Currently, the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25. There's still a large portion of the population, 1.6 million people, who are working at or below the minimum wage as of 2019.
With inflation, this number really doesn't add up when we look at the cost of living.
Tons of minimum wage workers would want to make $100k per year if they had the chance. But would the money be worth the often boring, repetitive, and even physically demanding jobs?
We went to AskReddit to find out.
Redditor Drakken11577 asked:
"Would you bag groceries for the entirety of your working career if you got paid $100,000 a year to do it? Why or why not?"
Let's see how this debate plays out.
Money is money.
"Yeah. I go to work to make money. That’s money."
- Bloebmn
"I would like a job with the least amount of responsibility."
- redrumWinsNational
"Yep. Presuming you aren't working 90 hour weeks or whatever and it's just normal work hours, I don't particularly mind what I do for work. I'm there to cover the expenses of the fun stuff I do when NOT working. As long as work/life balance is good so I can enjoy me free time I don't mind it being repetitive."
- Sasparillafizz
It's like a game.
"I used to bag when I worked at a grocery store and it was great. It was like playing Tetris with real objects and I got to chat and joke with people who came through the line."
"A perfectly packed bag is so satisfying."
- I_Am_The_Cattle
"Have you ever managed to get it all in one bag? I've had times customers hand me one bag and go 'I don't think it'll all fit in there,' I look back and go 'challenge accepted.'
"Not only is a perfectly packed bag satisfying, when you managed to pack it so everything fits in nicely in the one bag; now that's another level of satisfaction."
"Of course I only try to get it all in one bag if they're isn't too much and if there isn't a lot of heavy items."
- pixie13903
Bag Boys.
"Hell, I'd even wear a name tag that says 'Bag Boy.'"
- JTodd078
"Bag Boys For Life."
- howwouldiknow--
Raises with inflation.
"Does that wage increase with inflation? 100k might not be much in 20 years. With some persistence and dedication however, I think my working career could be over by then 100k/year."
- Due_Independent3191
"Sure..yea you get regular raises in line with inflation."
- Drakken11577
"Can someone put you in charge of real life please?"
- WhatWouldSatanDo
"Mmmm gurl what those BENEFITS look like tho?"
- UGLYWOLFF
"The benefits are $100k a year for packing groceries."
- rantxtotheend
"Even 50k with great health benefits, I would probably leave for a job with 100k and no benefits."
- A_Change_of_Seasons
It wouldn't motivate them.
"I personally wouldn't. I would get bored in no time being a robot. I personally rather do something that motivates me to get up every day."
- Davicillo
"I agree. I need to feel fulfilled with my work. Going to work takes me away from my child and family. I know I can live on very little money because I have in the past. My work needs to give me more than just financial reward."
- frikadela01
"I agree. I’ve left higher paying jobs because they were mind numbing. I’ve stayed on lower paying jobs because I really enjoyed and was learning something new I could leverage for later."
- OhIamNotADoctor
"I bagged groceries in high school. For most of the year, there were busy parts of the day, and then long stretches where nothing would happen. So you'd either be frantically bagging things for a huge line of people, or just staring at the wall. Plus standing still and hunched over reaching down into bags all day isn't good for your posture. It's not fun."
- RahvinDragand
They make that money already.
"I make 100k a year. It's the easiest job in the world, but I hate it. I'm at a point where I would rather do something I like doing for less money than be miserable. Bagging groceries does not sound like something I would enjoy."
- unmerciful0u812
"I used to make 80k doing something I hated. Now I make 65k working at a nonprofit I love and couldn’t be happier."
- mike_lawrence
Pros out weigh the cons.
"I'd like to say yes, and I'd probably take it. It may preclude me from ever doing anything else I may enjoy and there's obviously no room for advancement, yet at the same time the job details on this are very lucrative."
"For the most part while the job itself is boring and repetitive, and also a lot of customer drama, this type of job isn't going to be one you'll take problems home with. You won't be on call after hours to respond to emergencies, nor are you going to have to take work home with you either."
"You also won't have to be constantly retrained or go back to school or recertified, etc..."
"There's a lot of upsides to this, I'll grant you. A few downsides too, but weighing them together I probably would take something like this."
- llcucf80
The money wouldn't make up for it.
"Yup. Packing was my first job. And I hated every second of it. Between the co-workers who bullied me at school, the insane customers and the sheer boredom, it was extremely unpleasant."
"For those who say the money makes up for it? In my experience money makes up for a sh*tty job for surprisingly limited time."
- gpcprog
"Average salary is something like 53k in the states, median is only around 35k since everything is so skewed to the top, so I'm guessing the majority of people are jumping at this opportunity even if they aren't happy with the work type though."
- cromli
Trophies
"Not gonna lie, when I was in high school, my manager at the grocery store where I worked wanted to send me to the regional bagging competition. I thought I was too cool for that and declined. Looking back I wish I had gone and maybe gotten a trophy. That would have been awesome."
- chickenlounge
This, this, this...
"Yes. Not many jobs that pay $100k annual can be forgotten about once you leave the "office". $100k for something I can 100% forget about when I'm off the clock? Yes."
- WiseDonkey593
"This, this, this. This is why it would be such a great life. No stress once you’ve clocked out for $100,000 p/a? Incomparably sweet deal."
- PanpsychismIsTrue
win/win??
"Absolutely, I currently bag groceries for far less than that already… win/win."
- Sh1rinz
"I wouldn't... UNLESS the hours were the usual M-F office hours. Bonus points if I can work 4/10's or 9/80's. Also... if I'm hourly... can I still work overtime at the $100k a year rate and make even more?? That would be a deal and a half."
- Buy-N-Sell
I'll take It!
"I’d kill for a job like that."
- Dangerous_Concept341
"Wouldn't be anywhere near 60 hours. This is a real job. I would guess the average grocery bagger gets maybe 24 hours a week. So for this hypothetical to be as accurate as possible to the job that actually exists, it would be 24 hours per week for 100k. I would definitely take this job."
- mynextthroway
The Organizer
"Yes, I’m extremely good at Organizing & $100,000 a year would be worth putting up with peoples attitude and lack of humanity skills."
- TrippyTrixxxy21
"You could also, laugh at them for making less than you. as 100K a year would equal a pay of about 48$ based on a 40 hour work week. At 52 weeks total."
- darknessblades
What else can I do?
"Can I like… sweep the isles or fetch carts, and help old ladies out to their cars too? Or is it strictly packing bags."
- Primal_Directive
"When I was a bagger, I did that stuff and more, it’s really just whatever the managers want you to do so they don’t have to do it. It’s mostly bagging but there’s a lot of other random stuff you’ll be doing too."
- DJDarwin93
Tranquil Fun
"Sure thing. It's simple, low stress (I worked in a couple grocery stores before), can't be blamed for very much at all. Right now I make less than 100k and I'm responsible for oodles of stuff. Less for more? Hell yeah. The only downside I see if that those types of jobs have no benefits and often mandatory holiday work."
- ohmynymph
40 Years +
"I could literally do anything I want in my free time with that much money, and live super comfortably. I could fucking pay off my parents mortgage while STILL living comfortably. Not to mention if you live below your means you can invest that and then by the time you’re old and don’t want to work anymore, bam, you’ve got 40 years (in my case) of saving $10,000 a year and investing another $10,000. I don’t dream of labor. I can’t think of any traditional job that I would rather have than getting $100,000 a year."
- derpberp1
What are the hours?
"Totally depends on the working hours/conditions and shifts. I’m in the UK and work 37 hours (37 paid, 1 hour enforced break a day unpaid) a week for an above average wage, I get 38 days total annual leave, excellent working conditions - no evening or weekend work. Match my current conditions, increase pay in line with inflation and let me compress those 37 hours over 3 or 4 days a week then I’ll sign the contract right now."
- InncnceDstryr
ANYTHING!!
GIF by ShowtimeGiphy"I’d shovel dog crap for 100k a year."
- monkeymayhem_
"Mate, I'd eat dog shit for 100k year...just uh, not a lot of it."
- SausageintheSky
There are trade offs for both.
The money, as wonderful as it is, might not be enough to do the job forever.
Whatever the case, it sure would make a lot of people's lives better if we gave everyone a living wage.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.