^^ Capitalism works towards exploitation, even in the "trade" mindset, because someone's going to operate from an advantageous position. The employer-employee relationship should be an equal trade of labor for money, but then you have something like: "You can take this job or not, i'll still make money either way," giving individual laborers a massive disadvantage because they're competing with each other at the same time as they try to negotiate with the employer. The notions of laissez faire were cultivated about 100 years before real, modern manufacturing came around (and about 200 years separated from our current status).
To the OP, i feel your pain. It seems like you have to fight like hell even for a shitty, exploitative job (story of my post-college career; unemployment or some real crap.
And my complaint of "crap" has nothing to do with pay rate, per se. I've worked low-paying jobs that i still loved (still hoping i can get back in with Gamestop, which i honestly enjoyed). The best-paying job i had so far i hated, and that was before they fired me for ill-founded reasons, leaving me with a three month gap in my employment history that i have to act like it never happened (because jobs look for any excuse to not hire you, and being fired really puts you low down the priority list).
My advice: have a plan. If you don't have an education, get one. If you do, find out how to leverage it.
In my case, I have options. I can go back to school (although i'd still have to find one of these elusive low-level jobs that won't overlook me due to being overqualified), I can try again to go teach English in Japan (interview's in mid-August), and if all else fails, I can join the military: they like college graduates with clean criminal records, and i do fit that (despite my socialism, i'm not anti-war or anti-military), and through the military get further skills that will go great with my International Relations degree.
I say this not to attention-whore, but to say that you need to have a dream job (or at least a general field you feel you would enjoy and is attainable), then figure out how to attain it, and you can do that by cultivating your skills. Because yes, jobs without demand for skills or qualifications usually suck (and suck in ways more than compensation, but are exploitative or soul-crushing). You need to plan medium-term goals for the next 6 months to four years, and then it's easier to deal with the crap jobs, because you *know* that it's only temporary, and *know* it's for a bigger goal.
A side note on agreement with your OP, it sounds to me like you're (and i hate using this term, but it's quickest and easiest to identify) a Type B personality. Believe me, that does not work for Sales positions. They want Type A personalities, the kind of person that can turn on "Charm and Personality" like a lightswitch, and who can easily fake it. More neurotic, more introspective, more deliberate people do not work well in these positions.
