Store Associates

In an effort to help curb soaring student loan debts, Walmart announced this week that it will pay 100 percent of college tuition and book costs for its associates, starting Aug. 16. Walmart, the largest U.S. private employer, will drop its existing $1-per-day fee for associates who participate in its Live Better U education program. About 1.5 million…

Across the country, “MASKS REQUIRED” signs have been replaced with “HELP WANTED.” And these signs aren’t coming down anytime soon thanks to a nationwide shortage of workers. Why? Many economists point to low wages, and there's no doubt retailers could do better here, but there's another big factor: retailers don’t make it easy to work…

At its best, shopping is aspirational. Who doesn’t daydream about arriving home clutching bulging bags full of clothes, gadgets or other goodies from their favorite store? During the pandemic, we romanticized in-person shopping even as we placed online orders. Now that we’re all getting vaccinated, consumers are eager to get out for some real-world retail…

Walmart has launched Me@Walmart, an app for U.S. store associates designed to simplify daily tasks as well as empower them to easily serve customers and plan for life outside of work. The app's features include scheduling, enabling associates to easily view their shifts up to two weeks in advance; a mobile clock-in feature; push-to-talk, which enables…

Consumer expectations have transformed over the past year, and retailers are looking for new technologies to meet the needs of evolving customer demands. During the first three months of 2021, visits to physical stores increased by 28.5 percent. While many shoppers are eager to return to stores, retailers must find opportunities to ensure that they…

Nearly every industry has been impacted by the pandemic. However, with one year under our belts, we have an opportunity to reflect on what changes might have been for the best. It’s no surprise that with state-mandated shutdowns, social distancing and general consumer caution, e-commerce boomed during the pandemic. Online sales increased 32 percent in…

In this interactive webinar, our speakers will be addressing how retailers can prepare their stores for the forecasted surge in demand.

Retail employee turnover rates are among the highest across all industries at nearly 67 percent for part-time retail employees, and it’s grown amid the pandemic. On average, these turnovers cost businesses $3,328 to find, hire and train a replacement. Not only that, disruption in frontline employees can negatively impact customer service and thus retention. This…

J.C. Penney's new owners, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management, announced last week that they have cut the corporate staff of more than 3,500 by about 100 people. In addition, field operation was cut by 550 people. When J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020, there were about 84,000 associates employed y the…

Macy's cannot offer the use of its Scan and Pay app for purchases from departments where employees make commissions, and must pay back commissions on such purchases, a labor relations arbitrator has ruled, reports RIS News. The determination applies to three collective bargaining agreements between Macy's and employees at stores in Boston and other New…