FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Walgreens’ designated hitter, Thomas Mandrell, 23, works full-time stacking toilet paper, peanut butter, and filling in wherever needed around the store. He makes $12.85 an hour, which is a monumental step up from the $7.75 he made working at Popeye’s.
Mandrell said it was a tough battle trying to get by on that slim of a budget while working as a server at Popeye’s. Most of his money goes towards rent, car coverage, and savings. Walgreens offers its employees a well-rounded insurance policy and “after each evaluation, employees are offered a 20 percent raise, which is what is really cool about working here,” Mandrell said.
The difference between Designated Hitters and regular Walgreens employees is that they are allowed to go back into the pharmacy and fill prescriptions.
Mandrell moved to Fayetteville when he was 13 years old with his family while the rest of his family remains in Arlington, Texas. He said, “the white side of his family is still here and the Hispanic side is in Texas.” He is saving up money to move back to be a Spanish translator for his family so that they will be able to have more work opportunity and to have better connection with family members.
One of the main struggles Mandrell deals with is the language barrier between him and his family. Mandrell said this language disconnect limits his family members from work opportunities, which is why he strives to be a translator for them.
“Working at Walgreens is a really good job. It is very stable and something I can always depend on,” Mandrell said. His prior experience working at Popeye’s gave him a wide skill set that Mandrell said he believes helped him get his current job, and allowed him to move up in the company quickly.
When asked about the stress difference between working at Popeye’s and working at Walgreens, Mandrell said no matter what position you hold that it is incredibly stressful. He got his current job through a family connection, which he expressed an immense amount of gratitude because it got him out of his prior job.
Mandrell is very musically motivated, and enjoys playing the guitar in his free time. He said he likes to spend his extra cash on meaningful tattoos, and “hopes to have full sleeves on both arms one day.”
The tattoo on his left forearm is his “tree of life.” It symbolizes all of the things that motivate him and express his personality and values. This is why there are musical notes hanging from the leaves.
Even though he described the benefits of Walgreens as great, he does not want to do this forever. He is interested in getting involved in working with the law in his future back in Texas.
This chart displays that minimum wage is less than what the hourly wage is, meaning people making more the minimum amount can still be classified as working poor.
