Part 3 of “For What It’s Worth” zooms in on the other side of the counter at Jim’s Donut Shop: wages. Jim is caught between rising minimums, benefit rules, and AI‑driven cost pressures, all of which quietly push donut prices higher while squeezing his payroll decisions. Through Worker A, Worker B, and returning characters Bob, Susie, and Larry, the episode shows how minimum wage can act as both floor and ceiling, how automation creeps in when human hours get expensive, and how Trump’s new “no tax on tips” rules make Jim’s tip sharing feel even more like real money for his crew. In the end, Jim is walking a tightrope where one small shop’s failure ripples through workers, customers, landlords, and the local economy, and listeners are challenged to treat their own skills and value as the real defense against a rigged wage and price system.

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