How did he get the job at BK? Wouldn't he have had to fill out the tax forms, with SS number? If he gave false info, he would have been turned down, and if he gave factual info wouldn't that have been a red flag in the system. Since his parents most likely reported him as a missing person, his SS number being used would have alerted the police.
This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.
It was McDonald's, not Burger King, but yes, he did use his real name and his Social Security number, and not only there. He also opened a bank account using his real name and SS number, and held some other short-term jobs that required it. He had not committed any crime so there was no reason for the police to be looking for him. His parents hired a private detective to try to find him, but the detective had no luck. He did however find out that Chris had donated his life savings to Oxfam, which was news to his parents.
shareIn the movie it was Burger King. Jeeezus...SMH
All I saw was the movie. I'd never heard of him before seeing this on Netflix. After watching the movie I really didn't want to know any more about the galactically stupid Mr. McCandless.
So, in the early 90s there wasn't the technology in place that looked out for a missing persons' personal history coming up on the grid? Or was it that he was an adult and they couldn't do anything about it?
You are correct, in the movie it was Burger King; IIRC, there was some reason McDonalds declined to participate in the movie.
Police departments certainly had the technology to track people by Social Security and other identification numbers; there were national databases. But neither the private detective nor McCandless' parents had access to those databases. Chris was an adult, nothing about his disappearance suggested foul play or suspicious circumstances; he left a note when he abandoned his car, authorizing anyone who found it to keep it; his departure from Atlanta was planned and organized; he gave away his money following proper donation procedures; he got a ticket for hitchhiking in California and gave his parents' address (which let them know he was alive and well on the west coast).
He did not meet criteria for being declared a "missing person," (see http://www.ehow.com/facts_7437662_ncic-criteria-missing-persons.html) so police did not have the authority to get involved. The private detective could not access those databases either. As an adult, McCandless' right to privacy trumped his parents' right to know where he was.
It was Burger Kind in the movie, McDonalds (supposedly) in real life.
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That private detective must have been crap. He could find out Chris donated his remainder of this trust fund but not that he was taking up jobs and maintaining bank accounts under his real name? I know this took place in the early 90s but that's no excuse.
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I don't know about his specific details, but the blanket assumptions here are a little naive. At least concerning the way things were at that time. A lot of the obsession with paperwork and diligence with SS documentation and all that is more recent- especially since 2001. Lots of people manage to work "undocumented," even today, and even at big companies. I am about a decade younger than Chris, but my first job was "under the table" and I've worked at places that employed people temporarily on a cash basis. I've known several immigrants that worked at McDonald's in the late 90s, and I'm sure some didn't have the docs. I'm not saying that Chris broke any laws- just that even if one needed to it wouldn't be impossible. Millions of people manage to make a living without being documented, and not all of them are underground.
sharefrom the book, the book was across from the city's casino where people who were employed were getting paid something like 3 times as the typical mcdonalds employee, so the turnover rate was pretty high
shareIn the book it stated the casino workers started out about two dollars more than the 4.25 minimum wage they made at McDonalds. Not quite 3 times, but certainly enough to cause a high-turnover.
shareIn the book it stated the casino workers started out about two dollars more than the 4.25 minimum wage they made at McDonalds. Not quite 3 times, but certainly enough to cause a high-turnover.
I had to have a phone (I'm not sure if they had cell phones back then) and physical address. I've never heard of someone being hired right off the street like that.
My first couple of jobs were cash with no paperwork, too, and not even illegal IIRC. After Chris's death investigation showed that he had worked at the Bullhead City McDonald's under his own name and using his SS number. He was a reliable employee though not very social with co-workers. However, management asked him to be more careful with his personal grooming (he refused to wear socks and was not bathing or showering regularly) so he quit.
He held a number of jobs during the two years he was on the move, and some of those were "under the table."
When I read the title to this thread I thought it would be a discussion of why the hell someone like Chris would work at Burger King (or McDonalds) in the first place. Seems to be against everything he stood for, and he would absolutely despise such evil mega-corporations and consider it tantamount to selling your soul to work for them (churning out crappy un-natural processed garbage). Must have been a humbling wake-up call, having given away his life savings and torched his remaining cash. Guess what kid? You need at least some money to survive.
Anyway, doubtful he could have been reported as a "missing person" which would raise any red flags with his ID/SSN. Once you're 18 it's possible to pretty much go your own way without parents or "the system" tracking/reporting your whereabouts.
The truth is Chris was not running away from society as much as he was running away from his Father and Mother that he despised! His dad was a abusive a whole that lived a double life. Tried to control Chris to the point Chris pretended he was in school to get away from them. I dont blame him, unfortunately for Chris he was not a survivalist and needed more that he thought to make it by his wits.
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