Ralphs, Food 4 Less to close 25% of Long Beach stores over extra $4 per hour

only if you refuse to elaborate on the standard of living desired that the "living wage" needs to support

 

I want a federal minimum wage that keeps up with inflation.

I want state and local governments to go beyond that where the federal minimum wage does not equal a living wage.

The free market has brought us the exploitation of the working poor. I’d gladly pay more for products if it means improving their station.

 

I did that in the post you quoted. You ignored it for some reason.

 

It says people need MORE income. It doesn't say that employers with employers with zero skills should be paid more if they have children.
It also says that people simply need 15 bucks an hour for a ... specifically ... modest but adequate standard of living.

That does mean paying less than 15 bucks, is paying people to live in poverty.
Apparently a honest days work is for some people no reason to pay a honest wage.
I find that extremely hostile to a cornerstone of the American way of life.

 

You got your answer.


I do want you to explain yourself.
You seem to be against the 15 bucks an hour.
But NEVER looked into it why people are asking 15 bucks an hour.
Biased much?

 

Kroger should shift to more favorable areas to do business. They already have to deal with decriminalized shoplifting of under $1000 value in places like Long Beach. Imagine what that does to a business’s ability to compensate workers and make a profit.

If someone wants grocers in Long Beach that sell food at a loss or for less profit than Kroger, they should start their own chain that does so. If they aren’t willing to bankroll such a business they shouldn’t complain about “food deserts” or fast food.

 

Arresting shoplifters is a treatment of the symptoms and ignores the cause. We need to address as a society the reasons that people feel a need to shoplift.

That being said I agree that we can’t allow people to shoplift as it drives business out of poor areas and creates food deserts and underserved communities. But we also can not rely on punishment only to fix our problems.

 

What increased production? Automation and computers. Not more work from the actual human being in general.

Let's see, what can a person do to increase their value in the work place. Since limited service restaurants are a major portion of MW employment, lets use that as a basis.

Multi-task. Producing more product in a shorter period of time.
Make suggestions to the employer or higher ups to improve production.
Treat the customer like you appreciate them coming to visit, so they will come back.
Borrow books from the library (the FREE* source) on business management.
Read Trade publications of up and coming food trends. (also available at the Free* source)
Show the superiors you are good at handling money during customer interactions.
Make a superior product.
Show up on time, every time, and act like you actually want to be there.
Offer to cover shifts for other call-offs whenever possible.

A few additional things that people can do to increase their value in the workplace, not necessarily tied to their current workplace.
Check with your local Chamber of Commerce, they can quite often recommend local business owners who may be willing to mentor.
Check with a local Trade organization to see if someone is willing to provide an apprenticeship.
Check with local Community colleges, who may allow auditing certain classes in your field.
Check with Guidance offices at local high school for suggestions on more resources.

By the time that you would qualify to apply at a law firm for anything other than a mailroom clerk, you already have a degree or are working on one. But I guess to bury the truth, one needs to go to extremes, eh?

Once again, the majority of true MW earners are under 25 years old, which is less than 3% of the workforce. The $15 MW proposal will affect everyone in the way of rising prices, while benefitting very few for a very short period of time.

 

I agree with that. But as a society we have embraced the causes. We want the things that attribute to shoplifting. It won’t change. Therefore we must protect the innocent or allow the innocent to protect themselves.

All societies that eschew moral foundations to elicit acceptable behavior have to resort to force (punishment) of some kind (and even those having moral foundations employ consequences for actions). Some Asian societies may hit a good middle of the road approach with using shame/peer pressure as the punishment. I’d guess that would take generations to instill in our society even if it was the desired course of action.

Basically we have a catch 22 situation that will continue to worsen.

 

i received no such answer. I simply asked you and your fellow Democrat voters to elaborate on the lifestyle whi h should be sustained on a "living wage"

That means, how far should you live from your current place of employment?
Don't just think big city so, should you have a vehicle, if yes, describe it. Is it in great repair, well insured?
What types of food should you be able to purchase; steaks once per week? Maybe swordfish?
What type of smartphone is the min that you should be able to purchase?

please, share with us the lifestyle and then a number can be reached based upon area

it's basic stuff here but you simply want to speak in platitudes with no substance

here is your chance to call out mean-spirited folks like me who risked everything to grow a business.

 

Automation drives down the cost of production and even if none of our increased productivity can be attributed to actual manpower, I disagree with that, it should still result in better wages for laborers. Automation should be a tool by which we improve the lives of all of our citizens, not just the owner class.

Your entire premise for what employees can do to improve their value to a company works off the assumption that a) employees aren’t already doing those things and b) that companies aren’t motivated by their profit margins to extract as much value from their employees while paying them as little as possible. If employees were paid based on their value to a company we wouldn’t even need to discuss minimum wage.

These additional suggestions ignore the time and energy suck that is minimum wage work.

An extreme example of course, but no less relevant. Most minimum wage work does nothing to prep rare you for anything more than minimum wage work. Few of these jobs are the stepping stones that your crowd likes to pretend they are.

I don’t understand the argument about that average age of minimum wage workers? Why should it be acceptable for 25 year olds to be stuck living in poverty in spite of supplying value to the economy that far outweighs their compensation? At 25 my parents owned their first house and had already had my oldest brother. Their compensation for work far better reflected their value to the economy.

 

You’ve received your answers. You’re just looking to mire posters down in minute details that you can pick apart piece by piece without addressing anything of consequence. Sorry no one wants to play your game. If it helps though, consider the following definitions. They might set you on the right track.


modest
[ mod-ist ]
See synonyms for: modest / modestly on Thesaurus.com
free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house.
limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.: a modest increase in salary.

 

A saddening assessment, but probably a realistic one.

 

not a game. How about the avg price of a 3 bedroom home? Then try and buy one in downtown SF for that amount

Your point is that your position is indefensible and thus you resort to these replies

 

Just a funny aside here but.... In game parlance DPS = Damage per Second. Kind of apropos eh?

 

Sure seems like it.

I wouldn’t consider a three bedroom home on a single salary to be a modest living condition, would you?

move done nothing but defend my points in this thread. I’m sorry your game isn’t being played to your satisfaction, but it’s not my job to jump through every hoop you set up.

 

It’s my opinion we need to focus on individuals. We can help individuals succeed even in a dysfunctional society that hasn’t any interest in improvement. Tweaking society with laws and regulations seems to introduce negative “unintended” consequences that accelerate the dive to the bottom.

If individuals want to “win”, they need to stop playing society’s game.

 

I feel that approach can absolutely better some people’s lives, but to do the most good for the most people I don’t see any option other than to resolve our societal issues.

 

Funny thing about raising the minimum wage. It just forces companies to increase prices. Which in turn makes things more expensive for those that do not own a business. That increase in prices due to the minimum wage being raised also increases the prices for the items that build homes. Which means an increase in prices in the housing market and rent market. In the end all the increases puts those receiving the new minimum wage back to where they were before the new minimum wage. Back at poverty level and people demanding that the minimum wage be increased again. Its circular.

So....where do we draw the line? Simply raising the minimum wage is not going to fix the problem. At best it puts a band aid on the problem which eventually becomes soiled and falls off (normal) or is ripped off (covid shutdowns). At worse the inflation becomes so huge that money becomes worthless.

 

I think the company agrees with you. That's why they closed 25% of their stores. Businesses are created to make a profit and if the city wants to take a big juicy bite out of it then adjustments have to be made. No insult intended to people who work hard in that part of the economy but it doesn't require a lot of education or very difficult skillsets so the labor isn't as expensive. That's the reality. Time and again we see this same song and dance. The Left decides to virtue signal by adding a few bucks an hour and the result is what we see here. A net loss of jobs.

 

I already answered to this. It reads:
to achieve a modest but adequate standard of living

Your demands to go anal on specifics how many feet a person should be living away from a job.....
It's just like you wondering when eating steak gets to be more than adequate. Is it every 7 days, is it every 9?
It's trolling and absolutely trivial to the entire discussion.

Exactly that what you are doing leads to absolutely no substance, as if you got no clue what a modest standard of living is about.

Here is your chance to explain yourself why people must live in poverty after a honest days of work.
Do you think you have a patriotic American heart if you refuse to acknowledge a honest days pay should go with a honest day work.


And the business we speak of is not a business of people who "risk everything"
They risk nothing when they make over a 3 billion profit, which is what the owners of food for less earn.

 

It’s a short term loss of Jobs. Other companies that can fill the holes in the market will, and the consumer has more to spend on goods. Increases in minimum wage have been shown to slightly improve employment numbers for that reason.

 

Price increases only end up accounting for a small portion of those whose wages go up. It ultimately results in more buying power for consumers and forces companies to innovate so they can stay competitive with other businesses willing to do so.

 

Think of it as a tax on all but the poorest people.

 

When the pay is THAT low, that the government needs to financially aid a person who actually works a full time job, than it's actually the government that aids a company for underpaying their staff.

This isn't China. If a person is still in need for a handout after a honest days work because the employer is unable to pay a living wage,
than the company is simply not viable to exist... and it's store must make room to a business that can. That's what capitalism is about.