Except California has price gouging laws that make it illegal to increase prices more than 10% in an emergency situation. Good luck doubling or tripling wages with that 10% margin.

Price gouging laws should have a very high ceiling to ensure legitimate business needs can be met, to compensate workers for increased risks and or extra shifts.

Please stop spreading misinformation. The price gouging laws allow prices to increase without limit to pay for increased wages or costs: https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/pricegougingduringdisasters#8C

“Can prove”. “May not be liable”. Sounds like a hassle, and uncertain. Especially given the prevailing mob mentality against raising prices in an emergency.

First, these laws are generally pretty flexible. They account for cost increased during emergencies. Also, grocery costs vary anyway and so the "base" price can be higher than normal supermarket prices.

Second, labour costs are not 100% of a supermarket's costs, so a 10% increase covers a lot of extra labour. Considering the sheer volume of sales they're doing, it might actually pay for that %200-%300 wage increase... though you don't actually need it to go that high.

could just stop having the sales they have in the weekly coupons that are ussually 30% off or B1G1 free.

No law against ending "on sale" prices.

If the auto and finance industries can have government hand outs, then surely the food industry can have them too?

Don't worry, they'll get them. It's a matter of national security. Food riots are a traditional precursor to revolutions.

Why doesnt everyone just eat cake?