YAWT: How should I go about this (pay rate)?

[jlee]

(Yet another work thread)

I work at Publix..it'll be two years in October. I was a bagger for ~5 months, switched to cashier..three or four months after that, I was promoted to office cashier. Several weeks ago, I went to office staff (next step up is management, but that's a ways off). I started at $5.75 (bagger) & got a raise to $6.00 after five months. Approximately six months later, I went to $6.25...a while after that, I started cleaning the employee restrooms every ~2 weeks (sometimes 3)..$0.50 raise for that. I just got another $0.25 this past week (after moving to office staff), so I'm at $7.25/hr now.

With that said..there's another employee (female, if that has anything to do with it) who started in December at $6.25 (cashier, but they typically start at $6 flat). She now makes $7.25, and is just starting training for office staff. With more experience (I was working in the front office months before she was even hired), much more time with the company (1yr & ~8mo vs her 6mo), and a nearly perfect record (every eval has been better than the one before), I'm getting paid the same rate as the coworker I mentioned earlier.

We get along quite well..I don't have a problem with her for getting paid what I get (figured I'd clear that up just in case)..but I can't help but wonder why I'm getting paid the same.

Cliff notes: I've worked here 3x as long as this other coworker, I get along with management very well (they have hinted that I should go for management; I had a 20min discussion with the store manager on that), and my evals are consistently better than the ones before (which weren't bad at all)...and we get paid the same. Is that normal?


Just thought I'd ask ATOT..I'm probably going to talk to the assistant store manager next time I have a chance..but what do you all think?

 

[Nocturnal]

I don't know about you but find another job. Two years and only up to $7.25 an hour? How old are you and how do you make a living? If you're 15-17 nevermind this post. Otherwise I'd get another job!

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I don't know about you but find another job. Two years and only up to $7.25 an hour? How old are you and how do you make a living? If you're 15-17 nevermind this post. Otherwise I'd get another job!

19yo..with a pretty good foot in the door (according to the store manager, I have a very good start so far) with Publix(could possibly get $30k/yr in 2 years if I go fulltime this fall & go for an assistant management position)..I enjoy my job, but I'm also in a college town. Work is cheap here.

Edit: I'm still living at home, so I can easily survive on this...but still, I think it sucks. 🙂

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I don't know about you but find another job. Two years and only up to $7.25 an hour? How old are you and how do you make a living? If you're 15-17 nevermind this post. Otherwise I'd get another job!

19yo..with a pretty good foot in the door (according to the store manager, I have a very good start so far) with Publix(could possibly get $30k/yr in 2 years if I go fulltime this fall & go for an assistant management position)..I enjoy my job, but I'm also in a college town. Work is cheap here.

That's good. Well as long as you enjoy what you're doing and you don't have a spending problem like I do.

At my company, which is fairly small, i advaced in less than a year to a kiosk sales supervisor. I manage my own kiosk, employees, etc etc. $10.00 an hour.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I don't know about you but find another job. Two years and only up to $7.25 an hour? How old are you and how do you make a living? If you're 15-17 nevermind this post. Otherwise I'd get another job!

19yo..with a pretty good foot in the door (according to the store manager, I have a very good start so far) with Publix(could possibly get $30k/yr in 2 years if I go fulltime this fall & go for an assistant management position)..I enjoy my job, but I'm also in a college town. Work is cheap here.

That's good. Well as long as you enjoy what you're doing and you don't have a spending problem like I do.

At my company, which is fairly small, i advaced in less than a year to a kiosk sales supervisor. I manage my own kiosk, employees, etc etc. $10.00 an hour.

Common area managers top out at 55k, so I think I'd do alright by then...hopefully 🙂 This is my 'problem' as of now, though -- any tips on how to go about my inquiry?

 

[draggoon01]

maybe the store needs changed when it was time to hire her. maybe they wanted a female cashier for quotas, or because customers prefer female cashiers so they get paid more.

 

[Eli]

7.25 isn't that bad, especially since it sounds like your state is one with a pretty low minimum wage...

But I agree, it does seem weird. There probably isn't much you can do about it though. If you're comfortable with it and the atmosphere is open, you could talk to your superior about it..

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: draggoon01
maybe the store needs changed when it was time to hire her. maybe they wanted a female cashier for quotas, or because customers prefer female cashiers so they get paid more.

There are quite a few females working already -- I don't think we have official 'quotas'. Out of the last four cashiers we hired, all four were female.

If they get paid more just because they're female, something is messed up. I wouldn't expect to get paid more just because I'm a guy..

 

[bunker]

Out of curiousity, how'd you find out how much she makes? Might want to check you're company policies because discussing that can be a big no no and could get her in trouble for disclosing it. Even if she didn't tell you directly, somebody disclosed it to you.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Eli
7.25 isn't that bad, especially since it sounds like your state is one with a pretty low minimum wage...

But I agree, it does seem weird. There probably isn't much you can do about it though. If you're comfortable with it and the atmosphere is open, you could talk to your superior about it..

It's bad considering I have 3x the experience she has..I've been in the front office since before she was hired! She's probably up to staff this fast because we lost a lot recently (one promoted to management, one moved, another transferred, another went to Peurto Rico for a while, and another is probably moving next month)..and we don't have many office staff left (of all who's staying, including her and myself, we have somewhere around six.)

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: bunker
Out of curiousity, how'd you find out how much she makes? Might want to check you're company policies because discussing that can be a big no no and could get her in trouble for disclosing it. Even if she didn't tell you directly, somebody disclosed it to you.

She told me in a conversation -- as I said earlier, we get along quite well. 🙂

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: bunker
Out of curiousity, how'd you find out how much she makes? Might want to check you're company policies because discussing that can be a big no no and could get her in trouble for disclosing it. Even if she didn't tell you directly, somebody disclosed it to you.

She told me in a conversation -- as I said earlier, we get along quite well. 🙂

So what are you going to say when your boss asks, "how do you know how much she makes?"

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: draggoon01
maybe the store needs changed when it was time to hire her. maybe they wanted a female cashier for quotas, or because customers prefer female cashiers so they get paid more.

There are quite a few females working already -- I don't think we have official 'quotas'. Out of the last four cashiers we hired, all four were female.

If they get paid more just because they're female, something is messed up. I wouldn't expect to get paid more just because I'm a guy..

although you may not expect it, and it's noble of you not to, there has been historical difference between gender pay. i think currently it's that females make $0.80 to male $1.00 but the big sway there is from top paying professional type jobs, such as executives or lawyers or what not. but there are certain areas where females make more than males. sales is one of them. and that can make sense because in a shop at the mall or something, both males and females are more likely to buy when being helped by an attractive female. now it's easy to legitimize the pay difference by just using a commission system. but stores that don't, typically pay the more attractive person more since they bring in more sales.

how far that extends to cashiers or if it's the reason here is doubtful to me. just making a small tangent point.

 

[draggoon01]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: bunker
Out of curiousity, how'd you find out how much she makes? Might want to check you're company policies because discussing that can be a big no no and could get her in trouble for disclosing it. Even if she didn't tell you directly, somebody disclosed it to you.

She told me in a conversation -- as I said earlier, we get along quite well. 🙂

So what are you going to say when your boss asks, "how do you know how much she makes?"

he shouldn't go in asking with the reason that his co-worker makes more. simply that he feels a raise is in order for reasons he listed

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: draggoon01

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: draggoon01
maybe the store needs changed when it was time to hire her. maybe they wanted a female cashier for quotas, or because customers prefer female cashiers so they get paid more.

There are quite a few females working already -- I don't think we have official 'quotas'. Out of the last four cashiers we hired, all four were female.

If they get paid more just because they're female, something is messed up. I wouldn't expect to get paid more just because I'm a guy..

although you may not expect it, and it's noble of you not to, there has been historical difference between gender pay. i think currently it's that females make $0.80 to male $1.00 but the big sway there is from top paying professional type jobs, such as executives or lawyers or what not. but there are certain areas where females make more than males. sales is one of them. and that can make sense because in a shop at the mall or something, both males and females are more likely to buy when being helped by an attractive female. now it's easy to legitimize the pay difference by just using a commission system. but stores that don't, typically pay the more attractive person more since they bring in more sales.

how far that extends to cashiers or if it's the reason here is doubtful to me. just making a small tangent point.

We're both office staff. Office staff in a supermarket are usually in the cash office counting money, or in front of the store supervising everybody else. Not really related to sales 🙂

I don't think I'll have any problem bringing up what she makes..the asst. store manager & I get along very well (I actually get along with almost everybody, come to think of it), so I'll just say it came up in a conversation, and I was kinda curious as to why she makes what I make..ie "Am I doing something wrong?", or something to that effect. I just don't want to come across as complaining..

 

Get a different job.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: SammySon
Get a different job.

Where? There isn't really anywhere else to work..the job market here really, really sucks.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: CadetLee


I don't think I'll have any problem bringing up what she makes..the asst. store manager & I get along very well (I actually get along with almost everybody, come to think of it), so I'll just say it came up in a conversation, and I was kinda curious as to why she makes what I make..ie "Am I doing something wrong?", or something to that effect. I just don't want to come across as complaining..

You may be in good with the asst. mgr, but as soon as your conversation is done, what's to say he doesn't give her hell for giving out her salary info? I know I would if I was a manager.

That's the whole reason for having a policy of not disclosing salaries. It's so you don't have employees lined up in your office asking "why does he/she make more than I do?"

 

There are always jobs available at your entry level.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: CadetLee


I don't think I'll have any problem bringing up what she makes..the asst. store manager & I get along very well (I actually get along with almost everybody, come to think of it), so I'll just say it came up in a conversation, and I was kinda curious as to why she makes what I make..ie "Am I doing something wrong?", or something to that effect. I just don't want to come across as complaining..

You may be in good with the asst. mgr, but as soon as your conversation is done, what's to say he doesn't give her hell for giving out her salary info? I know I would if I was a manager.

That's the whole reason for having a policy of not disclosing salaries. It's so you don't have employees lined up in your office asking "why does he/she make more than I do?"

All non-management employee paychecks are accessible to all office cashiers and office staff..we're the ones who hand them out and cash them. Afaik, there's no policy on disclosing pay rates.

Originally posted by: SammySon
There are always jobs available at your entry level.

Better than Publix? I seriously doubt it...also, I love my job, and I'd probably stay even if I was offered 8/hr somewhere else.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: SammySon
There are always jobs available at your entry level.

Office staff isn't exactly entry-level -- at any given time, I can be accountable for a lot of cash..the safe, manager's paychecks..basically everything that comes into the store goes in the cash office.

 

Better than Publix? I seriously doubt it...also, I love my job, and I'd probably stay even if I was offered 8/hr somewhere else.

You can't doubt it because you probably havn't seriously looked for another job.

Office staff isn't exactly entry-level -- at any given time, I can be accountable for a lot of cash...

It's definatly entry level. They have insurance for thoes things.

So, all depends on comfort level.

 

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: SammySon

Better than Publix? I seriously doubt it...also, I love my job, and I'd probably stay even if I was offered 8/hr somewhere else.

You can't doubt it because you probably havn't seriously looked for another job.

Office staff isn't exactly entry-level -- at any given time, I can be accountable for a lot of cash...

It's definatly entry level. They have insurance for thoes things.

Insurance must be very expensive, then..

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Um, dood, even if you're living at home/off your parents, $7.25 is a crap wage for any work environment. I made that much starting out at Office Max like 4 years ago. Especially for being an office cashier and with your experience. I cant believe people are still starting out under 6 and around 7 anymore. Seriously, if you like retail go somewhere else. You're getting screwed over big time.