A former retail employee revealed that, over the course of four years working at Target, she received only a 10-cent raise each year.
In the video, which has been viewed 990,300 times since it was first posted yesterday, user Sydney (@freddiebensoncousin) says her manager would approach her each year with a paper containing details of her new raise, which he instructed her to open in the break room away from everyone else.
@freddiebensonscousin #stitch with @Kaitlin Sondae started at $10 an hour in 2016 and never made it above $11 after 4 years #retail ♬ original sound – sydney
“[He would] be like, ‘Sydney, inside of this is your raise. You should be so proud of yourself,’” Sydney, 23, recalls in her video. “I would open it. It was 10 cents. It would literally be 10 cents.”
She stitched a video from another Target worker, who showed a paper confirming a 31-cent raise after working there for five years.
In the comments section, other Target employees shared similar experiences. “Target literally gave me 6 cents lol I quit shortly thereafter,” one user wrote.
“I got nine cents. Literally been there for a year and five months,” another replied.
Some users revealed even smaller pay raises. “I literally got a three-cent raise one year. I honestly would have been less insulted with no raise at all,” one commenter claimed.
“I worked at my retail job for over three years and never once got a raise LMAO,” another shared.
Others shared raises that were much higher. One user said Home Depot offered him $1.50 more each year. Another questioned whether or not raises at Target were based on performance, claiming they received 33 cents more after their first year.
“One time they gave me a 10 cent,” one wrote. “I told them I was gonna quit and they came back and offered me a whole 25 cents to stay on.”
“I got a 10 cent raise once and my manager was like ‘first paycheck with the raise! So exciting!’ and I was just like,” another shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sydney via Instagram direct message.
