Now Hiring, For A One-Day Job: The Gig Economy Hits Retail

Aaron Stallings, who used to work as a bill collector for Capital One, says he’s no longer interested in having a full-time job. Instead, for the past year, he has cobbled together work — 50, sometimes 60 hours a week — by parachuting into restaurants in Richmond that have last-minute openings to prep food, bus tables and bottle beer. There are obvious downsides, like the lack of health insurance and the trouble of not having an employer withhold money for taxes. But he says the arrangement reflects a new reality in which flexibility trumps stability. Plus, he says, he is often treated better than full-time employees. “It’s definitely stressful to show up and have your first day almost every time,” Stallings, 25, said, “but at least I don’t feel miserable and stuck on the job.” The gig economy is clocking in to retailers and restaurants. Read more at The Washington Post.