Why do phone customer service jobs pay more than physical labor jobs?

I used to do physical labor at a warehouse and was payed about $9.00/hr and I used to work hard all day carrying heavy things without much rest and there is no air conditioning in the warehouse so during the summer you have to work at over 100 degrees of heat.

Recently I found a customer service job and they pay me $18.00/hr, double what I used to earn at the warehouse, and all I do is sit on my butt all day talking to people (customers) over the phone in an air conditioned office, most of the time there aren't even any calls coming in and we are aloud to just browse the internet and chat on AIM and Yahoo while there are no calls coming in.

What is the reason for this? Why would anyone want to do hard exhausting physical work for such pathetic pay when they can earn twice as much in customer service jobs? And why do companies pay you so much more just to sit on your butt and talk to people, while the people who are really working hard in warehouses get payed so little?

Customer service requires a person who is articulate , and has enough education to relate to problems and try and solve them per the company's dealings .

Labor job pay is the result of having lots of young males around with little or no education ,
Whose main skill is moving things . . .
Bricks , mortar , materials , warehouse packages . . .
Soooo , little education = low pay .
No One wants to do exhausting work BUT
If you did not get it together in school . . .
What else do you have to offer ?

The more education and the better your ability solve issues , ( whether customer service or a computer tech ) . . . the more $$$$$$ you will make .

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Generally because they want to get people to stay as long as possible. People don't tend to stay very long at telephone customer service jobs. The work is boring and depending on what kind of customer service, it can be stressful if the customers are crabby.

Physical labor requires no smarts as where white collar jobs do even if it is answering a phone you have knowledge of the company.