A Colorado liquor store owner says workers are quitting after one shift if they don't like it, knowing they can get a new job on their lunch break

• The owner of a liquor store in Fort Collins, Colorado says he is struggling to retain workers.
• It's so easy to find other work that some people are leaving after one shift to go elsewhere, he tells the Coloradoan.

The owner of a liquor store in Fort Collins, Colorado, said the labor market in the US is so competitive that retaining workers is almost an impossible task.

In an interview with local news site Coloradoan, Wilbur's Total Beverage owner Mat Dinsmore said that new candidates are skipping interviews or quitting after one shift if they decide they don't like it. They only need to walk up main street and they can find a new job on their lunch break, he said.

"We have hired and hired, and the rate of attrition is exponentially what it's ever been," he told the Coloradoan.

"We never had problems attracting and retaining people. With the 'great resignation,' a lot of people were saying they didn't want to go back to customer-facing jobs," he said, citing the risks of getting COVID-19.

Wilbur's is among retail businesses in the US that are struggling to find workers who have been put off by low pay, lack of benefits, and pandemic health concerns, among other reasons.

Some are raising wages or offering perks, such as free college tuition, to attract workers. Others are being forced to shutter because they can't find enough staff.

For the first time in years, workers have more bargaining power and have the opportunity to pick and choose the best paying or most stable jobs.

Experts say it isn't only higher wages that are enticing workers into different fields, however. Other aspects, such as flexibility in working schedules, have also played a part in this.

"People are leaving because they're not feeling valued; they're not feeling as though when they bring something to a manager that they are being listened to, especially if it's a challenge," Adam Crowe, a business development manager at Larimer County Workforce Center, which helps businesses find workers, told the Coloradoan.

He continued: "It's hard to say they need to be more empathetic because that feels like a slap in the face."

"Over time, businesses will learn that lesson. Empathy has strong ties to production. If you take the time to really understand the needs, values, skills, and attributes of individual employees, they'll know how to support them in the very best way," he said.