A Marshalls employee’s post about a cute pink flip phone she claims to use as her daily driver has sparked a conversation about worker pay—along with users on the app yearning for the simpler days of cell phone usage.
Alejandra (@little_adventures444) raked in over 780,000 views on her video showing off her co-worker’s phone: her account also features other vignettes as to what it’s like working for Marshalls.
“Pov: The only phone Marshall’s paycheck can get you,” a text overlay in the video reads following a cry-laughing emoji.
In the video, one of Alejandra’s Marshalls co-workers shows off a pink, Doov W11 flip phone that’s emblazoned with white designs of boys and hearts. Although it rocks a design that appears straight out of yesteryear, the phone looks like a new offering from a Chinese-based tech manufacturer that currently sells the device in two colorways on Ali Express.
When it comes to pay for the average salary figures for Marshalls hourly employees, Indeed doesn’t paint a very lucrative picture. According to the hiring website, store supervisors can expect to earn around $15,000 per year. Clerks make around $9.50 an hour, cashiers and stockers bring in $11.35, sales associates get $18.95, and maintenance mechanics $28.10 per the hiring resource.
Again, these figures do seem to vary from state to state and are commensurate with the average cost-of-living expenses per region. Zip Recruiter published more favorable hourly wages for Marshalls workers, however, the website states the average worker grosses $20.07/hr.
Some commenters who replied to Alejandra’s video echoed her sentiments when it came to employee pay.
“My check was $40 cause they gave me one day this week love marshalls,” one user wrote.
Another said: “I work at TJ, they’re literally cutting hours because we aren’t getting enough cards.”
“I do not miss that $12.27 they paid,” someone else remarked, while another strongly advised against anyone else seeking employment for the brand. “NO FR I WORK AT MARHALLS AND YALL DONT WANNA WORK THERE FR,” they said.
Bashing Marshalls’ pay structure wasn’t the only other conversation that emerged in response to the clip, however. Several viewers were smitten with the Doov W11 flip phone she showed off in the video.
“Alright but if I had a phone like that I feel like I would be so much more productive, like be able to pick up a new hobby and get good at it,” one said, yearning for a digital detox and seeing the device as a one-way ticket to a healthier lifestyle.
“Ok but those are the phones we used in middle school and high school lol no internet .. just music and phone calling and texting,” another penned.
If you’re thinking of rocking this device, there are some caveats to consider, however. The first is that it’s a “2G” phone, so you’ll have diminishing connectivity options as time progresses. That’s because the majority of America’s mobile service providers are decommissioning their 2G networks in favor of more updated wireless technology, which is why if you’ve tried dusting off your old Nokia 3310 and tried using it, you probably noticed it doesn’t pack the same reception-oomph as it did when you first rocked it back in 2000.
And because the 2G network bands that the Doov W11 uses are 850/900/1800/1900MHz, that means that the best major service providers folks in the states will have to use to get the best possible reception are Straight Talk (a prepaid service provider that operates on all of the aforementioned bands) or AT&T, since the Doov W11 is a GSM device.
A renewed interest in flip phones, according to ZD Net, has come over Gen Z, there’s been a 15,369% increase in searches for “dumb” or flip phones between 2022 and 2023. There are even dedicated YouTube channels highlighting “dumbphones” for folks who are looking to de-clutter their digital lifestyles by adopting more simplistic technologies.
If you’re thinking of heading down this route, there are different routes you can take, but first, you should make sure that the radio bandwidths of the phone you want to get match the service provider you plan on using.
If you’re going the straight, old-school phone route that primarily relies on bandwidths from 2G networks, consult Signal Booster. However, after the Daily Dot scrolled through the list, it appears that Straight Talk Wireless, an MVNO provider similar to Mint Mobile, has plenty of 2G band options to choose from—Mint offers a variety as well. The way these companies work is that they “lease” network capacities from other, larger mobile service providers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, and some lease from a bunch at the same time, giving folks with phones that are capable of using various bandwidths greater network coverage.
If you’re thinking of going back to the world of dumbed-down phones but don’t want to sacrifice applications like turn-by-turn maps navigation or being able to call an Uber, you could grab yourself something like the Cat S22, an Android-based flip phone that packs a smaller screen you’re not going to want to scroll endlessly through Instagram on or watch TikToks of people performing mirthless dance routines or hearing a robot narrate a Reddit AITA text while someone plays rocket league in one window and a hand carves soap in the next.
@little_adventures444 Got service and everything😭 #fyp #flipphone #marshalls #foryoupage #az #fypシ @frankie 💖 ♬ original sound – Alejandra
Viewers who saw Alejandra’s post had some other suggestions of their own, like one person who said that folks can still feel all of the nostalgia that they want from flip phones without sacrificing modernity: “Y’all get the z flip 5 by Samsung. I promise you it’s worth the money and still gives the nostalgia and customization you’re looking for w this.”
Another person thinks that the Doov W11 reflects a more playful time in phone design: “But I feel like it’s so fun!!! Like they don’t make phones fun and cute like that anymore lol.”
Someone else said while they would want to get a flip phone it doesn’t fit their current lifestyle: “I would totally get a flip phone but then I couldn’t read my fanfics on it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Marshalls via email and Alejandra via TikTok comment for further information.