COLUMBUS, Ohio – As 2007 ended, the state's minimum wage made another jump.
With that came new stresses for some small businesses and possibly new costs to consumers, NBC 4's Marcus Thorpe reported.
Shops like Golden Donuts and Diner on the South Side, for example, want to put out a quality product, but with the minimum wage up it affects the bottom line.
"My father owns the business," Vicki Andronis, an employee, said. "I know he'd like to pay me more but he can't afford it."
Prices have already jumped in some shops to offset the added cost, so in the end, the consumer pays more.
Stephen Ramsey, already retired, said that escalating costs have forced him to take a part time job.
"I use my minimum wage job to eat," he said. "Everything is going up, so I work a little bit."
The prices haven't gone up at Golden Donuts and Diner yet, but Andronis' family said that they've raised prices before and they'll do what they have to in order to keep the shop alive.
Adronis said that in a poorer community, minimum wage not only describes the workers, but also the customers.
"Everything is tied to your business," she said. "You lose your business… you lose everything."
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