Store Associates

Lane Bryant has launched LaneStyle Studio, a free in-store personal styling service. The service is designed to create an elevated retail experience that will drive consumers in-store. Customers can make one-on-one appointments with in-store stylists who act like personal shoppers. The service will be available in over 40 Lane Bryant stores across the country. Lane Bryant operates…

Sephora said it's planting its "smallest footprint" in the U.S. yet with the launch of freestanding makeup studios. The beauty retailer announced plans last week to roll out the new Sephora Studio concept across the U.S., with the first location opening in Boston this week. The studios will be about 2,000 square feet, less than half…

Starbucks has tapped Lucy Helm, an 18-year veteran with the company, for the role of chief partner officer. Helm had been serving in the role on an interim basis before the announcement. Starbucks refers to its employees as “partners,” and its partners haven't been happy with staffing at store…

Retailers around the world are focused on creating an enhanced in-store shopping experience with passionate sales associates who have intimate knowledge of products and drive engagement on the sales floor. This investment in time and resources are done with the understanding that increasing sales relies on increased customer satisfaction, units per transaction, visual merchandising and…

Wal-Mart is testing a new program that lets store associates opt into delivering e-commerce ship-from-store orders. Marc Lore, chief executive of Wal-Mart U.S. e-commerce, explained that the program uses technology so workers can set preferences such as how many packages they want to deliver, weight limits for the packages and which days they would like…

Between 6 million and 7.5 million retail industry jobs are vulnerable to automation within 10 years, according to a report by Cornerstone Capital Group released this week. The report concluded that the jobs of 47 percent of the 16 million Americans currently working in retail could be made redundant by highly automated e-commerce and other innovations.…

Wal-Mart is being sued for both allegedly denying health benefits to same-sex spouses of employees as well as rejecting pregnant employees’ requests to limit heavy lifting, climbing on ladders, and other potentially dangerous tasks. In the former suit, an employee in Massachusetts (where same-sex marriage has been legally recognized since 2004) attempted to add her…

If you were to Google "hot topics in retail," you’d get a long list of articles outlining how to engage customers with mobile optimization, social media, omnichannel, loyalty programs and the Internet of Things. While no one disputes these are very important aspects of today’s retail businesses, a recent study from Market Force Information reminds…

In today’s hypercompetitive retail environment, there’s mounting pressure for retailers to leverage their brick-and-mortar presence as a competitive advantage. This reality arguably makes the store associate the most important asset retailers have. Associates can provide the personal service that differentiates their shopping experience from their competitors, including online pure-play retailers. In fact, store associates that…

Last week, Wal-Mart gave a share of more than $157 million to more than 850,000 employees in the U.S. These cash bonuses were based on their stores’ performance in the fourth quarter. The bonuses were awarded on the heels of Wal-Mart U.S. recording its strongest comp sales performance of the year in the fourth quarter…