A user on TikTok sparked discussion after claiming he went to an interview for a job that boasted a “competitive” wage. When he arrived at the interview, he was dismayed to learn the wage was just $10 per hour.
In a video with over 83,000 views, Texas-based user Trevor (@trevvubus) says he applied to be a receptionist at a nail salon. The description for the job said the role offered “competitive pay.”
“When she told me $10 an hour, I wasn’t speechless. No, no. I was mouthy,” Trevor recalls. “I said, ‘Why did you put competitive pay in the job description then?’”
Making the issue worse was the fact that Trevor says there was a McDonald’s across the street that was hiring. The sign outside the McDonald’s said new employees started at $15 an hour.
“You’re not even competing with the McDonald’s across the street! Who are you competing with?” Trevor remembers asking the interviewer.
@trevvubus #stitch with @sadisticallysam ♬ original sound – trev :)
The term “competitive pay” has no real meaning, but in general, HR professionals agree that “competitive pay means offering within 10 percent (above or below) the market average for a job,” per Indeed.
However, depending on the source, median earnings for Salon Receptionist range from $11.70 to $14 per hour.
in Texas, where Trevoris based, Talent.com estimates that the average wage for a Salon Reception is slightly lower than the nationwide median, coming in at around $11.50 per hour. This means that the $10 per hour Trevorwas offered still does not meet the HR definition of a competitive wage.
In comments, users shared their own experiences with so-called “competitive wages.”
“Back when I worked for olive garden they also said ‘competitive pay’ and it was 25 cents over minimum wage lmao,” claimed a user.
“Applied to be a receptionist at a vet clinic. They took like a month to respond and told me starting pay was $10/hr,” remembered a second.
“This happened to me and they were paying minimum wage,” offered a third. “Ma’am, no one’s competing for that.”
In the video, Trevor also says that the business’ justification for their low wages was that the business was family-owned. This set off another wave of comments.
“No but seriously what’s up w small or family owned businesses thinking they can get some sort of pass for offering less to their employees,” asked a user.
“Yeah idk why ppl use family and local as an excuse,” added another. “You either can pay ppl or you can’t.”
“If they’re a small business that can’t pay fair wages they’re simply A. Delusional and stingy or B. An unsuccessful business that can’t afford to hire,” concluded a further user.
The Daily Dot reached out to Trevor via Instagram direct message.