working @ small business
hi! I started working at a small business about 8 months ago. I love my job (it’s a bakery that specializes in cupcakes!) but the business is not doing too well. I get paid minimum wage, which I should be grateful for my state having a higher than average one, but I feel like I’m barely making any money. My boss has been giving me 0 hours a week recently (this upcoming week and 2 weeks ago I had 0 hours even though I was available 5 days a week). Boss hired too many people (including her daughter who doesn’t go to college, who she gives 32 hours a week) and now it feels like I’m fighting for hours. There’s a girl that starting working a few months after me, we’ll call her Erica. Erica is 18 and isn’t going to college so she works around 25 hours a week. She always makes herself dirty sodas (that we offer at our shop) and never pays for them (they’re $6, mind you). I don’t think my boss knows, but she really favorites her because she is a family friend. Erica also takes home 4 cupcakes every shift, presumably without our boss knowing. My other coworker, let’s call her Mary, steals cookies all the time. I realize that a single cookie isn’t causing the business to fail, but I feel like she really shouldn’t be doing that especially when the business is struggling. Mary and Erica take ALL the leftover food at the end of the day (without asking me if I’d like any), which wouldn’t be such a big deal if they didn’t already steal food. I’m scared to speak up about their behavior to my boss, as she favorites both of these girls. There’s multiple other places near me hiring that pay $5+ more per hour, but I’m scared to quit my job (especially since I enjoy working there most of the time). This is really long so thanks if you read all the way through.
TLDR: working at a struggling small business where boss’ favorites steal food and I get few hours every week. What should I do?
Posted Nov 28, 2025, 5:43 PM UTC