I Canada only a small portion of retailers receive benefits. You have work x amount of hours, consistently, to be eligible (used to be 30/wk or some such) so only management level (which is like 3-4 in a staff of 10-20) receive benefit. Now coverage is usually low (around 60% dental and medical maybe a few perks) and the cost subtracted from you meager pay sometimes doesn't appear worth it so some people exclude themselves (because it is elective) from receiving benefits.

Add to that, some provinces expect you to pay out of pocket then be reimbursed. Dental for example can cost hundreds to thousands. When faced with that these employees still won't receive benefits because they can't afford the initial cost.

Now hours of work are another shit show. You can be scheduled anywhere from 0 to 48 hours in a week as a part time employee and receive no compensation (over time or otherwise). But the trick is accumulative hours. I can schedule you, a part timer, for 40 hours this week and next for 8 and I don't pay over time. Or any variation. Also, I can get you to work a stat and not pay you for it by ensuring that you haven't worked the required hours up to the date. I can make you work two slams (12 hour shifts) in a row and then a couple of night or day shifts after. And you gotta take it. This usually occurs around black out seasons (Christmas, back to school, whatever is busy time) and black out is when you can't ask for any time off. Well, you can ask but you may not get it.

Also there is no paid time off unless your management. I mean there is this paltry thing called vacation pay but if your a part timer your not cashing that in until you quit.

If your a manager/asst manager then you work. Period. Your salaried there is no overtime just time owed. Which is a joke because you cannot get that time back, always to busy. So you'll work 40-50 hours/w during normal times and 50+ during busy times. Now if you get say 30 or 40 grand (if your lucky) annually and break that down into hours work and accountability (because too many low sale seasons and your out) your not getting paid and those benefits? You can't afford them. There is commission on stores overall sales after target is achieved but the targets keep moving so good luck getting that commission.

The majority of shops that are out there do not do commission based sales, you generally make an hourly wage (which here exceeds 9/hr). It was the pink ghetto (and rainbow actually there are a number of gay/lesbian as well as women in this game).

I'm surprised that men are making any more than women since there are so few of them. Most of the men, now that I think of it, are in Head Office or higher positions not at the store level. So yeah they do make more money.