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You're close to the point, but not on it yet.
Minimum wage is a starting wage, a training wage. Quite often, the employee who is making MW is often not even worth that to the employer. A good part of their time is spent being trained and learning how to do the job. Those who learn well, do the job well, show up on time and contribute to the overall operation move up. They get more responsibility and more pay commensurate with their duities and tasks.
A reasonable MW allows an employer the opportunity to employ many people, with the ones that apply themselves moving up and the ones that don't end up stuck. Most of those will drift from one MW job to another, continually stuck at MW. A few may just not be able to do better, but many just choose to do the minimum required to get by.
Many years ago, I used to stop at the same convenience store each morning. I would see a new clerk and then weeks or months later, they would disappear and be replaced with another. Most were just doing enough to "get by" and showed little iniative to do their job well.
Then a new girl appeared one day. She had a good personality, was friendly, did her job well and was someone you enjoyed having your business interaction with. As weeks went on, you could see how much better she got at performing her duties.
And then it happened. One day she told me that it was her last week there. She had landed a job at a local building supply center. It was a big move up for her, as the new job offered benefits and better pay. A fellow that stopped in the store daily as I did had encouraged her to apply at the Building Supply Center where he worked for an open position. She applied, was interviewed and subsequently hired.
I believe this happens all over the country. Those who show they can do the job and show their real potential move up. Those who do the minimun to just "get by" stay there at MW.
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