upworthy

Skip Black Friday and shop discounts at these companies making a positive impact on the world

Michelle Gant
11.27.19
Courtesy of DoneGood

While Thanksgiving is meant to celebrate all we have to be grateful for, it's also the unofficial kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Last year, Americans spent about $1 trillion on gifts. What if we all used that purchasing power to support companies that reduce inequality, alleviate poverty, fight climate change, and help make the world better?

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the coming days will have spending on everyone's brains. But in an effort to promote the companies doing good for the world, DoneGood founder Cullen Schwarz created Shop for Good Sunday (which falls on December 1 this year.)

Dubbed the "Alternate Black Friday," Shop for Good Sunday is dedicated to encouraging people to shop brands that do good for people and the planet. It also serves as a reminder to support local businesses making a positive impact in their communities.

While Shop for Good Sunday technically falls on a single day, this year, participating ethical and sustainable brands are running discounts for the whole week prior.

Where you invest your dollars matters, and there's great potential to put that money to good use if you know how. Check out these six brands that sell amazing products while also making a positive impact on the world. You'll not only be getting your loved ones meaningful gifts, but also making the world a brighter place along the way.

Isn't that what the holidays are really about?

Functional outdoor gear

Parque Rain Shell

Cotopaxi makes unique, sustainable outdoor gear, like this Parque rain shell, while keeping ethics at the core of its business model. The company gives 1% of its annual revenue to organizations that fight poverty and improve the human condition.

Modern furniture

Simbly Coffee Table

Simbly is a direct-to-consumer furniture company that sells modern, sustainable products built in the U.S. made of FSC-certified wood. And for every product sold, the company plants a tree.

Beautiful jewelry

Tho Bar & Geo Buffalo Horn Earrings

Hathorway is a jewelry company that handcrafts its accessories with materials like ethically-sourced up-cycled buffalo horns and handwoven rattan. Each item is designed and assembled in the U.S. with thoughtfully selected materials sourced from Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea. A portion of the company's profit goes to initiatives that empower young, underprivileged women.

Luxe linens

Bamboo Charcoal Sheet Set

Ettitude crafts its home textiles from CleanBamboo fabric, a unique material made from 100% organic bamboo, the most resource-efficient plant on the planet. It also requires significantly less water to grow and produce than traditional cotton textiles. The products are also ethically made and come in packaging made from extra pieces of fabric.

Unique wood wares

The Charcuterie Board

Would Works creates and sells beautiful household wood products handcrafted by people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. The company works with its artisans to provide job skills, financial literacy, and an income so they can reach their financial goals.

Empowering candles

She Inspires Candle

Prosperity Candle products are created by women refugees building a brighter future for themselves and their families. Each candle is made of soy-blend wax with essential oils hand poured in a well-designed container that is easily refilled or repurposed.

Find more of these great deals at DoneGood!

*Upworthy may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.

black fridaycyber mondayshop for goodsustainability
Business

Real mailman reveals his huge paycheck to help recruit much-needed postal workers

Working for the USPS looks like a sweet gig.

via Canva/Photos

Mailman reveals his massive paycheck to recruit others.

No matter how often we encounter them, people often overlook the "people in our neighborhood," as Mister Rogers would call them. Their presence is so common that we don't always notice them until they're gone for a day or two. These are people like school bus drivers, sanitation workers, delivery drivers, and postal workers. Of course, people know they exist and that they do a job, but because their presence is in the background of daily life, we may not give their jobs much thought.

There's the thought that "someone has to do it" when it comes to the service they provide, but sometimes that "someone" is you. Or at least it could be you, especially after hearing how much one of those jobs pays. It's a common misconception that work like sanitation or postal service is menial and low-paying, but the truth is that this essential work can be quite lucrative in the right circumstances.

A U.S.P.S. mailman shared his paycheck on social media to help recruit more mail carriers.

The post office continues to have a shortage of mail carriers in certain areas, especially in rural settings. This shortage causes delays in receiving mail and longer hours for current mail carriers. While the post office has been working to fill gaps by increasing hiring, it still isn't enough, given the large number of USPS workers nearing retirement. It seems to be a constant struggle to keep an adequate number of mail carriers throughout the areas that need them most.

mailman paycheck, mail carriers pay, job market, job hunting, mailman shares check, pay transparency, jobs, economy The pay is good and you get to drive this sweet truck around!Photo by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash

One barrier to people applying to the Postal Service may be that they don't realize the Postal Service is hiring, since some people may see mail carriers as background characters.

Another concern may be whether people can earn a livable wage working for the post office, but Lukas' video can help fill in the blanks.

In response to viewers who don't believe he actually makes six figures, the Missouri mailman and TikTok creator shares a screenshot of his paycheck showing he brings home $4,423.09 every other week, which averages out to just over $100K a year.

Being fully transparent, Lukas shares that his paycheck includes 23 hours of overtime because he has to work extra hours due to being short-staffed.


How much do U.S. postal workers make?

"On one of my previous videos, somebody said, 'prove it' on one of my checks, so here's one of my last checks. As you can see, the overtime hours, plus my normal pay all equals up to $4,423...so, and that's for two weeks of work. I'm working too much, but if you were to multiply that by 26 weeks, that's over $100,000. We need help, and the post office pays well," he says.

Lukas repeatedly states in his video that the post office is hiring and needs help desperately, but comments were mixed on whether working at the post office was a good move.


@lukasthegiant

We're Hiring and Yes, We Pay Well. In some cases, over 100k!#greenscreen #werehiring #paidwell #tallestmailman #needhelp #getpaid #100k #usps #apply

"I mean he’s technically making 25.00 hourly and $38 for each hour of OT. You’re forgetting the minimum wage in majority of states is 7.25," one person writes.

"Post office is recession-proof. Been there 30 years," another commenter shares.

Someone else chimes in, "been working at the post office for 5 years just made regular. it is not easy when you start but once you know how to do it it's a BREEZE."

mail, usps, mailbox, letter, mailman, letter carrier, express mail Three USPS boxes. via Canva/Photos

A former postal worker reveals, "I worked there 6 years and had no life. Worked 12 + hrs for 7 days a week. I wasted most of my 20s working. NO THANK YOU!!!!, before adding. "When I started years ago it was $15 an hr when I left it was $25."

To be fair, while Lukas is doing well for himself (and working quite hard for the money), many mail carrier shortages are partly due to wages that don't cover the cost of living in certain areas. So there's definitely room for improvement, and the American Postal Workers Union is fighting for higher pay and better hours all the time.

What's the average USPS mail carrier salary?

According to Glassdoor, the median pay for a USPS mail carrier is $66,000 a year, with an average range of $55,000 to $81,000, and that's before overtime. In addition, they receive generous benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; a retirement package; up to 15 days of leave; and 11 Postal Service holidays.

The post office seems to be much like any other job. Some people have a great experience working there, while others do not, but if someone is looking for a chance at a new career with retirement benefits, USPS could be a place to land.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

american postal workers unioncost of livingglassdoor salarylivable wagemail carriersmailman paycheckovertime hourspostal service hiringrecessionproof jobretirement benefitsusps workerspost office paypaychecksemployment
Education

A dad posted his 5-year-old's paintings online. He never imagined a response this big.

This is top notch parenting.

Unsplash & bruncvik/reddit
A dad posted his 5-year-old's paintings online and couldn't believe the huge response

One of the toughest things about being a parent has to be helping your child discover and nurture their talents. You seek to encourage them to try new things without overwhelming them. You want them busy with lots of enriching activities but not so busy they don't have time to just be a kid. And when you do stumble on something they have a knack for, you tread lightly, wanting to give them every opportunity to pursue it without pushing too hard.

It's a really tricky balance to get right. Maybe that's why we're so fascinated with child prodigies, or even just talented kids whose parents have done a bang-up job of giving them the space and encouragement to explore their creativity.

Joseph, a dad from Dublin, Ireland says he started drawing and painting in the evenings about a year ago to help him unwind from work. It's a great idea, because adult coloring has been shown to have a ton of positive mental health effects. Plus, it's fun! But one unintended and adorable side effect of Joseph's coloring was that his young son, Philip, decided he wanted to emulate him.

Philip had always loved coloring but, Joseph says, "I had to get him some pastels, and he started trying on the same drawings as I did," Joseph says. "I found it absolutely adorable when he was seriously repeating the same movements as me: cleaning the tips of the pastels, blend the edges of colors, etc."

One thing quickly became apparent: Philip was much, much better than his old man.

Last year, he made a painting that was so good he couldn't resist sharing it on Reddit. Within two days, it generated over 100,000 views and 3000 likes."

The overwhelming response? "Uh, 5-year-olds can't do that."

Have a look and see for yourself. Not bad, eh?

kids, children, child prodigies, parenting, dads, painting, art, artists, creativity, family Philip painted this blue mountain lake piece with help from a YouTube tutorial. bruncvik/reddit

The first piece Philip shared is wildly impressive. Some commenters couldn't believe that a 5-year-old could have made it, but I think you can see it pretty clearly. It has just enough childlike crudeness, but the stylistic flair is just off the charts, from the whispy sky to the slightly foreboding trees. Redditors agreed that it was incredible.

"Thats better than I can do now at 25," one Reddit user wrote.

Others questioned whether the boy might be related to Bob Ross.

"I told [Philip] about it, and I guess that was his first big dopamine hit," Joseph says of going viral. "Since then, he is asking to draw more often, and there's often an intrinsic reward for him. One painting got submitted to a charity auction at his school ... I don't pressure him to draw; he's coming to me to ask whether he can use my pastels"

One critical part of the story is that Philip often follows along with YouTube videos that his dad finds for him. Lest you think this should diminish how impressive the painting is, quite the contrary. As someone with an almost-5-year-old of my own, I've seen the kind of stuff kids this age are capable of drawing — and it's not this! No matter how much instruction they have.

The structured YouTube videos were able to unlock Philip's natural talent and guide him in a way that his dad never could.

Here's the finished painting he was following along with. Honestly? I like Philip's better! It has a lot more personality.


kids, children, child prodigies, parenting, dads, painting, art, artists, creativity, family Here's what the painting was "supposed" to look like. She'z ART/YouTube

The response to Philip's first painting was so positive that his dad decided to post another piece.

You gotta give the people what they want!

I love this one, too. The youngster's talent is on display again, with an excellent color palette and aggressive strokes giving it life. Remember — the kid is five years old! Five! Usually they can barely muster a convincing stick figure.


kids, children, child prodigies, parenting, dads, painting, art, artists, creativity, family I love this haunting purple and orange piece Philip painted! bruncvik/reddit

And again, here's the model painting from YouTube. Joseph said his own versions of these paint-alongs come out looking a lot like the example, but that his son has an incredible way of making them his own.

As you might expect from a 5-year-old, the brush strokes are a little more crude and dramatic — but they're purposeful, as well! Philip's renditions have a lot of energy and seem to leap off the page.

But what do I know? I'm no art critic. However, the huge social media response definitely shows that Philip is onto something here.

kids, children, child prodigies, parenting, dads, painting, art, artists, creativity, family A YouTube tutorial of a sunset river helped Philip learn to paint the scene. She'z ART/YouTube

Philip's dad gives a lot of thought to the right way to nurture his son's talent without pushing too hard and snuffing it out.

"He attended an afterschool art club, where they experimented with different media, but he found it too restrictive. He is still bringing home new art at least twice per week, but it's something he does on his own," dad says, not sure if pushing his son into formal art instruction is the right thing to do.

Experts say that pushing too hard when your kid shows a flair for something, especially regarding longterm goals (like going to art school or becoming a professional artist one day), can backfire big time and make them feel overwhelmed and resentful.

Believe it or not, the process of nurturing and teaching starts super early. Art teachers and experts agree that how you react to something as simple as your toddler's nonsensical scribbles can have a big impact on their self-esteem and enjoyment of making art.

@susanstrikeryoungatart

Scribbles provide an important opportunity to talk to your toddler, provide vocabulary, and promote literacy! #reading #readiness #scribbles #Vocabulary #todddler #art #kidsart #childrensart #childrenspainting #goodartprojects #teachingontiktok #criticalthinking #fypシ #fypage #teachingart #artlessons

Heidi Hass Gable, a former gifted child, says in a TedX talk that prodigies and brilliantly talented children can be extremely sensitive.

They often have to suppress their talents in a desire to fit in with all the other kids. That makes raising them and nurturing that talent a delicate high-wire act. Experts recommend making sure gifted kids get lots of downtime and to not place too much emphasis on achievements like grades, awards, contest wins, etc. Praise the hard work and the process but try to help them avoid attaching their self-worth to external validation.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Joseph finds lots of subtle ways to encourage his son's interest.

"One thing I do with him, though, is to talk about painting when we are out and about. Last weekend, we went to watch the sunset, and I asked him what colors he'd use for the clouds. ... Philip is just as obsessed with different shades (his current favorite word is 'vermilion' and his favorite color is 'turquoise'), and how they mix."

Being the parent of a talented or gifted kid is no easy job. There are a lot of pitfalls and plenty of ways to bungle your attempts to nurture that talent. As impressive as Philip's artwork is, especially for his age, the thoughtful parenting on display in this story is just as awesome.

This article originally appeared in January. It has been updated.

child prodigyprodigydadsfatherhoodparentingkidsgifted kidschildrenartartistspaintingspaintingredditviralprodigies
Art
Innovation

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Joy

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Community

People born before 1970 share what they ate for dinner growing up, and it's a blast from the past

Dentist has hilarious solution for husbands who show up for their appointments not knowing why

What procedure you get will be a surprise.

Photo credit: Canva

Dentist has hilarious solution for husbands who show up for appointments without knowing why

Watch any sitcom involving a family, and you'll see some stereotype of a seemingly clueless man with his exasperated wife. In reality, there are plenty of men who are perfectly capable of handling their own affairs and being equal partners. But there are some guys still bopping around like the lovable oaf sitcom archetype, and Dr. Brady Smith has had enough of his fellow men.

Smith is a dentist who shares content on social media. In one of his most recent videos, he expresses frustration with the men who come into his office. In the tongue-in-cheek video, the dentist is in his office explaining that sometimes when men come to their dental appointments, they have no idea why they're there. Smith jokingly decides that the men who arrive confused will be forced to play a dental procedure game.

men; dental care; weaponized incompetence; wife; marriage; men's healthcare Dental checkup for a healthy smile.Photo credit: Canva

"Men will come to their dental visits sometimes without knowing why they're there, and as a dentist, that's odd to come face-to-face with when I walk into the room. When I say, 'looks like you're here for a check-up and a cleaning,' and they say, 'I don't know, I didn't schedule the appointment.' That does not happen with women," Smith says before eventually revealing his solution.

Smith says that he's been a dentist for 16 years and has never experienced a woman walking into his office without knowing what services she's there to receive. He explains that the frequency with which men come into his office confused about why they're there is very often, but they don't seem to be embarrassed about it. The dentist then encourages the men to ask their wives what the appointment is for when they inform them that they've scheduled them a dental appointment.

men; dental care; weaponized incompetence; wife; marriage; men's healthcare Dentist at work ensuring a bright, healthy smile.Photo credit: Canva

"If one more guy says, 'I don't know what I'm doing here, and my wife scheduled the appointment,' I'm gonna create a wheel of services, and I'm just gonna spin the wheel. It's gonna have root canal, full dentures, sinus lift, teeth whitening, night guard, F around with a laser, whatever. And we're gonna spin that wheel, and whatever it lands on, that's what you're getting, and I'll call your wife, and I'll say, 'Listen, Kevin didn't know why he was here, so we spun the wheel, and it landed on full dentures. So get an ice pack and pick up his meds at the pharmacy, please," Smith says while staring directly into the camera.

It seems that Smith is not the only medical professional experiencing this phenomenon. There may be a "spin-the-wheel to find out what kind of services you're having" game installed in offices across America, as one doctor shares, "Can confirm this phenomenon happens at the dermatologist as well."

Another physician writes in part, "As a physician, I’d say about 85% of my male patients don’t know how to answer their own medical history and medication list. As soon as I ask my first question, 'Do you have any allergies?' They look over to their wife, completely clueless, and she proceeds to answer the rest of the questions in detail," before revealing that she's often shocked when male patients know all of their own information.

But don't worry; it's not all men. Quite a few wives share that they don't experience these issues because their husbands schedule their own appointments. Others added random suggestions to put on the wheel, like a full set of braces and a colonoscopy. But tucked between the jokes and fellow doctors sharing their own experience with this issue are people calling out the behavior as weaponized incompetence. They explained that it is behaviors like this that cause women to feel like they're doing the heavy lifting in their relationship, resulting in burnout.

"Excuse me while I scream. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGH," one woman writes.

Pop Culture

Gen Xers and Boomers debunk the myth of '90s perfection with funny 'downers' of the decade

"Late fees at Blockbuster."

Photo credit: Canva, Wikipedia

People share funny "negative" things about living in the '90s.

Nostalgia for the simpler times of the 1990s is having a renaissance lately. It was a unique decade defined by many a cultural phenomenon: parachutes in gym class, analog devices and technology, snack foods like Push Pops and Dunkaroos, and epic mall hangouts. And who can forget the iconic teal and purple color combo that popped up everywhere?

Of course, it's easy to look back at the '90s with rose-colored glasses, which is why Gen Xers and Boomers who lived through the '90s shared some of the seemingly "worst" things about life back then on Reddit.

These are 17 humorous things that they thought were downers about the decade.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Getting locked out of your house after school and having no way to contact your parents to tell them to come home. So you just sat on your porch for 4 hours until they got off work." - Dsteeleman

"Calling someone you wanted to ask on a date, but their parents pick up the phone..." - Bionic_Push

"Late fees at Blockbuster so you had to wait till your parents got paid or had to got to a different video shop that was not as good." - deeljay77

"If you stayed at school late and didn’t have a ride home (or were out) you better pray that someone was home or at work so they could come get you." - Ph886

"We didn't have GPS, so you'd get lost or feel uncertain every time you drove to a new location." - silverlakekaren

"Dial-up internet connection. Eeeee errrrrrr krrrshhhhhhhhh wee a wooo ping pingping ping errrrrkkkkkk." - 1osq1, Pickle_ninja

dial up, dial up internet, internet 1990s, internet 90s, aol Dial Up The Struggle GIF Giphy

"$1300 486 computer. $400 17” television...17 inch television that weighed 100 pounds. 😆" - three-sense, TotalEgg143

"The movie or game you wanted to rent being unavailable at the video store." - RODjij

"I think for where I grew up (not the middle of nowhere, but also not NYC or LA) it was probably lack of global exposure and cultural exchange that really spread everywhere by the 2000s. Sushi was still considered exotic." - CyberpunkSunrise

"The insincerity of it all. Everything was ironic. Even joy. We really dunked on 'nerds' who 'liked things.'" - tmorg5

"If you have an interest now, you google it, find videos, shopping supplies, sub reddits and groups, etc. In the 90s that wasn't a thing for most of the world. Like if you found an interest, you went to the library or bookstore and got a book about it. Hopefully a good book, but you weren't always that lucky. Then you asked around if anyone else did said interest, often no one did. You found a store that would possibly carry supplies for it, they might have something, but could probably order what you wanted, just give it 3-5 weeks. Video instruction was sometimes available, hopefully on tape, so you could go at your own speed. The one big save-all was magazines and catalogs. Almost every hobby had at least two magazines about it, and often people were divided on which was better. And catalogs allowed you to order niche things by mail, it usually took a month or two, but you eventually got it." - weedtrek

"All the singers that died! Kurt Cobain, Bradley Nowell, Tupac, Biggie, and I think Stevie Ray Vaughn, oh and Freddie Mercury." - colbydrex

kurt cobain, kurt cobain gif, nirvana, curt cobain 90s, curt cobain death kurt cobain nirvana GIF Giphy

"Rewinding VHS tapes." - Remote_Newspaper554

"CD Players skipping when going over bumps in cars or while walking." - SlimWorthy

"Cigarette butts were E V E R Y W H E R E." - WasteOfBerries

"Frosted tips." - LordSnarfington

"So if you were going to meet up with your friends at the movie theater or whatever you’d show up and just wait for them. But if someone was really late everybody just had to kind of wait around and there was definitely this dilemma about whether you should just leave them to it and go into the movie or just keep waiting it out. Someone might try to find a pay phone and call their house but 99% of the time it’s just their parent and none of our parents ever knew where we were. With no cell phones this could go on for quite a while before you gave up on someone and it was a big fat waste of everybody’s time. And some people were especially known for being flaky like this and it was really annoying. Much worse than being ghosted in text messages nowadays because you couldn’t really leave the meeting point. You were stuck there till you gave up." - MasterGrok

Culture
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