Labor & Employment

Photo: Colin Calvert (Left) and Caroline Pham (Right)  

Macy’s has managed to avert what would have been the first strike at its most valuable property — its flagship in Manhattan — in over 40 years.   

Walmart is trimming administrative positions in some 500 stores in the West.   According to multiple media reports, the discount giant will cut three backroom accounting and invoicing positions at each store, for a total of 1,500 jobs. Affected employees will not be laid off, but instead offered front-of-store roles such as pharmacy technician or assisting pickups of online orders. Invoicing tasks will be shifted to corporate headquarters in Arkansas, while accounting functions will be automated.  

A Swedish retail giant that excels in fast-fashion is also a leader when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling. But a U.S. merchant is not that far behind.   

If it seems like more if your inventory is disappearing, you’re probably not imagining things.   According to the 2016 National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail Security Study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Florida, retailers’ inventory shrink averaged 1.38% of retail sales, or $45.2 billion in 2015, up by 3% from $44 billion the previous year.  

Target Corp. is donating $250,000 to the OneOrlando Fund in honor of the retailer's two associates and other victims killed in the nightclub massacre that occurred early Sunday morning in Orlando, Florida.   Target lost two employees, Mercedes Flores and Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, in the mass shootings. Flores was a Target employee for eight years, and Ocasio-Capo for two years. A third Target employee remains in critical condition.   

The liberal return policies of many big retailers are having a negative impact on the paychecks of store associates who receive commissions, according to a report by the New York Times.   

Office Depot isn’t about to let its rivals get the better of it during one of its busiest times of the year.   The office-supply retailer plans to hire a total of 8,000 seasonal and regular associates for the back-to-school season, up 33%, or 2,000 associates, over last year.