We are two days away from government workers actually missing a paycheck (despite what the media is claiming, no one is currently working without pay because paychecks haven’t been missed yet). But for those who have been furloughed, times might get tough real quick (or not).
Multiple bars have offered “shutdown specials” with relevantly named cocktails, including Capitol Lounge, which came up with a list of seven cocktails priced at just $5 each. (My favorite is the “Nothing Really Mattis,” which combines “Mad Dog 20/20 & vodka – Order it, drink it, and leave.”)
The Instagram account WeThePeopleDC has been collecting shutdown specials, the most useful of which comes from Atlas Vet, which “is offering 20% off exam fees for FURLoughed federal government employees) who show their government ID or contractors who can prove they have also been “FURloughed.”
Other offers include a buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal for any show at the 9:30 Club, Anthem, the Lincoln Theatre, and U Street Music Hall; 10% off massage sessions; $5 fitness classes; and discount facials and hair removal services.
The media is portraying federal workers as near destitute due to the shutdown and unable to pay their bills, so it seems improbable that they would not have the disposable income to splurge on alcohol and massages. Unless, of course, the crisis is overblown. And even if it’s not, D.C. people need their pampering and booze, I guess.
It should be noted that most furloughed workers can apply for unemployment benefits to help get them through the shutdown, should it last past Friday. The Federal News Network has a guide on how to apply for benefits in each state. Unemployment benefits are a small percentage of one’s full paycheck, and must be paid back after furloughed workers are given backpay (which has happened in every previous shutdown), but it’s still a help.