Human Resources

North Plainfield, Ill. -- With momentum picking up as the holiday shopping season approaches, retailers polled in Levin Management’s 2014 Pre-Holiday Retail Sentiment Survey are showing strong enthusiasm for seasonal sales potential. The findings also indicate expectations for strong pre-December shopping and plans for stepped-up temporary hiring with positions that may carry into the new year.  

Books-A-Million has appointed Ronald J. Domanico to serve as a member of the board and a member of the audit committee of the board.

“We are very fortunate to have identified a director of the caliber and experience that Ron possesses,” said Clyde B. Anderson, the executive chairman of the board of directors of the company. “Ron is a seasoned financial executive that brings a depth of experience in finance, strategy, and operational matters to our board.”

Bentonville, Ark. -- For the third consecutive year, Wal-Mart workers at about 1,600 stores are prepping to protest on Black Friday to demand better wages and benefits.   According to pressure group OUR Walmart, the protestors are demanding a $15/hour wage and consistent full-time hours.  

Las Vegas –- At the recent KronosWorks 2014 conference in Las Vegas, clients across a variety of industries spoke about how they use Kronos solutions to better perform a variety of human resources and workforce management tasks.  

Spanx, one of the hottest brands in retail, named finance executive Dan Glennon to the new role of COO and CFO to help drive growth at the leading shapewear brand.

Glennon will lead the cross functional teams of global finance, legal, information technology, sourcing, manufacturing and planning as well as data and analytics. He will report directly to Spanx CEO Jan Singer.

Los Angeles -- Ralphs Grocery Co. said it will hire to fill an estimated 1,200 permanent positions at its stores in Southern California. Ralphs currently employs more than 19,000 associates at its stores in the region.  

I recently had the opportunity to visit the funky Las Vegas headquarters of online footwear/apparel/accessories retailer Zappos.com. Zappos is generally regarded as one of the most customer-friendly retailers around, and after seeing how things work behind the scenes I can attest this reputation is well deserved. Here are five cool ways Zappos uses corporate culture and innovation to disrupt the customer experience and behind-the-scenes operations.  

Merrillville, Ind. -- DirectBuy, the membership-based buying organization that enables consumers to purchase directly from manufacturers and suppliers, has implemented a new Member Care Advocacy Team. Typical member resolutions include processing membership renewals, updating contact information, resetting passwords, and resolving members’ questions pertaining to orders or membership.