Low Pay, Long Hours, Rude Customers. Retail Workers Have Had It: Big Take Podcast

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Retail work has always been hard — long hours and weekend shifts on your feet, a lower pay scale and dealing with disgruntled customers. But in our post-pandemic economy, those issues have only been amplified with customers behaving badly and wages not keeping up with inflation, while employees take on ever-expanding roles. As a result, many workers are deciding the job just isn’t worth it.

Bloomberg’s Devin Leonard and Rebecca Greenfield explain the decline of retail workers’ sense of value and respect that is leading them to quit in droves. And retail reporter Olivia Rockeman talks about the broader challenges facing brick and mortar stores as they try to compete with growing online sales.

Read more: US Retail Workers Are Fed Up and Quitting at Record Rates

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Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Michael Falero. Sound Design/Engineer: Raphael Amsili.

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