Man Interviewing For Assistant Manager Role Told The Pay Is $12.50 An Hour — Being Promoted Would Only Get Him 25 Cents More
He expressed concern about the bleak future for retail workers.
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock When Isaiah Kirby arrived at an interview for an assistant manager position for a “large national retail chain,” he was stunned when he learned that his salary would not be nearly as much as he was expecting.
Kirby was told he would only be paid $12.50 an hour as an assistant manager and would receive a $.25 raise if he was ever promoted to general manager.
Kirby shared his frustration in a TikTok video viewed over 600,000 times. Sitting in his car, he told viewers that he just left a job interview for a national retail chain. The interview gave him the impression that “everyone is just doomed.”
Kirby was interviewing for an assistant manager position, and although earnings vary, the average salary for a similar position at a retail store, based on tax records, is just under $40,000.
However, he was dumbfounded when the woman conducting his job interview informed him what his hourly rate would be. “I’m sorry to let you know this, I understand if this makes you not interested anymore, but this position [earns] $12.50 an hour.”
When Kirby asked how much he would make if he was promoted to the general manager position, he learned that he would make $12.75 an hour, just an additional $.25.
Photo: TRMK / Canva Pro
“I love retail,” he said. “I used to make a lot of money in retail. Where did that go?”
Kirby worried he would have to change careers despite his job experience.
While he expressed an interest in learning a trade, he was unsure if he would even have time to learn while earning no salary.
“You don’t get paid to learn from most places,” the Kirby lamented. “I don’t have any places near me that will pay me to learn, to weld, to code, or anything like that.”
Out of sheer desperation, he revealed, “I have no opportunities,” adding that he lives in “the middle of the mountains” which only added to job scarcity.
Many people could sympathize with Kirby, noting that wages have become nearly impossible to live off of.
Inflation, an unstable job market, and low wages have all combined to create an unsustainable financial situation for many people in the US and commenters were quick to assure Kirby he was not alone in his struggles,
“I was offered my old position at a job from 20 years ago… FOR THE SAME PAY AS 20 YEARS AGO,” one TikTok user shared. “The way I cackled at $12 an hour in 2024. These companies are crazy,” another user exclaimed. “I get paid $65,000 a year to manage 10 people at a bank and it’s not enough. Retail is wild,” another user wrote.
Photo: Hiraman / Canva Pro
Others believed that most of the money that should be going to employees is going into the pockets of CEOs of major companies.
According to the US Department of Labor, the average federal minimum wage for nonexempt employees is $7.25 an hour. However, more than three-quarters of American workers (77%) believe that the minimum wage is too low, and most people are unable to afford a decent lifestyle despite working full-time or even multiple jobs.
The cost of living, unemployment, and economic inequality have many Americans struggling to find a job where the pay covers even the most basic necessities.
Addressing this nationwide issue involves measures including policy changes, educational initiatives, and efforts to reduce economic inequality, among other changes.
Nobody who works 40 hours and five days a week should be earning only $12 an hour. They deserve affordable living and far more for their dedication and hard work.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.