Farrell: Work, life and getting around at the Tanger Outlet job fair

A few hours into the Tanger Outlets job fair Wednesday at Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton and Kristina Rabe already had a page and a half of potential new hires for the Gap Outlet.

On the list was Melissa Mock of Port Royal, who stopped by Rabe's table to find out how to apply online and to give Rabe her two-page resume.

"I'm looking for a better-paying job," she told her.

Mock, who is in her 20s, already has three part-time jobs.

"The most I've ever made at any," she said, "is $9.50 an hour. You can't really make ends meet with that."

By the way, if you're ever wondering about the price of gas at various stations in Beaufort County, Mock is a good person to ask -- not because she enjoys talking about the price of gas, but because she needs to think about the price and how it affects her wallet.

Two of her jobs are south of the Broad River, making for an hour or more roundtrip commute.

"Gas! Ugh! It cost almost $40 to fill my tank in Bluffton. It's 10 cents cheaper a gallon in Beaufort," she said on her way back to her car after getting information on four possible jobs at Tanger.

She started to list gas prices for me.

"And I have a car payment."

That's more than half a day's work to fill up her tank, and about a week's pay or more for the car itself.

There are fewer jobs for her in Beaufort, she said, or else she'd try for work closer to home. "They're mostly 'seasonal.'"

This sounds like I'm trying to set up a sob story, but I'm not. It's just difficult math. Stressful and sometimes depressing math. And it's a reality for a lot of people.

What's the solution to it? I have no idea. It's one of those problems in life that starts and ends as an observation for me. It gets a "wow." A "yikes." A grimace. Then I feel guilty for five solid minutes as I think about it all -- the impossibilities and dead ends we all face, but that others face more than I do.

Here is what I can say: Every person who wants to work in Beaufort County must have one of two things -- reliable transportation or a job that's within walking distance of home.

It is the only real answer to the "having work" equation. It is also the answer to the "having workers" equation.

Tanger Outlets typically conducts its job fairs in conjunction with the center's opening, such as when the outlets opened recently in Pooler, Ga., said Ashley Doepp, general manager of Tanger 1 and 2 in Bluffton.

"Our tenants asked us to do this," she said, noting that it's been difficult lately to find good hires, in part because there's a lot of competition in Bluffton, where new businesses open regularly.

On Wednesday, about 30 stores were represented, all searching for their next sales associates. Some were even hiring for managers.

For four seconds, I was tempted to fill out an application myself because I worked at the GapKids and Talbots in high school and college, and I love retail. I still have dreams of perfectly folded jean stacks.

And don't get me started on the sweatpants wall.

My sweatpants wall was a work of superior art.

But back to the job fair.

Upon entering TCL, job candidates registered with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and SCWorks, agencies that prepare people for the workplace and help them find jobs. In fact, DEW's motto is "putting South Carolinians back to work."

It doesn't get much clearer than that.

"We had people lining up at 9 a.m.," said Michelle Adams, who is the regional manager for DEW. The job fair didn't start till 10 a.m.

I asked her about the car situation.

"Transportation is a huge issue," she said. "It's not even a lack of skills. (Potential workers) can get all the tools they need, but without a car, where are they going?"

Rabe, who was lining up potential hires for the Gap Outlet, said she thinks transportation is an issue for a lot of people trying to work in Bluffton, where the jobs are. More options would be helpful, she said.

"Something more convenient for part-time workers," she said.

Right now, workers without cars (or really good friends with cars) rely on the Palmetto Breeze, a bus system that runs a set schedule in the morning and early evening.

This is great, but part-time workers have often unpredictable and shortened schedules. Four hours here. Six hours there. Seven hours maybe. For those who take the Breeze, the day is long and also limiting.

Na'asia Simmons of Pineland, which is just outside Ridgeland, has a car. But there was a time she didn't.

She got in a crash and that was that. The 25-year-old was soon fired from her part-time job in Hardeeville.

"For one or two weeks, they try to work with you, but after that, no. It's kind of a headache," she said. "Especially if you have kids. You have to line up a babysitter, so you're basically just working for gas money. You have to catch a ride with someone and then wait for people to come pick you up."

She was at the job fair Wednesday in hopes of finding any job. "Anything that'll help me out."

She seemed encouraged.

"This is the largest job fair I've been to."

I met Antonio Carter coming out of one of the hiring rooms with a thick stack of applications. He's 20 and from Allendale. That's an hour and 20 minutes away.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I have a car."

I told him that for a number of people, reliable transportation can be an obstacle to getting a job.

He shook his head and seemed to realize he might have a leg up on the competition.

"Oh man. I'll be right there. I will be right there!"

Follow columnist and senior editor Liz Farrell at twitter.com/elizfarrell and facebook.com/elizfarrell.

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This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Farrell: Work, life and getting around at the Tanger Outlet job fair."