So while we respect your culture, how about you respect our culture and pay your god damned employees.
Now, the pay is lower and the driver pays for the car, takes the risk, pays the gas, pays for half the insurance, and also drives”.
What does that tell you? There is no mechanism except your power - not ability, not performance - but just your power and leverage to negotiate a wage.
Unionize, collectivize, ☝️
Many boldly claim, with a righteous fervor, that automatically by default tipping at least 15-20% to all service workers who “expect it” is part of our culture.
I grew up in America, I am American, and I don’t think that’s true. Let’s find out.
It seems like the vast majority of fabric used today in jeans is total garbage. You need to spend triple digits on pants if you want anything with a reasonable thickness or quality stitching.
I went online and bought a pair of Lee (yeah - the budget brand) jeans from the 90’s, and they are amazing. Thick fabric, soft, quality stitching, a full leather label on the back.
That was the cheap brand and it puts everything I was trying on new to shame except some very expensive Selvedge options.
I know this isn’t a hot take but god damn I never thought we’d be in a place where companies are lowering quality to such an extent that budget jeans from 30 years ago are better than what I can buy new - but it’s true!
I was poor for a long time. Who knows, I might be poor again in the future, but right now, at this moment, I have a good job.
However, some things I do have engendered some comments from new friends or even my own introspection.
Even though I now own a quality laptop and have a TV, I still watch videos mostly on my phone, in my bed, and it's still the same free sites. I just got used to watching free videos on my phone, and I still do it.
I still cook all the time and I still buy whatever is on sale from grocery stores. I think I got "used to" the fun of the challenge of everything being Iron Chef. I do not avoid invitations to go out anymore because I can afford it, so I do get to eat at restaurants too. Yesterday I ate a baked potato because I had the end of a butter stick and some green onions going bad, as well as a dried up knob of cheddar. Everyone I know would throw this out, and I could afford to throw this out, but I didn't.
I just purchased shoes for $24 because "it was a good deal" even though I didn't need to. The shoes are of much lower quality than the people I work with, and they don't understand why I am pleased with "getting a good deal". Why would I voluntarily buy budget shoes when I don't need to?
When gas prices shot up, I reflexively planned a bunch of hobby events that don't require me to use my car. Night in, cycling around the neighborhood, playing video games, and I stopped using it except for work, which was my usual move when gas was too hot.
What do you still do from more impoverished times