This wasn't the case just a generation ago. When I was little, in the '80s, it was common for people to work in retail for decades, often in the same store, and

This wasn't the case just a generation ago. When I was little, in the '80s, it was common for people to work in retail for decades, often in the same store, and those salespeople tended to like their jobs because they got to help people and make a living without a ton of stress. Similarly, I had a friend, and both his parents were janitors the whole time he was growing up. They were happy with their lives and eventually saved up and bought a house, was rural Minnesota. Sure they weren't going to change the world or anything like that, but there are plenty of people who want to be comfortable, spend time raising their children, and interacting with friends and family. For them, that's enough.