Retail jobs are lousy jobs.
In many cases, they don’t pay enough to live on.
Fluctuating hours make it difficult or impossible to arrange child care and/or work a second job.
Since the pandemic began, they’ve been at exceptionally high risk, because they work indoors and are exposed to large numbers of people.
And then there are abusive and violent customers. They refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated. They attack workers who try to enforce employers’ mask policies.
Why would anyone work in a job like that?
“Given all this, it’s no surprise that retail workers are quitting their jobs and looking for something different,” Vox magazine says. And, “Retail workers who have concerns about their current jobs may also have more options than before.”
“With the economy reopening and many businesses looking to hire, … workers have a better shot at finding something other than front-line, often precarious retail work … [and] workers are leaving retail for jobs where they don’t have to deal with customers.” One such worker said, “I was weighing the risk of, do I potentially bring Covid home to myself and my family for what amounts to basically poverty wages?” Gone. Doesn’t work there anymore. Has another job.
The Republican response is to cut off pandemic relief already approved by Congress to force people into bad jobs. Not having for low pay in bad conditions themselves, they call those who do “lazy” and blame unemployment benefits, instead of the low pay and bad conditions, for making it difficult for employers to hire. (In Indiana, a judge blocked the state from ending federal enhanced benefits early; read that story here.)
Want to keep retail stores staffed? Here’s how.
- Better pay.
- Consistent scheduling.
- Do everything possible to keep workers safe.
Republicans claim they believe in a free market. Then let the market determine wages. If employers can’t attract workers, instead of complaining, they should make the jobs more attractive, including offering better pay.
People can’t work if employers don’t make it possible for them to work. Retail workers, in particular, tend to be women; you can’t reasonably expect someone with children to work constantly changing shifts, rotating shifts, or split shifts; and you have to give them time off when they need it to take kids to the doctor, etc.
The customer isn’t always right, and when they cross the line, workers should be allowed to stick up for themselves and managers should back them up. And, when necessary, call the cops and haul them off to jail, like the jerk in the video below.
Read story here.