Actually, a clerk may well make more than an Assistant Manager. Assistant Managers are considered management trainees and are 'exempt' employees (that is, they don't fall under the FLSA overtime rules). In my deep dark past, I worked at Jack-in-the-Box as a Shift Manager (which is 'non-exempt'

and worked about 50 hours a week, sometimes more, drawing overtime. The Assistant Managers worked 55 hours or more a week and drew straight salary, no overtime. I was getting more per hour than they were.