But how exactly can you "earn some money" if such a job can barely cover half the costs of living, in a trivially-false contrived example?

McDonalds only even functions under your assumption if we assume that the employee has another support system that makes the job more a 'character building exercise' than an actual job.

Which is to say that you seem to be suggesting McDonalds cashiers are more similar to kids volunteering with a non-profit; helping a massive corporation sell hamburgers at an otherwise-unsustainable price, rather than ladling soup, clearing lots or rebuilding homes for the needy.

I've always thought the same thing.

I have no idea what McDonalds pays locally (DC metro), but I can think of several local jobs that are available to young/unskilled workers that beat the minimum wage ($7.25 in VA).

Even the dog walkers at the local doggy day care start at $10+. Doesn't get much more unskilled than that.

Or, find a way into a union job, like UPS driver. It won't make you rich, but it's steady work. Usually takes starting part-time, or working the Christmas rush, but the jobs are there. Only real requirement is a mostly clean driving record.

This probably varies a bit by area, but you might be surprised at how many minimum wage employees will remain in minimum wage positions.

You can certainly think of McDonalds jobs as internships, but that's not how many in the workforce view them.

> You can certainly think of McDonalds jobs as internships, but that's not how many in the workforce view them.

Very few people view them as permanent, that's for sure.

Many of my friends started out in fast food as teenagers. None still work there. Among my family, one went to fast food and moved up to management quickly.

Turnover is the name of the game with McD's, that's the assumption for most (and staying at the same minimum wage job is the exception for most).

> Very few people view them as permanent, that's for sure.

Oh? They often end up being quite permanent, so I'm not sure how you're drawing that conclusion.

> Many of my friends started out in fast food as teenagers.

So did mine, but that's apples and oranges. The adult workforce is more relevant to this discussion. This is one particular area where geographic distribution is important. The average age of minimum wage establishments does tend to rise in lower income areas.

>staying at the same minimum wage job is the exception for most

Yet, remaining stuck in minimum wage is more common than we seem to be willing to accept.

The problem with this is that a very large number of jobs become 'not a career.' Eventually there just aren't jobs to move on to. There are only so many managers needed, only so many stores.

Why is it ok that minimum wage is unlivable?

I don't think anyone is saying it is "ok", but if you increase the minimum wage to something "livable", eventually it will be profitable for employers to start automating those jobs out of existence (for example, with automated burger making machines at MCD). What is the solution to that? Lower living costs so that minimum wage is livable? Forbid automation?

What happens when there aren't any supervisor positions to move into, and there aren't any jobs that pay better?