Retail Workers Quitting at Record Rate: “My Life Isn’t Worth a Dead-End Job”

Nearly 650,000 people left their retail jobs in April, the largest single-month exodus of retail workers in more than 20 years, The Washington Post reports.

A rebounding economy in the pandemic’s wake means more job openings in more sectors, and retail workers are taking advantage by seeking out less stressful and higher-paying positions.

Anyone who’s worked retail before can identify with the most common complaints from workers – longer hours, understaffed stores, unruly customers and underwhelming pay among them.

Twenty-three-year-old Aislinn Potts of Murfreesboro, TN, who left her $11-an-hour job at a national pet chain, told the paper: “It was a really dismal time, and it made me realize this isn’t worth it. My life isn’t worth a dead-end job.”

WaPo cited several companies who are making an effort to retain their employees through wage increases, including Target, Best Buy, Under Armour and Kay Jewelers, all of whom have raised starting minimums to $15 an hour.

With corporations under increased social scrutiny to pay “livable wages” for low-skill jobs, widespread employee dissatisfaction is yet another factor pushing companies to pay its workers more money.

Read more at The Washington Post.