Welfare Hours – noun: The hours of the week which were historically associated with work. Generally between 9 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Usage: “After work I stopped at the Hicksville general store for a chicken feeder and some work gloves but they were closed. They’re only open ‘welfare hours’. I guess I’ll never shop there again.”
Once upon a time most Americans worked. They did this to get money which they used to buy stuff. None of this process was particularly unusual. Businesses interested in selling items to employed consumers had to be open additional hours to accommodate their hard working clientèle. For example, staying open later at night or on Saturdays. Businesses that didn’t open the extra hours were sneered at as operating on “Banker’s Hours”.
Times have changed. I feel like the last guy on earth who does a “normal” 40 hour week. In fact, the need for a “job” in this time of Obama magic has come under some scrutiny. The majority might be made of retired folks, unemployed folks, students, and folks on welfare. Working stiffs like me have become uncommon…and now we appear to have become irrelevant.
Stores in my rural area are steadily reducing their hours. If you have a mundane “job” you’ll never be able to shop there. Losers like me are screwed. I find myself shopping more and more on the Internet just because stores other than Wal-Mart and Target are closed during any reasonable hour.
Stores seem to be doing fine marketing to the great multitude of people who are inexplicably free to shop at say 2:00 pm on a Tuesday. Why worry about the last dinosaur who’s still foolish enough to draw a paycheck?
Not that I’m bitter…