40 years ago, and again now. Where I work now is a high dollar resort that has people leaving left and right for better pay. There were some pretty good people working there, too, that hung on for a while, then literally said eff it. It is plain to see that this is just a case of pure greed, starting with the ownership. We are handed BEOs (banquet event orders that include costs) and we can see the numbers (including "bartender fee" that we never get, "25% gratuity fee" of which unknown/never seen upper management takes 13% right off the top, and the remaining 12% is divided among lower management and the people actually doing the work. Of course, the clients think we are making outrageous money, they think we get all the fees and the 25%). The only people left are the ones that can't, or won't go somewhere else. I would go, but I already know I won't get hired at my age (not complaining, I figure the onus is on me to overcome any bias an employer has about me). I do a good job, I make my little check and try to have fun, but I do have the "I really don't need this" attitude (not with the clientele, just the management, who can't even figure out inventory). Here's a common inventory fail: Client: "Can I get a lime with that?" Me: "Sorry...we don't have any limes." Client: "No limes???" Me: "Yeah...really sorry" Client: "That's pretty crazy" Me: "Yeah...it's...uh...supply chain...Putin...maybe...I dunno...no limes..." We have even had no ice at the start of my shift on more than one occasion. Insane. I'm going in today, and already bracing myself to be embarrassed. I don't enjoy that part at all, but I try to inject some humor into it. The bottom line is there are good people in the business, and there are people like me that could be better. But you get what you pay for. And like any business, if you want the best to work for you, you have to compete - and while pay is the top of the list for an employee, it's just one of many reasons to work someplace.