‘Costs more than we make an hour’: Menards worker wears jacket to work. Then a manager steps in

On Wednesday, TikTok user Cramer (@temutimothee) posted a video frustrated with his current employer Menards. 

The 13-billion-dollar chain hardware store owned by John Menard Jr. supplies various building materials, power tools, home infrastructure, and furniture, amongst other things. 

Cramer was enraged because he had to buy his own employee uniform which he says “costs more than [he] makes in an hour.” He was particularly upset over Menards’ outerwear dress code, which requires him to buy a branded coat from his employer to withstand cold winter temperatures.

What do Menard’s uniforms look like?

The uniform in question is a blue collared shirt and blue jeans or khakis. 

Another Menard employee from Triadelphia, West Virginia posted on Indeed that employees “must purchase their shirts vests or aprons.” The worker added, “They don’t give you any uniforms; you must pay for everything, even your box cutter measuring tape.”

In his video, Cramer shows viewers the $13 blue t-shirt he bought from Menards as part of his uniform. 

His grievance concerns the quality of the shirt being too thin. He claims that it likely only cost $5 to make, significantly less than the price he paid for it. 

Furthermore, Cramer notes that temperatures have reached below freezing, but Menards still did not provide employees with company jackets. 

The average temperature in Wisconsin, where Cramer lives, ranges from 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter months, according to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. The freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It would be different if I could wear my own jacket, but that goes against the dress code because the jacket has to have the label of the store on it,” he says. “But I’m not buying a jacket that costs more than I get paid an hour.”

Cramer is seen in his video wearing the preferred company jacket priced at $59.99, but now on sale for $49.99. 

Is this legal?

Numerous users in the comments shared sympathy with the same Cramer expressing their afflictions with the company or pure disdain for Menard. 

One user said, “If there’s a uniform, the company should have to pay for it. Next question.”

Another user commented on the legality of Cramer’s situation.

“In his state, it’s illegal to force employees to purchase a uniform if it results in a situation where employees pay after purchasing is below minimum wage,” they posted. 

Given Cramer’s emphasis on the clothes costing more than his hourly salary, the user's comment is correct, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  

“If the wearing of a uniform is required by some other law, the nature of a business, or by an employer, the cost and maintenance of the uniform is considered to be a business expense of the employer,” the act reads. “If the employer requires the employee to bear the cost, it may not reduce the employee's wage below the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.”

The average hourly wage for Menards sales associates in Wisconsin is $14.86 per hour, according to Indeed.

In Cramer’s case, his employers may be ignoring the FLSA. 

Can Menards provide uniforms for their employees?

In his video, Cramer referred to CEO Menard Jr. as the richest man in his state, with a net worth of $18.9 billion. 

Although Menard Jr. is the richest man in his state, Cramer underestimated his net worth. Menard’s worth is actually $24.8 billion today according to Forbes, placing him amongst the top 100 richest people in the world. 

It’s not likely that Menard cannot afford to provide its employees uniforms, but more likely that they choose not to. 

Watch on TikTok

The Daily Dot reached out to Menards and John Menard Jr. via the website's contact page and Cramer via TikTok for comments. 

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