I worked in a bank as a teller through most of the pandemic and I’ll tell you right now most of the people in my town who got PPP loans were absolutely not business owners. It was such a slap in the face to see. I got burned out completely after months of handing people money who were essentially stealing from me. We would report people and nothing would come of it. Bank tellers also seemed to be the only essential workers though the lockdowns that were never even thanked by anyone. I was part time, worked with 9 other women, 8 of which had young children at home. The ones with kids all stayed home getting full pay when the lockdowns started (including the branch manager), while I worked literally every single waking business hour we were open to keep the place running with one other woman. No breaks, we ate at our stations. No bonuses, they tried to give me a .50¢ raise and that was my breaking point, I quit on the spot. I didn’t even try to negotiate I was so insulted and burned out. I was a part time employee, not scheduled to go over 30 hours as written in my contract. I was working around 50 with no benefits. I got thoroughly fucked as soon as the lockdowns started. Meanwhile, I have a younger sister with a minor lung condition who has accrued upwards of $50,000 from unemployment. That money changed her life and she was able to buy a buy a house. She was literally working part time at Target before the pandemic making $14 an hour. She got paid by our wonderful federal government over 3xs as much as I did, for staying home and gardening. The injustices are beyond belief. I’m now going to school full time to pursue an actual career. #AmericaFailedMe