Walmart Worker Realizes She Makes More Money Than A Behavioral Health Tech Who Works With Mentally Ill Patients
She was shocked that such a specialized worker would be paid less.
Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock Across industries, salaries are below where they should be for people to live comfortable lives. Often, it seems that highly skilled laborers are making less than they should be.
One Walmart employee found this to be true when browsing through jobs on Indeed.
A Walmart worker found a job listing for a behavioral health tech who makes less money than she does.
Walmart worker and TikToker Victoria Mari posted a video sharing the discovery she made on Indeed.
“I make $14 an hour working at Walmart,” she said. “Okay? That’s important.”
“I’m on Indeed looking at other jobs,” Mari continued. “I just saw a job for a behavioral health tech that’s, like, literally right up my alley. $12 an hour.”
Mari couldn’t believe that she found a job more specialized than her own that makes $2 less an hour.
“$14 an hour to fold some clothes, answer some questions for some customers,” she said. “$12 an hour to get berated and chased by a mentally ill patient.”
Although this discrepancy is concerning, this job does follow federal minimum wage laws.
It’s undoubtedly worrying to see these numbers. However, this job does follow minimum wage guidelines.
According to the Department of Labor, “Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25 per hour.”
Technically, these behavioral health techs are making almost double the federal minimum wage. But that does not change the fact that this is still an incredibly low wage for a healthcare worker.
According to CNN, wages are rising in many industries, including retail and healthcare. Unfortunately, because of inflation, this rise wasn’t really felt, particularly in the healthcare sector.
Many commenters agreed with Mari.
Mari was far from the only person in a situation where she wanted to leave retail but couldn’t because of the salary differences.
“I make $16.50 working at Walmart,” one fellow TikTok user said. “My boyfriend is a whole eye lab tech making $15!”
“Same thing with animal care,” another person chimed in. “Was a vet tech at $12 an hour, then I went to Target and made $15.”
A third person said, “Got my CNA cert. just to be offered $10 an hour when I was making $14 an hour as a housekeeper.”
Studies support this anecdotal evidence. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found, “Contrary to widespread belief, big-box stores and chains have increased wages in the retail sector as they have spread.”
The study by the NBER found that “[these results] contradict the image of the retail sector as one comprised of the lowest paying jobs in the economy.”
Many people think of retail jobs as being lower paying or even lower quality. However, statistics show that they actually pay a decent amount of money and pay more than other, more specialized jobs.
Most of these more specialized jobs also require more education. This raises questions about the value of higher education.
People already look at college with skepticism. As students rack up increasing amounts of debt, many people feel like getting a higher education is not worth it.
Now, with the knowledge that people can often make more money working retail jobs, people are sure to question college even more closely.
Regardless of one’s opinion on college, there’s no denying that retail workers are making a good amount of money. It’s understandable why many choose to continue working in retail instead of seeking a career in another field. While retail jobs have been traditionally looked down upon, those working them are certainly making more money.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.