Catering, taking the ****.

[mjheathcote]

My daughter is 16 years old at college, and has a part time job at a local pub/restaurant/Hotel, national chain.
Only 2 weeks after her 16th birthday she started, and was straight front of house.
She has just finished a shift today and I've picked her up.
She was the only person managing 30 tables, taking orders, taking out drinks/food, clearing plates, taking card payments at the table.
At 16 years old, on £4.62 per hour minimum wage plus tips.
Poor girl is exhausted.
How can a national chain think this is acceptable?
I'm sure the customers would be shocked knowing she is only 16 and only paid £4.62 an hour.
I know they can't get staff, and they want her to work more and more shifts, but they appear rigid to the minimum wage.
She actually likes the job/working colleagues etc, and it has been brilliant for her at 16 and she has matured massively over the last 6 months as a result.
But, £4.62 an hour is really taking the ****!

 

[gb-gta]

Yep, my 17 year old is the same at a local privately owned hotel. It seems this sector sticks rigidly to the minimum wage by age. It’s a shame as she likes the job/interaction with the customers and is learning a lot, but it’s a real p””” take as you say, for the responsibility.

Supermarkets, Tesco/Aldi etc and large retailers tend to pay the full over 23 minimum rate (currently 8.91, going to 9.50 in April) irrespective of age. Therefore a 16 year old gets the same as a 40 year old.

 

[mjheathcote]

Yep, my 17 year old is the same at a local privately owned hotel. It seems this sector sticks rigidly to the minimum wage by age. It’s a shame as she likes the job/interaction with the customers and is learning a lot, but it’s a real p””” take as you say, for the responsibility.

Supermarkets, Tesco/Aldi etc and large retailers tend to pay the full over 23 minimum rate (currently 8.91, going to 9.50 in April) irrespective of age. Therefore a 16 year old gets the same as a 40 year old.

Yes she has said herself that her friends working at supermarkets are earning double, for stacking shelves, no comparison regarding responsibility. However not old enough to drive getting to town via bus is a pain/cost/time, and free presently up the road by taxi mum/dad.
It's not as though there are people queuing for the job, either because there is a general shortage of labour, or they aren't prepared to work for the minimum wage.

 

[bigbob]

I always try and talk to youngsters and tip them in small denomination notes which I hope they keep. I remember being that age - Margaret Thatcher was popular - and respect them for getting going job wise.

 

[Oneball]

Sounds about the same as when I started work at 14 only she’s paid more. Once I was 17 and could drive I moved to a video rental shop and the freezer department at Sainsbury’s as both paid better so in reality nothing has changed.

 

[gb-gta]

No tips at supermarkets of course but my daughter tends to average £1.50-£2/hr in tips, so you could say real rate is £6-6.50 ish. Still too low compared to supermarkets.

If they paid the next band up, the over 18 minimum, which I think is about £6.50, she be happy with that when you add the tips on as I think she wouldn’t like working at a supermarket as much.

 

[Gazcw]

My 17yr old works at local Waitrose at gets over £9 an hour and after 3 months 20 or 25% off. Also gets to pick up freebies at end of a night. The missus has had more flowers since he started work than in 25yrs being married to me..

 

[mjheathcote]

I always try and talk to youngsters and tip them in small denomination notes which I hope they keep. I remember being that age - Margaret Thatcher was popular - and respect them for getting going job wise.

All the tips go into the pot and shared out, in cash weekly, plus monthly in wage for those tips received via card, which is fair as a team.

 

[mjheathcote]

No tips at supermarkets of course but my daughter tends to average £1.50-£2/hr in tips, so you could say real rate is £6-6.50 ish. Still too low compared to supermarkets.

If they paid the next band up, the over 18 minimum, which I think is about £6.50, she be happy with that when you add the tips on as I think she wouldn’t like working at a supermarket as much.

Same.

 

[CatmanV2]

That's pretty poor. What chain?

C

 

[midlifecrisis]

It's pure exploitation of a minor by a capitalist chain. Tell her that she should go on strike if she doesn't get a better wage. If they cannot get anyone else in then she has the power.

 

[lifes2short]

kids have got it too cushy these days, in my day i was cleaning a boulangerie, public school dormitories on a Sunday and various offices all the ripe old age of 14

 

[gb-gta]

All the tips go into the pot and shared out, in cash weekly, plus monthly in wage for those tips received via card, which is fair as a team.

They only pay out in cash for tips where mine works from a pooled pot. I have a suspicion that card tips don’t find their way to the youngsters…
She’s allowed to keep a cash tip given by someone who specifically hands her money and says ‘this is for you’. Happened a couple of times before Xmas from old couples.

 

[Oneball]

They only pay out in cash for tips where mine works from a pooled pot. I have a suspicion that card tips don’t find their way to the youngsters…
She’s allowed to keep a cash tip given by someone who specifically hands her money and says ‘this is for you’. Happened a couple of times before Xmas from old couples.

Ive started asking the staff what exactly happens to card tips before I do them after hearing that some chains don’t hand them over.

 

[lifes2short]

Ive started asking the staff what exactly happens to card tips before I do them after hearing that some chains don’t hand them over.

you mean the cheeky and automatically applied service charge these days

 

[midlifecrisis]

Thinking back, I was on £2 an hour as a kitchen hand in the late 80's. Wages haven't gone up much in catering then.

 

[lifes2short]

Thinking back, I was on £2 an hour as a kitchen hand in the late 80's. Wages haven't gone up much in catering then.

actually you just reminded me that i also worked in a chip shop as well whilst still at school, peeling spuds in a bath tub, did get a box of coke for Xmas from the tight git

 

[Scaf]

Nice to read that youngsters are actually working for a living, so many can’t be arsed.
I think staffing levels are a real problem at the moment so that might go some way to explain the fact she was on her own.

 

[Oneball]

actually you just reminded me that i also worked in a chip shop as well whilst still at school, peeling spuds in a bath tub, did get a box of coke for Xmas from the tight git

I don’t want chips that have been floating around your nethers. That’s an horrific thought.

 

[MaserMike]

My 16year old son works weekends at a local restaurant and earns £5 per hour and they share the tips pot which adds up nicely each month for all staff, they also have a fair enough rule - keeping any tips given to you by a customer directly results in you getting fired…

I remember my first part time during schooling shelf stacking job at Waitrose when I was 16 back in 1994/5 only paid £2.42 per hour….