changes in 20 years...

[Tatooed_Lady]

Okay, so the ONLY way this is hot tub related is due to it NOT being able to support the purchase of one, either then or now.
My son and I went to McDonald's the other day for a quick, cheap lunch. They had applications on the counter (mini-apps is more like it), and it listed the starting wages. $6/hr. Now, that might seem "right in line" with the current minimum wage rate and all, BUT....I sat and considered something else....19 years ago I worked for McD's, and then the starting wage was $3.35/hr......in almost 20 years the wages have only gone up by $2.65?!?!?!
WOW!

[wmccall]

In 1975 the McDonalds the McDonald's paid $1.95/hour.  

[Brewman]

There aren't any places around here that can get away paying minimum wage, except jobs that also pay tips, like restaurant servers.  
The starting wage at McD's and similar is more like $8, and they have a hard time getting employees.  

The minimum wage has trippled in the past 35 years, roughly.  Probably not keeping with the rate of inflation, from the looks of it.  But when they raised it recently, it hardly caused comment here, since nobody gets away with paying it.  That's how it is here, other places probably are different in that respect.

[Chas]

In 1975 the McDonalds the McDonald's paid $1.95/hour.  

My first job was at a Mickey Dees - I was paid $1.65 per hour, but they took a dime an hour back as a food allowance.

They let us eat all we wanted. That lasted a month, I think.


But I had a Harley and I could go two weeks on a full tank of gas - which cost me less than one hour's wages.

[wmccall]

I've never looked down upon a person for what kind of job they had, with the exception of McDonald's Managers.  All of the ones I had were child abusing over bearing monsters who couldn't make it anywhere else adn this is the only job the judge would let them have around children.  Now of course I realize that is just a stereo type, but a boss would not walk away from me now if he had done some of that stuff to me now.

[drewstar]

I worked for burger king in 1980. (wow 26 years ago). I think the wage was around $3.35

October 1938          $0.25
October 1939          $0.30
October 1945          $0.40
January 1950          $0.75
March 1956           $1.00
September 1961       $1.15
September 1963       $1.25
February 1967         $1.40
February 1968         $1.60
May 1974            $2.00
January 1975          $2.10
January 1976          $2.30
January 1978          $2.65
January 1979          $2.90
January 1980          $3.10
January 1981          $3.35
April 1990              $3.80
April 1991              $4.25
October 1996          $4.75
September 1997       $5.15


Anyhow,   I don't belive in min wage laws.    

And I had a great time with my managers.    Some were dinks, but for the most part, I enjoyed my burger flippin youth.  And some of the stories of the after hours parties...well, they were a 16 y.o. dream come true.  

[tanstaafl2]

And I had a great time with my managers.    Some were dinks, but for the most part, I enjoyed my burger flippin youth.  And some of the stories of the after hours parties...well, they were a 16 y.o. dream come true.  

I never worked in a fast food restaurant but I did work at Six Flags over Georgia for three summers in High School (mid-late 70's). Because we were classified as "seasonal" employees we made LESS than minimum wage. But you want to talk about after hours parties!

I was a ride operator on the Scream Machine, briefly the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world, and often the employees would get the run of the park after hours. Many rides were not at the full setting. Scream machine only had one setting of course although we would let it run almost continuously without stopping it in the station. But others could go much faster than park guests were allowed (Bumper cars for instance...). and we could do pretty much as we pleased as long we didn't kill or (permanently) maim one another.



Not to mention the more remote sections of the park where a whole different kind of recreational activity would take place...

 

[Snowbird]

You may remember the Christmas fiasco a certain airline had at a large northeastern airport a few years ago.  It was an embarrassing disaster caused in large part by massive understaffing due to the bankruptcy they were going thru.

As a result they went on a hiring spree to get the staffing up, but only offered minimum wage or maybe a little higher.  I'm not sure of the exact amount.  But the result was they couldn't hardly hire anyone.

To work for an airline you must pass an initial drug test.  Very few of the applicants could pass because of the type of applicant the low wage attracted.  The hiring program was not successful until they increased the starting wage to a level that could attract drug-free applicants.

So not only do they have to find young people with a decent public school education (most public HS graduates have a hard time making change), but they have to find drug free applicants.

It just shows that the minumum wage really doesn't mean much.  Employers have to pay to attract an applicant capable of doing the job.  In most cases a person on welfare or unemployement will have a net loss by working for minimum wage.

And trying to live on it is not a good life, even of you are single living with your parents.

[Brookenstein]

When I was in college, I was an assistant manager at a movie theater and I think I made $5.15/hr (97-98).  Granted I got all the free popcorn, soda, and movies I wanted, but I also had to close the theater alone at night and we were located on a truck stop.  Often times it was me and one or two truckers for the 10 oclock set and that was it.  It was really scary sometimes.  

[Brewman]

Wow, a movie theater giving away free popcorn and soda!  Probably the two least expensive and most profitable things they sell.
I was a shift manager at a Burger King in high school, and I tried to use the cost of soda syrup to calculate our cost, and I discovered that we paid more for the cup, lid, and straw, than we did for the water, syrup and CO2 gas that made up the contents.  
Cost for a large soda was maybe $0.10 at the most.
And that's all we got free, we had to pay full price for everything else.  Cheapskate owners.

You had good reason to be scared, Brooke.
I had many scary nights working late at Burger K.  
We got robbed at gunpoint (once by a recently terminated manager- NOT ME) a few times, luckily never on my shift.  
If I ever have to put myself in that type of a situation again, I'm going to be armed- company rules be damned.  
Back then most robbers just stole the money and ran, nowdays they shoot the employees after they get the money.

[drewstar]

Wow, a movie theater giving away free popcorn and soda!  Probably the two least expensive and most profitable things they sell.
 I was a shift manager at a Burger King in high school, and I tried to use the cost of soda syrup to calculate our cost, and I discovered that we paid more for the cup, lid, and straw, than we did for the water, syrup and CO2 gas that made up the contents.  
 Cost for a large soda was maybe $0.10 at the most.
And that's all we got free, we had to pay full price for everything else.  Cheapskate owners.

You had good reason to be scared, Brooke.
 I had many scary nights working late at Burger K.  
We got robbed at gunpoint (once by a recently terminated manager- NOT ME) a few times, luckily never on my shift.  
 If I ever have to put myself in that type of a situation again, I'm going to be armed- company rules be damned.  
 Back then most robbers just stole the money and ran, nowdays they shoot the employees after they get the money.

Our owner made use the small dixi cups and we had to get permission to have a drink. Arrrrgh.

I was held up when I was a manager at a convience store and some punk put a revolver to my head for the $30 in the drawer.   The owner of the store was real nice, he told me I could have a free soda from the racks.  

[Brookenstein]

We had 4oz dixie cups to use with the soda and pop corn or coud bring our own container.  

Customers who wanted a water had to pay for the price of a soda just to get the cup, lol.

Another theater was robbed at gunpoint and the staff was tied up until customers found them.  I asked to have another staff member close with me and I was told they could find someone else altogether if I couldn't handle my responsibiliies (of closing alone).  

[East_TX_Spa]

Ya'll could've used one of these:


I think I found Savanna's Christmas present.

Terminator

[drewstar]

Have her pick her favorite color:

[East_TX_Spa]

I wanna trick mine out to look like this:


Now that is uber-tactical!

Terminator