The pay.
Sales Associates never leave minimum wage unless they go for a higher position.
Past that is Keyholder, who is expected to act like a manager when the other managers aren't there for only $0.50 over minimum wage.
Then there are the Part-time and Full-time Assistant Managers who only make about $1 and $4 above minimum wage respectively (with some stores not even having FT Assistant Managers depending on volume), both of which are expected to work 32 and 40 hours respectively for almost the same amount of work as a Store Manager.
Now for the Store Manager: they get paid very low comparable to other store managers (think $20-30k below the median salary) and while there can be some negotiation for this position's pay upon hire, the company will never pro-rate those higher if the minimum wage raises. This means that the sales associates and those close to minimum wage get raised closer and closer to the manager pay without the Store Manager ever moving, aside from a possible measly average $0.35 annual raise if the store performs well. And while there are possibilities for bonuses for anyone in a management position (Key and higher), the amount is based off of position and only the Store Manager sees a noticeable bump if their sales goals are exceeded.
Finally, the company tries to show the communities that "we care" while advocating and creating a culture to never discuss pay, for fear that their policies to "pay little until people burn out and then replace them" gets noticed.
