Argos/Sainsburys - Scrooging bastards!

[Ruffian]

Ds is working at Argos who apparently are now owned by Sainsburys. He gets less than minimum wage due to being 18 despite being expected to everything that an older person would be doing.

He has been put on the rota to work Boxing Day 7 hours. For this he will get time-and-a-half pay so it works out as an extra £20 for coming in on one of the most important public holidays of the year.

AIBU to think this is taking unacceptable advantage? Surely it should be double pay at least??

My first job was in a shoe shop at 16 for the grand sum of 2.05ph. Or 12.60 a week.

That was only 2001!

BrokenHollandaise that was about when I was working in JJB sports! I remember the 16 year olds being paid £2 something an hour.

I think getting time and a half is great for retail, most retailers don't do that. Working Boxing Day is one of the things that such about retail

He is on minimum wage for his age group though, isn't he?

I worked in retail for years. I never got any extra for working bank holidays.
Numerous different retailers from independents to multinationals and under all colours of government.
There are many things that can be blamed on the Tories but this isn’t one.

When I got my first full time job in 2002 I was on 3.50 an hour. I was still 17 though.

My dd works in hospitality part time, had to work Christmas last year for no extra pay, she wasn't even on full min wage as she was only 17 then. It's just how it is I'm afraid and time and a half seems ok.

If we don't want people to work on Bank Holidays that we have to stop shopping on them!

This is why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. These shops earn a fortune on these days but choose to keep the extra profit rather than reward their staff.
It’s up to the consumer to change this, vote with your money. Shop with companies that treat their staff fairly.

Sorry to hear that. Its definitely unreasonable to pay that less. Why don't you raise the issue to the higher authorities or look for another job?

My DS worked in Argos last Christmas and he was working on Boxing Day. I hasn't realised that they paid more than the normal hourly rate for his age tbh - assumed it was just another working day in retail as shops are now open every day except Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

Should be bloody lucky he’s getting extra pay at all! I did 3 years from 17-20 worked till 9 Xmas eve and started at 6 Boxing Day not a single extra penny. Bank holidays don’t count when you work in retail same as sundays

I love the idea that bank holidays are somehow special. The only time I have Monday bank holiday off is when my rest day falls on that date.
Time and half is pretty good.

And if there is a hard Brexit, what little employee protections there are will be eroded further.

For everyone saying it’s always been like this that’s just not true.
I started working in retail when I was 16 (1991) I used to get time & a half working on Sundays ( it was when Sunday trading started) bank holidays were double time & the shops were closed on Boxing Day.
I remember the first time our company opened on Boxing Day ( not my branch) they offered triple time & said that if the store staff couldn’t do it they would offer it to staff from other local stores. That was probably about 1995ish.

The first time my store opened New Year’s Day I got paid double time and my wages were more than the shop took that day ( I was the manager) after that we did t do New Year’s Day for a few years.

This ridiculous need to shop in Boxing Day has only been in recent years, before this the sales were the January sales they didn’t start in Boxing Day.

Personally I think the shops should be closed in Boxing Day but they won’t because so many people now chose shopping over festivities with families or friends.

I don’t work in retail anymore & I never would again

Yeah another one with no extra pay for boxing day

It is a shame when they get paid less for doing the same job

But in our shop under 18s can't work alone so strictly speaking they are unable to do exactly the same job. Still unfair that the pay is is so very low

It’s sunday trading coming in that eroded extra pay for bank holidays. Once shops could get away with normal pay for Sundays bank holidays went the same way.

Welcome to the world of work. We all start somewhere, It is a normal day in retail, if he is a student he will be earning tax free whilst others who are full time and will be training and supporting him they will be on slightly higher salaries, paying tax as well as their mortgage/rent, utilities, child care, council tax etc. When he’s older with a family to support imagine how he would feel that the 18 year got the same pay as him. Experience and age get paid more. That’s life!

And he won’t be on less than minimum wage he’ll be on the minimum wage for his age. Yes it’s shit at 22 I had a mortgage and 1 DC but got paid less than my 26 year old colleague even though I did more work because under 25s ‘do less’

Frederick "Shop with companies that treat their staff fairly"

We don't shop much but all suggestions welcome. Main shop is at Aldi but changing over to local markets.

If you don’t think it’s fair dont shop in Boxing Day - if they didn’t make a profit they wouldn’t open

I worked in sainsburys Christmas Eve and Boxing Day several times, didn't get anything extra only stess

Stress even

Yeah it's a bit mean but we all go through it at that age. Will be better after he graduates

I also think it should be socially unacceptable to shop on Boxing Day.

I used to work in retail and we didn't get anything extra for Boxing Day. He's lucky he's getting time and a half.