I ran into a local resident who owns a restaurant in the LES. It's a small space, single storefront (12.5 ft across). I asked him how many people he employs there. 20, he said. I asked how many are being paid at minimum wage. He replied with pride, none, not one. He went on about how important this is to him. It's an upscale place, so the waiters' tips are significant as well.
Since the restaurant is less than half the size of a 7-Eleven, he provides 4 to 6 times as many jobs as a 7-Eleven would in an equivalent space.
Maybe 7-Eleven is ahead of the curve. Maybe the future will have no store attendants at all, just machines and engineered fare.
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