Good news or bad news first? Okay the bad news.
An estimated 265 shops closed in Scotland last year, with industry analysts blaming changing shopping habits (next day delivery from online, anyone?), economic belt-tightening (a is for austerity) and rising business rates for stores.
Now the good news. According to the same data just released by PwC, there were 146 new store openings.
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What’s more, the retail world regularly comes back harder than a boomerang to the forehead.
Much of this strength relies on the success of seasonal shopping . . . and in retail there really is a season for everything.
At Christmas it’s the time for tinsel, trees and mince pies. Right now, it’s all about daffodils and Easter Eggs.
Before long, however, the retail world will be filled with a new line of swimwear, sun screens and barbecue kits.
Whenever we hit these peak periods in shopping, there’s often a pressing need for extra staff and, therefore, more opportunities to land a great job.
So, if you’re thinking of a career in retail, it’s never too early to begin preparing for summer.
Let’s start by looking at the most popular position by far.
As customers, we all know what the sales assistant does: serves behind the counter, handles purchases at the till and keeps the shelves stocked.
But they also help us find our way around the store, source strange products (why are Kopi Luwak coffee beans always so hard to find?) and provide different sizes in sandals and sarongs.
They might even explain the technical wizardry of special holiday goods such as mobile (aka pool-side) wi-fi units or tablets that can hold every episode of Game of Thrones.
Some sales assistants will also get the chance to operate behind the scenes, such as in stock control.
Their mission is to ensure a steady supply of goodies – and it’s not unusual to move from checking the number of cat food tins in aisle four to ordering stock to becoming a manager, using your skills in micro-managing inventory to help boost the shop’s profits through greater efficiency.
Whatever specialty you finally move into – from the store room to the cashier to the deli counter – this is a fantastic starting role open to candidates straight from school or adults with no qualifications or work experience.
It also has that all-important earning-while-learning built into the day job – working directly with shoppers and line managers allows sales assistants to gain fab customer service and communication skills. And these talents can prove incredibly helpful if you decide to move on and go for top jobs in other sectors.
So, whatever the season, whatever is selling, let’s get your Retail career in the bag with fresh roles from s1jobs.