However, I did not feel in any way degraded by the position in the way that Ehrenreich did, and I believe that to be the case because many of Ehrenreich's positions were by their very nature problematic. For example, she worked as a waitress and a house cleaner. Both of those positions place the individual in a position of subservience. Working at Blockbuster is different because we are around movies and customers who come in just to look for some entertainment. As staff, we are not treated poorly. Management seemed quite happy and laid-back, which made the store ambiance easy for all the clerks. Although I did not mind the work itself, the paycheck was meager and I cannot imagine paying rent with what I earned. The paycheck was only part-time, as no clerks were able to work full-time because the company would have to pay them a salary plus benefits. In this sense, the clerk position was similar to the menial labor jobs that Ehrenreich held.

Perhaps I would have felt stifled if I wanted to become a manager, because I would be working longer hours and still not receiving a tremendous paycheck at the end of each two weeks. Low-wage clerk positions are perfect for teenagers and young people who need some extra money. However, such jobs are insufficient for those who rely on paychecks to pay bills and support their families. The clerk position at Blockbuster is typical of post-industrial high-turnover jobs in almost every way. Loyalty to the company is completely unexpected and in fact, discouraged. The only difference may be that Blockbuster does not pretend that their clerks are anything more than they are, whereas some companies try to trick their low-wage workers into believing they can move up the corporate ladder.