
What I Learned from Four Years Working at McDonalds - replicatorblog
https://medium.com/@katenorquay/what-i-learned-from-4-years-working-at-mcdonalds-f278ad27faee#.k94eytuly
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Zygar
This is really on point.

One thing I've noticed is how different brands 'impute' values by the type of
person they will hire. The "cheap and nasty" brands hire people of colour,
with disabilities, etc. Possibly a toxic effect of this is we then go and
associate _those_ brand values back to the people who work there.

For example, in New Zealand, we have two supermarkets owned by the same
company. New World, and Pak'N'Save.

New World is where our version of the "soccer mom" goes to shop. It's the most
expensive supermarket, it features large delicatessens, etc. When you go
there, as a soccer mom, the type of person you see working there reminds you
of your daughter's friend.

Pak'N'Save, the cheap supermarket, _embodies_ cheap. The supermarkets have
bare concrete floors, their advertisments feature stick figures because "we're
so cheap, we can't even afford good advertising." What type of person works in
Pak'N'Save? People of colour, people with disabilities, etc.

I don't really know what my thoughts are here, yet. I don't think this is a
conscious decision on the part of the brands or the managers, but it seems
like people are used to impute brand as much as advertising or anything else.
And nothing seems to impute that more by being served by a person who looks
like they can only afford to shop here.

I'm not putting a value judgement on this: but it seems like something that's
important to notice.

~~~
thex10
I wonder if it's more the other way around... the brands that want to woo the
moderate to higher wealth / suburbanites / what-have-you will hire more able
bodied whites. Effectively shutting the other candidates out to work at the
not so nice chains.

