2 ms·
Well, it's not entirely irrational that a society might decide that having to work in a way contrary to the natural diurnal cycle deserves higher pay. (Yes, I
by mmagin 11y ago
Well, it's not entirely irrational that a society might decide that having to work in a way contrary to the natural diurnal cycle deserves higher pay. (Yes, I am suggesting that perhaps our society's obsession with having things like retail stores available 24/7 might not be healthy.)
- bmj 11y agoThat's reasonable, but we're talking about more than just 24/7 retail here. Even in the days before the 24 hour grocery store, restaurants and bars were open on Friday and Saturday nights (and most evenings, for that matter), and I don't believe those folks received higher pay. Don't get me wrong, I think the U.S. 24/7 retail economy is bonkers, but I'm not sure it's reasonable to just bless 9-5 as the official time of economic activity. In the 1990s, I ran a climbing gym, and typically worked 3pm-11pm (or some variation of that) Monday through Friday. I kinda liked that schedule, as it allowed me to be more productive with "life" stuff because I could accomplish things before I went to work.
- bmohlenhoff 11y agoJust because something has always worked one way doesn't mean it always will continue to work that way. If a business is having trouble staffing during certain time periods then it's a pretty clear indicator that they might need to offer more to entice people to work those hours. It seems like a pretty clear example of the free market in action.