The Quest for a Living Wage

Yesterday I drove to a job interview at the Wal Mart in Redding. The gig would be in the grocery department, fulfilling orders for pickup. The team lead divulged that they have a lot of (employee) turnover and that she is under-staffed. She went on to describe the job as fast paced and demanding, that employees are supposed to handle a certain number of units per hour. Not minding hard work, I compared her expectations with what I did when delivering auto parts. The interview went well, I liked the team lead and was open to what the job seemed to entail. After explaining the position the team lead opened the interview to my questions.

“Is the position full time?” I asked.

“Not for the first 90 days,” she replied. “During the trial period it is part time.”

That was a hurdle, but she went on to divulge that part time was “30 to 36” hours and that full time was 36 hours. This seemed workable; the department seemed busy, if I proved myself I would probably get all the hours I wanted or at least be working full time.

“Okay, 30 to 36 hours works,” I said. “How much do you pay per hour?”

The team lead twitched, it was minute but percievable.

“16,” she replied.

Sixteen dollars an hour for a fast paced, demanding position. I wanted to ask the team lead how she saw her attempts at employee retention when fast food workers started getting twenty per hour a month later but she seemed harried and I didn’t feel like adding to that. I was honest with my doubts, that I needed $18 per hour to live in Redding, but agreed to continue the hiring process as Unemployment requires. We ended the interview and I walked out of the store and into a light rain.

The situation was frustrating and I required In-N-Out.  I stopped and got a 3X3 and ate it in the van as I looked across a suburban parking lot. How does In-N-Out do it? They pay a competitive wage ($19 in California), the food is high quality and fresh, and the prices are competitive (a Double Double is roughly the same cost as a Big Mac). In-N-Out is thriving, opening new restaurants all the time while paying fairly and offering great food—what makes their model special? The story is they place a lot of demands on their workers, a lot of expectations, but honestly that is fast food in general: The misconception of a bunch of lazy teens leaning on counters and spending time on their phones is just that,a misconception. I have worked at two fast food chains and it is a tough gig, especially during a rush. Even when you don’t have a line at the drive through the shift lead or assistant manager or manager expects you to be cleaning or restocking. So, I don’t see In-N-Out’s expectations as unusual.

The question returns: What is keeping the other chains from being like In-N-Out at the very least as a business model?

The first question returns: What is the future for that team lead at WalMart? How can she expect to retain staff when paying $16 per hour? How does WalMart justify spending the time and effect to train new employees only to lose them after a short amount of time due to not paying competitively?