And They Said it Wouldn't Happen

[BrianP.]

So I remember some discussions mostly on the old site about minimum wages. People said it needed to be raised and I don't necessarily disagree. Others said if you give them $15 an hour they will want $20 an hour. Those people were ridiculed. Some people said it would never happen. January 1st here in Massachusetts we went to the final raise on the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Well within a month or so....

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/minimum-wage-massachusetts-20-bill-2027/

So where do we stop?

[neurosis]

Others said if you give them $15 an hour they will want $20 an hour. Those people were ridiculed.

This isn't surprising to me.

When there was a push for the $15 minimum wage in Seattle, the price of housing was about 1/2 of what it is now. You can't afford dick on $20 an hour in Seattle today.

I get that "minimum wage was never meant to be a livable wage". A higher minimum wage pushes wages up for everyone else and when you're paying $2500 a month for a 650 sq ft apartment, every little bit helps.   

[Del.]

[BrianP.]

This isn't surprising to me.

When there was a push for the $15 minimum wage in Seattle, the price of housing was about 1/2 of what it is now. You can't afford dick on $20 an hour in Seattle today.

I get that "minimum wage was never meant to be a livable wage". A higher minimum wage pushes wages up for everyone else and when you're paying $2500 a month for a 650 sq ft apartment, every little bit helps.   

Boston is the same. All the Democrat run states are that way. Outside of the large urban areas it gets cheaper but where do the politicians live and work? In the large cities so they base everything off of that. It's still won't make it any more affordable. As wages go up so does everything else. Businesses just can't eat that kind of loss. Most politicians have never run a business or had to meet a payroll. There has already been businesses here that have permanently closed due to the one two punch of Covid and rising wages. It was all just too much. If this were to pass it would boost the minimum wage around 150 percent in a decade or so from 8 to 20.

[Shazam/TPP]

My my has SNL changed...back then they would make fun of all...and now.....

[beej]

Boston is the same. All the Democrat run states are that way. Outside of the large urban areas it gets cheaper but where do the politicians live and work? In the large cities so they base everything off of that. It's still won't make it any more affordable. As wages go up so does everything else. Businesses just can't eat that kind of loss. Most politicians have never run a business or had to meet a payroll. There has already been businesses here that have permanently closed due to the one two punch of Covid and rising wages. It was all just too much. If this were to pass it would boost the minimum wage around 150 percent in a decade or so from 8 to 20.

If I were in the market to buy a new home, I could not afford the house I live in now, in today's market.

But anybody with a lick of common sense could tell you that raising minimum wage was going to increase inflation. Home prices were based on a single earner households at one point. When women entered the workforce housing prices went up and are now base on 2 earner incomes.  raising minimum wage does the same thing.

[RobertELee]

Why $20? May as well make it a $100/hr, that'll sure fix it!

[neurosis]

due to the one two punch of Covid and rising wages.

The conservative voices around the Seattle area lost their shit when they implemented the $15 minimum wage. They claimed that burgers were going to go from $5 to $12 (insert republican talking point here), but the fact was, the cost went up about .25 to .50 cents on average. Hardly the sky is falling scenario we were told was going to happen (not that there weren't other consequences).  Ridiculous Covid policy had far more of a disastrous effect on inflation than the minimum wage increase. 

[Jeff]

the cost went up about .25 to .50 cents on average

Prices have gone up far more than that (at least here in Michigan). I'd say 25-50 percent not cents.
Take Jimmy John's for example, the sandwich I used to get from there a couple of years ago with chips and a drink was around $8.50. Now it's over $12.00
Groceries... I go once per weekend and as a single guy I don't need much, usually a decent haul was about $70-$80, now it's about $120.

The minimum wage bullshit has forced companies to install kiosks and more self-checkout lanes to cut down on wage costs.

Fukin greedy entitled millenial fucks ruined it for everyone.

[JParis]

Groceries... I go once per weekend and as a single guy I don't need much, usually a decent haul was about $70-$80, now it's about $120.

It's just my wofe and myself, I have a freezer full of meat, couple hundred pounds worth, so we don't buy meat weekly....we're stilll over $100/week....

Mc'D's, 2 "value" meals is not over $33.....

an $8 sandwich is not between $12/$13....

We go out to dinner, it's become common to have a bill approaching $150 including tip....hell, stopping for lunch in a local Pub is $80 with tip...

and here's the dirty little secret....beyond some products "moderating" on their prices, cost isn't coming down...

[neurosis]

Prices have gone up far more than that (at least here in Michigan). I'd say 25-50 percent not cents.
Take Jimmy John's for example, the sandwich I used to get from there a couple of years ago with chips and a drink was around $8.50. Now it's over $12.00
Groceries... I go once per weekend and as a single guy I don't need much, usually a decent haul was about $70-$80, now it's about $120.

The minimum wage bullshit has forced companies to install kiosks and more self-checkout lanes to cut down on wage costs.

Fukin greedy entitled millenial fucks ruined it for everyone.

Prices have gone up a ridiculous amount here too, but it had nothing to do with the push for and implementation of a $15 per hour minimum wage.  The minimum wage increase here in Seattle happened almost a decade ago.  The massive price spikes happened in the last two years and Covid policy was solely responsible.

[mkd]

Fukin greedy entitled millenial fucks ruined it for everyone.

technically, it's boomer politicians that continue to fleece the nation.


i noticed HD and Lowes only allow to self check out. anyone know if it's nationwide?

[JParis]

i noticed HD and Lowes only allow to self check out. anyone know if it's nationwide?

I've been in 2 different HD's in the past few weeks, only 1 live person register, all else self checkout

Walmart is mostly the same as well, occasionally you'll see 2 or may b3 registers open but it's mostly 1 and self checkout

[beej]

Prices have gone up a ridiculous amount here too, but it had nothing to do with the push for and implementation of a $15 per hour minimum wage.  The minimum wage increase here in Seattle happened almost a decade ago.  The massive price spikes happened in the last two years and Covid policy was solely responsible.

Wikipedia says that the law was passed in 2015 and raised incremently until 2021 at which point it matches the increase of the Consumper Price Index which would perpetuate the inflation (seems to me)

[neurosis]

Our local Safeway went to a self check out only between 5 and 8 am. 

I went in early one Friday to get groceries before it got busy. When I went to check out I noticed that there were no registers open so I asked the lady working the self check out what was going on. When she told me I left my full cart sitting there and went to a different store.