Nickel and Dimed

In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes as she devotes a part of her life to experiencing a minimum-wage lifestyle in 3 different parts of the country. Her first experience is in Key West, Florida, where she finds Jobs as a waitress and a Hotel Housekeeper. She is never allowed to take a break and constantly deals with rude customers, and an overbearing boss. She has been chewed out for such small things as giving someone an extra roll. For living arrangements, she rents a trailer. Although at this point in the book she things she is doing poorly, she still has some money left over, and she has a dwelling of her own. She realizes that many coworkers, even though they have a job, cannot make ends meet.
Ehrenreich's second poverty experience was in Maine, where she is a Cleaning lady for a cleaning company and a Dietary Aid on the weekends in an Alzheimer's Ward. Here she is constantly on her hands and knees and constantly in contact with dangerous and disgusting things. Also, she is treated almost less-than-human at times as she is not allowed to satisfy her basic needs. Now her living arrangements are less than ideal, but she still does have a home. She does need financial help in order to get enough food, although she does get free meals on her weekend job. She is further realizing that even though one may have a job, it does not mean that they are well set or even able to support themselves. In Ehrenreich's final adventure, she will receive an experience even more than ever what it is like to have a job and be homeless.
In Ehrenreich's third and final adventure, she leads herself to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the vacancy rate is extremely low, especially for low income people. She first attempts to find a job. She applies at Walmart and at Menards, where like many jobs she applied for previously, require Drug and Personality tests. They also require her to buy specific clothes, and in the case of Menards, a belt and some tools. These drug and personality tests further enhance the feeling of being a mischievous scumbag. Ehrenreich's next task is to find a home to live in. The most she can find is a poor motel, where she gets a room without a screen or a locking door, and without much more than a bed and a sink. This causes her to feel unsafe and unhealthy. She gets both jobs she applies for, but turns down Menards because they are not offering the $10 and hour she was originally promised, and they work 10 hour days. She gets a job at Walmart, where she is under strict rules, for example, no time theft, aka doing anything other than work on work time. She must work with many moody people, as normal, however she still finds many generous souls, such as one who brings her a sandwich for lunch when she finds our the Ehrenreich eats nothing but fast food. Ehreinch cannot find housing other than a shady motel, and therefore is barely considered homeless. She attempts to get help so that she can have food, but no one seems to care or understand her because she has a job. Here she gets her biggest feel for the life of the low wage individual.

Question 5:

While Working for the The Maids, Ehrenreich hears Ted claim that he's "not a bad guy... and cares a lot about his girls." How do the assumptions of supervisors such as Ted affect their employees? How does Ted compare to Ehrenreich's other bosses? To yours?

The assumptions of supervisors such as Ted affect their employees gradually. The longer they are under the direction of that boss, the more their self-esteem degrades. Ted is like some of Ehrenreich's other bosses, as he is concerned in keeping his business going, and is less concerned with his employees unless they are in serious danger. He does not compare to my boss, because my boss is very nice, approachable, and is concerned with his employees, along with his necessity to get his work accomplished.