Meghan Markle's Merch More Expensive Than Netflix Staff Wages
MEGHAN MARKLE'S AS EVER BRAND IS A MILLIONAIRE MAKER - BUT FOR HER EMPLOYEES, IT'S JUST A DREAM OUT OF REACH
In a jaw-dropping example of royal excess, Meghan Markle's As Ever brand has taken the world by storm with its high-end products that come with a hefty price tag. But while the Duchess of Sussex's wares are flying off the shelves, her employees will be lucky to afford them on their meager hourly wage.
The shocking news comes as Netflix House, the streaming giant's first physical stores, prepare to open in Philadelphia and Dallas later this year. The outlets will feature As Ever products, including Meghan's famous rose wine, which sells for a whopping $30 (£22.16) per bottle - but only if you buy it in packs of three at a minimum cost of $90 (£66.47).
But what about the employees who will be selling these luxurious items? According to job listings on thescholarlynote.com, they'll be earning as little as $20 (£14.77) an hour, making it virtually impossible for them to afford even half a case of Meghan's rose wine.
Take our math lesson: if you're one of the lucky employees who gets to work at Netflix House, your hourly wage is equivalent to about 34 cents per minute. But let's say you manage to scrape together enough pennies to buy a single bottle of Meghan's rose wine - that would cost you nearly five hours' worth of work. Ouch!
Meghan's As Ever range includes everything from orange blossom honey ($28, £20.68) to herbal teas ($12, £8.86), but these prices are clearly out of reach for the employees who will be peddling them. The only people likely to afford these luxury items are the company's high-rolling investors and, of course, Meghan herself - who is reportedly worth an estimated $1 billion (£735 million).
So what exactly does this say about the values of Netflix, which has partnered with Meghan on her As Ever brand? Is the streaming giant trying to create a new class of royalty within its own ranks - where employees are encouraged to live in poverty so they can better relate to their customers?
Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, seems to think that this is just good business sense. "Meghan has an 'underestimated' cultural influence," he claimed in a recent interview. But critics say that's just a euphemism for saying she's a marketing genius - and that her brand is all about selling overpriced junk to desperate consumers.
Meanwhile, Martha Stewart, the Queen of Entertaining herself, seems skeptical about Meghan's ability to succeed as a homemaker and influencer. "I hope she knows what she's talking about," Ms Stewart said in a recent interview with Yahoo Australia, before lavishing praise on her neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow.
Royal watchers say this is just another example of the cutthroat world of celebrity politics - where one minute you're the darling of the tabloids, and the next you're being savaged by your peers. But we can't help but wonder: will Meghan's As Ever brand be her downfall?
Only time (and sales figures) will tell.
UPDATE
We asked Netflix and a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to comment on this story, but they refused to go on the record. Maybe they're worried that their luxury brand is just too good to be true?
