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We call grocery workers “essential” — right up until it’s time to pay them. In this episode, Nicole sits down with journalist, activist, and author Ann Larson to unpack the hidden realities of low-wage labor, economic inequality, and the corporate systems keeping millions of workers struggling to survive.
Drawing from her experience working as a grocery store cashier during the pandemic, Ann shares what most consumers never see: workers skipping meals, elderly employees unable to retire, women wearing diapers behind registers because breaks are denied, and employees lacking basic healthcare while generating billions for major corporations.
Ann Larson is a journalist and activist whose work on education debt and low-wage labor has appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, Fast Company, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s the co-author of Can’t Pay Won’t Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition and author of Clean Up on Aisle Five, a powerful look inside the realities of supermarket labor in America.
In this episode, Nicole and Ann discuss:
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Why there’s no such thing as “unskilled labor”
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The hidden emotional and technical skills required in grocery work
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How corporate consolidation impacts wages, communities, and poverty rates
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The connection between consumer spending and worker treatment
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Why unionization and antitrust laws matter more than most people realize
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How economic inequality affects all of us — not just low-wage workers
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What shoppers can do to support ethical labor practices
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Why voting with your dollars matters
Because if people working full-time jobs still can’t afford food, healthcare, or retirement, the system isn’t broken — it’s working exactly as designed. The question is whether we’re willing to keep funding it.
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Connect with Ann:
Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cleanup-on-Aisle-Five/Ann-Larson/9781668094501
Website: https://annlarsonwrites.com/
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