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