Welcome to Litsy!

If you liked Nickeled and Dimed, you‘ll love this modern take on how folks live paycheck to paycheck. The author is a journalist and spends time working at Amazon warehouse, McDonalds and an outsourced call center—she ties in the stress related to these types of jobs.

A reporter by trade, the author took on a series of low-wage service jobs: an Amazon warehouse, an AT&T call center and McDonald‘s. Her account of her experience is interspersed with commentary on the sociological, physical and emotional implications of such jobs. Throughout, the author kept herself going by reminding herself that “I can leave.” So many of those who work in these jobs can‘t. Excellent read.

#Nonfiction2022
Prompt: I‘m an Escapee

After discussing Nomadland with some friends, I left their house with this book. That's the best kind of friends 😃 It seems to be a really good accompaniment to read alongside Nomadland, the author works in an Amazon warehouse, McDonald's, and a call center. Just started, but finding it take eye opening already.

Wow 😳
Recommended reading for everyone who has never struggled, and validation for those who have!
Have you ever caught yourself thinking 💭 “McDonald‘s employees can never get my order right and they want to make more than minimum wage!?” Start here, for a lesson in empathy ⬆️
The author takes on 3 entry level positions within large corporations and reports on the physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting work experienced.

This is my favorite nonfiction book from 2019, and I was happy to read it again.

Emily took jobs at three major employers: Amazon, McDonald‘s, and Convergys (call center) to show how algorithms have made unskilled jobs even more stressful - from understaffing at McD to the bleakness of an Amazon warehouse to “screamers” on the phone. Every second of these workers days is monitored & scheduled in a way Orwell could only dream of. ⬇️

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 🤗🤗

1. I started reading at three and always enjoyed it! I started going to the library at four, which was so fun.

2. Tagged and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. For fiction, either The Nix or Station Eleven.

#two4tuesday

#nonfiction2020 #economics The author took on entry jobs at Amazon, Convergys, and McDonalds, and wrote about her experiences. It was shocking to learn how much 'micro-managing' down to every second of the workers day, and how dehumanizing the practices are. Felt relevant to read right now, as it's been so difficult for low-wage workers during covid, with companies not protecting their workers well enough!

Thanks for the tag @Blueberry 😘😘
1. It got up in the mid-70s today, but fortunately it‘s cooling down to the 50s overnight and through the next few days!!
2. Irises and tulips
3. Tagged, Station Eleven (usually 😉), and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday 🤗😘😍 Thanks for your support, Sherri!!

Congratulations Misty!! 🎉🤩📚🥰😘🥳 #5n5giveaway

1. Tagged. An amazing book that will change the way you see the warehouse, grocery, and food workers that are keeping our society together. Read it!!
2. Summer by Ali Smith that comes out in August!

This book was fascinating, and I thought the conclusion was spot on.

Thanks so much for doing this giveaway, Liz!! It is really fantastic having you on Litsy. Congratulations on 300k litfluence!!! 🥳🥳🎉🎉📚📚🤩🤩

Here are my three favorite genres, and since I‘m posting...I highly recommend the tagged book to anyone! 👍🏻👍🏻

#lizpixies3x3giveaway

Laid off from her newspaper job, Emily Guendelsberger joined the workforce and applied to several minimum wage jobs to understand the atmosphere of employees working paycheck to paycheck. From the sweatshop conditions of Amazon to the soul sucking hell that is a call center to the wastelands of McDonald's, Guendelberger exposes the harsh realities of trying to earn a livable wage while big corporations reap the benefits through exploitation.

This was me everyday when I worked in a call center. I can‘t imagine going back. You don‘t get to be human and now they have even more ways to monitor time off task. 😭

#wgwouldyourather #wintergames #TeamFozziwig

The scariest thing I l‘ve read in a while! #HappyHalloween

Honestly, just reading this book is causing stress because low-wage jobs like this are my life. Not quite this stressful right now (so far) but yeah.

My final time for #24B4Monday. This is pretty good for me!

An updated Nickel and Dimed. Author works at an Amazon warehouse, a call center and a McDonalds to explore and write about the ways that low wage work is destroying the physical and mental health of much of our labor force. Thought provoking and ultimately an effective call to action.

The idea that fast food workers aren't real.
Yes we are real! We have feelings and deserved to be treated with respect and kindness. You have no idea why a person is working where they are. I guarantee the jerks wouldn't tolerate being demeaned, get stuff thrown at them, be yelled at, or get spit on at their job.

This!!! You can't be a caring person in fast food. What made me a good manager in that I cared for my employees, ate me up on the inside. I couldn't sleep thinking about what was going wrong at the store at that moment. I would get sick in the morning thinking about how short staffed I was for that day and how this would affect everyone. I couldn't read anything right before I quit because my brain wouldn't stop thinking about work.

Emily just had food thrown at her. Reading this section on McDonald's has my heart pounding remembering the last 6 months at Wendy's. I was cussed at daily, had food thrown at me, and was spit at. God. I am so glad I walked away. That job was slowly turning me into an angry unrecognizable person.

This book is already striking a chord with me and I am less than 10 pages in. I have worked service jobs pretty much my entire life and even though I am a manager I still see and have experienced what is going on. 8 years of working in fast food means I can handle almost anything

Woo hoo!!! Big congratulations to @GrilledCheeseSamurai !!! Much love to you for reaching 100k!! 🍾🥂😘🎉🎉

The tagged book has probably become my favorite nonfiction read of all time. Such an eye-opening important read!

I am tagging @bromeliad whom I have loved having on my #BFCr3 team and is an outstanding Litten! 💜

#SixDigitSamurai

I always try to go above and beyond to be the most polite customer that I can be. I empathize with those working these stressful service jobs after my own experiences in food service for almost a decade. I have always said that I think everyone should have to work a customer service job at some point in order to better understand and respect one another. Either way, this should be required reading.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If everyone isn't required to work a shitty service job at some point, they should at least be required to read this book.

I read 25 books in July!! 🥳🥳📚🎉🎉 The best four are above. Y‘all know me, I read a lot of #nonfiction, and all of my top four were nonfiction.

On the Clock should be in everyone‘s August #botm if you at all like sociology or the book Nickel and Dimed. If you like memoirs, Maybe You Should TtS is still available, too, from BOTM.

The Buried has beautiful maps & storytelling, & The Collected Schizophrenias shines light on a rare mental illness.

1. This is the best book I‘ve read all summer, and everyone should add it to their August #botm!!
2. I don‘t even know. It‘s been at least 3 years!
3. 🍒🍑
4. Officially 2, unofficially 4
5. Will do! 💜💜

#friyayintro @howjessreads

On The Clock turned into a more substantive look at the history and future of exploitive labor practices than I expected. The author embeds herself in 3 notoriously unforgiving work environments and shares her experiences. More than that, she castigates the systems that rewards profit before people. For a book on labor and capitalism, it‘s a fun read. If you think automation isn‘t coming for your job, think again. #botm

Easily one of the best books of the year! Emily works at an Amazon warehouse, a Convergys (AT&T) call center, and a McDonalds to find out what life is like across the country in the age of poor pay, high turnover, & chronic, purposeful understaffing.

This should be required reading for every member of Congress and people who pass down the policies of timed bathroom breaks and unpaid leave points. A true must-read! Add it to your August #botm! 5⭐️

I‘ve had an anxious day yesterday (by the clock), but I‘m going to read a few pages before bed. I saw this and had to share! FYI, white badges are temp employees.

And I just want to thank everyone for being so supportive yesterday. 💕🥰💕 It truly meant a lot!!! 😘😘

Call center exhaustion! I haven‘t made it past training yet because I keep having to do other stuff.

I cannot wait for next weekend when I can fully devote myself to reading!! #24in48 There‘s still time to sign up even if you can‘t do the full 24!

Finished part one: Amazon fulfillment center. On to part two: call center.

I don‘t know how I‘m going fit a review of this in 451 characters!! It comes out Tuesday or add it to your August #botm box!

PS I love my new bookmarks from FunUsual Suspects!

Sorry I‘m not catching up with everyone‘s check ins, but I can‘t put this book down. Seriously, what kind of sociopath makes it so people have to take 12+ Advil per shift!!

Just started this, and I am loving it so far. I am on such a sociology kick!! It was a #BOTM add-on, but I haven‘t seen anyone else posting about it. Did anyone pick it up?

The author worked undercover at an Amazon fulfillment center, a call center, and a McDonald‘s in different parts of the country after the newspaper she was working at folded.

One of my favorite booksleeves, too! 🥰

It‘s rare that I start three new books at once, but I‘m excited to have decided on these three. Forward, I‘ll start on my walk tomorrow morning. On the Clock is a #BOTM July add on. Dapper Dan is a library ebook. #nonfictionjunkie #sendhelporfiction 🤣🤣