Changing the way you shop

Since quarantine began, my online shopping addiction skyrocketed. As part of Generation Z, I try to stay stylish, while on the budget of a recent college graduate in the midst of a pandemic.

Typically, I turn to fast-fashion brands, like Shein, for trendy merchandise. However, after recent criticism of Shein for producing a Swastika necklace and murmurs about the unethical practices of the China-based wholesale brand, my typical shopping habits became a moral dilemma.

As an active Jewish American outraged by production of the hateful symbol, I began researching. Discovering that Shein releases “700-1,000 new items per day” enlightened me that offenses extended past my own identity. Mass production of merchandise exploits workers and the environment with the extensive use of resources.

After discussing the topic with peers, I was on the hunt for sustainable and ethical alternatives. I grabbed my mask and headed to the mall to find more American-made products. During this expedition, I visited various stores but found only one line produced in the USA, a company with a history of size discrimination and racist hiring policies.

As I begin a teaching career, I find it hypocritical to support production from countries with unethical labor. How could I stand in front of students while wearing clothes made by child laborers of their same age?

The solution: changing how I shop. My plan includes buying clothing made in countries with strictly regulated labor laws and thrifting for higher sustainability. I challenge readers to do the same. Sure, Americanmade products might cost more to the average consumer, but they cost astronomically less to the people who produce those products.

MAURA A. BRODY

Upper St. Clair

Be courteous

“The Chinese made this virus to kill us.”

“You know this is a hoax, right?”

“Wearing this thing is as useless as Gov. Tom Wolf.” “Local honey kills the virus.” “This is a joke and so are you.”

“My president doesn’t wear a mask, so I don’t have to either.”

Pharmacists and their technicians, front-line health care workers, grocery store employees and even Amazon delivery drivers all have been berated with personal opinions and insults like these since COVID-19 hit the United States.

I’d like to inform those individuals that they are complaining to and belittling the wrong people. As a grocery store employee, I’m here to stock tortilla chips, make small talk while I ring up your lunch meat and take inventory of spaghetti sauce. I’m not here to be ridiculed, and I’m not here to entertain your stance on a pandemic and how it’s being handled.

Please stop being rude, and please save your opinion on the coronavirus for your likeminded friends on Facebook, not your cashier.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of opinions, let me offer you one of mine:

Please try not to put your credit card in your mouth while paying at the checkout. Just because you’re trying to juggle your purse and phone doesn’t mean you should use your mouth as another hand. You should be wearing a mask, anyway.

NATALIE SIMON Richland

The wealth gap

There are many explanations for the wealth gap, one of which is illustrated in this hypothetical situation:

Jim and Jack join Magnabig Corp. the same day. They are graduates of respected universities with good academic records.

Jack has an MBA and gets a management position; Jim has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and gets a technical job in information systems.

The company’s employee policy has well-defined position descriptions and pay grades. Jack’s position is coded higher than Jim’s, so his starting salary is higher. He will make $100,000 per year; Jim only $50,000. Therefore, Jack’s job is considered twice as valuable as Jim’s.

After a year, both receive positive evaluations, qualifying them for 10% annual increases — Jack will earn $110,000 and Jim will earn $55,000. After five years of this pattern, Jack’s “worth” will still be twice that of Jim’s, but

Jack will earn $161,051 and Jim only $80,525. Jack now has a margin of $80,500 over Jim. The difference grew from $50,000 to more than $80,000 in their salaries.

Fair standards appear to be applied, but the wealth gap grows. If percentage increases are applied throughout a career, the difference between those who start higher and those who start lower is dramatic.

I have worked for an industrial corporation, a law firm and two public agencies. The practice of granting percentage increases was common to all.

JOHN PETERS Morningside