It is a funny old world. Last year we were told the passing of the High Street was imminent. Now it turns out news of its demise was premature.
Just like the “erm, did he just breathe?” confusion that surrounded the fate of Corrie bad boy, Callum Logan, it seems there’s life in our town yet.
On s1jobs there are dozens of vacancies with High Street stores that are not just holding their own but positively flourishing – from independent clothing chains to niche bed and furniture retailers who have vacancies for motivated Sales Staff willing to help boost their continuing success.
And what’s caused these shops and stores to claw their way back from the brink? Well, funnily enough, it is exactly the same factor that caused their near collapse in the first place – the internet.
It turns out shopping online is great but it does have limitations.
You can browse into the wee small hours, sift out a bargain from among hundreds of options and read all the reviews that have been posted by people who’ve already bought the product.
But when it really comes down to parting with our cash, it turns out we all want to feel the width, test the texture and try for size before we finally commit to a purchase.
And getting advice from a real, live Sales Assistant is an important part of that process.
The really clever step by retailers has been to harness the power of internet to encourage us back through their doors – so you can order up dozens of pairs of shoes from a major footwear retailer and have them delivered to the local store, then only once you’ve tried them all on do you need to pick the pair you really want.
But surrounded by so many tempting options, are customers really going to leave the shop with just one box under their arm?
Of course not, and it’s the same at all those other retailers who offer the option of delivery not to a home address but to the nearest store – in fact, it’s estimated there is a 50% probability that customers will end up spending more.
If you work in retail, therefore, this is your chance to make more sales for your store (that’s bound to impress not only the Store Manager but the Regional Manager), perhaps earn more commission, and turn yourself into a star performer.
Not got what the customer’s looking for? Show them the on-line options and tempt them to return to try them on.
If you use your company’s on-line shop as an extra sales tool, you can turn the monster that threatened to devour your job into your own virtual assistant.
Learning to harness the power of the internet has been a sharp learning curve for everyone working in retail, but success stories are starting to emerge.
Take, for example, the village shops in rural areas that have turned themselves into delivery hubs for online stores.
Can’t be home to receive a parcel from the delivery company because you are out on the hills with the sheep or fishing for mackerel from your boat? No worries.
You can have your quad bike parts and new gumboots dropped off at the village shop and the chances are you’ll pick up a pint of milk, a couple of steaks for dinner and a few beers for the weekend while you’re there.
The internet isn’t the death of retail, after all –it doesn’t matter whether you want to work for a global chain or your village store, it’s the personal touch that still matters.
For all the latest Retail vacancies visit s1jobs.