Internet Cheers Grocery Worker for Quitting to Become New Hire to Get Raise

A former grocery store employee shared how he managed to get a raise from his job just days after he quit in a viral post shared on the Reddit forum "Malicious Compliance."

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

After requesting to be paid the same amount as the new hires, which was 11.25 per hour, he said his manager declined to give him a raise.

He decided to quit, but reapplied to the same position not long after and managed to get hired with the new pay rate and received a referral bonus.

If A New Hire Earns More Than An Existing Employee

According to Indeed, there are a few ways an employee can address the matter of a new hire earning more than existing employees.

They should keep track of what they've contributed as an employee and bring that information to a supervisor.

Employees can also consider researching fair earnings and boosting their skills.

"Skilled workers tend to earn more than unskilled workers," the piece published by Indeed said. "Also, dedicating time to strengthening your abilities is likely to increase your motivation and engagement at work, and it can help you prove your commitment to growth and learning in your field."

Malicious Compliance

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

"Our general manager made a promotion where any cashiers hired got paid $11.25 an hour," he said. "So I go talk to my manager like hey, can I get that raise."

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

As the only employee with the experience to run the registers, u/tpb772000 was expected to train the new hires who were earning more than he was.

He wrote to Newsweek that the other employees working on the registers were not hired as cashiers, rather they had different job titles and worked at the register when needed.

With less than a month left until the promotion ended, u/tpb772000 said he decided to quit at a time he knew his manager would "struggle," which was when many of his coworkers were taking time off from work.

Though his manager tried to talk to u/tpb772000 about quitting, he was firm and walked out of the office.

"I enjoyed the weekend off and hung out with friends more often than I normally did, didn't work at all that week and on Friday (a week and a day later) I went on the website and applied again," he said.

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

"I could tell he was very unhappy but I did end up getting both," u/tpb772000 said.

u/tpb772000 told Newsweek he believes his manager thought he realized he made a mistake and rehiring him was a "graceful and merciful" favor. However, his manager first tried to rehire him under his previous wage.

"This interaction completely changed the way I have viewed bosses and managers," he said. "It has made me more confident and less likely to be walked over. It made me realize the amount of respect I have for myself and I want other people to give to me even if they are over me."

Reddit Reacts

Fellow Redditors commended u/tpb772000 for how he handled the matter, and some criticized his manager.

"What goes through their minds when they think it's acceptable to pay new people, with less work responsibilities, more money than a currently employed workhorse?" a Reddit user asked.

"It always blows my mind when a manager will risk their entire operation to pick up a dime," another Redditor commented.

"Nice. You ended up costing them more than if they'd just given you the raise when you asked for it," one Reddit user said.

Other Stories Of Malicious Compliance

Other Reddit users have taken their stories to the Malicious Compliance forum.

A Redditor detailed how he was able to take revenge on his former boss more than a decade after he quit.

One woman went viral for how she handled a "sexist" car dealer, while another post discussed how an employee quit a job and took their entire department with them to a new job.