3 minute read
The Realities of Retail
BY TYLER MICIK
THE DELAWARE RETAIL COUNCIL (DRC) is an affiliate of the State Chamber of Commerce and National Retail Federation (NRF). The DRC’s mission is to support and improve the retail climate in Delaware and serves as retailers’ advocate at the state and local government levels. The group meets regularly during the year to discuss challenges retailers are experiencing, help solve challenges facing the industry, and advise State Chamber leadership on retail specific issues.
According to the NRF, 26% of Delaware jobs are supported by the retail industry. In other words, the industry supports just over 150,000 jobs and has a $4.1 billion direct impact on Delaware’s GDP. Nationally, retail is the largest private sector employer in the economy. The industry supports one in four jobs, or directly employs 32 million American workers.
These statistics show the retail industry is strong and growing. Additionally, they highlight the importance of the retail sector to our economy and to the workers who rely on those jobs. Retail is often a person’s first introduction into the workplace. The NRF states that six in ten Americans have worked in retail and retail accounts for almost 32% of all first jobs.
Retail provides employees with foundational soft skills such as customer service, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities, among others, that are transferable across industry sectors throughout an individual’s career. For many employees, the draw to work in retail—whether it be at local food or hardware store, shopping mall, or fast-food restaurant—is part-time work and flexibility. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 75% of part-time employees are part-time by choice. A survey conducted by the NRF found that 37% of retail employees took a job in retail because they were in school, 21% worked another job, and 11% were stay-at-home parents— flexibility is vital to these groups of people.
One of the DRC’s main priorities is to bring lawmakers into businesses and meet with owners and their employees to help build relationships and showcase all the great opportunities that exist within the retail sector. These interactions are also an opportunity to talk about the impact policy decisions have on workers and the local community. Although well intended, policies such as predictive scheduling and increased efforts by some to dictate various terms of employment often have unintended consequences and harm the very people they’re intended to help.
We hope lawmakers will support policies to improve the retail sector and work with us to help solve problems. One such challenge is Organized Retail Crime (ORC), which is a significant threat to retailers’ ability to operate successfully. To place it in perspective, in 2021, the NRF estimated that Delaware lost $236 million in revenue due to ORC. On a national level, 45% of retailers reported reducing operating hours, 30% reduced merchandise selection, and 28% closed store locations due to ORC.
Retail is a very fluid business that must constantly reinvent itself to meet consumer trends and demands. Like retailers, the DRC will continue to adapt to successfully advocate for retailers, their employees, and the customers they serve. If you’re a retailer and interested in participating on the DRC, please contact me at tmicik@dscc.com.
