About ten years ago I was working a shit warehouse job that paid $12. When a position opened up that paid $15 I applied for it. However, my manager at the time said that they could only do a $2 raise and not $3 because a $3 raise would equate to a 25% pay increase. And that 25% is too high that nobody who is serious about a raise asks for that much.
I understand that 25% is asking for a lot, but that really only applies to an already livable wage. Those $15/hour would still be poverty wages where I lived. Percentages don’t work with small numbers. Had I been making $35 an hour and asked for an extra $8.75 I could see how that would be a significant increase. However, we were dealing with numbers so damn low that it would have actually taken a 50% increase to be a dignified wage at the time.
I was young back then and reluctantly accepted. I was already planning my exit and when the opportunity came I left with a same day notice.
Just be aware of this dirty tactic.