My job as the cashier at KMART was a bit intense at first. There were very harsh restrictions about breaks and using the restroom. I wasn't exactly used to manual labor either so I found that standing on my feet for hours was exhausting.
What made it worse that there were 80 year old women working next to me. Almost like a machine with energy to spare and zero complaining.
After all the work, I was looking forward to my first paycheck.
When I got the payslip. I opened it in a hurry and looked at the top portion... It was a nice big number of two weeks of minimum wage. I smiled. I had already done the math.
Then I looked at the rest and there was a lot of information I didn't understand. Looking further down, at the bottom was the check with about 30% less of the total amount.
Why?
Are these people trying to scam me?
I will show them that I am not a fool.
I walked straight to my manager and asked - Where is the rest of my pay?
With a blank expression he said - Taxes.
I felt robbed.
Why hadn't someone told me about this?
@keni that sucks! but when it comes time to do your tax return, and seeing as you're working for minimum wage, you might actually get some or a lot of it back. Think of it as deferred savings.. It's always nice to get tax back :D
@jacklyons - Yes I learnt about that later that year but that first paycheck was a shock. I still remember it vividly.
@keni
@keni
Lol taxes!! So at the time did you think taxes was like this American thing? Or did you think it was a Kmart thing? And by thing, I mean a scam.
@abrahamKim - I knew about taxes in general but this was my first paycheck ever. Was still a teenager then and it never occurred to me that we could literally see the big chunk of our pay go away right there in that piece of paper. I also didn't think such a large amount was deducted on every pay and from a minimum wage worker. It was a learning experience and I still remember the sting.
@keni @abrahamKim I remember my first paycheck sting very well. It was all fun and games getting paid "under the table" as a kid, but when I saw my first paycheck I had the same shock that you did.