Internet Encourages Grocer From Quitting To Become A New Hire And Get A Raise

A former grocery store worker has opened up about how he managed to get a raise in his job just days after quitting in a viral post shared on the Reddit “Malicious Compliance” forum.

u/tpb772000 said in his post, which has received more than 16,000 votes since it was posted on Thursday, that he worked at a grocery store while in high school and made $10.50 an hour, but the The company he worked for offered a promotional wage for new hires of 11.25 per hour.

After asking to be paid the same amount as new hires, 11.25 an hour, he said his manager refused to give him a raise.

He decided to quit, but reapplied for the same position soon after and was successful in getting hired with the new rate of pay and received a referral bonus.

If a new employee earns more than an existing employee

According to Indeed, there are several ways for an employee to solve the problem of a new hire earning more than existing employees.

They must keep track of what they have contributed as an employee and bring this information to a supervisor.

Employees can also consider pursuing fair earnings and building their skills.

“Skilled workers tend to earn more than unskilled workers,” says the article published by Indeed. “Additionally, spending time building your abilities is likely to increase your motivation and engagement at work, and it can help you demonstrate your commitment to growth and learning in your field.”

Malicious Compliance

In their post, u/tpb772000 said there was a need for cashiers after many quit.

“Our general manager ran a promotion where all hired cashiers were paid $11.25 an hour,” he said. “So I’ll talk to my manager like hey can I get that raise.”

However, his manager said he would not receive a raise and the pay rate was for new hires only.

As the only employee with the experience to manage the registers, u/tpb772000 had to train new recruits who earned more than him.

He wrote to Newsweek that the other employees working on the tills were not hired as cashiers, but rather had different job titles and worked at the till as needed.

With less than a month to go until the promotion ended, u/tpb772000 said he decided to quit at a time when he knew his manager would “struggle”, which is when many of his colleagues were absent from work.

Although his manager tried to talk u/tpb772000 into resigning, he was firm and left the office.

“I enjoyed the weekend and hung out with friends more often than usual, I didn’t work at all that week and on Friday (a week and a day later) , I went to the website and applied again,” he said.

He said his manager was relieved he was back, but u/tpb772000 made sure to ask about the new hire bonus. He also asked about a referral bonus that another colleague told him about.

“I could tell he was very upset, but I ended up having both,” u/tpb772000 said.

u/tpb772000 says Newsweek he thinks his manager thought he realized he had made a mistake and that rehiring him was a “gracious and merciful” favour. However, his manager initially tried to rehire him under his previous salary.

“That interaction completely changed the way I view bosses and managers,” he said. “It made me more confident and less likely to be stepped on. It made me realize the respect I have for myself and I want others to give me even if they pass me by.”

Reddit reacts

Other Redditors praised u/tpb772000 for his handling of the matter, and some criticized his manager.

“What goes through their minds when they think it’s okay to pay new people, with fewer job responsibilities, more money than a currently employed workaholic?” asked a Reddit user.

“It always blows my mind when a manager risks their entire operation to pick up a dime,” another Redditor commented.

“Good. You ended up costing them more than if they had just given you the raise when you asked for it,” one Reddit user said.

Other Malicious Compliance Stories

Other Reddit users have shared their stories on the Malicious Compliance forum.

A Redditor explained how he was able to exact revenge on his former boss more than a decade after he left.

A woman has gone viral for the way she ran a ‘sexist’ car dealership, while another post explained how an employee quit one job and took his entire department with him to a new job.