Seems like they are trying to get away with paying people the least amount of money.

Well. This is pretty common here in Denmark, since the pay is already "high" compared to other countries. But many are still just surviving and not thriving, which sucks x)

Hmm, depending on which tattoo shop you talked about and where in the country you are.
I do have 1 friend, who have been tattooing for a while now and have been to a few shops. Also, I know of a few others, but not friends.