If you don't pay living wages, you are killing your own business, and economy. Your business is non-essential. Ultimately it is replaceable in the market. If you require consumers to spend their extra money at your business to survive, but do not provide enough for THEM to survive, you in turn lose customers. If your wages do not allow your employees to access your products without discount, on a regular basis, you are limiting their buying power there & anywhere else. You get what you give.