Adelle Waldman dedicates Help Wanted “to all retail workers,” an indication of the respect she has for, and for which she invites the reader to participate, those that work in the big box stores on which American society has become dependent. Help Wanted, a work of fiction, is a social commentary on the gig economy and the plight of part-time workers. Set in upstate New York, Town Square is a big box store, likely recognizable to most readers.
The story describes the “Movement” team, a group of 10 workers who work shifts in the early morning hours or overnight, invisible to customers. Their work is central to store operations, as the team is responsible for unloading trucks, managing stock, and unpacking items on the sales floor. When a rare promotional opportunity for store manager emerges, the team devises a strategy to advocate for their incompetent supervisor, in an effort to improve their daily work conditions. And, such a strategy would also result in a vacancy fpr the team lead role, offering the rare opportunity for promotion of one of their own. Each team member believes that they have a chance at the promotion, which offers job security, higher wages, and full-time benefits. Each team member’s circumstances are described, but the story’s focus is set solidly on the worker experience at the store.
Waldman articulates the complexity of retail workers in the larger social context. Town Square was once the premiere employer, focused on customer experience and satisfaction, paying higher than competitors, and offering full-time workers a real path to economic growth and stability. But, over time, the retail giant has dramatically reduced the number of full-time workers and benefits and, instead, leaned on part-time workers, with very limited hours. Corporate strategies have shifted, ensuring that work hours are well below the full time level, requiring most workers to hold a second or third job elsewhere.
The Movement team members remain committed to the organization, because the hourly rate is still higher than at other retailers, and most have carved a life over time in which the early morning or overnight hours have become the glue for other life elements to survive (for example, childcare not needed in the same manner during overnight hours).
The corporation has strategic methods of team building, designed to tap into the emotional aspects of feeling wanted and needed at work, a component that many team members are missing in their personal lives. Most importantly, though, hope is used as the ultimate manipulator, by the corporation and by the workers themselves, as the promise of reward and stability remains solidly out of reach.
Unsurprisingly, Waldman has big box store retail experience, working the 4-8 a.m. shift at an upstate New York store. An interview in The Cut notes, “It’s a brutal system where there’s not only no way to rise, but it’s also just impossible to make a living with any consistency because hours are unstable.” She says, “Everyone I worked with signed up for as many hours as they could. They were always willing to work overnights. They just worked so hard and got so little back in return.”
The positionality of the author, Ivy League educated and a successful author, certainly adds elements of bias to Help Wanted, similar to Nickled and Dimed, Maid, and other stories in which the author’s own experience informs the work. Nonetheless, there is value in highlighting the plight of the often-invisible and bringing the stories forward.
Reviewed by Lisa Eible, DSW, MSW, LCSW, a consultant, writer, and educator with more than 33 years of social work experience. Lisa has advanced certificates in cultural competence and trauma. Professional interests include social work in healthcare, administration, leadership, supervision, Relational-Cultural Theory, and diversity issues. Lisa is a member of The Relational-Cultural Theory Collective.