Originally Posted by JBord

Right, it's never just one thing. People have always left the hospitality industry because of low wages, and have typically been replaced by someone else. Pre-pandemic, I'm sure you could have gone to the same restaurant once a month for a year and each time you would have seen someone new working there. It's always been high turnover. The Amazon phenomenon in a few areas around the country is undeniable though. And it's put many small shops out of business for years. I'm not one of those who thinks Amazon is bad. I think they're taking advantage of the breaks they've been given. But I wonder if it could pay such wages if not given the enormous tax breaks, shipping cost breaks, etc. that the various federal, state, and local governments have provided. It puts small businesses, including restaurants, at a disadvantage when they don't get those same breaks.

But to your point, in areas where an employer (Amazon for example) is offering thousands of unskilled jobs at a higher wage, I would expect that to be a factor. But the $300/week unemployment bonus is also a factor, especially in areas where those jobs aren't available or aren't available in large numbers.