Low-wage jobs provide humorous payoff
Low-wage jobs provide humorous payoff

By Dennie Hall

Published: August 17, 2008

Those who want to throw their white-collar jobs out with the garbage may want to reconsider after reading how Prioleau (pronounced pray low) Alexander did exactly that.

He tells his story in a rollicking new book, "You Want Fries With That?: A White-Collar Burnout Experiences Life at Minimum Wage” (Arcade, $24.95).

The title gives a clue as to what the book is all about: The man, at age 41, left his profession for a while and did work with less pressure — and far less pay. The cynical reader will suspect that he had a book in mind when he did that.

Whatever the motive, Alexander has provided a barrel of chuckles, a bit of homey philosophy and no end of life lessons. What's more, his writing is entertaining. It is refreshing to turn the 250 pages of this book. It's pleasure reading at its best.

Alexander was working for an advertising and marketing agency when he decided to leave for work paying minimum wage. He describes advertising as "a unique business in a suck-the-life-out-of-you sort of way.”

He then worked for various periods in such jobs as a pizza deliverer, an ice cream scooper, a construction worker, a dude ranch employee, a fast food restaurant employee and a hospital emergency room technician. One thing all those jobs had in common was the low pay. In delivering pizza, he had to rely mostly on tips, which often did little more than cover his car expenses.

A fascinating aspect of the book is the author's description of his fellow workers' habits, lifestyles and personalities. The quirks of employers will open eyes, too, and the dealings with clients and customers are a revelation.

These minimum wage jobs are described as "hopeless, dreamless affairs.” Employees "work these jobs to pay the bills for the staples in life.”

After reading about Alexander's experiences, one would hope to never have to hire a building contractor again. The book changed my outlook: I hope to avoid hospitals in the future; I'll make up my mind quickly in an ice cream store; and I'll give a generous tip to anyone delivering a pizza.

Alexander, a native of Charleston, S.C., and a graduate of Auburn University, is a former Marine officer who describes himself as a "conservative-libertarian religious gun nut wacko with anarchist leanings.” He lives with his wife, Heidi, and their three dogs.

He now dreams of a job as sort of a free-lance advertising consultant. He admits, "I am a glass menagerie of characters, pulled by the freedom outside the walls of conformity.”

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