand why someone like Bernie Sanders, who seems to care about the poor, doesn't see it the same way.

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@livinglava,

So speaking of minimum wage and stuff - my daughter 20, with no retail experience just looking for another summer job to supplement the one she already has - just got offered $13 and hour at target. No experience but they still pay over $2 hour over min wage.

See these are the types of jobs that should be paying the lower salaries - people starting out, no experience, looking to supplement their income. Ideally someone at 30 has 10 years or so of experience and if they are deceit workers would be promoted/increased in salary due to their experience. If they have not, then it is more likely they are crappy workers.

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@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

So speaking of minimum wage and stuff - my daughter 20, with no retail experience just looking for another summer job to supplement the one she already has - just got offered $13 and hour at target. No experience but they still pay over $2 hour over min wage.

See these are the types of jobs that should be paying the lower salaries - people starting out, no experience, looking to supplement their income. Ideally someone at 30 has 10 years or so of experience and if they are deceit workers would be promoted/increased in salary due to their experience. If they have not, then it is more likely they are crappy workers.

It might not be how good or bad of workers they are but just something as superficial as how they look. If your 20 year old daughter is pretty, they might consider it a bargain to get her as part of their store decoration at that price. Sorry if that sounds rude or objectifying of your daughter, but I just think it is the reality; not only for women but also for men. If the managers think that someone looks like the kind of person who will attract other shoppers to shop there more, they hire the person more as a marketing prop than as a worker, though of course they will also want the person to do work - although they often hire nice-looking young people for easier jobs and put older, uglier people in harder jobs with less customer-interaction.

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@livinglava,

livinglava wrote:

Linkat wrote:

So speaking of minimum wage and stuff - my daughter 20, with no retail experience just looking for another summer job to supplement the one she already has - just got offered $13 and hour at target. No experience but they still pay over $2 hour over min wage.

See these are the types of jobs that should be paying the lower salaries - people starting out, no experience, looking to supplement their income. Ideally someone at 30 has 10 years or so of experience and if they are deceit workers would be promoted/increased in salary due to their experience. If they have not, then it is more likely they are crappy workers.

It might not be how good or bad of workers they are but just something as superficial as how they look. If your 20 year old daughter is pretty, they might consider it a bargain to get her as part of their store decoration at that price. Sorry if that sounds rude or objectifying of your daughter, but I just think it is the reality; not only for women but also for men. If the managers think that someone looks like the kind of person who will attract other shoppers to shop there more, they hire the person more as a marketing prop than as a worker, though of course they will also want the person to do work - although they often hire nice-looking young people for easier jobs and put older, uglier people in harder jobs with less customer-interaction.

No - they have a sign on the door as you walk into Target --- it says hiring - starting at $13/hour. If you saw some of the people working in target (nothing against them) you might think otherwise - however - she is doing customer service so yeah I can see that.

The pretty stuff is for those clothes stores - but funny how you mention it. There is a new store in the next town over. They have one size - it is for really small girls (like my daughter - she wears a double 0). So one of her friends applied there - and they asked for her social media account because the manager needs it to look at a few pictures - if he decides she has the look he will hire her.

My daughter was thinking of applying there until she heard that - she thought it was creepy so she didn't apply. Her friend did get the job - she thought it was because she is blond (not anything else to qualify her).

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@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

No - they have a sign on the door as you walk into Target --- it says hiring - starting at $13/hour. If you saw some of the people working in target (nothing against them) you might think otherwise - however - she is doing customer service so yeah I can see that.

The pretty stuff is for those clothes stores - but funny how you mention it. There is a new store in the next town over. They have one size - it is for really small girls (like my daughter - she wears a double 0). So one of her friends applied there - and they asked for her social media account because the manager needs it to look at a few pictures - if he decides she has the look he will hire her.

My daughter was thinking of applying there until she heard that - she thought it was creepy so she didn't apply. Her friend did get the job - she thought it was because she is blond (not anything else to qualify her).

I can see how she would prefer customer service at Target. Target is still, imo, the prettier cousin of Walmart. The two stores are otherwise pretty similar, but I think more aesthetically-minded people, women especially, prefer Target even when Walmart items might be a little more durable.

Anyway, this discussion has deviated from the purpose of the thread, which is to question Sanders' idea that higher wages in society is better for the economy and people overall.

Generally, the automotive-consumer culture is what's causing the problems with climate and unsustainability, so it would make sense for everyone to make and spend less, and give up driving, use transit or ride a bicycle instead.

So when Sanders and/or other Dems are arguing in favor of higher wages and more growth, they're really arguing against the kinds of social-economic cultural reforms that would put the US on track for climate reform and sustainability.

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Bernie to Walmart: raise wages!

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