I found out that Australian shop workers work for less hours and get a lot more money for doing so than their US counterpart.
This is outrageous, someone needs to do something about it.
How can you bite the hand that feeds you.?
Unbelievable !
Franco

Franco,

I think I hear the bush calling. ;^)

Franco:

Are we comparing wages by converting to the Almighty OZ dollar to the lowly US dollar -- or are we looking at "purchasing power parity"? Neither comparison is perfect, but the latter is usually closer to 'reality'.

Ben
Rod is on the right track...
I should have been up in the snow again this week but the trip fell apart so I now have to wait for another two or three weeks.
I think that I have to ban myself from posting.

Always hard to compare standard of living . After all if you earn nothing but have a shack by the sea and like fishing you may be better off than a millionaire.
here people think they are hard done if they cannot have a play room/ home cinema , a swimming pool and an en suite on top of another one or two bathrooms.
In some countries you need to be the President to afford that, never mind the cost of a sleeping bag.

Aussies go to Bali and have a good meal and beer for $10 .
Yes for us it is very cheap, not so much if you work in Bali.
But somehow we tend to forget to look at the whole picture.
And yes it is a peeve of mine about how easily members accuse manufactures/shops of ripping off/lying/cheating/greed but are not interested to know how the other party feels.
Franco

Franco said, "But somehow we tend to forget to look at the whole picture.
And yes it is a peeve of mine about how easily members accuse manufactures/shops of ripping off/lying/cheating/greed but are not interested to know how the other party feels."

It is not a debate worth getting into. People have their opinions. Unless one has owned or run businesses of significant size, you cannot explain it to the satisfaction of many people. And unfortunately there are some crappy companies out there in business too.

Gerry Harvey would love you,,,

Whilst i would agree that the attitude is disappointing I would say that the bigger picture is of a world/economy that is never static. Pretty soon we wont be able to afford the luxuries again and will be back to the relative poverty i (many) knew well into my 20's.. There were people whining about retail prices back then as much as now but at least they were real concerns... food on the table.

While i buy wholesale, i don't sell retail. My experience with moving used gear through ebay each year is something i detest. I can only handle it for so long before the percentage of mindless greed and impossible expectations get too much. Some people seem lost in the consumer circus not really needing (or soon enough 'wanting') just spending..

At the end of the day though, managers are consumers too, as a whole we are 'people', all with similar the fickle shortcomings in varying amounts. Some with the luxury of time to sweat the small stuff..

Nick
You are absolutely correct. I could not explain this to co-workers never mind trying to get that across to someone on the outside.
many times I suggested to people to go and see their bank manager and get some money to start up a business in such a lucrative industry, however nobody ever follows that up.
I mentioned to another member how every opposition party anywhere in the world is capable of running their country better than the party in power.
Sadly that ability is lost when put into power.
Do you remember a certain forum member that kept coming up with products that he cold make better and much cheaper ?
Where are those products ????
As I stated, talk is cheap....

Paul
Peculiar that you mention Gerry
I like his frankness and down to earth attitude but he is helping to kill my ex bread provider, the photo industry.
He is the one that pioneered the 9c print here in Australia.
The problem with that is that the more 9c prints you print the more you lose.
That is because to pay for paper/chemicals/machinery/rents and wages you really need to charge 18c to be ahead.
Of course it is used as a loss leader. Get them inside the shopping center and they will buy something else...
(too bad if you need to make some money from it because it is your only business)
But you try to charge more than 9c and folk will feel ripped off .
Kind of funny then that Gerry having made a lot of money importing goods from China and the like now cries over Bruce Citizen importing goods without having to pay GST...
Franco

Try living in NZ. We average 100 more hours of work per year than Aussies, yet average $US8000 less in income. At least the Americans earn a similar amount to Australians, though work more hours.

However I for one am not complaining. I think I am fairly compensated for my work, and wouldn't swap the lifestyle merely for more money.

I have said many times as an employee was telling me how I should have done things that I would be happy to pull out the chiar for them if only they would sit down.

Until you sit on the other side you will never understand.