What explains this odd way of scheduling? You can find an answer in another New York Times article I cited here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7089531

What explains this odd way of scheduling? You can find an answer in another New York Times article I cited here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7089531 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7089531 (I find that thread interesting, in part, for the spirited defence some offered for the practice. Frankly, I find it indefensible.) The underlying issue is, as @njloof suggests, the systematic degradation of low-skilled labor's bargaining power. There was a big deal made this week about Wal-Mart's wage increase for its hourly employees. As this NY Times article notes, more predictable scheduling was also part of Wal-Mart's announcement. It's nice to see the issue being acknowledged and finally addressed. But I expect this was done less out of corporate altruism and more in response to the growing effort to unionize Wal-Mart and other service sector employees.