We've been on this merrygoround before. One more time:
Buying back stock does not cost the company anything. It simply signals that they feel their stock is a good investment. There's really no difference between that and a company that acquires another company because they feel that it is a good investment.
Raising wages is a direct expense and reduced profits accordingly. Either that, or everyone has to raise their prices to cover that additional expense. Do that and they also become less competitive to others like online sellers and everyone also starts complaining about inflation. That triggers more automation and layoffs. People that are layed off suffer.
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