Activity

After orientation, Kimberly gives us another bad omen—several sets of randomly generated log-ins and passwords to memorize. None are the same; few are even related. We’re not allowed to write them down in any way—paper, pens, and cell phones are forbidden anywhere but the break room—and they’re not…

FRED: Yes, there’s people that come here for a beauty pageant. But nobody in here should be making less than $15 or $16 an hour.

EMILY: [unable to help herself] Do most people here make $15 or $16 an hour?

FRED: If you’re willing to work hard, have a good attitude and great attendance? Yes.…

JORDAN: Homeless folks out there, they need a job; single mothers, single fathers, people trying to make it on their own—I will open those seats for people that need it before I let someone entitled sit in here and act like that. We’re not gonna argue about it, because I’m telling you now what’s ac…

I ask Melody what the best of her many jobs was. “Honestly? This one,” she says. At previous jobs, she kept getting roped into doing managerial work for entry-level pay. “I’ve been told that I’m too damn nice. Whenever they ask me to go places at Amazon, I’m, like, ‘Why do I have to go?’ and they’r…

“Seriously, though, am I missing something about Power Hours?” I ask. “The prizes seem terrible.” There’s general agreement that Power Hours are indeed fucking stupid.

“You increase their productivity by 30 percent and you get a fucking soda,” scoffs Zeb.

“You know how it says ‘work hard, hav…