Minimum Wage Observation Paper

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly wage that a state is legally required to pay a worker. Supporters of minimum wage believe that it guarantees the workers the ability to provide for themselves and for others. Minimum wage jobs are front desk workers on college campuses, a restaurant hostess, fast food workers, or even a cashier at a grocery store. In the United States, the minimum wage has risen from $1.00 in 1960 to $7.25 in 2015. I viewed two different locations, both of which being Chick-fil-A restaurants. The first location that was observed is located in the student center, here at Georgia State University. The second is located in Cumming, Georgia. I chose to observe these two places because one is located on a large college campus while the other one is located about 40

The majority of the workers and customers at the first location are African-American, while at the second location there are little to no African-Americans because of the demographics in Cumming, Georgia. One difference I noticed in the customers at the two locations was that at the first location, customers cleaned up after themselves while customers at the second location were more likely to leave trash on the floor or not push in their chairs. Chick-fil-A is an example of a location where employees begin earning minimum wage and most employees that are hired are younger, less educated, and are not as skilled as others. Most of the workers are using their income to support themselves and their families, and others are working to save for the future. In conclusion, I found that those working a minimum wage job did not apply for the job because it was a desirable one, but because it gave them an opportunity to start small and work their way into a higher corporation. Although the stereotypes held about people working minimum wage jobs are bad, this study can show people that these workers are taking advantage of the opportunities available to them to