I've been working at a small cafe half an hour from my house for 19 months. I've got a decade of experience in everything from coffee to croissants and I'm a skilled worker. I was hired at $13/hr which was almost insultingly low but the best I found closer than an hour away.
Shortly after I was hired, half the baking team quit/was fired, and the only other baker and I picked up a HELL of a lot of slack. In the last year-plus we have revamped the menu, improved the quality and consistency of all the products, and I have designed new recipes for special requests. All the while it's been a constant stream of condescension, micromanagement, and miscommunication, and pushback on our suggestions to raise prices.
We asked for a raise months ago, really just a wage adjustment to match the COL/inflation rate, and were given 2/3 of what we asked for, 'because you make tips.'
Today I got a call back from a job in a completely different field for a position offering slightly less than my current wage but literally down the street and over the hill. My coworkers know I'm leaving, but my boss gets that info with just as much courtesy and consideration as she's shown these last few months.
Well, as she told me, “better to offer solutions than point fingers.”