If you go above and beyond at your retail job, one Bath & Body Works worker says to “act your wage” following a disappointing reward for his hard work during the holiday rush.
In a video with over 161,000 views, TikToker Jeremiah (@brazaussie) shares a clip of himself standing behind the cash register at Bath & Body Works in a red and white holiday apron.
“Guys, I won the contest for the most gift boxes sold at work today. Do you want to know what my prize was?” he says, holding up a small card. “A coupon for Jamba Juice.”
The coupon, which he holds up, is a buy-one-get-one for a small smoothie.
As he tears the card up, he says, “Act your wage.” The caption reads, “Don’t go above and beyond for companies that won’t compensate you for it.”
What does ‘act your wage’ mean?
In a previous video, Jeremiah explains exactly what he means by “act your wage.”
“This is a reminder if you’re a service worker during the holidays, and you catch yourself working a little too hard,” he says. “Take a step back. Let’s act our wage.”
“Think about the number they’re paying you,” he continues. “Slow down.”
But the “act your wage” movement isn’t new. In June 2023, the Daily Dot reported on a McDonald’s worker who said she was also “acting her wage” by putting minimal effort into her job.
Jeremiah is not the only retail worker to lean into the holiday mantra, either. In the comments of his viral TikTok, others shared their work philosophies.
“Yeah minimum wage minimum effort,” one wrote.
“I always say if you don’t see yourself long term at that job, do only what you get paid for, minimum effort for minimum wage lol,” another said.
Others shared their own disappointing holiday gifts for high performance at their jobs.
“I got the most donations and I was gifted a pencil,” a commenter said.
“LOL when I used to work at six flags & they didn’t pay holiday pay they would give us free chicken strips… for Christmas Eve & day,” another wrote.
Bath & Body Works workers respond
In the comments section, Bath & Body Workers weighed in on what it’s like to work at the store.
“I also work at bbw & I literally will never do above and beyond lol I will work but not over work. Favoritism is what Runs bbw,” one claimed.
“I work at bbw too and we didn’t get anything,” another wrote.
However, other Bath & Body Works workers say their stores had more desirable prizes for top sellers.
“No wayyy at my bbw they gave out a kendra scott jewelry piece for the person who sold the most gifts boxes,” a viewer said.
“That’s so crazy. When I worked there we got a nice hand bag filled with product, like the free gift with purchase,” another wrote.
In a comment, Jeremiah said that the coupon was his last straw.
“Oh tmrw is my last day and I infact will be crashing out + possibly throwing back a couple shots!” he wrote.
@brazaussie don’t go above and beyond for companies that wont compensate you for it 😒 #actyourwage #fy #retail #serviceworker ♬ original sound – Jeremiah
The Daily Dot reached out to Jeremiah via email and TikTok direct message. We also contacted Bath & Body Works via email.
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