These days, it’s hard to make ends meet on the average paycheck. If asked, many people would admit to struggling financially.
That’s exactly the point one Dunkin’ Donuts employee made when sharing her earnings on TikTok. She questioned how anyone could afford to live working a minimum-wage job.
A Dunkin’ Donuts worker didn’t understand how her co-workers were able to pay for things like rent and children’s necessities with their paychecks.
A TikTok content creator named Rose, who goes by @rosiemhh on the appwas confused by how her co-workers were able to afford basic necessities for living.
Rose works part-time at Dunkin’ Donuts. She showed her earnings for the month of July in a video using TikTok’s “green screen” feature.
Based on the information Rose showed in her TikTok video, she worked between 25 and 30 hours each week. Her take-home income usually averaged between $340 and $380.
“This can’t be the same Dunkin’ my co-workers be raising kids and paying rent with,” Rose said in the video, which featured a five-second long cringe from her.
Commenters on Rose’s video showed some mixed opinions from viewers. Some commiserated with her, while others thought she was lucky.
“You work part-time yet (are) confused at how people that don’t (are) okay with their checks?” one person questioned.
Meanwhile, another person expressed their envy. “I wish my weekly pay looked like that,” they said.
A third commenter insisted that the money wasn’t enough, saying, “Anything under $2,000 a check is unlivable. I don’t know how people do it.”
There are multiple things to take into consideration when looking at the Dunkin’ worker’s pay.
Taking a quick look at Rose’s earnings suggested that she is right in being concerned for her co-workers. Based on these numbers, Rose made $1,188.92 in July. That’s certainly not enough to live on.
However, it’s important to remember that Rose works part-time, not full-time. During the month of July, Rose worked a minimum of 85.14 hours. For the first week of July, Rose’s hours aren’t visible on the screenshot.
A full-time employee who works 40 hours a week will work 160 hours per month. Several people pointed this out in the comments.
“That’s a part-time job … When my kids were little, I worked two jobs,” one person said.
Most full-time employees would work about 75 hours more than Rose did in July. That’s nearly double, meaning the money would also almost double.
According to Indeeda Dunkin’ Donuts “crew member” would make approximately $13.99 per hour. That would equal about $2,238.40 a month for a full-time worker. While it is not a huge increase, it is significant.
Even working full-time at Dunkin’ isn’t enough to cover the average cost of living.
While full-time employees at Dunkin’ Donuts may be making a good amount more than Rose is, there’s a good chance they still aren’t making enough to cover all of their living costs.
The cost of living is hard to estimate as it varies by state. According to Forbes Advisorthe state with the highest cost of living is Hawaii, where residents spend an average of $55,491 a year. Residents in the state with the lowest cost of living, Mississippi, spend $32,336 annually.
If a person worked full-time at Dunkin’ Donuts and earned $2,238.40 a month, they would earn $26,860.80 a year. Obviously, that number might change slightly depending on the state the employee lives in, with its own cost of living, minimum wage, and more.
Still, that is not enough to make ends meet even in Mississippi, where the cost of living is the lowest in the country.
With the costs of rent and childcare increasing so much in the United States, it does leave one to wonder how Rose’s colleagues are getting by, even on full-time salaries.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.
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