Discussion Online Ensues After Costco Worker Shares She Gets Paid Almost $30 ‘Just To Draw Smiley Faces On Receipts’
Financial equality sounds like a utopia and it probably won’t ever be reached and maybe it shouldn’t be. If you think about it, different jobs require different levels of responsibility, knowledge and skills, so different positions and professions have different monetary value.
But sometimes the value put on some professionals doesn’t seem fair in comparison to other working people. A viral video with almost 15 million views sparked people’s anger to learn that a Costco employee is getting almost $30 per hour when a medical professional earns the same. Another TikToker responded to the video and reflected on the comments, saying that it shows how some employers undervalue their employees.
A Costco employee shared she earns $29.50 an hour for drawing smiley faces on receipts and a lot of people got upset
Image credits: natnatt21
The viral video was posted by Natalie and in it she expressed her enjoyment of working at Costco as she makes $29.50 per hour ‘just to draw smiley faces on receipts.’ You might find such a task strange if you’ve never heard about Costco’s tradition of putting smiley faces on the receipts as the worker checks it before a customer leaves.
Image credits: lilyleia
As the video was seen by so many people, it inevitably made some of them get outraged that such an ‘easy job’ pays as much money as being a nurse does because smiley faces don’t save lives.
The comments section was flooded with similar statements, but another TikToker wanted to give people a different perspective. The TikToker’s name is Khaleah and their response to Natalie’s video’s comments also went viral because it actually revealed a different problem.
Commenters were bothered by the fact that a Costco employee earns as much as other professions that need a college degree
Image credits: lilyleia
In that video Khaleah shows a comment that says, “I’m out there saving lives and you’re putting smiley faces on paper AND we have the same pay… Make it make sense.” They say that they noticed a lot of these kinds of comments in which people expressed their opinion that retail or food industry jobs are easier so they should be paid less than, for example, medical professionals.
Of course, people who have studied for their degrees to get a certain job or who worked a lot to have experience to be able to get further in their careers have a right to be upset. But what Khaleah found wrong in this sentiment is that people wished for others to earn less instead of blaming their own employees who don’t value their employers as much to provide them with an appropriate salary.
But another TikToker pointed out that it’s the professionals with the degrees who are getting underpaid and not the Costco worker getting paid too much
Image credits: lilyleia
It is sad that the only solution that people can see is making others have a worse financial state. It is true that $30 per hour is a lot more than the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25, but people should be able to live normal fulfilling lives instead of just surviving, no matter what job they have. And those who need to get an education and work their way to the position they want should be awarded accordingly.
Image credits: lilyleia
To give some perspective that the federal minimum wage isn’t livable, we can look at the data collected by the National Low Income Housing Coalition who calculated that in 2018, to get a decent 2-bedroom apartment, Americans should at least earn $22.10 without spending more than 30 percent of income on rent.
The number is a national average and it varies from state to state, but it’s clear that a lot of people aren’t paid enough to afford it. So it’s nice to learn that at least some employees pay more than they are obligated to even for a job that doesn’t require specific qualifications.
Here is Khaleah’s video in which you can listen to her point of view
@lilyleia##greenscreen it’s frustrating bc it’s like you’re so close you’re SO fucking close♬ original sound – Khaleah
What was your reaction after seeing the video? Do you agree with Khaleah, who says that people should fight to earn more rather than being upset with others who earn more but are less qualified? Or do you think that employers should pay employees wages that are similar to what others pay in the market? Let us know in the comments!
Some people were happy for the woman who got paid a decent wage and others were upset that they don’t even if they have college degrees
162Kviews
Share on FacebookWhy are so many people pissed that she's making good money as a cashier? Shouldn't they be pissed that they're NOT?
The funny thing is she's not even cashiering, her job is much simpler, Costco has people at the exit that check the items in your cart with the items on your receipt and they draw a happy face when done checking. I wonder if she was presented as part of the loss prevention team instead of cashier if people would still have such negative reactions?
Load More Replies...And every one of those people complaining that "Natalie" makes too much money would happily draw smiley faces all day long for $29.50 an hour if they had the chance.
She makes 60k a year which really isn’t enough to care for a family. If you’re making less than that at a job that requires more training and skill, then you should be getting paid more really. Costco also has the benefit that it’s a solid company with huge earnings. That might not be true for people who work for other kinds of companies.
Lol in my country I make about 8.75$/h making radioactive medicine for cancer patients, the stuff that I need to handle, if mishandled could cause really big calamity and is worth more than what I probably will make in my entire life. I don't want this woman's pay lowered I would love mine raised. Good for her!
yrs.. but what is the cost of living in your country?? how much is a litre of milk at your local store?
Load More Replies...My husband is a plumber. He had to go through 4 years of apprenticeship training. Let's compare that with college. Yes, he got paid as he apprenticed, but not much. But still it was 4 years of extensive training, and had to pass tests with the state to show that he was capable. And yet people will look down their noses at him for being a blue collar worker - until their toilet doesn't work.
100% this. Folks will pay thousands of dollars for a degree in what...business management? Something or other where they learn to work in a office making barely enough to survive,if that much.God help them if they have student loans. And look how many offices had to lay off or close down because of covid. Folks that get into a trade...the plumbers, electricians, HVAC, mechanics, welders...Those are learned on the job as apprentices. Maybe some school, but employers will pay for that alot of the time. And make money while doing it. And you can almost always find work. Recessions don't hit as hard...people are always going to need plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs. People will break things and need them fixed. And when its 3 A.M. and your toilet is clogged and overflowing from the 1st round of screaming shits cuz you ate some bad taco bell, and round 2 is ready to launch...who you gonna call?
Load More Replies...Umm, she isn't overpaid! YOU are underpaid if you're complaining about the difference.
she in particular may just be drawing smiley faces, but in theory she should be checking every customer's carts to see if the items they have match those on the receipt. Have you seen those people that buy a cart full of stuff? And idk about US or that particular store, but here where I live, Costco is always packed with people at any given time. It may not require years of college, but it is a very demanding job that carries a lot of responsibility (well, I don't know if they blame her for not checking any missing items in the inventory). Anyways, "more prepared" people with "harder jobs" should be asking to earn more, not asking for her to earn less.
They don't at the Advocate Aurora system in Illinois/Wisconsin. My husband is a house plumber there and I asked him if the nurses were unionized, and was surprised to find that they weren't. I had always grown up thinking all nurses were unionized. My aunt was an RN and was a union member back in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
Load More Replies...The ceos are working it right! Make the servants go after each other for the scraps "we" throw. They have convinced "us" that the more money you make, the less you need to pay in taxes. Percentage wise, the poor pay more in taxes than the wealthy. ( we pay tax on food, and anything else we have to buy, that is a decent amount of my "income") When asked if we should tax any income over 400,000, most people voted against it. WHY? Because we swallow the propaganda that is shoved up our azzes.
Totally agree that the health services jobs should pay more. I know it's hard to compare between countries, but the Costco employee is earning around $10 an hour more than a UK registered nurse with a couple of years' experience behind them.
A UK registered nurse will not be tens of thousands in debt if they have to go to the hospital because they got sick or injured. On top of that they won't lose their jobs for needing time off. Guarantee this Costco employee is one injury/ illness away from homelessness.
Load More Replies...If nursing staff in America are paid low wages how do they justify the massive cost of a hospital stay?
Just because you’re underpaid, doesn’t mean you should be angry at people who are paid what they’re worth. My ex-wife worked at Costco. You know why the pay is good? Because the work is repetitive, boring, strenuous, thankless or all of the above. Standing in one place all day, putting up with impatient people’s BS, catching thieves or, more importantly, people who were accidentally overcharged is not a thrilling or easy thing to do. I think that’s a great wage for what she does, Costco is treating her well, and Costco is still making a sh*t ton of money!
Wow, this is some classist bullpoop if I've ever seen any. These people in health-care or other fields that require a degree seem to think that a cashier shouldn't make as much as them. Why? Because she didn't have to pay out a crap-ton of money for an overpriced education? Is it because they're "saving lives" (said with such dramatic flair) and she's "just a cashier?" Don't get me wrong,they do a very important job and I'm glad they are there to do it. But damn, don't tear someone else down because thier employer is paying them well. Why not raise hell with their own employer for an increase? Don't hate on folks that are doing well for themselves. How about trying to do better for themselves. Dont be butthurt if you can't beat them, just join them.
The irony is the people who most often complain about how much "low skill" wages are, are usually also the first to complain about welfare and homelessness. If you want people to be able to support themselves and not "take your taxes", then you want them to make good money. People who have housing vouchers are not jobless. To qualify for unemployment you are required to apply for a certain amount of jobs per week (and unemployment maxes out at like $500 a week depending where you live). Everyone below the c suite needs to be paid more!
Obviously Costco is aware that these friendly touches by the cashier have a positive impact on their customers and that means returning customers. I'm sure they've figured out what kinds of things work best for their bottom line.
It will always amaze me how people get upset at the person in a situation like this instead of the system that is oppressing them. Everyone is entitled to a livable wage. If we would all stop looking at each other as the issues and started looking at Washington and the millionaires/billionaires maybe we could ALL MAKE A LIVING WAGE.
I made $25 with no hope of a raise to manage and entire department of 21 employees taking care of people with Alzheimer's. I don't necessarily think she makes too much, I think companies should pay much more
The person who said people should be mad at their employers if they are underpaid, not mad at Costco for paying a decent wage, really, really got it.
I had one job where I thought I wasn't being paid enough, I quit after the first week. If more people did that there would be less jobs that did not pay enough.
It is happening folks. The top CEOs want to control the narrative (and the money), and so they're pitting people against each other. BE HAPPY for someone who is actually earning decent money, and complain to YOUR BOSSES if you are unhappy with your pay! Only in the US do professionals earn c**p money for their work. That's not the workers' fault. That's the fault of the industry. CEOs are beginning to understand the issues since Covid, where people aren't going back to minimum wage jobs. But the well-educated people need to stand up and have their say.
There is an ugly narrative that happens, where instead of being glad that there is a company that pays its workers a living wage, all the people not earning as much claim that the worker doesn't deserve it. They don't think about what they need to do to bargain for better pay, by unionizing, or by choosing a different career path. They simply complain that someone is doing better than them, and try to tear them down. I guess it's the way that the capitalist barons stop people getting together to change things.
Additionally, there is a difference between the market salaries of profit and non-profit entities ... there's a reason for that that most want to ignore ...
I think what she makes isn’t even a living wage. We’ve just been indoctrinated into thinking a stagnant minimum wage is a good base or starter/entry pay so anything higher seems decent. Where I live, $30/hr wouldn’t come close to covering housing alone. Most companies and small businesses in America don’t see payroll as the most important overhead expense, but instead see it as revenue loss. So, unionized or not, the battle for decent wages requires convincing your employer that the lost revenue is actually an investment in the health and growth of the company.
Economics. If people produce 5$ for the ecnomy and get paid 10$, people whose labor produces more will naturally get angry. But, then again, the free market is self-correcting. What happens is people who would normally be doctors decide to work at Costco instead, and their hospital is forced to raise wages to bring in employees.
ANOTHER typical lazy and entitled millennial who is jealous of someone else for their income and feel the need to chastise them because they have such a terrible life of their own choosing. Nobody told this woman to be a nurse. Sounds like she needs to go back to school and learn compassion, rule 1 of being a nurse.
The people you’re saying got shat on are also Americans. You’re broke too so I don’t know why you’re acting like your situation is much different. Ooo, you have one more crumb than the next poor soul.
Load More Replies...Why are so many people pissed that she's making good money as a cashier? Shouldn't they be pissed that they're NOT?
The funny thing is she's not even cashiering, her job is much simpler, Costco has people at the exit that check the items in your cart with the items on your receipt and they draw a happy face when done checking. I wonder if she was presented as part of the loss prevention team instead of cashier if people would still have such negative reactions?
Load More Replies...And every one of those people complaining that "Natalie" makes too much money would happily draw smiley faces all day long for $29.50 an hour if they had the chance.
She makes 60k a year which really isn’t enough to care for a family. If you’re making less than that at a job that requires more training and skill, then you should be getting paid more really. Costco also has the benefit that it’s a solid company with huge earnings. That might not be true for people who work for other kinds of companies.
Lol in my country I make about 8.75$/h making radioactive medicine for cancer patients, the stuff that I need to handle, if mishandled could cause really big calamity and is worth more than what I probably will make in my entire life. I don't want this woman's pay lowered I would love mine raised. Good for her!
yrs.. but what is the cost of living in your country?? how much is a litre of milk at your local store?
Load More Replies...My husband is a plumber. He had to go through 4 years of apprenticeship training. Let's compare that with college. Yes, he got paid as he apprenticed, but not much. But still it was 4 years of extensive training, and had to pass tests with the state to show that he was capable. And yet people will look down their noses at him for being a blue collar worker - until their toilet doesn't work.
100% this. Folks will pay thousands of dollars for a degree in what...business management? Something or other where they learn to work in a office making barely enough to survive,if that much.God help them if they have student loans. And look how many offices had to lay off or close down because of covid. Folks that get into a trade...the plumbers, electricians, HVAC, mechanics, welders...Those are learned on the job as apprentices. Maybe some school, but employers will pay for that alot of the time. And make money while doing it. And you can almost always find work. Recessions don't hit as hard...people are always going to need plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs. People will break things and need them fixed. And when its 3 A.M. and your toilet is clogged and overflowing from the 1st round of screaming shits cuz you ate some bad taco bell, and round 2 is ready to launch...who you gonna call?
Load More Replies...Umm, she isn't overpaid! YOU are underpaid if you're complaining about the difference.
she in particular may just be drawing smiley faces, but in theory she should be checking every customer's carts to see if the items they have match those on the receipt. Have you seen those people that buy a cart full of stuff? And idk about US or that particular store, but here where I live, Costco is always packed with people at any given time. It may not require years of college, but it is a very demanding job that carries a lot of responsibility (well, I don't know if they blame her for not checking any missing items in the inventory). Anyways, "more prepared" people with "harder jobs" should be asking to earn more, not asking for her to earn less.
They don't at the Advocate Aurora system in Illinois/Wisconsin. My husband is a house plumber there and I asked him if the nurses were unionized, and was surprised to find that they weren't. I had always grown up thinking all nurses were unionized. My aunt was an RN and was a union member back in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
Load More Replies...The ceos are working it right! Make the servants go after each other for the scraps "we" throw. They have convinced "us" that the more money you make, the less you need to pay in taxes. Percentage wise, the poor pay more in taxes than the wealthy. ( we pay tax on food, and anything else we have to buy, that is a decent amount of my "income") When asked if we should tax any income over 400,000, most people voted against it. WHY? Because we swallow the propaganda that is shoved up our azzes.
Totally agree that the health services jobs should pay more. I know it's hard to compare between countries, but the Costco employee is earning around $10 an hour more than a UK registered nurse with a couple of years' experience behind them.
A UK registered nurse will not be tens of thousands in debt if they have to go to the hospital because they got sick or injured. On top of that they won't lose their jobs for needing time off. Guarantee this Costco employee is one injury/ illness away from homelessness.
Load More Replies...If nursing staff in America are paid low wages how do they justify the massive cost of a hospital stay?
Just because you’re underpaid, doesn’t mean you should be angry at people who are paid what they’re worth. My ex-wife worked at Costco. You know why the pay is good? Because the work is repetitive, boring, strenuous, thankless or all of the above. Standing in one place all day, putting up with impatient people’s BS, catching thieves or, more importantly, people who were accidentally overcharged is not a thrilling or easy thing to do. I think that’s a great wage for what she does, Costco is treating her well, and Costco is still making a sh*t ton of money!
Wow, this is some classist bullpoop if I've ever seen any. These people in health-care or other fields that require a degree seem to think that a cashier shouldn't make as much as them. Why? Because she didn't have to pay out a crap-ton of money for an overpriced education? Is it because they're "saving lives" (said with such dramatic flair) and she's "just a cashier?" Don't get me wrong,they do a very important job and I'm glad they are there to do it. But damn, don't tear someone else down because thier employer is paying them well. Why not raise hell with their own employer for an increase? Don't hate on folks that are doing well for themselves. How about trying to do better for themselves. Dont be butthurt if you can't beat them, just join them.
The irony is the people who most often complain about how much "low skill" wages are, are usually also the first to complain about welfare and homelessness. If you want people to be able to support themselves and not "take your taxes", then you want them to make good money. People who have housing vouchers are not jobless. To qualify for unemployment you are required to apply for a certain amount of jobs per week (and unemployment maxes out at like $500 a week depending where you live). Everyone below the c suite needs to be paid more!
Obviously Costco is aware that these friendly touches by the cashier have a positive impact on their customers and that means returning customers. I'm sure they've figured out what kinds of things work best for their bottom line.
It will always amaze me how people get upset at the person in a situation like this instead of the system that is oppressing them. Everyone is entitled to a livable wage. If we would all stop looking at each other as the issues and started looking at Washington and the millionaires/billionaires maybe we could ALL MAKE A LIVING WAGE.
I made $25 with no hope of a raise to manage and entire department of 21 employees taking care of people with Alzheimer's. I don't necessarily think she makes too much, I think companies should pay much more
The person who said people should be mad at their employers if they are underpaid, not mad at Costco for paying a decent wage, really, really got it.
I had one job where I thought I wasn't being paid enough, I quit after the first week. If more people did that there would be less jobs that did not pay enough.
It is happening folks. The top CEOs want to control the narrative (and the money), and so they're pitting people against each other. BE HAPPY for someone who is actually earning decent money, and complain to YOUR BOSSES if you are unhappy with your pay! Only in the US do professionals earn c**p money for their work. That's not the workers' fault. That's the fault of the industry. CEOs are beginning to understand the issues since Covid, where people aren't going back to minimum wage jobs. But the well-educated people need to stand up and have their say.
There is an ugly narrative that happens, where instead of being glad that there is a company that pays its workers a living wage, all the people not earning as much claim that the worker doesn't deserve it. They don't think about what they need to do to bargain for better pay, by unionizing, or by choosing a different career path. They simply complain that someone is doing better than them, and try to tear them down. I guess it's the way that the capitalist barons stop people getting together to change things.
Additionally, there is a difference between the market salaries of profit and non-profit entities ... there's a reason for that that most want to ignore ...
I think what she makes isn’t even a living wage. We’ve just been indoctrinated into thinking a stagnant minimum wage is a good base or starter/entry pay so anything higher seems decent. Where I live, $30/hr wouldn’t come close to covering housing alone. Most companies and small businesses in America don’t see payroll as the most important overhead expense, but instead see it as revenue loss. So, unionized or not, the battle for decent wages requires convincing your employer that the lost revenue is actually an investment in the health and growth of the company.
Economics. If people produce 5$ for the ecnomy and get paid 10$, people whose labor produces more will naturally get angry. But, then again, the free market is self-correcting. What happens is people who would normally be doctors decide to work at Costco instead, and their hospital is forced to raise wages to bring in employees.
ANOTHER typical lazy and entitled millennial who is jealous of someone else for their income and feel the need to chastise them because they have such a terrible life of their own choosing. Nobody told this woman to be a nurse. Sounds like she needs to go back to school and learn compassion, rule 1 of being a nurse.
The people you’re saying got shat on are also Americans. You’re broke too so I don’t know why you’re acting like your situation is much different. Ooo, you have one more crumb than the next poor soul.
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