0:00:00.080,0:00:01.600 [DING] Hello. 0:00:01.760,0:00:03.319 Welcome to self-serve frozen yogurt. 0:00:03.360,0:00:04.199 Is this your first time? 0:00:04.240,0:00:04.799 Yeah, we got it. 0:00:04.840,0:00:05.240 Thanks. 0:00:06.080,0:00:07.720 Ooh, vanilla. 0:00:08.000,0:00:08.240 Oh. 0:00:08.292,0:00:08.639 Oh, no, no. 0:00:08.680,0:00:09.520 That's not... 0:00:10.583,0:00:12.167 [BUZZ] Oh, no. 0:00:15.917,0:00:18.120 Hey, why don't we try that with a spoon? 0:00:18.875,0:00:19.640 Thanks. 0:00:19.958,0:00:22.875 [DING] What the... 0:00:23.458,0:00:25.500 $7 for ice cream? 0:00:25.583,0:00:26.400 Yes, ma'am. 0:00:26.480,0:00:28.800 It's 50 cents per ounce, and it 0:00:28.880,0:00:31.500 seems like your son got quite a lot. 0:00:32.333,0:00:35.159 This place is ridiculous, such a scam. 0:00:35.200,0:00:35.600 I swear. 0:00:35.792,0:00:38.360 Eww, my ice cream is sour. 0:00:38.480,0:00:38.917 What? 0:00:39.000,0:00:39.960 Let me see that. 0:00:40.480,0:00:40.920 Oh. 0:00:41.000,0:00:43.042 The flavor he chose is tart, 0:00:43.360,0:00:44.519 but we have a sign for... 0:00:44.560,0:00:45.320 Come on, Billy. 0:00:45.400,0:00:47.208 Let's get some real ice cream. 0:00:47.292,0:00:49.917 But Mom, they have gumballs. 0:00:50.375,0:00:52.760 [DING] [SIGHS] Hello. 0:00:53.040,0:00:54.599 Welcome to self-serve frozen yogurt. 0:00:54.640,0:00:55.359 Is this your first time? 0:00:55.400,0:00:56.040 Yeah, we got it. 0:00:56.083,0:00:56.583 Thanks. 0:00:56.750,0:00:59.680 [WHISTLE SOUND] 0:01:02.417,0:01:04.319 I've worked a couple minimum wage jobs, 0:01:04.360,0:01:06.160 but my very first one was at a small 0:01:06.201,0:01:08.292 business self-serve frozen yogurt place. 0:01:08.375,0:01:09.560 For the sake of this video, 0:01:09.640,0:01:11.760 I'll just call it Sugar Spoons. 0:01:11.960,0:01:14.039 It was just like Menchies or Yogurtland. 0:01:14.080,0:01:15.080 It worked the same way. 0:01:15.200,0:01:16.320 Pick the flavor you want, 0:01:16.440,0:01:17.680 pick the toppings you want, 0:01:17.880,0:01:19.680 weigh it, pay it, and slay it. 0:01:19.800,0:01:21.917 And even though North Carolina state law 0:01:22.000,0:01:24.040 mandated employers must pay their workers 0:01:24.542,0:01:27.208 no less than $7.25 per hour, 0:01:27.292,0:01:29.542 I seriously loved my first job. 0:01:29.625,0:01:31.319 Ew, this isn't vanilla 0:01:31.360,0:01:32.919 because it taught me a lot 0:01:32.960,0:01:34.320 about how the world works. 0:01:34.560,0:01:36.280 Sugar Spoons was a small business 0:01:36.400,0:01:38.200 run by a group of hardworking women. 0:01:38.280,0:01:39.599 They didn't have commercials 0:01:39.640,0:01:41.400 and billboards like all the other 0:01:41.520,0:01:43.120 big business dessert places. 0:01:43.240,0:01:45.319 They just had good old-fashioned word 0:01:45.360,0:01:47.879 of mouth and yelp. So, they really 0:01:47.920,0:01:49.600 had to stand out, and they did. 0:01:49.760,0:01:51.800 Frozen yogurt was a very new thing to us 0:01:51.880,0:01:54.042 small town southerners back in the 2010s, 0:01:54.125,0:01:56.679 and froyo was marketed as this slightly 0:01:56.720,0:01:58.639 healthier alternative to ice cream. 0:01:58.680,0:02:00.160 We were also one of the only dessert 0:02:00.201,0:02:02.799 places I could remember that always had 0:02:02.840,0:02:04.599 non-dairy and sugar-free options 0:02:04.640,0:02:06.520 for people with dietary restrictions, 0:02:06.600,0:02:07.559 making it the perfect 0:02:07.600,0:02:08.960 place for the whole family. 0:02:09.160,0:02:10.519 When a friend from school referred me 0:02:10.560,0:02:12.320 to work there, I soon learned being 0:02:12.400,0:02:14.079 a froyo girl was quite 0:02:14.120,0:02:15.920 the scrumdiddlyumptious job. 0:02:16.000,0:02:18.039 A lot of my time consisted of gloving 0:02:18.080,0:02:19.720 up to refill the toppings bar. 0:02:20.167,0:02:22.240 I was snipping sour belts down to size, 0:02:22.360,0:02:24.360 cutting cookie dough into cubes, 0:02:24.520,0:02:26.625 slicing strawberries into slivers. 0:02:26.708,0:02:28.680 I loved prep work. 0:02:28.880,0:02:30.759 But sometimes I'd take a little too long 0:02:30.800,0:02:32.359 in the back, and I'd be lying if 0:02:32.400,0:02:34.040 I said that wasn't on purpose. 0:02:34.120,0:02:35.040 Back in high school, 0:02:35.208,0:02:37.360 I was terrified of talking to customers, 0:02:37.480,0:02:39.360 especially when I needed to be assertive. 0:02:39.458,0:02:41.039 Excuse me, ma'am. 0:02:41.080,0:02:41.759 Could you please get 0:02:41.800,0:02:42.679 a cup of yogurt first? 0:02:42.720,0:02:43.120 Why? 0:02:43.360,0:02:44.760 It's just a piece of candy. 0:02:44.917,0:02:47.880 Right, but that's the toppings bar. 0:02:48.240,0:02:48.839 You're supposed to add 0:02:48.880,0:02:49.880 those to your yogurt. 0:02:50.200,0:02:51.480 Well, I don't want yogurt. 0:02:51.560,0:02:52.359 But [SLAPPING SOUND] 0:02:52.400,0:02:53.520 Is there a problem? 0:02:53.720,0:02:55.080 Well, yeah. 0:02:55.640,0:02:56.680 You need to pay for that. 0:02:56.721,0:02:58.840 For thi- What is it, like 30 cents? 0:02:59.000,0:03:00.320 I'm just tasting it. 0:03:00.720,0:03:02.199 It's not like you give people sample cups, 0:03:02.240,0:03:02.679 so how am I supposed 0:03:02.720,0:03:04.040 to know if I like anything? 0:03:07.880,0:03:09.719 [WHISTLE SOUND] Gosh, Illy, if they're 0:03:09.760,0:03:11.760 such a problem, just kick them out. 0:03:11.801,0:03:14.400 Listen, I would if I could, but again, 0:03:14.520,0:03:16.840 this wasn't a corporation with a customer 0:03:17.000,0:03:18.920 service hotline to scream at. 0:03:18.961,0:03:21.079 And I was so scared of doing anything 0:03:21.120,0:03:23.119 to make Cheryl over there ruin 0:03:23.160,0:03:25.080 our five-star Yelp reputation. 0:03:25.200,0:03:27.440 But if I could respond with zero 0:03:27.520,0:03:29.958 consequences, I would say this. 0:03:30.042,0:03:32.667 What is your problem, Cheryl? 0:03:32.750,0:03:35.359 This place only needs three F 0:03:35.400,0:03:38.667 words: froyo, family, and fun. 0:03:38.750,0:03:41.080 And yet, when you come in, 0:03:41.360,0:03:43.708 I want to say a fourth F word. 0:03:43.792,0:03:44.920 But I would never. 0:03:45.320,0:03:46.480 I would never. 0:03:46.521,0:03:48.599 [NERVOUS LAUGHTER] Besides navigating treacherous 0:03:48.640,0:03:50.599 conversations without exploding, another 0:03:50.640,0:03:52.560 useful skill I learned was cleaning. 0:03:52.640,0:03:53.920 And I know, I know. 0:03:54.040,0:03:56.480 Hold on, you've never cleaned before? 0:03:56.560,0:03:58.875 Please understand, I'm not talking about 0:03:58.958,0:04:00.680 a bit of decluttering, 0:04:00.760,0:04:04.400 a little sweeping, or some tidying up. 0:04:04.680,0:04:07.079 I mean cleaning a bathroom floor 0:04:07.120,0:04:09.160 to ceiling because some lovely 0:04:09.201,0:04:11.708 customers get very creative in there. 0:04:11.792,0:04:14.800 I mean whipping out the gum scraper 0:04:14.920,0:04:17.639 because some amazing customers will put 0:04:17.680,0:04:18.840 their gum anywhere 0:04:19.080,0:04:20.840 except into a trash can. 0:04:21.292,0:04:23.440 And I sure as heck mean emptying those 0:04:23.520,0:04:25.840 trash cans that the most incredible 0:04:25.960,0:04:28.680 customers like to use to dispose of their 0:04:28.760,0:04:30.600 literal sh- Shifts normally lasted 0:04:30.680,0:04:32.640 from 4:00 or 6:00 till closing, 0:04:32.720,0:04:34.519 and closing time was 10:00 or 11:00, 0:04:34.560,0:04:35.599 depending on the season. 0:04:35.640,0:04:37.199 And again, I was in high school 0:04:37.240,0:04:38.600 when I worked at Sugar Spoons. 0:04:38.680,0:04:40.750 There'd be weeks I was so exhausted. 0:04:40.833,0:04:42.958 I had swim practice, homework, 0:04:43.042,0:04:46.083 a horrible boyfriend, college essays, 0:04:46.167,0:04:48.417 SATs, musical theater. 0:04:49.000,0:04:51.375 So, when I was alone in that store, 0:04:51.720,0:04:54.000 and I had the chance to recharge my social 0:04:54.080,0:04:56.960 battery, I'd soak up every second of it. 0:04:57.625,0:04:58.719 I'm gonna let you guys 0:04:58.760,0:04:59.880 in on a little secret. 0:05:00.208,0:05:01.880 Sometimes when it was slow, 0:05:02.200,0:05:04.159 my manager would run to the store across 0:05:04.200,0:05:06.039 the street for strawberries, peanut 0:05:06.080,0:05:07.958 butter cups, whatever we were low on. 0:05:08.042,0:05:09.640 It'd be the middle of winter, 0:05:09.880,0:05:11.917 not a single customer in hours. 0:05:12.000,0:05:14.240 It was just me, all alone 0:05:14.960,0:05:17.292 with the store's busted little iPod. 0:05:17.875,0:05:20.917 And for about 15 uninterrupted minutes, 0:05:21.000,0:05:22.792 I was a Disney princess 0:05:22.875,0:05:24.840 in my frozen yogurt castle. 0:05:24.881,0:05:27.375 You always make me blush so hard. 0:05:27.625,0:05:29.792 My parents always stay on guard. 0:05:30.292,0:05:32.417 I drop my cool when you're around. 0:05:32.917,0:05:35.417 You are the hottest boy in town. 0:05:35.500,0:05:37.800 I'm dreaming of a kiss from you. 0:05:38.360,0:05:40.440 And hoping it will all be true. 0:05:40.875,0:05:43.800 But this is my imagination. 0:05:44.200,0:05:45.600 And it's reality. 0:05:46.042,0:05:47.792 I'm a girl in love. 0:05:48.292,0:05:49.879 And that was the cherry 0:05:49.920,0:05:51.600 on top of this dream job. 0:05:52.640,0:05:53.199 I'm kidding. 0:05:53.240,0:05:53.920 That's not true. 0:05:54.292,0:05:56.520 What made this job great was that even if 0:05:56.600,0:05:58.600 10 Cheryls came through the door, 0:05:58.680,0:06:00.959 there would always be at least one amazing 0:06:01.000,0:06:02.279 customer that brightened 0:06:02.320,0:06:04.120 my day without even trying. 0:06:04.240,0:06:06.200 I loved decorating for kids' birthday 0:06:06.280,0:06:07.959 parties and seeing how excited 0:06:08.000,0:06:09.280 they got when they arrived. 0:06:09.440,0:06:11.440 I loved recommending yogurt flavors 0:06:11.600,0:06:13.199 and watching people's faces light 0:06:13.240,0:06:14.640 up when they tried something new. 0:06:14.760,0:06:16.439 And I loved all the regulars who would 0:06:16.480,0:06:18.359 come in and catch up at the counter 0:06:18.400,0:06:19.760 because at the end of the day, 0:06:20.000,0:06:22.000 whether you're on the clock or off, 0:06:22.083,0:06:24.167 we are all part of the same community. 0:06:24.250,0:06:25.960 And I think that's something we forget 0:06:26.040,0:06:27.440 when we go to a restaurant, 0:06:27.481,0:06:29.542 a store, a cafe, anywhere really. 0:06:30.120,0:06:31.920 Minimum wage workers make the world go 0:06:31.961,0:06:34.400 round, and yet they're treated like dirt. 0:06:34.760,0:06:36.320 Not just by some customers, 0:06:36.361,0:06:39.519 but also by lawmakers who think $7.25 0:06:39.560,0:06:41.040 an hour is fair pay 0:06:41.120,0:06:42.520 for this kind of hard work. 0:06:42.760,0:06:44.559 Well, if these people want respect, 0:06:44.600,0:06:46.375 maybe they should get a real job. 0:06:46.440,0:06:48.400 These jobs are real jobs. 0:06:48.520,0:06:50.240 McDonald's feeds 70 million 0:06:50.320,0:06:52.542 people worldwide every single day. 0:06:52.625,0:06:54.958 Call me crazy, but if those so-called 0:06:55.042,0:06:57.040 burger flippers are what makes 0:06:57.081,0:07:00.080 a multi-billion dollar company grow even 0:07:00.160,0:07:02.320 more filthy rich every year, 0:07:02.440,0:07:04.600 I think they should be able to afford a 0:07:04.708,0:07:08.039 car, a place to live, a vacation to go on. 0:07:08.080,0:07:08.880 And you know what? 0:07:09.000,0:07:12.000 [HONK] it, a Nintendo Switch, an iPhone, 0:07:12.400,0:07:15.875 and dare I say, the very burger they flip. 0:07:16.240,0:07:18.060 You know how I said when I was 16, I 0:07:18.200,0:07:20.319 made $7.25 an hour because 0:07:20.360,0:07:21.960 that was minimum wage back then? 0:07:22.458,0:07:25.040 Well, I'm sorry to inform you, I'm old. 0:07:25.200,0:07:27.120 I'll be turning 27 this year. 0:07:27.167,0:07:28.640 But more importantly, 0:07:28.880,0:07:30.542 at the time of writing this video, 0:07:30.625,0:07:32.879 the minimum wage has not yet increased 0:07:32.920,0:07:34.920 in North Carolina or many other 0:07:34.961,0:07:38.208 states in the US in over 10 years. 0:07:38.292,0:07:40.917 To be exact, it's been 16 years. 0:07:41.000,0:07:44.479 It was $6.55, but it went up to $7.25 0:07:44.520,0:07:46.600 in 2009 because of a new law. 0:07:46.800,0:07:48.599 Of course, that didn't stop companies 0:07:48.640,0:07:50.239 from breaking laws to underpay 0:07:50.280,0:07:51.960 workers because why would it? 0:07:52.292,0:07:55.159 A $26 million fine is nothing for a 0:07:55.200,0:07:58.080 company that makes $20 million every day. 0:07:58.167,0:08:00.279 And don't get me started on waitresses 0:08:00.320,0:08:02.799 and waiters or how it's perfectly legal 0:08:02.840,0:08:04.720 to pay disabled people less 0:08:04.800,0:08:06.160 than able-bodied people. 0:08:06.240,0:08:07.759 According to the American Federation 0:08:07.800,0:08:08.840 of Labor and Congress 0:08:08.920,0:08:10.520 of Industrial Organizations, 0:08:10.600,0:08:12.839 if the federal minimum wage had continued 0:08:12.880,0:08:14.120 to increase, it would 0:08:14.161,0:08:16.280 be at $24 an hour today. 0:08:16.480,0:08:18.160 And you may think, well, 0:08:18.240,0:08:20.320 why does someone who flips burgers or 0:08:20.520,0:08:23.159 brings a cup of water to my table or bags 0:08:23.200,0:08:24.839 my groceries need to make 0:08:24.880,0:08:26.640 more than $7.25 an hour? 0:08:26.960,0:08:28.440 They're just some high school or 0:08:28.481,0:08:31.080 college kid working a no-skills job. 0:08:31.200,0:08:33.759 Minimum wage work is not a mindless, 0:08:33.800,0:08:35.000 skill-less position. 0:08:35.458,0:08:37.840 This is cooking, cleaning, managing. 0:08:37.960,0:08:39.480 This is work that everyone 0:08:39.521,0:08:41.560 benefits from every single day. 0:08:41.680,0:08:42.840 And even if it wasn't, 0:08:42.960,0:08:45.039 no matter who is working the kind of job 0:08:45.080,0:08:46.839 where it's commonplace these days 0:08:46.880,0:08:48.600 for people to throw food at you, 0:08:48.875,0:08:51.080 I hope we can all agree that that person 0:08:51.200,0:08:53.417 does not deserve to live in poverty. 0:08:53.500,0:08:56.679 We all know that big companies can afford 0:08:56.720,0:08:58.480 to pay their workers a living wage, 0:08:58.840,0:09:01.800 but lawmakers, for whatever alleged 0:09:01.880,0:09:03.399 reason, don't wanna hold 0:09:03.440,0:09:04.760 these companies accountable. 0:09:05.040,0:09:06.960 Instead, they'd rather convince us 0:09:07.001,0:09:09.360 that this work and these people are 0:09:09.440,0:09:10.919 worthless, which couldn't 0:09:10.960,0:09:12.240 be further from the truth. 0:09:12.560,0:09:14.720 But I have a college degree and even 0:09:14.880,0:09:16.680 I don't get paid $24 an hour. 0:09:16.833,0:09:18.319 Then it sounds like your employer is 0:09:18.360,0:09:20.360 taking advantage of you, and you and your 0:09:20.440,0:09:22.999 coworkers should join or form a union. 0:09:23.040,0:09:24.400 Link in description for details. 0:09:24.917,0:09:27.080 Yes, some minimum wage workers are high 0:09:27.160,0:09:29.440 school and college kids, but they're also 0:09:29.680,0:09:33.080 moms, dads, your neighbors, your friends. 0:09:33.320,0:09:34.680 And this might sound crazy, 0:09:35.000,0:09:36.880 but there are people out there who do 0:09:36.960,0:09:38.680 enjoy cooking, cleaning, 0:09:38.840,0:09:40.200 designing birthday cakes, 0:09:40.250,0:09:41.542 answering phone calls, 0:09:41.625,0:09:42.958 taking out the trash, 0:09:43.042,0:09:44.917 helping you find the toothpaste aisle, 0:09:45.000,0:09:46.439 even handing you a sample 0:09:46.480,0:09:48.239 cup at a frozen yogurt store. 0:09:48.280,0:09:49.600 Whatever job it may be, 0:09:49.680,0:09:51.400 minimum wage workers are not 0:09:51.480,0:09:53.639 personal servants or punching bags. 0:09:53.680,0:09:55.000 They're part of your community. 0:09:55.280,0:09:56.279 So, with that, thank you 0:09:56.320,0:09:57.440 for watching my videos. 0:09:57.640,0:09:58.719 If you sprinkle when you tinkle, 0:09:58.760,0:10:00.320 please be neat and wipe the seat. 0:10:00.361,0:10:02.400 And as always, stay safe.