Correction: Eagle-eyed reader @sedateddaily noted that this person is actually managing a Jack In the Box, not a Taco Bell. The Daily Dot regrets the error. Our original report is below.
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A Taco Bell manager’s TikTok complaining about not having enough employees has kicked off a heated conversation about where the blame actually lies.
Miranda (@miranda_kutedimplez) posted a short little dance video taken at the Taco Bell where she works, noting in it that she only had three employees working that night and admitting it was “gonna be hell.”
While some initially felt sympathy for her and the other workers having to deal with customers sans proper support, that shifted upon reading her caption.
“No one wants to work or wants a job!!” she wrote.
@miranda_kutedimplez No one wants to work or wants a job!!
♬ h – yomommawashere
The notion that nobody wants to work is a narrative that’s been pushed by some business owners and others in positions of power since the government gave people stimulus checks during the earlier days of the pandemic (those payments helped many for a limited amount of time). Claiming nobody wants to work is also an age-old tactic that keeps coming around, according to Snopes, every time workers push to be compensated fairly.
Hearing it reiterated on TikTok was frustrating to a number of viewers, who didn’t hesitate to tell @miranda_kutedimplez why they felt she was in the wrong here.
“No one wants to work minimum wage anymore,” wrote @futur3filf69. “We know our worth.”
“If it’s not at least $18 it’s not worth the time or stress to me. Everything too expensive,” @zooted95 added.
“I took back my like the second I read the caption. in this economy?” @existential.cheesecake asked. “Working full time and I still can’t pay rent.”
While lack of a living wage seemed to be most common complaint cited, another viewer suggested employers keep bemoaning the lack of workers “but then won’t hire anyone,” while others pointed to the poor culture that’s become the norm for service industry and other customer-facing workers.
“No one wants to work because we as human beings are tired of being disrespected by customers & management,” @kirrenlcarver explained. “It isn’t like that everywhere. but everywhere i’ve been it’s been the customer n management treatment. like i don’t get paid enough to tolerate disrespect.”
“No hate but if you only got 3 employees maybe you or higher management need to re evaluate yourselves,” @kodaxkk wrote.
Miranda made a follow-up video denouncing the “nasty and unnecessary comments” and clarifying that her video was aimed at employees who call out at the last minute or simply don’t show up. She also defends her own decision to work at Taco Bell.
“There are some people out there that, a job is a job, they need a job,” she says. “And right now, because I’m going to school, and I needed a job that worked with my hours. This is what I chose.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @miranda_kutedimplez via Instagram message.