Retail manager earns only 50 cents more than the employees they manage, despite having 15+ more responsibilities and sales being up 27%: 'Is this exploitative?'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Dec 16, 2025 8:00 AM EST

Less than a dollar more is nasty work.

There's a reason most workplaces discourage discussing salaries with colleagues. When you find out how much more or less your fellow employees are making, it might inspire you to ask for more money. It might also send you into a spiral, making you wonder, "Why is this person $X more valuable than I am?"

There are many factors at play when an employer decides how much to pay employees. Some of the most significant pieces of the puzzle consist of information an employee is not typically privy to. An employee usually has no idea how much money their labor actually generates, nor exactly how much of that money is profit and how much is absorbed by operational costs. While some employers pay their employees little because they know they can get away with it, many employers pay peanuts because there simply isn't enough money to keep the business afloat and give their employees a raise. Employees always have the option to negotiate a higher salary or leave for greener pastures, but those options don't always work out as they'd want. 

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  • The employee in this story has a right to be mad that they're only making a little bit more than the people they manage, despite being great at their job. The most significant barrier is that, despite sales being up, the company isn't profiting enough for them to get a raise.

  • Young shop assistant in supermarket standing and writing in front of vegetable section
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I'm a manager who makes $.50 more than the rest of the staff. I have 15+ more responsibilities and sales are up 27%, is this exploitative?

    I'm truly livid. Sales are up 27% percent and I received a $.50 raise while the rest of the staff received $1.
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • | manage a retail shop and I basically run the entire store minus customs clearance and payroll.
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • A couple of people sitting at a table with papers
    via Behnam Norouzi (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I also have taken on event coordination and creating marketing materials for the shop.
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • I make $22.5 an hour running a business that grosses $600,000+ sales a year. Am I being treated as horribly as I think I am?
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • A young shop assistant in supermarket in vegetable shell. In the background, her colleague is filling stock
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Ordinary_Musician_76 We would need more data, 600k sales means nothing if you don't know how much of that is profit.
    via u/Ordinary_Musician_76
  • OP AdFuture9112 Net profit is probably around $95,000-110,000
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • stacksmasher Leave. Do you have options? If not, stay. IF you do then leave. You have free will right?
    via u/stacksmasher
  • OP AdFuture9112 I have a degree and a graduate diploma and I've been applying for jobs for a year and a half
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • JoeChio $22.50 an hour employee in a small business that only makes 600k in sales in a year is generous imho. You are probably making close to what the owner makes if only slightly less. $600k in sales as a small business is the definition of small. If you aren't happy then I'd start looking for ways to leverage your experience into a new opportunity. I think you've hit the peak at that current job. There isn't much room for larger raises unless the owners plan on raising customer prices.
    via u/JoeChio
  • OP AdFuture9112 Net profit is around $95,000- 110,000. There is money to spare. I've been applying for jobs for the past year and a half.
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • WhatCouldntBe How are you estimating that? How many employees are there? You're already being paid 8% of the gross revenue of the business. If I made 8% of the gross revenue of my company, I'd make 32 million dollars a year. Without knowing the profitability of the business, there's no telling if you're being paid "fair"
    via u/WhatCouldntBe
  • OP AdFuture9112 I'm telling you there is at least $95,000 left in the bank once all expenses are covered..
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • halisray $600K a year but what are cogs? Revenue is one thing, profit another. Can't really correlate revenue to salary.. so many factors.
    via u/halisray
  • OP AdFuture9112 Net profit is around $95,000 - 110,000
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • Itsdawsontime I don't disagree. But if everyone else was at $8-10 and got a $1 raise, it makes sense OP only got $0.50 respectively with a differential. We also don't know if they're in or around a major city, or if they're in the middle of Idaho. It definitely sounds like they're underpaid, but we just don't have full context of the situation.
    via u/Itsdawsontime
  • OP AdFuture 9112 Sorry I was mistaken, everyone else got a $2 raise.......
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • JoeChio You realize with that net profit $50,000-60,000 of that is going to the owner as their salary. With a business that small they most likely taking owners draws. With the remaining 30-45k they are probably putting it towards the business for expansion or rainy day fund. Are you including tax into that "net profits"? That profit margin is thin. You see 6 figures but for a business that is like having $1000 in your savings. I stand by my statement that $22.50 an hour with 600k in net sales i
    via u/JoeChio
  • OP AdFuture9112 I factored in her salary which is apparently the same as mine.. highly doubt that as she owns a home in an expensive neighborhood.
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • testrail How many people are you managing? You alone on payroll is 10% of sales. What are your costs?
    via u/testrail
  • OP AdFuture9112 Net profit is around $95,000 - 110,000
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • Creation98 I love how everything is "exploitative" these days. Dude if you think that then hit the road. Go somewhere else
    via u/Creation98
  • OP AdFuture9112 Ya I'm trying.....
    via u/AdFuture9112
  • HikesOrBikes I guess that's fair. Though the op has pointed out elsewhere in the post that this on top of the salary for the owner. With that information, do you still think that is a low profit? What level of profit would you expect from 600k in sales?
    via u/HikesOrBikes
  • OP AdFuture9112 There are 2 other employees who work a total of 24 hours a week combined. $2112 a month.
    via u/AdFuture9112

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salary antiwork employee small business manager retail profit sales workplace selling
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