Foundation Blog

Through its This is Retail campaign, NRF has a placed a strong focus on showcasing the diversity of retail career paths. But long-term career growth and the next generation of retail leaders can’t and won’t happen without  a culture of development.

Ramon Jara, Regional Director, Loss Prevention Sears Holding Corporation

Sears Holding Corporation’s Trisa Gildard and Ramon Jara began their session at the NRF Loss Prevention Conference & EXPO with some eye-opening stats. Speaking generally about employees’ feelings toward their current jobs, Gildard cited a Forbes article which said that more than 60 percent of employees surveyed don’t feel their career goals are aligned with the plans their employers have for them. This discontent can lead to talent leaving for another job. The result: the wealth of organizational knowledge these employees have is lost and is not easily replaced, which immediately impacts results. “You’re only as good as your people. If you have the right people in place your job will be that much easier,” Jara added.

Gildard and Jara then outlined what a developmental culture could look like. They shared a framework Sears Holdings uses in their loss prevention department to identify strengths, opportunities and weaknesses for each employee. These gap analyses should be completed by all employees and their supervisors in order for employees to have responsibilities that best fit their skill set. Another critical component is to ensure that a career path is made clear, and that both the employee and employer are aligned on that vision. At Sears, “from the day a person starts, they know the potential for growth is there,” Gildard said.

After everyone broke in to small groups to build their own career development plan, or SMART plan, Jara shared five things retailers can start doing now to create a culture of development.

1. Internally agree on critical core competencies that will ensure success
2. Build a consistent assessment process
3. Create a plan or strategy around professional growth
4. Implement tactics to measure and reward execution
5. Using SMART, teach your leaders how to create developmental plans for their employees

The competition for talent is fierce across all industries. And a discernible, structured process for growth is critical for retailers to recruit and retain the best of the best.

Just before the new career hub Retail Jobs powered by NRF was launched, nearly 40 retail companies gathered in New York City for the inaugural Retail Recruiter Network meeting. One of the biggest topics of conversation covered the most pressing issues related to talent acquisition. Here are the top five things on the minds of retail recruiters:

1. Location-based talent. Whether it is finding design talent in Seattle, bringing digital talent to St. Petersburg or the competition for talent in the San Francisco Bay area, retailers are seeing shortages in certain locations. Some companies are addressing this by opening offices in cities where a large talent pool exists while others are highlighting the work/life balance benefits of smaller cities such as Madison, Wisc. One executive said some people won’t relocate no matter what, so rather than spending efforts trying to convince them, focus on recruiting those who will.

   Jerry O’Brien (bottom right) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison addresses executives at the NRF Foundation’s Retail Recruiter Networking meeting.

2. Careers in stores. Many of the misconceptions about working in retail are at the store level. Retailers know they need to do a better job showing the earning potential, the career potential, and the entrepreneurial potential that happens in stores. There’s a ton of complexity in store management: managers have to hire and train employees, manage inventory and shrink, and analyze financial reports. Even though the industry is becoming increasingly digital, good talent at the store level is still crucial.
3. Marketing the employer brand. Retailers do an excellent job marketing their products, but more talent acquisition executives are realizing that they need the same level of marketing expertise to promote career opportunities within their companies. They are not only competing with other retailers, but also other industries, and need to better market – and message – why their company is a great place to work and why retail has some of the best jobs.
4. Applicant Tracking Systems. An ATS provides a central location and database for a company’s recruitment efforts. Whether it is converting to a new system, stabilizing a current one or integrating with job boards, a properly functioning ATS takes a considerable amount of time to develop and maintain, but is a crucial software application for tracking candidates.
5. Diversity recruiting. Apparel retailers want and need more men; grocery retailers want and need more women; all retailers want and need more ethnic and racial diversity. Most organizations agree that recruiting diverse talent pools and bringing together unique talents and perspectives makes for a stronger company culture.

Even though the retail companies at the meeting varied – everything from specialty to luxury and big box to omnichannel – most are facing the same issues related to recruitment and retention. And all agreed that the retail industry offers limitless opportunities for growth and is committed to attracting the best talent.

As the nation’s largest private sector employer, no one knows “jobs” better than the retail industry. And with the current state of our economy, retailers have taken that jobs call to heart. Through NRF’s This is Retail campaign, we’ve focused on telling the story of not only retail jobs, but retail careers. We have some of the most creative and exciting jobs in the world and it’s time for the public to understand what working in retail really looks like. That’s where This is Retail comes in. It’s going to help us tell retail’s story.

And today we’ve got some things you don’t want to miss.

Retail Jobs powered by NRF is available today featuring hundreds of the best jobs in the industry. If you’re looking for talent or your next career step, I would encourage you to check out the industry’s premier platform for retail opportunities. Want an insider’s perspective? Take a look at our retail stories from the executives and employees themselves, with a broad range of personal stories from retailers and industry partners. If you think retail means standing behind a cash register, think again. Nothing tells the retail industry story quite like the numbers. If you find a stat that speaks volumes, be sure to share it via email or social media and help us correct the misperceptions about our industry.

It was said more than once at this year’s Student Program at Retail’s BIG Show that retail is one of the few places that your last name doesn’t matter, where you grew up is almost irrelevant, you can start at any level or any position, and you can end up at the top. Two retailers on the 2013 Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful Women – one new, one returning – are shining examples of this statement:

Sara Blakely (#90), the inventor and founder of Spanx, is on the list for the first time. While Blakely may be the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, she started Spanx with just $5,000 in savings while selling fax machines door to door for an office supply company. Talk about working your way up in the world with a little tenacity and a great idea.

Tory Burch (#69), back on the list and 19 spots higher than her place at 88 in 2010, launched a fashion line from her kitchen in 2004, is now a household name with boutiques across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and with products sold in over 800 department and specialty stores.

And, these two women are fabulous beyond their products. Among other philanthropic ventures, Sara Blakely was the first female billionaire to sign the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge in April, pledging to donate half her earnings to charity. The Tory Burch Foundation was launched in 2009 to support the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families through small business loans and mentorship. Now that is some serious girl power.

Others on this year’s list include:

Sheri McCoy, CEO of Avon, is up 12 spots from last year at #27. Last year she had just recently taken the position, but this woman has made quite a difference in the company – which has seen a rebound in shares and a hope to restore the brand to its former status.

Rosalind Brewer, President and CEO of Sam’s Club, is up 6 spots at #44 this year. Sam’s Club and Walmart just launched a “massive green project” to give bring more sustainability information to consumers. Talk about a retail concept to watch!

Angela Ahrendts (#53), CEO of Burberry Group, makes the list for the second year in a row. This last fall, and then just a few months ago, Burberry hosted a live-streaming runway show, available globally, where viewers could shop directly from the video. That, my friends, is innovation.

Carol Meyrowitz (#82), CEO of TJX Companies – which includes TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshalls – is on the list for the fourth year in a row. With record growth in sales this last year, you can’t help but admire Meyrowitz for her recent statement that her plans for the company include even more growth.

Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSNi (and Chairwoman of the NRF Foundation Board) is up seven spots at #89 this year. Through blending 24-hour TV broadcasting, a mobile platform, and an online presence, HSN can be found in the dictionary next to the term “omnichannel retail.”

There’s no doubt that these inspiring women exemplify the best of our industry: inventive ideas, their value to the community, and the limitless opportunities available.

“You are going to make our future,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay told the Wittenberg University graduating class last week – and he couldn’t have been more right. Of the 1.7 million college students graduating this year with a bachelor’s degree, the retail industry might find the next Mark Zuckerberg, or Terry Lundgren, or Sara Blakely.

In our work with universities – whether we’re trying to use the NRF Student Association to share insights on what a career in retail looks like, meeting with our Retail Recruiter Network about how to collectively promote our industry in a more compelling way to jobseekers, planning a student program for one of our conferences to give young people the opportunity to network with CEOs, or working to distribute more than scholarship monies to very deserving candidates – we hear and see every day how today’s college students are motivated and intelligent “change agents”, ready to leap headfirst into their career. And, of course, we hope that career is retail.

During Shay’s commencement at his alma mater, he shared five life and career lessons, some of which he’s learned the hard way (haven’t we all?). And while these were created with students in mind, they certainly apply to professionals at all levels:

1.  When you make a decision, be committed.
2. Clean up your own messes.
3. Happiness is more important than money.
4. Find a mentor.
5. No one ever accomplished anything great alone.

And with that, he proposes a challenge: “Never let anybody outwork you.”

Watch a recap of his commencement speech below.

To see Shay’s entire speech, watch the video courtesy of Wittenberg University.

Not long ago, retail loss prevention was focused on catching shoplifters. But over the course of the last couple decades, the profession has evolved along with the entire industry. Effectively countering cyber crime, organized retail crime, workplace violence and other increasingly complex threats means loss prevention executives are more than a physical presence in a store – they’re earning a voice in strategic business decisions and working cross-functionally in sophisticated ways.

In advance of our Loss Prevention Conference next month, we’ve been exploring how many of today’s seasoned LP executives have played an integral part in this evolution throughout the course of their careers. To wrap up our series, we spoke with LP Advisory Council Chairman and Vitamin Shoppe Vice President of Loss Prevention Gary Johnson about his personal career journey.

Read on to find out how his first employers gave him a leg up in the business, how rewarding it is to help others and why retail business savvy is critical to success in LP.

Gary Johnson, Vice President of Loss Prevention for Vitamin Shoppe Industries

When were you first exposed to the loss prevention profession? What made you decide to pursue a career in loss prevention/asset protection?

I first heard about loss prevention while studying law enforcement at Western Illinois University. I decided to do my internship with a retailer named Osco Drug because the thought of catching shoplifters sounded fun — and it was one of the paid internships! After that, I became quite interested in it as a career. I always had an interest in business and law enforcement, and it paid more than a patrolman with the Chicago Police Department, so it was the best of both worlds.

How has your unique personal background helped you succeed in your LP career?

When I began in LP, my early mentors were really retail operators first and loss prevention professionals second. They taught me how to sell prevention concepts, how to show the dollars and cents of a particular initiative, and the importance of influencing people to want to play a role in reducing shrink. Certainly, I had to build experience and confidence with the core competences of loss prevention techniques, but looking back it was more important to gain proficiency with retail concepts and “soft” leadership skills.

Tell us about a particular moment, challenge or success that made you certain this was the right profession for you.

Wow, there have been many. It’s very rewarding to help people, whether it’s developing a program that keeps people safe at work, helping advance someone’s career, or catching a criminal that has hurt others. For example, I still recall working at Pier 1 Imports and how gratifying it was to solve a case involving a string of robberies, one of which involved a sexual assault of an associate. Working the data from my office in Fort Worth, I was able to connect numerous dots and link the right law enforcement agencies. Back in the day, this sharing of data didn’t frequently happen between private sector and law enforcement. I’ll never forget the associate’s reaction when I informed her that the guy who assaulted her had been caught.

The role of LP is continuing to expand and grow. When it comes to hiring and promoting team members, what kind of talent and skill sets are you looking for to be successful now and in the future?

Yes, the role of LP continues to evolve — and that’s a great thing! The C-suite has recognized the value that a professionally led loss prevention program means for the business. LP impacts not only shortage reduction and shrink but also IT security, data security, product safety, workplace violence programs, brand reputation, social media and so many more parts of the business. When looking for talent, it’s critical to find LP people who have solid core competences, but just as important is retail business savvy. Understanding how all facets of the business work, the ability to identify gaps, and, of course, build remediation plans. Leadership skills are essential. Being able to coach, train, and be a catalyst of change is vital because today’s LP professional must be able to influence and motivate cross-functional teams at all levels.

 

When it comes to searching for retail industry data, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the multitude of sources, reports and websites that exist. Do you go to the Census Bureau website for sales data? Or should you visit the Department of Commerce? What if you want to know how many employees worked in department stores last holiday season? How has consumer spending for Father’s Day changed over the last decade?

It’s enough to make your head spin.

Understanding this challenge, as well as the specific needs of retailers, reporters and executives for up-to-date and comprehensive industry data, the NRF Foundation has launched the Retail Insight Center, made possible by a contribution from KPMG.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012

The Retail Insight Center is a comprehensive online resource that provides easy access to previously fragmented industry research from government sources, NRF studies, and historical and current consumer trend data from BIGinsight. In essence, the Insight Center is a one-stop-shop for data and insights into retail industry trends, from sales, employment and consumer spending to the popularity of smartphones and tablets.

Today’s launch comes with an added bonus. Our Spotlight on Retail Employees report combines data from these sources into one place to tell an important story about the retail industry – that America’s largest private sector employer really is an industry of opportunity from coast-to-coast. The report showcases the diversity in jobs, demographics of retail employees and a whole lot more.

Anyone can access the Insight Center by visiting research.nrffoundation.com – but before you dive in, here are five things you need to know:

 1. Data in the Retail Insight Center is not from a single-source. The site features NRF’s original research, derived retail industry sales data, some partnered research, relevant public government data, and timely consumer data from BIGinsight. Information is organized by topic, not source.

2. Updates are made automatically based on the most recent data available, providing the most recent data for users.

3. Users have the option to export charts, download the data, or build a report combining research from various parts of the center. Want to share the information with someone else or your entire network? Users can send the page they’re viewing using integrated social media “share” buttons.

4. Charts are customizable after logging in. Users can select a date range, demographics, and even type of chart – such as a pie, bar, or line graph – where the data is available.

5. Most pages feature custom links to relevant materials that live elsewhere on NRF sites, such as blog posts and news releases.

Navigate around, customize a chart of your choice, and let us know what you think.

Earlier this month, we introduced our series on the evolving careers of retail loss prevention leaders, asking Dan Faketty of Winn-Dixie to share his career story. To get another perspective for our second installment, we asked the same of another stand-out leader from our LP Advisory Council, Keith White.

White is the senior vice president of loss prevention at Gap Inc., vice chairman of the LP Advisory Council, and a speaker at our upcoming Loss Prevention Conference & EXPO. Read on to find out how he views the profession, how growing up in inner city Chicago gave him an edge in the industry, and what the LP profession needs today.

When were you first exposed to the loss prevention profession? What made you decide to pursue a career in loss prevention/asset protection?

Keith White, SVP, Loss Prevention, GAP Inc.

Like a number of people in the field, I discovered it by accident. After finishing college, I was looking at law enforcement opportunities. A friend told me about an loss prevention job interview he had and asked if I wanted to interview in his place. I said, “what’s loss prevention?” I knew about corporate security, but I wasn’t impressed with being limited to a uniformed guard. I had no idea that loss prevention would be so vast and sophisticated. For me it was the perfect intersection between the investigative training and business acumen I had developed at the collegiate level. I could carry a briefcase, manage a team, oversee a budget and manage business objectives, but I would also have the opportunity to testify in court and manage complex, interesting investigations — everything I like to do.

How has your unique personal background helped you succeed in your LP career?

When you live in the inner city, you have to be extremely perceptive and aware of your surroundings. You have to be able to sense when there is a change in the atmosphere, whether it’s in the personal relationships of those around you or the physical environment. If someone has to tell you something’s not right, then it’s too late—you’re robbed or worse. I think that being perceptive, understanding how to read people, understanding body language and being able to evaluate all kinds of situations has given me a distinct advantage in this role and in all my LP roles.

Tell us about a particular moment, challenge or success that made you certain this was the right profession for you.

I started my career in a distribution center environment, and I got a confidential tip that a receiving dock worker and truck driver were colluding to steal a truckload of swimming pools and fans. I connected with the local PD and we set up an elaborate sting operation to catch them in the act. I learned a lot from that. First, that people always think people steal things like electronics, but that was one of the hottest summers on record and pools and fans were selling like hotcakes, so you have to understand the full context of the environment you’re engaged in.

And second, in setting up that sting with the police, I gave up some control over the investigation. And because union members were involved, it was a political disaster that some of my superiors didn’t want me to pursue. But I told them that the sting is going down, and I’m going to be there – if I’m not here tomorrow, that’s on you. Well, the sting went down like in a textbook. The apprehensions went down perfectly. And then, my boss said, “look what Keith and I did.” It was a laughable moment, but I knew that I was in this career for the long-haul. I stand for what’s right, not what’s politically correct. Being an authority figure, we sometimes get involved in situations that don’t win popularity contests, but I knew I’d be OK doing that.

The role of LP is continuing to expand and grow. When it comes to hiring and promoting team members, what kind of talent and skill sets are you looking for to be successful now and in the future?

In the old days, there were two ways to look at LP. If you’re looking for a management candidate, you were looking for someone who had a law enforcement background with investigative experience. And for an hourly level employee, you were looking for physical presence, what we called the big dude in the door.

Now, for management candidates, I’m looking for someone who has an academic background in criminal justice or law and even an M.B.A. or business background because I want someone who can apply concepts and strategies within a business framework. For those hourly associates, physical presence is not what it used to be. I look for people who can outthink a shoplifter or a criminal, not out-wrestle them or outrun them. If there’s a 5’1” woman who can educate the staff, build awareness, create a shrink-reduction strategy for the store and understand all the technical tools at her disposal, she’ll do 20 times more than the big dude at the door ever could. So we’re looking for people with those ambitions and qualifications.

Stay tuned for the last post in our series, where  Gary Johnson, vice president for loss prevention at The Vitamin Shoppe Inc., will share his story.

The retail industry is always changing, always evolving. That’s what we love about it, right? But the always-changing technology and the need to quickly adapt new customer engagement techniques means employee training is of greater importance – particularly at the store level.

This 40-hour interactive instructor-led course is designed to help instructors prepare participants for a career in retail.

STORES focused on this very topic a few weeks back. They hosted a webinar, “How to Hire Candidates with Superior Customer Service,” which demonstrated the importance of sales associates and in-store customer service. The event examined what roles an employee responsible for and pinpointed three of the company’s most valued assets: merchandise, cash, and customers. The webinar emphasized why it is crucial for associates to be trained early and well so they can take proper care of all three assets.

Many retailers are recognizing the urgency to train employees quickly and are adopting “just-in-time learning” – giving someone a skill they need at the time they need it. Or, in some instances, even before being hired. Macy’s recently partnered with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta on a workforce training initiative that helps match qualified candidates with open positions. Candidates who enroll in the Urban League’s program receive training that includes a “Magic of Macy’s” unit on customer service, which is coupled alongside the NRF Foundation’s Retail Operations curriculum. Together, the program presents qualified candidates the opportunity to receive the National Professional Certification in Customer Service, which is earned by nearly 15,000 candidates a year. The general retail operations training and certification, combined with the specialized Macy’s training, means potential hires can arrive at work on Day One with skills that allow them to contribute right away.

Other retailers such as Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald’s and Jiffy Lube are developing in-house training programs to sharpen their managers’ business and leadership skills with an added bonus: the training often qualifies for college credit. Managers and prospective managers taking part in a week-long training program at McDonald’s can earn up to 23 credits toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at their Hamburger University. Starbucks’ Barista Basics and Barista 101 programs qualify for credits at the City University of Seattle.

We see retail companies invest in new technologies, website features, and in-store experiences all the time to try to get ahead. It only makes sense that employee training programs are following suit. At NRF, we’re fond of saying that in retail, “where you start isn’t where you’ll end up.” Giving employees and potential employees the skills they need to get ahead is a powerful way to emphasize the longevity and rewards of a career in retail.

As we’ve been talking about all week here on the blog, the retail industry offers some unique and fascinating careers. With our Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO coming up in June, we decided to talk to some of our Loss Prevention Advisory Council leaders for a three-part blog series on the evolving careers of LP leaders. We’ll cover three perspectives on what it means to work in retail loss prevention, asking each LP professional how he got his start, why he loves it, and where the profession is headed.

To kick off the series, we started with one of our LP Advisory Council’s vice chairs, Dan Faketty, vice president for asset protection at BI-LO/Winn-Dixie. Read on to find out how he changed his mind about a career in retail, how his experience as a young store employee prepared him for leadership, and why today’s LP professional needs to have a head for data.

Dan Faketty, VP, Asset Protection, BI-LO/Winn-Dixie

When were you first exposed to the loss prevention profession? What made you decide to pursue a career in loss prevention/asset protection?

I had completed my two-year associate’s degree and had just gone through the regional police academy. I was back in school, and at the same time looking for employment as a police officer. That’s when I received a call from a district LP manager who worked for Shopko Stores, Inc. He saw my resume and wanted to know if I would be interested in applying for a single-store loss prevention manager position. I responded immediately with “no” and proceeded to tell him I was a certified police officer and had no interest in a career in retail! Fortunately for me he said “before you say ‘no’, don’t you think you should understand what you’re saying no to?” Based off his statement, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to meet and listen. The following day we met at a local store and after a couple of hours he convinced me that a career in loss prevention was at least worth a shot. He then hired me, on the spot, contingent on me relocating. The rest is history!

How has your unique personal background helped you succeed in your LP career?

I worked at a Ben Franklin store all through high school, so I learned a lot about store operations and merchandising. When I went to college I was a full-time student, working and managing a restaurant. When I left college, I went to work in stores for a couple of years before being promoted to a district manager. When I think about it now, I had eight years of retail experience before going to work at Shopko. I think the time I spent in stores along with what I learned in school gave me unique insight into how things worked from a practical application standpoint. Even today, every process, every control, every system that our department implements is meticulously scrutinized and tested from an end-user standpoint. These programs must be simple to execute and user friendly to store personnel. If not, they will never achieve the desired result. This thought process has enabled me to gain credibility as we drive organizational change in all parts of the business, not just asset protection.

Tell us about a particular moment, challenge or success that made you certain this was the right profession for you.

After only two years of working stores a promotional opportunity for district manager presented itself. I never thought I had a real opportunity to land the job because so many internal candidates had applied, some of whom had more than 10 years of experience. After going through a series of interviews and testing, I learned I was one of two final candidates. A few days later the director of loss prevention showed up at my store. I thought he was there to tell me I didn’t get the job but instead he said, “I am going to hire you over a lot of other candidates with much more experience.” When I asked why, he said, “Because you can’t take a Missouri mule to the Kentucky Derby and expect to win!” It was at that moment that I realized this was my profession. If for no other reason than because someone had noticed me and my accomplishments.

The role of LP is continuing to expand and grow. When it comes to hiring and promoting team members, what kind of talent and skill sets are you looking for to be successful now and in the future?

Rather than skill sets, I tend to focus on competencies because if someone has a strong base of core competencies, they should be able to learn the skill sets necessary to be successful. I have identified 10 competencies that are important to me. Some of the most important are the ability to champion change, lead courageously, be results-driven and work cross-functionally. The interview process, for new and existing promotional opportunities, is behavioral in the form of questioning designed to solicit responses to measure if a candidate poses these competencies or not. Additionally, anyone entering high-level loss prevention management positions must be technologically savvy and data-centric. If you have the competencies, love technology, are data-centric and can work cross-functionally, then you are going to be very successful in this line of work.

Faketty will be presenting at NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference in San Diego, June 12 – 14. For more about the conference, visit www.nrf.com/lp13.

Stay tuned for the next installments of our series, where we’ll talk to LP leaders from Gap Inc. and The Vitamin Shoppe.

The rumors are true – many young people just don’t see retail as a viable career. Four out of five young adults aren’t considering or pursuing careers in the retail industry, and this rate is even lower among those holding a college degree. Why is this a problem? As NRF president and CEO, Matthew Shay, mentioned at the Global Retailing Conference last week, “If we don’t start to dispel these types of myths, then we won’t be able to compete for the high-quality talent that we need,” which is vital for our industry to continue to grow.

For a clearer understanding of what this young pool of talent values most in a career, and what’s going to attract them to employers and careers in retail, the NRF Foundation surveyed 700 young adults ages 18-24 from across the country.

SPOILER ALERT: they want what retail offers – they just don’t know it yet.

A quarter of young adults feel working for a company whose mission and values match their own is one of the most important characteristics when evaluating a career opportunity. About one in five place importance on a company who gives back to their community, and nearly as many value a company with environmentally-responsible practices.

When considering a job opportunity, nearly half are most interested in work/life balance, and many want a job with opportunities for growth and to quickly move up the ladder.  Not only that, but according to the survey, these young adults don’t want to “wait their turn” to make an impact: 40% want their opinions heard, nearly a third want their decisions implemented, and 1 in 4 want the opportunity to own and manage projects – all in their very first job.

Think they’d need to live in a dream world to get this kind of job? This ideal company exists, and it’s in retail. While the perception of a retail career may conjure visions of cash registers and name tags – this is only a layer of the industry, and it’s time to change that vision.

That’s where NRF’s “This is Retail” campaign comes in, to tell the real story of our industry. We want those who aren’t already pursuing retail to get interested in the opportunities available, and we want family members, parents, and friends whose opinion influences career choices, to support them doing so.

We also want to help retailers understand what the next generation wants out of a career, so they can target and attract top-quality talent because, only in retail, that next hire could be the future CEO.

Over the next few months, our This is Retail campaign will tell the real story: retail is careers – and they’re exciting, with endless opportunities to grow, give back, and innovate. There’s never been a better time to be in retail, and it’s time that those who aren’t in the industry learn why they should be.

Help us by sharing your retail career story.

 

The US Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey – you’ve heard of it of course, but what the heck is it, and how can it help your company? While it’s not meant to be a secret, the study has done quite a good job at staying under the radar as the “secret weapon” for more than 150 retailers’ HR practices.

So, what is it?

This comprehensive annual survey is conducted and produced by Mercer and NRF, with results that help retailers answer critical questions about their HR practices. The survey provides actionable tools to manage compensation and benefits policies through comparing nearly 200 unique positions apples-to-apples against similar retailers by size, location, and merchandise and market categories.

Just how comprehensive can it be?

I have a printed copy taking up quite a bit of real estate in my office. The survey covers all areas of compensation and benefits by each individual position – down to the amount retailers are cost-sharing healthcare premiums. Ever wonder how employee store discounts compare across the industry? Yep, that’s in here too. And, all retail segments are included – from big-box retailers to department stores to convenience stores and specialty retailers.

How can retailers use the data?

The data provides firm numbers and statistics to answer these questions and more - helping companies form reliable HR policies. Here are some common questions – with answers found in the survey:

• What is the average pay for a store manager? In Texas? In Florida?
• How much of the cost for healthcare premiums is typical to pass onto employees?
• How do stores in higher or lower paying cities set their pay ranges?
• What turnover rate is commonly expected for salary and hourly employees?
• What is the standard number of vacation days to grant employees with 1, 5, & 10 years of service?

Will 2013 be the most successful survey yet?

Now is the time participate and discover how your data compares to the HR data your competitors have been using to stay competitive in the marketplace.

With your participation, this survey can hit record numbers and strengthen the value of the data received by retailers. Contributions can now be made for the 2013 Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey and we encourage all retailers to participate. Participating provides invaluable compensation data, insight into extensive HR and industry practices, and a look into benefit plan features for all merchandise categories.

Steve Jobs was quoted in a Forbes article a few years ago giving an executive at Disney a piece of advice: “Dream bigger.” Here at NRF, we’re always encouraged to “think big,” and we always try to deliver big. Another record-setting year at Retail’s BIG Show can attest to that.

Dream BIG compliment cards

At the NRF Foundation, NRF’s nonprofit arm, one of our top priorities is promoting retail careers and showing the diverse roles – and rewarding opportunities – that exist within the industry. And we aim to deliver big on that. That’s why we named our new initiative Dream BIG  – a program which will award 10 full-tuition scholarships to current retail employees.

We’ve been sharing information about the scholarship with retailers, the media and retail employees for months now and we’re doing everything we can to make sure as many retail workers as possible know about this fantastic opportunity to further their careers with higher education from the University of Phoenix.

One way we’ve been getting the word out is by sharing these compliment cards with retail workers. And we know that many of the retailers we work with (IKEA, Macy’s, HSN Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue, The Container Store, Sur La Table, Crate & Barrel, Express and Applebee’s to name just a few) have been telling their employees about Dream BIG on their intranets, notice boards, Facebook pages, newsletters and by email. The Container Store shared this opportunity with more than 189,000 of their Facebook fans.

The deadline for applications is April 9, and only the first 1,000 applications will be considered. Hundreds of people have already started the application process, so get the message out to your colleagues, friends and family soon. Make sure everyone you know who works in retail knows about the scholarship. In the final weeks, use the video below to share information about the scholarship and deliver the message: seize this opportunity to pair education and retail experience to fulfill your ambitions.

 

If you could ask a retail CEO one question about your career, what would it be? That’s the framework for which our team approached the CEO panel at our inaugural student program at Retail’s BIG Show and – happily – that strategy did not disappoint.

When we started planning the event several months ago, our team put together a “wish-list” of incredible executives from a wide variety of retail companies who we thought would give students great career advice: HSN’s Mindy Grossman, Rent the Runway’s Jennifer Hyman, BJ’s Wholesale Club’s Laura Sen, and Tractor Supply Co’s Jim Wright.

Next came the hard part – convincing the CEOs to say, “Yes.” Or so we thought.

Surprisingly, getting the CEOs to agree to speak to over 200 students and educators from the NRF Foundation’s College and University Partner schools was as simple as asking. The executives unanimously (and enthusiastically) responded that they would love to talk to students about the amazing opportunities our industry offers, and share retail knowledge, wisdom, and career advice they’ve garnered during their prestigious careers.

And share they did. The panelists were incredibly forthcoming and candid, providing sage counsel that can be applied by those at all levels within the retail industry. (I was literally sitting on stage with these visionaries wishing I had a notebook and pen with me.)

Even six weeks after the program, I remember my favorites: Mindy Grossman sharing a concept aptly called “intra-preneurialism” (establishing a culture of open creativity that fosters avenues for internal growth), Jim Wright discussing how setting five-year plans helps in achieving and measuring career growth and success, Laura Sen passionately telling students that thoughtful communication is the key to everything, and Jennifer Hyman encouraging enrollment in computer science and engineering classes to illustrate how technology is driving the retail industry.

And those were just my takeaways. When we talked with students after the event, every single person seemed to take home something different that really spoke to them as they planned the first steps in their career.

I could write for days on everything we learned from these executives, but the CEOs said it best themselves. And we’ve decided not to limit this to students, since people in every phase of their retail career can learn from these amazing leaders. Watch a recap of the session below.