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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to work for 5p over minimum wage?

52 replies

WhatsGoingOnEh · 23/03/2015 19:16

I went for an interview for a part-time retail job. The work would be fab, interesting and helpful and sociable, but the pay is £6.75 an hour - 5p above minimum wage.

AIBU to be put off by this?!

OP posts:
HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:18

Retail is not usually well paid I am afraid. YANBU to want more but if retail appeals to you, you will be lucky to be paid much more.

RandomMess · 23/03/2015 19:18

?

Is this a wind up op?

PurpleSwift · 23/03/2015 19:19

Yes yabu

Original poster
WhatsGoingOnEh · 23/03/2015 19:19

I'd have to pay for after-school club (£10) out of the daily £54. Is it worth it? It's not a job that'd lead to anything more. But I would very much like to be earning money and meeting new people.

But £6.75! Cleaners get twice that!

OP posts:
HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:19

Oh and nmw is 6.52 until October.

ihatelego · 23/03/2015 19:19

it depends on your experience and qualifications i'd say, if you want to work in retail and don't have much experience or opportunities then I'd say take the chance while you have it and get valuable experience :)

familymember · 23/03/2015 19:20

I think for the time being NMW is £6:50, so maybe when it goes up so will your salary?

PurpleSwift · 23/03/2015 19:20

Thats 25p over nmw

HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:21

So become a cleaner then, you can't negotiate salary in retail unless you get to board level. It is an employers market. Could you get tax credits towards childcare?

MadameJulienBaptiste · 23/03/2015 19:22

you'll still be £44 per day better off. So if the job is 2 days a week that's £88 a week, that's about £370 per calendar month better off for 2 days a week. You won't pay any tax, and after school club payments don't last forever.
you don't know what it might lead to, if you're not working at all now then it's a start.

abigamarone · 23/03/2015 19:22

Depends how much you want to work. Your childcare costs are very low.

Original poster
WhatsGoingOnEh · 23/03/2015 19:23

I had no idea retail paid so little. I don't see why it should - it must be hard work serving people all day, plus it's a role where you represent a company and help present its ethos. Why is it so badly paid?

OP posts:
familymember · 23/03/2015 19:24

So for a retail job, a wage above nmw is good. If you like the job, take it but don't expect to get more.

Many responsible, qualified jobs are on minimum wage and it's hard to live on when it's your main income.

msgrinch · 23/03/2015 19:24

yabu. I'm having to work for less than mw while I wait for it to be investigated. Mw is 6.50 and that's normal for retail.

PurpleSwift · 23/03/2015 19:26

It pays so little because jobs are in demand. You don't need many skills and there is not much training involved.

Viviennemary · 23/03/2015 19:27

Yes it's worth it. Somebody else pointed out that this is £44 per day. So even two days would be £88 a week which would make a difference to most people's budget. But if you're just going out to work to meet people and for something to do and don't need the money then it might not be worth it.

HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:27

Did you really think retail workers were well paid? It is lowly paid because the Government subsidise big companies with tax credits so they can get away with it. Same goes for care workers and teaching assistants, you would be shocked how many, difficult and important jobs pay poorly, if this has come as a shock I assume you have been out of the Jo market for a significant amount if time so as pp said use it as an experience.

HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:28

job not Jo!

x2boys · 23/03/2015 19:32

The domestic cleaners I know in a hospital don't get paid twice the minimum wage they get paid about 8 ,9 /hour I suppose if you set up your own cleaning firm you can command your own wage?

HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:32

I used to work for the Post Office on a good wage, way above nmw. When we got taken over by W H Smiths I was paid nmw, same as all W H Smith employees. I needed to work so stayed while looking fir something else not in retail. I am lucky now to work at a small firm doing an admin job who pay well over the nmw but it took me a while.

formerbabe · 23/03/2015 19:34

But £6.75! Cleaners get twice that!

Become a cleaner then...

CitySnicker · 23/03/2015 19:34

Other professions are a lot harder going in the most part, and much more deserving of a better hourly rate.

Bert2e · 23/03/2015 19:35

It's more than I earn in a school and I'm better qualified than most of the teachers!

HattyMonkey · 23/03/2015 19:35

Lidl pay well but they expect a very high level and speed of service and restocking I dont think the social side would be high there, having said that the staff at my local store have been there since the start over 6 years ago.

Fugacity · 23/03/2015 19:37

Cleaners do not get twice the minimum wage. The going rate here in Surrey is £8 per hour. And it's a lot harder than retail work.

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