I got hired at a nice independent pharmacy in a fairly rural area in Texas. So far, the job itself has been a welcomed breath of fresh air compared to my time at the big chains.
Let's talk about pay, though.
I got hired on at $17/hr. A little less than I was making before, but I didn't question it too much and was just happy to be working in a less hostile environment. I spoke to a coworker and found out she was hired on at $15/hr the same month I was hired. Granted, she didn't have previous experience and I had a little over a year of experience at the time. But still, this is a big difference in pay. I then spoke to another person that's been working there 6 years...and she's making $19. Apparently that raise was not given to her based on how long she'd been there, but something she had to beg for and was less that what she asked.
We did vaccine training for those who volunteered and the boss got visibly upset when I asked how much of an incentive was given to those who preformed shots. I was told we could discuss that in a place that wasn't in front of everyone. From seeing that reaction, I didn't push the topic again.
I have never worked a job where they didn't have a clear starting pay. I have never worked a job where pay was taboo to speak about and not clearly lined out based on performance, experience, and time with the company.
What's the deal here? Do you guys share the same experience?