Let’s hear it for the unsung hero of the holiday season, the retail sales clerk. It’s the most commonly held job in America, and like so many other occupations in a difficult employment market, it’s changing fast.
Some 4.5 million Americans staff our stores, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in some respects the job remains as tough as ever — with evening and weekend hours, limited advancement opportunities and a high churn rate as workers come and go. The median wage, including commissions, most recently clocked in at $9.86 an hour, no one’s idea of a fortune.
As unemployment soared in recent years, merchants started seeing applications from some of the most highly qualified candidates in memory. It’s a safe bet the current retail sales force is about as talented as it’s ever been.
But ask anybody, and you’ll hear that customer service ain’t what it used to be.
Don’t blame the clerks.
Since the 1970s and 1980s, staffing levels have thinned at all but a few merchants. Although holiday hiring plans at major retailers were up this season from last year, they didn’t keep pace with an anticipated 3 percent to 4 percent gain in sales. So a thin staff got even thinner.
After decades of dwindling service, customers have come to expect less, and retailers have gotten better at giving them the minimum: Products in stock? Checkout a breeze? That’s good customer service today.
Across the economy, technology is substituting for labor. It’s one of the big reasons why unemployment remains stubbornly high even as corporate profits soar. Instead of hiring more people, retailers have improved inventory-management systems and invested in self-service. At some stores, even the shelf tags have gone electronic, so clerks aren’t needed to replace them when prices change. Practically every store has the goal of eliminating paperwork and back-office operations so that what’s left of its staff can pay attention to the customer.
And what retailer do customers say has the best service? Amazon.com, naturally.
No bricks. No mortar. No retail sales clerks standing around waiting for the holiday rush. Automation in all its glory finishes in the top 10 in the National Retail Federation’s annual survey on customer service.
The lesson for this holiday season: Be nice to your sales clerks. At the rate we’re going, they could become an endangered species.
