Things are very expensive right now. Most of us are talking about how expensive it is to fill up our cars with gas. While that is unfortunately still the case, other simple items are costing more and more to buy. Some items like condiments, for example, cost more to buy than some people make per hour in Iowa; hence that dazzling headline!!
Summertime is here and people are doing more things with friends and family, which means spending more money – more on gas, more on paper plates, more on mayonnaise! We are going to more places, seeing more people, having a bunch of fun, eating out at places, and everything in between. You or the people who you hang out with also are probably doing some grilling out. And when you’re grilling out, you need condiments for those burgers and brats!
If you enjoy putting mayonnaise on your hamburger, that jar of mayo you pulled off the shelf at the grocery store likely costs more than the person who put it there is making per hour. Wipe the snarky grin off your face because, like it or not, it is sadly true!
Recently, a friend of mine was doing some online shopping through Hy-Vee’s Aisles Online and was shocked that a jar of mayonnaise costs more than their high school kid who works there makes per hour. I did some digging and found that a jar of mayonnaise costs more than most entry-level people make per hour in our great state of Iowa! Yeah, that’s how expensive things have become.
In Iowa, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, which is also the federal minimum wage. Now you have to remember something, when we work, the government takes taxes out of our checks before paying us. When we buy something, we get taxes added to the cost of the product.
Right now at Hy-Vee, a 30 oz jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is $7.49. Don’t believe me? Click here to take you right to the link. The photo of the jar below costs $7.49. The Iowa and federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
Now I’m sure you’re thinking that it’s less than a 25 cent difference between the Iowa minimum wage and the jar of mayonnaise.
According to smartasset.com, if you worked for one hour and your wages were $7.25 per hour, after taxes were taken out of your check for one hour you would only make $7.
The jar of Hellmann’s above is $7.49. After being charged 7% sales tax on top of the cost of the product, the jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is now about $8.01.
In short, a jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is $1.01 more than some people make per hour in Iowa.
Luckily, according to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly wage for an Iowa grocery store clerk, as of June 2022, is $8.57.
One last thing I want to add is that the 30 oz jar of Hellmann’s comes with a 2¢ Fuel Saver from Hy-Vee. Thanks, Hy-Vee for helping us try to save some money on gas!
