Question about Retail workers/ non producing jobs in Marxism

[OllieX]

I understand to a sufficent degree how it is workers who produce good are being exploited by the current capitalist system, but how exsactly does a man who stocks shelves, or sweep floors fit into all this. I suppose we could say that it is all part of the same thing, but I wonder if someone can help with with this.

My apologies in advance if this question makes less sense than it does in my head

Thanks,
OllieX

[daft punk]

A man who stocks shelves is a worker, just the same. Only difference is in a socialist society he might have a different job as shops might not exist as such.

[Railyon]

I understand to a sufficent degree how it is workers who produce good are being exploited by the current capitalist system, but how exsactly does a man who stocks shelves, or sweep floors fit into all this.

I assume you know what working class means and how their relation to the means of production is a necessary condition for being exploited.

It's an interesting question really; in production you can see something material coming out of the process and measure it.

Now, with service workers (not sure if that's the correct term here) it's a bit more complicated as they do not produce tangible, well, "stuff".

However one could look at how Marx laid out the basis for his theory of surplus value extraction; he makes the point that wage laborers are not paid the full "value" of their labor and all profit is unpaid labor (time). Which is objectively falsifiable in production.

Now, let's take your usual store. There are people sweeping the floors, stocking shelves, cashiers, etc.

Let's say the owner is starting out fresh and laid out $100,000 in commodities. Now, during one month, he sells commodities for $150,000 (doesn't matter how much stuff he sold); he pays his workers $20,000 in wages.

Now the store workers are exploited by 150% ($30,000 profit = surplus value divided by $20,000 in wages).

Not exactly sure how you would do that with the individual worker on a micro level. I think you can really only measure the value contributed by unproductive labor if you take the smallest measurable unit, in this example a single store.