Can my retail job pay me less because I am a full-time student?

Under federal law, specifically the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers in retail or service establishments can sometimes pay full-time students a lower wage than the standard minimum wage, but only if they have a special certificate [cite:us-title29-flsa-sec214]. Regarding your pay rate, the law states that the Secretary may provide for the employment "at a wage rate not less than 85 per centum of the otherwise applicable wage rate in effect under section 206 of this title or not less than $1.60 an hour, whichever is the higher" [cite:us-title29-flsa-sec214]. This means that if your boutique has this certificate, they can pay you 85% of the regular minimum wage, provided that amount is at least $1.60 per hour. Your manager's comment about limits on student staff refers to rules about the proportion of student workers. The law says that "the proportion of student hours of employment to the total hours of employment of all employees in such establishment for the corresponding month... may not exceed" certain limits, such as "a proportion equal to one-tenth of the total hours of employment of all employees in such establishment" [cite:us-title29-flsa-sec214]. This is a rule designed to ensure that hiring students at lower wages does not unfairly reduce job opportunities for other workers. Additionally, students working under these certificates must be employed on a "part-time basis and not in excess of twenty hours in any workweek" [cite:us-title29-flsa-sec214]. It is unclear if your specific employer actually holds a valid special certificate or if they are simply misinterpreting the law. It is also unknown if your hours exceed the 20-hour weekly limit allowed for students under these certificates. If they are paying you less without a certificate, they may be in violation of the law, which makes it "unlawful... to violate any of the provisions of section 206... or any of the provisions of any regulation or order of the Secretary issued under section 214" [cite:us-title29-flsa-sec215]. Please note that state, provincial, or local laws may provide higher minimum wage protections that override these federal allowances.