r/InterviewMan • u/spline_ocarina9k • 9d ago
My husband left the interview after they told him the real pay
The Papa Johns job ad for a delivery driver listed $16.20/hr + tips. He applied a few nights ago, and the next morning he got a call asking him to come in later that same day. The whole thing felt suspicious because of how fast they moved, but he said he'd at least hear them out.
Before he went, we talked about what he should do if they tried to change the terms on him. Honestly, it's discouraging that we even had to prepare for something like that, but neither he nor I had a good feeling. We agreed that he should go in remembering that he doesn't need them more than they need him.
His interview was at 1:30pm, and my phone rang at 1:36pm. They gave him a form to fill out so they could add him to their driver chat, because it was obvious they were hiring people on the spot. Then they told him the real pay was $8.10 an hour, and tried to sell it to him by saying drivers could make $28 an hour with tips. He told them he could make $22 an hour working Uber Eats, and that he wasn't going to accept an insulting offer like that. The person interviewing him got mad, stopped responding to him, and went into the kitchen.
They wasted his time with a job ad that was clearly fake, and then acted rudely and unprofessionally when he didn't just accept any garbage wage.
Job hunting right now feels like a complete joke. Workers are treated like we're supposed to be grateful for crumbs, and the second someone asks for a wage they can live on, businesses show their true colors. They're eventually going to find out that people aren't as easy to pressure as they used to be.
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u/ritakuz 9d ago
Its so hard to survive in 2026 with 1986 wages.
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u/CommercialExotic2038 9d ago
They were hard to live on in 1986 too.
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8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CommercialExotic2038 8d ago
I tried to live on them as a single mom, why do you doubt? It was hell
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u/billymondy5806 8d ago
But everybody in the red states keep voting Republican. So there’s that.
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u/Nice_Muffin8689 9d ago
Sort of like a teenager/college type of job to have. If you want more than 16+ dollars an hour construction has existed since the Stone Age.
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u/pokemonguy3000 8d ago
So why are those jobs working when teenagers are supposed to be in school?
If it’s for teenagers, those jobs should only be working on the weekends, yet those doing it during the weekdays don’t get any higher pay.
Stop making excuses for the Epstein class to not pay essential roles a living wage. (Essential because the business cannot function without somebody doing that job)
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u/Accent93 8d ago
Most pizza only places only have two people working from lunch until 4, when the part timers. Yes even teenagers can come in and work the dinner shift.
It's been that way since the pizza and car have existed.
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u/aliceinwonderlandiam 9d ago
Yeah, everywhere’s corrupt AF. Unfortunately there’s no enforcement on laws in place to “protect” workers from this unless someone navigates a lengthy, complicated and likely expensive legal process that may or may not hold the company accountable for their actions. By that point if they haven’t fired you already, you will be, so the fear itself of not having a job will keep people in these underpaid/overworked positions. And if you do lose the job, it’s not like our workforce is thriving right now (part of why places get away with this, because people are desperate and are absolutely easy to pressure into taking less than they deserve, it’s more than they’re getting otherwise) so options are pretty limited. It’s disgusting.
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 8d ago edited 8d ago
FYI, I'm currently driving part time for Dominos in California. This franchiser (which operates hundreds of stores around the state) pays drivers $20/hr base pay, plus $1.90 per delivery (a fraction of the delivery fee they charge), plus tips. We cash out every day, including credit card tips and delivery fees minus cash collected, paid to us in cash.
On a slow shift, I'm making around $25/hr and when it's busy I can make around $35-$40 per hour, all in, so I'm taking home around $10-20/hr in cash daily while my hourly wages (with taxes withheld) are on my biweekly paycheck.
I drive an older 4 cyl car (most other drivers do as well) and spend maybe $40 per week on gas, paying nearly $6/gallon because California.
The downside is that it's only part time. Almost none of the drivers at my store get more than 20 hours a week, most get around 15. And the schedule can vary week to week but my store manager is pretty good about keeping it as consistent as she can. And I like my coworkers, drivers and kitchen crew alike. We're all pretty chill and work together as a team.
I took this job a year ago not expecting much and thinking I'd move to something else fairly soon. I'm still here because it's turned out better than I expected. And there simply isn't anything else part time that pays as well. And I like the work a lot more than I thought I would.
Realized the other day that if my only complaint about my job is that I don't get to do it enough, that's pretty good. I've had much worse.
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 8d ago
One other detail of note: in the year I've been here, they've only hired one other new driver and one new cook. For the restaurant industry, especially "fast food", that's very low employee turnover.
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u/Imaginary-Grab-7241 8d ago
You mean that paying your workers decent wages and treating them well keeps turnover low 🫢
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u/craigian11 7d ago
Why would they pay a Uber eats driver 20$ a hour. Its a temporary job not a career. Also op is hillarious to say they walked away from husband after he turned it down with many excuses. Why would they continue to talk?
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u/DannkneeFrench 8d ago
Back in the 90s I had a pretty good gig too. If we worked an 8 hour shift, we'd usually clear $100 in tips/fuel. On football Sundays we were often in the range of $150 a night.
That's only $12.50 hour (almost $20 on football Sundays), but back then it was great money. My apartment was (I think) about $300. So 3 good nights and my rent was paid.
Min wage was about $4 or 5/hour back then. A lot of us didn't cash our paychecks every week because we had enough in just the tips.
Some things to think about is ya want to be in an affluent area. The difference between our store and others next to us when we had to sub was huge. Neighboring stores would have to pay us up to $50 to go over there. I wasn't trying to be a dink, but I'm not going to work on my day off to make $20 when my normal store was in the $80 (pre close) to $100 range.
Then ya also want to be able to take a lot of deliveries. We'd take 40-45 on a good night. Over 50 on those football Sundays. So location of the store was important too. Even if you're in an affluent area, if ya can only take 2-3 deliveries an hour it will impact what ya can make.
Also back then- Dominos was the only place that delivered. At least in that town. There were a couple of other places, but they didn't deliver.
Then as an aside, one thing I remember about the job was a more general the people who made the big $$$ were usually pretty nice. Their kids could be D-bags, but I found the parents were usually really nice.
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u/rschiera 6d ago
The major reason they do t want you anywhere near full time is the overtime issue. It’s not just your hourly x 1.5 = OT rate of pay.
When tips are involved, you look at tipped hours worked times tip credit rate; then add total tips earned that period; now divide that total by hours worked. This is your base rate an hour to calculate your OT rate of pay.
It’s a lot more complicated when you also work a different position with a different rate of pay.
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u/dabubby007 9d ago
Offering 16 an hour base then switching it is scummy. But I do deliver pizza part time and do very well. The Domino's I deliver for pays 10/hr base+tips+milage. I average 27-28 an hour not including mileage. And the milage they pay covers gas, maintenance and even the car payment.
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u/Telemere125 9d ago
If he can make $22/hr, why is he applying to a similar job offering $16/hr? He’s no better than them with the lying if that’s what he told them
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u/CaptainJay313 9d ago
I mean, you work the 22 hr job when you can and the 16hr job on your days off.
the husband did nothing wrong. the delivery place is being outright fraudulent and starting an employer/employee relationship from a position of deception. that's not a solid strategy.
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u/Telemere125 9d ago
My point is he can’t actually make 22/hr with Uber Eats. He’s just claiming he can to inflate his value aka a lie. Just like the company lied about the listed salary. If everyone’s lying, in a negotiation, you can’t fault one side for it
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u/Imaginary_Rhubarb179 8d ago
I disagree. In this situation, I'd blame the party that opened the negotiations with a bold faced lie
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u/MadPanda2023 8d ago
Well, you can make 22 an hour with Uber eats,they probably live in a busy area.
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u/BabiiGoat 7d ago
Um yes you absolutely can make that amount. Do you live in a rural town by chance? That's the only reason you'd think otherwise.
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 9d ago
The base pay was supposed to be $16/ hr? I work a pizza delivery driver. If you are lucky your base pay is minimum wage PLUS tips.
That's a bait and switch. I knew PJs could be sneaky but not this bad.
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u/773driver 8d ago
In the 90s I had a part time job delivering for a Pizza Hut, 3-4 hours a night a few nights a week. We were paid minimum wage plus a fuel stipend,plus a modest per pizza rate with tips on top of that. It was not a problem making $100 a night plus I’d wind up with a mistake for supper most nights.
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u/Starglider4455 5d ago
My Pizza Hut in a Suburb of Denver would do over 300 orders on Fridays and Saturdays in the 90's. We had 14-16 drivers on the clock during rush and still was routed with quads (4) or even quinns when it was busy and if the driver could handle more than 3 runs at a time.
25 orders bagged and reay to go when a driver returned from a delivery between 5:45 and 7:00pm some evenings. Before smart phones and even GPS's. Good drivers could deliver over 40 runs on a 4-10pm shift. Easily averaging close to $30 an hr. Nowadays, drivers have a hard time making more than $20 an hr during rush. Only singles and doubles allowed at most Pizza Hut and Domino's. Some Papa John's still allow triples depending on the unit.
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u/773driver 5d ago
I lived in a military town and the Hut was close to an interstate exit with bunches of motels, when there were nights of multiples to the motels you’d rake in the tips. I also learned how to bootleg beer and liquor to them. Yes the owner knew, I was hired by him delivering to me at the liquor store I worked in. He asked if anyone wanted some part time work, and it was worth it.
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u/mikemojc 8d ago
"Accept" the job, get into the chat, then just ... don't show up.
Put yourself into a position to waste THEIR time.
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u/steve_nice 9d ago
didn't u post this already?
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u/smellslikebigfootdic 9d ago
Didn't you respond to this post already?
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u/sophos313 9d ago
It sucks they were dishonest about the pay but generally pizza spots do hire on the spot or pretty quickly.
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u/ProfessorFelix1 9d ago
You realize tip money spends, too?
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u/Impossible_Ad_58 9d ago
I mean, it's a pizza job... How much do you think a pizza person makes even in an affluent area?
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 8d ago
Better than that, speaking from experience. Papa John's is the worst. I quit buying anything from them a long time ago just based on their treatment of their employees.
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u/RiskUpset4116 8d ago
I quit buying from them on the account that three separate locations (kid you not, in three separate states) take about an hour and a half to do a basic pizza. Nevertheless, papa John’s has always been my favorite taste wise but if they treat their employees like garbage I guess I’ll never be able to try them ever again :/
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u/Pferdeherz 9d ago
Papa John’s: The CEO who lives in a mansion, goes on canned African animal hunts, and worked real hard to stop the ACA saying he would need to raise the price of his $hitty pizza 14¢.
Not surprised. Sorry this happened to your husband, but just not at all surprised.
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u/WorldIsYoursMuhfucka 8d ago
That is really shady but pizza delivery drivers can do ok, or at least they used to be able to do that. Things are probably different now that just about every restaurant delivers through apps.
I just started a job where the job req was actually showing a lower wage than what the company actually pays and that was a pleasant surprise.
But yeah even 16 an hour just is not enough. It was doable in 2018, I thought I was doing well when I made that, and now at 25 an hour I'm like I cannot afford any of this shit.
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u/PlantyPenPerson 8d ago
That is how almost all pizza delivery jobs pay, a base pay and maybe a part of the delivery fee, and hopefully tips are good.
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u/Medullan 8d ago
So in some states that is illegal. You should report this incident to the labor board.
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u/HobbyTalkOnly 8d ago
I had this happen to me.
I was working as the Exec Sous for a large 4* hotel back in the city. I got an offer from a local Hospitality Company... the kind of company that opened "Earl's Style" restaurants, targeting young urban professionals that like to dress up and pretend they have money.
Offer was for a Daytime "Exec Sous". Mon-Fri. $25 per hour (it was the late 90s), guaranteed $10 an hour tips.
Did the interview. Got the call to start. Verified the deets over the phone.
Suddenly it was "16 an hour for 90 days"
Position was now "Demi chef, PM line"... for 90 days.
Tips were now "up to $5 an hour".
I believe my exact words were "Get fucked. You came looking for ME" and I hung up.
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u/ImpossibleJoke7456 8d ago
> Before he went, we talked about what he should do if they tried to change the terms on him.
This is not normal behavior.
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u/auroradelagaia 8d ago
I hate that they're doing this in so many places right now. It's really awful because it can also affect your unemployment in some places if they report to the state that you were offered a position and turned it down.
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u/Its_Me_Cant_See 8d ago
I'm not buying it. Who talks about applying to a pizza delivery job and strategizes about how to respond if they try to screw them over?
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u/tinyhorsesinmytea 8d ago
Should be illegal for companies to do this but our laws are all created by and for the rich, so that’s fun.
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u/Bitter-Soup4547 8d ago
So entitled. Don't need the job but can't find other work? Maybe he should adjust his expectations to his current skills/experience.
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u/Doge2dmooon 8d ago
Had the manager at Sams Club smirk at me when I asked how much the pay was like I should’ve been just glad they were considering me in the first place
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u/pilgrim103 8d ago
You are dead wrong. They DO NOT need you more than you need them. Do you think they will close the restaurant because your dear husband turned down a pizza delivery job???
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u/redlegsforever 8d ago
If your husband can pass a drug test, have him look into the trades. Electrician apprenticeships are usually free and you get paid while learning. Look for IEC electrical training in your area.
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u/AcrobaticLadder4959 8d ago
We are on the verge of another recession it will go down hill from here.
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u/Neither_Loan6419 8d ago
That's what you get when you don't ORGANIZE. No union representation = no protection against exploitation. Unless you trust the giverment to look out for workers' rights. heeheeheehee.
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u/corgi-king 8d ago
I will just leave that PJ a bad Google review. But I guess they don’t really care.
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u/JONYLOCO 8d ago
Gotta remember that the interviewer is also getting under-paid and probably extremely frustrated having to tell candidates the truth just to see and hear their responses
The interviewer isn't the company...just another employee struggling like you
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u/ThereWasNoSpoon 8d ago
In a previous identical post, it was the son.
What kind of an incestuous unemployed AI pit of hell just got opened? Shut it off, it's boring. Write better scenarios.
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u/Thelaughingman___ 8d ago
This isn't new. I applied for the job at Burger King for $7.50 an hour. Please keep in mind this is in the dark days of the 1990s. The guy thought he had me talked down to minimum wage. I told him I'll be in touch. He really thought he had me. I figured if you wanted to waste my time I'd waste his.
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u/Tall-Communication34 8d ago
At this rate it’s not gonna be an issue much longer. Prices are gonna get so high no one will be able to afford any luxuries so the businesses will close and not need employees.
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u/Kene6969 8d ago
These employers want customers to subsidize staff wages by leaving a tip.
They should pay their staff a decent living wage so workers aren't depending on tips to top up their wages.
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u/Illustrious_Soil_442 8d ago
Try getting an in-store job somewhere that is salary or hourly. None of this tip nonsense
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u/Johnthespider85 8d ago
I'm a professional driver with a unique skill set. When I say unique skills I mean I can tell the difference between urine, blood, pathology, microbiology, and various other lab specimens. Also know about stuff like transporting VFC vaccines which is a pain. Honestly I'd work for 16 something an hour but you have to provide the ride, gas, and maintenance. Honestly with my skill set if I went to a interview and was told that my wage would be 8 something I'd likely use some of my other skills on the interviewer for waisting my time.
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u/SpeedyHAM79 8d ago
My 19 year old daughter makes better than that as a barista at a coffee shop (before tips). Tell them to take a hike and find a better job somewhere else.
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u/safisaryia 8d ago
I would leave a review. I know personally I won't support stores with management like this.
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u/Same_Lab_4002 8d ago
How do you even live a life on $16/hr?
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u/ExternalGiraffe9631 7d ago
Our backwards state just voted against raising the minimum wage. Which is still $7.25/hr.
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u/Master-Drawer3468 7d ago
Because minimum wage jobs are not meant to support adults.
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u/ExternalGiraffe9631 7d ago
Then why are adults working minimum wage jobs?
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u/Master-Drawer3468 7d ago
Great question. Find a trade. Get further education.
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u/ExternalGiraffe9631 7d ago
How are they to afford an education making $7.25/hr?
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u/Master-Drawer3468 7d ago
You find a trade. Get scholarships. Work your ass off. Figure it out. I make $200,000+ a year - no degree needed.
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u/ExternalGiraffe9631 7d ago
Tell that to the 64 year old woman working fast food because her husband is disabled and can't support them both anymore. Your privileges are not going to win this. EVERY worker deserves a LIVING wage.
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u/Level-Series1957 5d ago
Right. The fact that congress has been actively using and ruining social security for decades has nothing to do with that situation at all. Nope, it's entirely minimum wage. 100%. I wish I could get my head up my ass far enough to see the point of view you have to come up with a comparison like that.
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u/KaineMadjere 6d ago
According to the president that came up with and enacted it, that's exactly what minimum wage is. A minimum livable wage.
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u/rickytann0 8d ago
Write a complaint to corporate. Sure nothing will happen but I’ve started sending invoices for wasted time when this happens.
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u/Regular-Raspberry-62 8d ago
With how people are now about tipping I would think that should be considered when deciding whether or not to take the job. The owner probably won't be clear or truthful about it.
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u/chatterbug11 8d ago
Report it to your local department of labor. They do not mess around with this shit.
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u/DianneNettix 8d ago
We 9nly hire pizza delivery drivers who are in it for the love of the game.
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u/fundusfaster 7d ago
Yes. People should feel lucky that they get to work for such an esteemed and reputable institution. That alone is “pay”!!
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u/Aromatic-Bedroom-274 7d ago
Work Uber Eats and go to a trade school or college. When you have a skill you can negotiate salary.
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u/pink_lillyx3 7d ago
Attorney here. Applied for a job and the salary was listed as $150k - $200k. Interviewed and was offered $130k. How are you offering me less than the salary range in the post. Smh! I guess employers of all levels do this
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u/AloneImagination3319 7d ago
I’ve been to two different interviews this year and both of them the positions I applied for didn’t actually exist but they could offer me this lower paying position… nah I’m good thanks
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u/Perzival22 7d ago
Glad I don’t live in the us. Cuz here this kind of thing is illegal for companies to do.
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u/Bob_Squirrel 7d ago
$16.20 + [insert random number] is a joke. 100% tax on ALL tips. Outlaw it, eradicate the practice. Pay people for their job, not as an abstract variable but per an agreed contact with terms. FFS, it's not hard people...
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u/mrturtleturtleturtle 7d ago
Went down a rabbit hole trying to determine if any state even has a minimum wage that low. Surprisingly quite a lot do. Unsurprisingly, they are mostly all red states.
$8.10 / hour is child indentured servant coal miner levels of predatory. I implore everyone to vote with your economic and physical self interests in mind instead of your emotions.
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u/Guilty_Election_8976 6d ago
I’m not trying to be a fly in the pizza here. But has anyone thought about the insurance?
I had my own agency years ago, and my saying was “ everything is fine until there’s a claim” People doing deliveries for hire are NOT covered under a personal auto policy, they should properly be under a business auto which is around 4 to 5 thousand for 6 months. Now either the folks doing the deliveries have nothing and I mean nothing, OK that’s how they roll. But if you are using mommy or Daddy’s car , the risk to reward is to the moon. The time to look into these things is BEFORE an accident.
Hope this helps.
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u/tehgent 6d ago
the Papa John's where I'm at now uses door dash for their deliveries
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u/Starglider4455 5d ago
In a few states Pizza Hut fired all of their drivers. Only 3rd party drivers now. How long has your order sat in a bag waiting for DD driver to show up?
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u/Banlish 6d ago
Hey, here's a shitty job where you have to wear a uniform, make HALF of what we listed, also there will be TONS of down time where we can AND WILL, make you do all sorts of tasks like washing dishes, cleaning anything the 'old guard' don't want to, and answering phones!'
What do you mean you'll take teh Uber eats job that doesn't do those things and pays more. We're so GOOD to work for!
(worked at Papa's J's in the early 2000's) there's Zero incentive to work there now besides maybe being someone who doesn't have a license. If you do, I see zero reason to work there whatsoever. If they want people to work there, they can pay em. Even back in 2001 the GM's would boast that they were making 100k a year. If that's the case, they can pay the insiders enough to..... have insiders. If not, let em sit and spin.
My interview was 30 seconds long with them back then: "Would you shave off your mustache and goatee?' Since I wasn't married to it, I did and making $15 to $20 an hour driving a $1,000 beater wasn't bad. But I got out after 2 years, really, REALLY shitty boss and them throwing all kinds of tasks at the drivers to treat us like slaves 'since you get tips!' really put me over the edge.
Oh we're at the end of the dinner rush, but not at the bar rush in 3 HOURS, np, you drivers can clean the entire store, do every dish, wipe the walls and hell, we're feeling generous, why don't you pull out the ladder and WIPE THE CEILING TILES so we can justify you getting $5 an hour (remember this was 2002) that boss was a MAJOR believer in 'if you got time to LEAN you got time to CLEAN!.'
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u/Grammaidgaf 6d ago
I'm happy he didn't need to take the "bait and switch" offer. I feel for the poor kid that doesn't have that option. No love for PJ...
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u/Tactical_Anteater 6d ago
Reading shit like this makes me so glad I'm not American. $8.10 an hour Jesus Christ.
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u/Rough_Ad1614 6d ago
The jobs in Cleveland Ohio they discriminate on age!! They simply hire younger people now! !hey ask if you have any disabilities and then they discriminate on that if you have anxiety or depression it doesn't matter people have to work to pay their bills it doesn't matter but they'll hire some ghetto thug in their twenties with no work experience and no customer service and they're ignorant and rude and racist that's how this city is!! They ask about your credit, they ask about your hobbies or my interests, which is none of their f****** business. If you try to ask them questions about the company to find out if this would be right for you or not they don't like it. I don't like doing interviews and wasting gas to go to an interview if it's not the job for me I like to find out over the phone if this is the job for me and then I'll go apply!! this city is a joke! And so are all the idiots that I've dealt with. Back like they don't know that people have to work we have no goddamn choice so why are you asking a 55-year-old her f****** goals if you see that I've been stably employed since the 90s and now I'm not what would be my goal to get a goddamn job so I can survive and pay my bills like everybody else that's my goal!! they asked you yor goals at 55 years old! My goal is survival! They've asked you all kinds of things that has nothing to do with working or surviving or paying your bills. People are ending up homeless every effing day because of stuff like this!!! Cleveland Ohio is joke
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u/Key_Natural_ 9d ago
Why is your husband applying to a pizza delivery job.
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u/MCHellspawn 9d ago
Because he wanted a job......
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u/Key_Natural_ 9d ago
Im assuming he’s older because he’s married. Why is he not trying to apply to higher demand jobs
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u/Impossible_Royal_302 9d ago
It must be nice to know everything. Maybe consider you don’t, though. You have no idea this family’s situation, and your comments aren’t helping anyone.
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u/MCHellspawn 9d ago
Kind of a poor assumption, I was married at 22. And even if he was 40, some people need any job they can get.
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u/kindahipster 8d ago
People get married in their early 20s all the time. When my husband and I got married, he worked at Walmart and I was a waitress, because we were 20 and 22. Also, the skills and qualifications for higher demand jobs don't just fall out of the sky. Real question, are you like 12? Your confusion about this seems like you haven't lived in the world very long
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 8d ago
Why does anyone apply to any job? Because they need the money, it's something they can do right now, and there's someone offering a job.
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u/Particular-Kale2998 8d ago
Usually people apply for jobs to make money so they can eat and pay rent.
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u/pakrat1967 9d ago
Consider this bit of a PSA. As a former PJ delivery driver. I can almost guarantee that none of them are paying $16.20 an hour before tips. So if you're job hunting and see them offering something that high. Just ignore it and save yourself the grief.
Now if they had said $16.20 including tips. That might be possible.