The writing staff for The Prices Do DC is on a holiday break. Original posts will return when they get back. Until then, enjoy some posts from other sources about things of interest to both residents and visitors to DC.
Christina Ford’s best Christmas gift arrived early this year: a job.
Three months ago, Ford, a former group home worker who had been out of work for a year and a half, landed a position as a cashier at the new Wal-Mart on H Street NW. This was no small thing for Ford, 24, given what Christmas was like for her last year. A pregnant Ford and her two preschool-aged sons spent the holidays in a New York Avenue hotel because there was no space at the city’s family shelter. The only gifts she could offer were donations from Toys for Tots.
Ford is one of more than 600 people hired by Wal-Mart for its first two D.C. stores after a bruising political battle over the wages it pays its workers. Her situation illustrates the opportunities — and potential pitfalls — that the giant retailer has brought to the District. In an increasingly costly city filled with unskilled people desperate for work, Wal-Mart offers the possibility of a regular paycheck. But it’s not necessarily one large enough to ensure self-sufficiency.
To continue reading this article which originally appeared in The Washington Post, click here.
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