Author Barbara Ehrenreich is a journalist, who decided to write an article about what it was like to live on minimum wage. He put his life on hold and began a series of cross-country trips to obtain information for his article, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Barbara Ehrenreich, began her socioeconomic experiment in Key West, Florida. Her initial effort is to secure a place to live and a job that supports her. Initially, Ehrenreich finds that applying for low-wage jobs can be a daunting task. She eventually finds work as a waitress at a local restaurant. The author finds the work to be physically and mentally demanding. Ehrenreich develops an aversion to management while working at the plant. Watch management sit back and treat employees poorly. Management does not value their workforce and regularly displays a lack of compassion for their employees. Furthermore, Ehrenreich reveals an economic condition faced by the working poor. The dilemma is that if the working poor cannot earn enough money for a security deposit on an apartment, then they are forced to live in substandard hotels. This illuminates another socioeconomic issue, nutritious food. Most hotel rooms do not have kitchenettes where you can prepare food. This perpetuates that many working poor go to fast food restaurants. Without health insurance, this can cause more health problems for low-wage workers. Ehrenreich realizes that her current job will not provide enough pay to live on. She interviews and gets hired at another restaurant called Jerry's. Unfortunately, Jerry's is a train wreck. In this restaurant, Ehrenreich finds the layout of the restaurant to be deplorable. The kitchen of......middle of paper......degree to make things better for my family now that I'm a mom. With the high cost of living, gas and basic necessities, low-wage jobs are no longer able to support families. Many cities are starting to recognize the problems facing the working poor in their urban areas. Several large cities have passed ordinances creating living wages that exceed the federal minimum wage. This is to help the working poor earn a better living and help the local economy in the process. I think this is a good idea, however, this can cause problems in convincing local and national employers to stay in the area. The last thing cities want to do is lose business to other areas that don't have a local living wage ordinance. Those cities that have a living wage ordinance give businesses some tax breaks to help them provide a wage that helps the working poor.