General Discussion

rickford66

(6,069 posts)

138. I got a raise like that once

Tue Jul 10, 2012, 09:39 PM

Jul 2012

In the early 90's I was working for a job shop. We were contracted out to wherever they could make a buck. I was getting around 42K a year and the company was getting about $119,000 for my services. Not bad. Well, after a years probation, one of the managers took me aside and said that I did such a great job they were giving me a ..... wait for it ..... 5 cent raise. So, that's $2.00 per week and maybe put me in the next column in the tax table. Maybe I ended up making less. They did give us a couple slices of pizza a month and their HMO health insurance only cost $500 + a month. At the time I had privately bought a BC/BS family plan for $340 per month. When they found out that I was interviewing other places, I received an $8,000 raise and 4 weeks paid vacation (they had no vacation but my manager said since I had never taken a sick day in three years I should have the 4 weeks paid). I left right after that.

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My co-worker got an Outstanding evaluation at the grocery store where she works. Want to guess what [View all] raccoon Jul 2012 OP

Du rec. Nt xchrom Jul 2012 #1

Let's say your frined makes 13 bucks an hour... trumad Jul 2012 #2

I think she's saying it was a 10-cent raise. Chan790 Jul 2012 #6

$4 more a week? She'd better be careful it doesn't kick her up into a higher TAX bracket! TrollBuster9090 Jul 2012 #26

Making more money only potentially pushes that additional money into a higher bracket Kennah Jul 2012 #160

She makes about 8.00 /hr. Raise will be all of .10 /hr. nt raccoon Jul 2012 #7

So, people who work in grocery stores now earn a whole $16 000 per year? TrollBuster9090 Jul 2012 #29

Well...the woman got ripped off, IMO. Talk about not getting your money's worth! nt MADem Jul 2012 #37

True, but that's part of the whole "money to burn" image. TrollBuster9090 Jul 2012 #118

Yes, and those Rolex's are heavy and ugly too--the counterfeits look better, actually! MADem Jul 2012 #119

Thorsten Veblen explained this in 1899 dragonlady Jul 2012 #147

Thorstein Veblen NYC_SKP Jul 2012 #155

There was a DUer with the username Thorstein Veblen at one time Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #170

Also long fingernails and "trophy wives" incapable of doing a lick of work. /nt TheMadMonk Jul 2012 #173

You can get a Rolex for around $1000 HotRodTuna Jul 2012 #166

Bravo! Emphasis on the 'GILDED' - n/t coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #50

And a grocery store worker would have to work 32 years to match the 'charge account' TrollBuster9090 Jul 2012 #162

be careful here.....Mrs. Obama wears designer clothes too grasswire Jul 2012 #103

She wears shit from Target and I doubt her entire wardrobe, even without discounts, MADem Jul 2012 #120

Shhh, shhhh! Scootaloo Jul 2012 #159

I don't believe President Obama's suits are off the rack either HotRodTuna Jul 2012 #167

Southern state? Does the store start with a W? and has 2 names? dixiegrrrrl Jul 2012 #140

Its not just walmart, its almost all grocery stores both chains and independants. cstanleytech Jul 2012 #144

dixiegrrrl doesn't mean Walmart tkmorris Jul 2012 #145

Ah, well Bi-Lo just bought them so dont expect them to change much in that regards. In fact cstanleytech Jul 2012 #146

So if she is working 40 hours a week undeterred Jul 2012 #3

$4 a week. "Now I can afford a latte on Fridays! Whooppee!!" (n/t) klook Jul 2012 #12

Back in the day, you could go to the movies. By yourself: Hassin Bin Sober Jul 2012 #151

Sadly most retail places don't offer 40 hours anymore Marrah_G Jul 2012 #60

In the DC area, Giant cut hours for its supermarket workers some years ago LiberalEsto Jul 2012 #139

Sad, like the "Employee of the Month" award where TheCowsCameHome Jul 2012 #4

My husband once got employee of the year award once........he got a 3 day 2 night stay a kennedy Jul 2012 #15

My husband got that once - the employee parking space. noamnety Jul 2012 #55

ouch! shanti Jul 2012 #57

Such ingratitude jberryhill Jul 2012 #5

self-delete. nt raccoon Jul 2012 #9

jberryhill was being ironic. redwitch Jul 2012 #10

thanks, I edited the post. Hard to tell these days. nt raccoon Jul 2012 #11

Oh come now jberryhill Jul 2012 #13

I couldn't keep me in oatmeal for $.80 a day. Fuddnik Jul 2012 #41

We buy 50 lb bags. We've estimated the cost at 25 cents a serving. TalkingDog Jul 2012 #85

Damn, you had me there for a second. Please throw in a sarcasm smiley or something! Zalatix Jul 2012 #20

The sarcasm smiley's for amateurs! n/t backscatter712 Jul 2012 #66

Compensation involves much more than salary. FBaggins Jul 2012 #8

That sucks Proud Liberal Dem Jul 2012 #14

10 cents an hour. barbtries Jul 2012 #16

I had an excellent review... awoke_in_2003 Jul 2012 #68

Like the song in the 1954 musical "Pajama Game" - seven and a half cents - haele Jul 2012 #98

i never watched it. barbtries Jul 2012 #100

I spent the first part of 1977 working at a BurgerMaster while I was a senior. haele Jul 2012 #105

maybe she is topped out unapatriciated Jul 2012 #17

My daughter also works at a chain grocery store and LibGranny Jul 2012 #18

Right-to-Work-for-Peanuts state is more like it. My, my, how they can spin those lies. Stardust Jul 2012 #157

Why stay there? In 2009 I quit a job after three consecutive years of excellent reviews, zero raises slackmaster Jul 2012 #19

Well said. She or he could just move right into medical IT, right? Zalatix Jul 2012 #21

I've been working for more than 30 years, and found that things go a lot better for me when I... slackmaster Jul 2012 #23

Or we could support unions.... daleanime Jul 2012 #32

IT for some reason doesn't think they need unions. Zalatix Jul 2012 #35

Um, congress/legislators decide if IT can be in a union Paulie Jul 2012 #44

Wait, what? Zalatix Jul 2012 #92

Precisely Sherman A1 Jul 2012 #127

Moving to a new employer doesn't improve your standard of living if no one's hiring. Zalatix Jul 2012 #34

You're right. The more people choose to stay in dead-end, low-pay jobs, the better for... slackmaster Jul 2012 #48

Yours is not exactly an 'alertable post,' but it is certainly reprehensible and coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #54

The issue is locus of control, not "human agency" slackmaster Jul 2012 #59

I feel so little empathy for you or interest in anything further that you have to say coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #63

Pearls before swine slackmaster Jul 2012 #64

Or white-painted lead balls. Zalatix Jul 2012 #78

I appreciate you viewpoint HotRodTuna Jul 2012 #169

Agreed Sherman A1 Jul 2012 #131

I know several IT people who are looking for work. Arctic Dave Jul 2012 #71

*crickets* Zalatix Jul 2012 #79

Send them my way. I'm not afraid of competition. slackmaster Jul 2012 #80

And there lies the fallacy of your logic. Arctic Dave Jul 2012 #99

lol Dokkie Jul 2012 #130

I don't see how any of that relavant to my post. Arctic Dave Jul 2012 #182

In your rush to be insensitive and condescending, you didn't answer my questions. Zalatix Jul 2012 #77

There is a shortage of IT workers in my area. Job pickings are good here. slackmaster Jul 2012 #81

You're still not answering my question. Zalatix Jul 2012 #89

Where did I say that there were enough IT jobs for everyone who needs a job? slackmaster Jul 2012 #106

Yes, there are job openings at the company where you work. Zalatix Jul 2012 #115

I'm just speculating here becauese the OP doesn't have a lot of information but unless that store... slackmaster Jul 2012 #49

And if you don't have a car wickerwoman Jul 2012 #158

We don't know whether the person has a car or not slackmaster Jul 2012 #164

Yes, prejudice (seriously, WTF?) against willfull ignorance is something I will absolutely keep. wickerwoman Jul 2012 #178

The thread is about raccoon's friend getting a stingy raise. We don't know much else about her. slackmaster Jul 2012 #180

And that's the point caraher Jul 2012 #43

Bingo. TalkingDog Jul 2012 #90

My advice is simply to look around and see if there is a possibility of getting another job slackmaster Jul 2012 #108

Think about it from the employer's standpoint--why pay more if they don't have to? MADem Jul 2012 #40

You do understand that the person works in a supermarket, right? Marrah_G Jul 2012 #65

Yes. My first job was at a small neighborhood grocery store. $2.35 per hour in 1975. slackmaster Jul 2012 #82

"You always have other options"? Hahahahahahahaha. Yup. Quit a low paying job to join the unemployed uppityperson Jul 2012 #91

Let me rephrase it so you might understand - You always have the option of LOOKING AROUND to see... slackmaster Jul 2012 #109

I have the option of looking around to see if I can be an astronaut or president! uppityperson Jul 2012 #124

People do just that for a lot of reasons, uppityperson. The most common is low self-esteem. slackmaster Jul 2012 #165

In this economy, many are happy to have any job at all, and employers can easily abuse them. uppityperson Jul 2012 #177

The scales, hopefully, will fall from a lot of eyes concerning "right to work." AngryOldDem Jul 2012 #22

My GF, she also works at a grocery store, told me last night... Javaman Jul 2012 #24

There you go! Who ever SAID hard work and dedication doesn't pay off? TrollBuster9090 Jul 2012 #25

We're on four years now without a raise. Robb Jul 2012 #27

welcome to the world of minimum wage. part man all 86 Jul 2012 #28

Very interesting glimpse into the world of fast food prep. MADem Jul 2012 #42

welcome to DU, in the nicest way grasswire Jul 2012 #110

by the way i went to the great big orange screw called the university of tenner'see knox vegas. part man all 86 Jul 2012 #116

I probably eat that stuff two or three times a year, if that. MADem Jul 2012 #121

She needs to find another job badtoworse Jul 2012 #30

your co-worker, where she works? You aren't there as well or you share another job together? snooper2 Jul 2012 #31

She works part-time at the job where I work and part-time at the grocery store. raccoon Jul 2012 #83

I proved I was working ten extra hours a week once and got a $25 per week raise. brewens Jul 2012 #33

My wife is going through her yearly review. Thav Jul 2012 #36

Unfortunately, that's the way it is for a lot of people Cairycat Jul 2012 #38

"Right to Work" warrprayer Jul 2012 #39

$4 a week. Ugh. Yeah, thanks a lot. stevenleser Jul 2012 #45

coupla years ago, I won an award -- and got a zero increase that year, like everyone else. spooky3 Jul 2012 #46

I was told that back during the Reagan Recession of 1982 Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #74

The job market really sucked in those days. Took me months to find a job. People that had been raccoon Jul 2012 #87

Funny story about the Reagan Recession (if there is any humor to be gleaned from it, even coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #95

Same here: I came out of grad school in the Reagan recession, and the only place Lydia Leftcoast Jul 2012 #96

Interesting Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #148

That meshes with my experience. I finished my Master's at UMKC in 1986 and, still coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #149

"Social interaction products"? Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #150

LMAO. Your post prompted me to remember my favorite all-time interview Q&A coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #168

At one time, I was actually considering going to the University of Wisconsin Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #171

I think the 'liberal paradise' idea was pretty much a relic of the 60s. When I coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #172

Come to think of it, Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #174

I had a couple stellar reviews in my last job and got a pay cut for my problems Posteritatis Jul 2012 #152

In Canada 20 years ago 12AngryBorneoWildmen Jul 2012 #47

You know what my daughter got for her "raise"? She got madmom Jul 2012 #51

My spousal unit recently got his first raise in 2 years. $3.40 PER YEAR. TalkingDog Jul 2012 #52

Ain't the "new" America just the best place in the whole wide world! n/t RKP5637 Jul 2012 #53

Hey, if she doesn't like her raise, she should quit and get a job as a Wall Street banker. tclambert Jul 2012 #56

The bosses need more cars, gold and land Marrah_G Jul 2012 #58

The bosses need to be shown that people won't put up with their crap slackmaster Jul 2012 #62

That's one of those "Woo Hoo. In three days I'll be able to afford a Miller Lite draft!" moments. HopeHoops Jul 2012 #61

Wow, one unanticipated benefit of your OP is that it's bringing coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #67

I also added to my ignore list Marrah_G Jul 2012 #70

All of the threads I see are asshole-free. OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #72

I'm working on it. Threads like this one are helping me in my pursuit. - n/t coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #76

It's worth the effort. nt OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #88

Or at least the lowered blood pressure. On a quasi-humorous note, it coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #93

I live my life on the razor's edge. OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #111

IMO, if you can't demonstrate empathy, you really do not belong on this board. There coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #73

Ha! I got a .16 an hour raise after my last evaluation. OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #69

That's a pretty specific amount.. (nt) Posteritatis Jul 2012 #154

A raise in wages per hour tends to be specific. OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #175

No, just curious as to why they chose sixteen instead of, say, fifteen or twenty. Posteritatis Jul 2012 #176

The store was allotted $3.20 in wage increases OnyxCollie Jul 2012 #181

I worked for a company where Arctic Dave Jul 2012 #75

well it rightly don't make a difference if you are from ... bayareaboy Jul 2012 #84

Union clerks at Vons, a typical chain grocery in Southern California, average a little over $8/hour slackmaster Jul 2012 #86

My boss fired me on the BEST DAY of work I've ever had. no_hypocrisy Jul 2012 #94

One of my brothers (in sales) turned a territory around and made it profitable again Lydia Leftcoast Jul 2012 #97

1.2% raise for the top grade is less than pitiful TheKentuckian Jul 2012 #101

Clark Griswold has the best reaction to this... backscatter712 Jul 2012 #102

"spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is" Lifelong Protester Jul 2012 #143

Tell her the squeaky wheel B Calm Jul 2012 #104

They'll fire her, claim for cause, and deny her unemployment. Sirveri Jul 2012 #117

My father also received an excellent work review SOS Jul 2012 #107

If that is all doing a good job gets you then slack off as much as possible lunasun Jul 2012 #112

A dime an hour. Wow. Brigid Jul 2012 #113

The broken social contract that nobody want to talk about anymore. Egalitarian Thug Jul 2012 #114

omg Liberal_in_LA Jul 2012 #122

It's a pretty typical raise siouxsiecreamcheese Jul 2012 #123

In the mid-1970s I had a short-term job at a very small manufacturing plant struggle4progress Jul 2012 #125

We have been living top-down Reganomics for the last 30 years... giant fail lib2DaBone Jul 2012 #126

That is all I got in 4 years at public school district in Florida HockeyMom Jul 2012 #128

I had an "outstanding" evaluation in March Myrina Jul 2012 #129

They're dropping a dime on her. Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2012 #132

What's her hourly rate? Need to know what % the 10 cents is of her hrly rate. Suffice to say... Honeycombe8 Jul 2012 #133

Is employee theft on the rise at the grocery store? Ineeda Jul 2012 #134

If I were her cyglet Jul 2012 #135

I got a $.10 per hour raise at a corporate job back in 2003 Orrex Jul 2012 #136

Sound like she works for the Walto......er Dukes thelordofhell Jul 2012 #137

I got a raise like that once rickford66 Jul 2012 #138

That's why they call it "trickle down"... livingonearth Jul 2012 #141

Like a frakking grocery store has trouble making enough profit. Shame!!! patrice Jul 2012 #142

sad thing is, she got a better pay raise than did I Skittles Jul 2012 #153

My girlfriend worked at a clothing store and was a top notch employee. Evoman Jul 2012 #156

And they'll probably levy an .11$ an hour processing fee on each of her paychecks. Ken Burch Jul 2012 #161

Umm...I can attest that this has been going on for years. Just sayin. Ship of Fools Jul 2012 #163

Well, she got a raise. Xyzse Jul 2012 #179

And the CEO gets a $4.6 million raise. Initech Jul 2012 #183