I’m 17 years old, and just started working at my first job three weeks ago. Right away I had to pay 50 dollars for a uniform (plus 40 for shoes I had to get myself) and my training pay would be $11.50/hour. I was told I could work my way up to $14/hour when I had things handled. Minimum wage in my state is $16/hour, so that was already weird.
I’ve worked 18 hours in total, and was handed my first paycheck today. I’ve made a total of $95.20 excluding tax. I was expecting over 100 dollars, and I’m gutted.
To make matters worse, the work environment is horrible. My two managers, a mother and son, constantly talk to me like I’m an idiot when they’re not insulting each other. My “training” consisted of being told off for every wrong move, to the point that I’ve had to stop working twice because I wasn’t able to make myself stop crying. I feel like I can’t move without doing something wrong, and that I’m an outlet for their problems.
This whole situation feels very illegal and wage thefty, and I don’t know what to do.