Venessa Wong
Senior reporter at BuzzFeed News. I write about consumer finance and inequality. Former Businessweek. Tips, please! [email protected]
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They Had Saved Like They Were Supposed To. The Pandemic Took It All.
Even people who built rainy day funds over years are watching their savings run down to zero, with no relief from the government in sight.
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Venessa Wong
Around the country, people saved like they were supposed to. Then the pandemic took it all. Some have $0 in the bank now. I spoke to people whose emergency funds have been depleted over the last six months, with no relief in sight. buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews
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Katie Porter Said Parenthood Has “Always Been Considered Unpaid Work,” And That Needs To Change
“What I’m trying to do is engage more Americans in speaking up about what they need,” said Katie Porter.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
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Venessa Wong
On Cleveland’s east side, in mostly Black neighborhoods, tenants struggling with their rent are facing the prospect of eviction. On the west side, in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods filled with homeowners, housing prices are soaring bloomberg.com/news/features/… via @sdonnan
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“We Didn’t Have A Choice”: Essential Workers Struggle With Childcare During The Pandemic
Parents who continue in-person work through the pandemic have a bleak choice: risk exposing your family to the coronavirus, or face financial devastation.
I’m A Working Parent And I Feel Like I’m Failing At Everything Right Now
Thanks to COVID, that fleeting dread most working parents experience now and then about being an utter failure is the new status quo.
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Venessa Wong
New from me: When people ask how I’ve been holding up during the pandemic with my 3 year old, infant, and work, I usually say jokingly, “Oh, you know, trying to get by.” But the truth for me and a lot of working parents is we’re not okay buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews
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Venessa Wong
My household is approaching Day 140 of being mostly stuck in our New York apartment. My older son has hardly seen another little kid in months. On weekdays, while the adults work, he watches limitless amounts of TV
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My Landlord Is Threatening To Evict Me During A Health And Economic Crisis. What Do I Do?
Many states haven’t fully reopened yet, but housing courts have. Here’s what to do if your landlord is trying to evict you.
Black Women Who Worked At Anthropologie Describe A "Whitewashed" Company That Made Them Feel Undervalued
Former Anthropologie employees allege racial profiling at their stores, being followed around when they shopped at other locations, and earning less than their white colleagues.
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Venessa Wong
New from me—I spoke w former Anthropologie employees about reports that staff disproportionally directed its shoplifting code word "Nick"/"Nicky" on people of color. They described a work culture that made black people feel "less than" buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews
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Protest Arrests Are Surging. Prosecutions For Financial Crimes Are At An All-Time Low
At least 5,600 people have been arrested since the George Floyd protests began; just one US banker was sentenced to prison for the 2008 financial crisis.
Low Wages, Cut Hours, Few Benefits: The Lopsided Rewards For Doing “Essential Work”
“The take-home pay is completely ludicrous for what we do.”
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Venessa Wong
New from me: The scant rewards for being an essential worker during coronavirus. Many of them already earned close to minimum wage before the pandemic; now they’re also dealing with slashed hours as businesses wrestle with lockdowns. buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews
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Even If You're Trying To Avoid Grubhub By Calling Your Favorite Restaurant Directly, Grubhub Could Still Be Charging It A Fee
“If a customer calls to place a coffee order, we’re paying a $6.42 fee — for a coffee.”
Americans Are Really Scared About Their Economic Future
A third of Americans expect their households' finances to be worse a year from now.
Struggling Restaurants Paid Record Fees To Grubhub During The Pandemic
Restaurants expect to lose $240 billion by the end of the year, but for Grubhub, “COVID-19 is a net tailwind” for now.
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Venessa Wong
Restaurants expect to lose $240 billion by the end of the year, but for Grubhub, “COVID-19 is a net tailwind” for now.
buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @buzzfeednews
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Hospitals Expect To Lose $202.6 Billion Because Of The Coronavirus
In the first three months of the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of health care workers have lost their jobs. Hospitals expect to lose $202.6 billion.
J.Crew Files For Bankruptcy During Coronavirus Lockdowns
It can’t help that no one has gotten into real pants for months.
The Rental Housing Industry Is On The Edge Of Disaster. Tenants And Landlords Await A Bailout.
As renters and landlords seek more government relief in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the larger crisis of housing affordability looms.
Starbucks Will Reopen Most Stores For To-Go Service Beginning In May
By early June, 90% of US stores will be open for to-go and delivery orders. Seating will remain closed.
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Venessa Wong
Starbucks will reopen closed US stores for to-go service beginning in May. It expects to have 90% of cafes open in some capacity by early June (seating will remain closed) buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews
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If You Bought A Real Christmas Tree, You Paid 15 Cents To The Christmas Tree Promotion Board
By law, producers must pay a per-tree fee to a group whose sole purpose is to promote the sale of real Christmas trees.
The Great Recession Broke The American Economy. We Still Haven’t Fixed It.
At the start of the 2010s, Occupy called for justice for the 99%. But, in the end, inequality only widened.
This Data Proves — Once And For All — The Stereotypes About Lazy Millennials Are Wrong
All those headlines, all the jokes, all the misrepresentations about America's most deliciously hateable adults — they’re fake, people.
People Are Getting A Law Degree Called An “Executive JD” But Employers Don’t Know What It Is
A little-known and lightly regulated online school is offering students a three-year degree in the law with just one catch: They won’t be allowed to be lawyers after they graduate.
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Venessa Wong
People are getting a three-year law degree called an “Executive JD” — it doesn’t allow you to become a lawyer and employers don’t know what it is buzzfeednews.com/article/veness… via @BuzzFeedNews pic.twitter.com/oanwppqIIK
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