Store Associates

Walmart Raises Minimum Wage for Store Employees
January 24, 2023 at 1:27 pm

Walmart announced Tuesday that it's raising its minimum wage for store employees to $14 an hour, representing a roughly 17 percent jump for the workers who stock shelves and cater to customers. Starting in early March, store employees will make between $14 and $19 an hour. They currently earn between $12 and $18 an hour, according…

How Do Retailers Solve the Labor Shortage Crisis?
December 21, 2022 at 7:18 pm

The events of the last few years — Brexit, the pandemic, The Great Resignation, a cost-of-living crisis — have caused evolving challenges that continue to ripple through the retail industry. One of the biggest causes for concern for businesses today is a mass shortage of workers as people switch to remote or at-home working, decide…

One Big Happy Workforce: Prioritizing Employee Experience to Ensure CX Success
November 7, 2022 at 8:52 am

With national labor challenges lingering, the retail industry is among those hit the hardest by “The Great Reshuffle” ­— formerly known as the Great Resignation. In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that the quit rate in the retail industry was hovering close to 4 percent over the summer, just behind the leading leisure…

Tips to Help Retailers Hire for the Holidays
October 17, 2022 at 11:03 am

Retailers should be preparing for peak season hiring as the holidays are just two months away. Since many retailers have struggled to fill open positions over the past year and a half, the thought of hiring enough seasonal help could be frightful, rather than delightful. Amid the Great Resignation, seasonal retail jobs dropped 7 percent from…

An 'Old' Technology Just Might Help Retailers Battle the Labor Shortage
October 5, 2022 at 9:38 am

Frontline employees are vital to a retailer's operation. The quality of a customer's experience is directly related to the level of employee engagement.  When customers need assistance, they expect fast, reliable service and they shouldn't have to look all over the store for help. Unfortunately, customers are often left with no other option than to…

How Can the Right Technology Solutions Aid in Staffing Woes?
September 8, 2022 at 5:14 pm

Retailers have been under excruciating pressure as inflation, supply chain woes, and recession threatens consumer spending, impacting their bottom line. As a result, many are leaning into promotional sales periods as a way to push inventory to consumers, ensuring they receive a portion of the limited discretionary spending. With the back-to-school shopping season underway on…

Lowe's Tweaks Scheduling System, Offers Full-Time Employees 4-Day Work Week
July 28, 2022 at 5:07 pm

Lowe’s is giving full-time workers in its stores the choice to schedule four-day work weeks. The home improvement retailer made the decision after its five-day schedule left many associates complaining about an inability to find a balance between their personal and work lives as a result of having very few consecutive days off, reports Retail…

Retail’s Perfect Complement: AI and the Real-Life Store Associate
June 23, 2022 at 4:36 pm

Retail has certainly evolved over the past two years. Today, we're living in an omnichannel retail universe that must be catered to carefully by retailers. Store associates can’t be expected to carry the entire load and overwhelming task of the end-to-end sales process anymore, but we also can’t entirely lean on artificial intelligence (AI) to…

Retail’s Resurgence Spawns New Challenges
June 14, 2022 at 10:52 am

As lease signs begin to disappear from storefront windows in Manhattan, retailers across the U.S. are preparing for the industry’s big return. Although the harshest COVID-driven restrictions were lifted months ago, businesses have been hesitant to open or expand their physical locations after suffering devastating revenue losses over the last two years. Increasing interest rates…

Don’t Let the Labor Shortage Short Circuit Your Customer Loyalty
June 1, 2022 at 10:11 am

It’s no secret when it comes to the value of loyalty. Existing customers spend 31 percent more, on average, than new ones. They’re also 50 percent more likely to try new products. As a result, more and more retailers, including Albertsons, Rite Aid, and The Container Store, are doubling down on loyalty programs to drive…