A New Hampshire-based bakery chain is showing its support for Equal Pay Day Tuesday by giving female customers a break on their bills.
Women who visit The Works bakery locations in Concord, Keene, Portsmouth and Durham today will be charged only 79 percent of their bills.
Men will still have to pay full price.
That’s meant to highlight the oft-cited statistic of women earning 79 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts.
“It’s been a problem that’s been around for a really long time, decades I would say," said Don Brueggemann, manager of The Works in Concord. "And I think many of us thought it would kind of work itself out but it has been very persistent over the years. We’re feeling like this is a way to highlight that issue."
Brueggemann says he’s not worried about the financial hit his bakery will take with the loss in revenue for the day.
“In terms of highlighting the issue, I think it’s a relatively inexpensive way to do that. It’s kind of a clever way, I think,” he said. “It brings it right to the fore in a way just the statistic does not.”
Some have challenged the 79-cents-on-the-dollar figure, but Brueggemann says that’s splitting hairs over an important issue.
“It’s certainly a figure where you can come to a slightly different percentage, but I don’t think anyone has argued that there is parity between men and women.”
And Brueggemann says The Works practices what it preaches.
“Absolutely we do,” he said. “I would be willing to show people that it is what we do.”
