Human Resources

For a variety of retailers – from supermarkets, to restaurants, to department and convenience stores – the holiday shopping season represents the peak time of year for staffing up on temporary workers to help meet all of the increase in consumer demand.

For a variety of retailers – from supermarkets, to restaurants, to department and convenience stores – the holiday shopping season represents the peak time of year for staffing up on temporary workers to help meet all of the increase in consumer demand. However, the need to staff up may be even greater this year as some companies have already been operating with limited capacity given the nation-wide labor shortage.

Stein Mart reported negative same-store sales growth on the same day that the company also lost its chief merchant to an off-price rival.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, Stein Mart comps fell 2.3%.

"Unseasonably warm weather impacted traffic and our sales during the third quarter," said Jay Stein, CEO. "We continue to have a positive outlook on our important fourth quarter holiday sales which will include incremental sales from six new stores opened through the third quarter plus four more new stores opening in November."

Signet Jewelers has hired its first ever chief strategy officer to lead the jewelry company's transformation and future growth.

The world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry announced that Uta Werner has joined the company as Signet chief strategy officer. Werner will be responsible for strategy development and execution and will be focused on the identification of growth opportunities, strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions.

Dishonest employees and shoplifters pushed shrink rates to record levels and earned the United States the distinction of leading the world in the least desirable of retail metrics.

According to retailers surveyed for the Global Retail Theft Barometer, shrink rose in the U.S. from 1.28% of sales in 2013-2014 to 1.97% during 2014-2015. Globally, this compares to 1.42% , a figure also up from the previous .94% average of all common retailers surveyed the previous year.

Pat Riley, the three-time NBA Coach of the Year honoree, will tip off Chain Store Age’s 52nd annual SPECS conference with a not-to-be-missed keynote address on Monday, March 14, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. And on Tuesday, keynoters — and political pundits — Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala will break down the 2016 presidential race.

Tuesday’s election continued a trend we have witnessed over the past few years — Republicans dominated statewide contests while Democrats locked down Mayoral seats in key major metropolitan markets.

One year ago, Republicans won by historic margins at the state level, installing 31 Republican governors and winning control of 67 of the 98 state legislative chambers. On Tuesday, Republicans not only defended those advances, but added to that margin by winning decisively in Kentucky.

For retailers, a diligent and detailed vetting of applicants — including employment verifications, thorough interviews and comprehensive background checks — should be a standard part of any responsible hiring and candidate review process. At the best of times, this process can be a complex and time-consuming endeavor. When retailers are looking to hire temporary or part-time seasonal help, especially for the holidays, the degree of difficulty goes up significantly.