Retail executives say their top concern going into the summer season is staffing and wage issues, according to a new survey by Multimedia Plus.
More than 50 percent of senior executives surveyed said staffing and wage concerns are at the top of their minds as they prepare for the summer. Global events, banking sector concerns and new store openings followed, respectively.
Regarding the summer staffing concerns, 30.63 percent said the hiring environment is about the same compared to last year. However, almost a quarter said positions are harder to fill.
Recently, a survey of frontline retail workers revealed that most workers feel that technology essential to their jobs is not being updated or provided to them by upper management. In the Multimedia Plus survey, more than half of the retail executives said their spending on technology will remain the same as last year. Only 13.46 percent said they plan to increase their spending on technology by more than 10 percent.
Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration
After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years."
Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations.
The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.
