Growth in Retailing 

Retailing has exploded on university campuses across the nation as one of the hot professional tracks to pursue, and these programs are attracting some of the brightest young minds on university campuses. There are many reasons why, one of them being that retailing is not tied to location and the jobs available exist throughout the United States. This in itself provides a measure of security many other jobs cannot offer. But there are other reasons. Jeffrey Wells, senior vice president for Human Resources at Circuit City says, Consider what retailing offers people: opportunities to assume direct responsibilities soon after training, opportunities to manage people, clear paths for quick advancement, and work in an industry where you see the results you produce very quickly. Many people want general management responsibilities, and they want to make a difference on the profit and loss statements...retailing offers that like no other area...  

The growth in demand for college-trained people to enter retailing has been fueled, in part, by the tremendous growth in retailing. The growth in retailing has been phenomenal over the last twenty years, creating more jobs than any other sector has. Wal-Mart is now the nation's largest employer and will be a $200 billion company by the end of the century, according to Wayne Easterling, manager of Wal-Mart's Minority and Women-Owned Businesses Development Section. The biggest obstacle to our growth is the ability to find the kind of managers that our business now demands, he says. Bob Wery, director of College Relations at Sears, echoes this sentiment. We need managers who can make quick, correct decisions, who are sensitive to our customers, and who are technologically sophisticated. That's why we must look to college campuses. Our growth depends on it. We are creating several new formats within Sears, from some new initiatives in hardware to stand alone Home Life stores...we can't do it without the people to run these businesses. Paul Wehner,manager of Staffing Sales and Marketing for Amoco states the case more succinctly: Retailing has become a highly complex business; we need people who are sensitive to marketing issues and customer service issues, who are aware of what our competitors are doing, and who have a clear vision of what it takes to be successful.  

The Demand for 
African Americans in Retail 

The growth of retailing and the commensurate need for college-trained people resonates on historically Black college campuses. Retailers, because of increased competition and the increased sophistication of that competition, now have huge demands for human resources and the days are gone when retailers might have considered skin color as a deciding factor in hiring. The demand now is for talent and the skin color of that talent is a non-factor in the hiring decision. Diversity has taken on a broader meaning and companies are looking for a diversity of skills, outlooks, backgrounds, experiences, anything that might help reach the diversity of customers that retailers deal with everyday. Diverse customers must be matched by a similar diversity in the workplace. Customers are not only ethnically diverse, but also lifestyle diverse. They are as diverse as grandparents who go mountain climbing to young people who travel extensively; as those whose lives revolve around being fit to those whose lives are so full that when not at work, they merely want to stay at home. They are as diverse as those who very seldom cook or eat a meal at home to gourmet cooks, and so it goes. Retailers must be able to meet all of these expectations and be able to offer products and services that match those widely varying lifestyles. African Americans are well represented among all of these categories of lifestyles, and ethnic marketing has become a huge business, from apparels to vacations. It is estimated, for example, that African Americans, spend over $35 billion annually on vacations and much of that spending is represented by the purchasing of goods. If for no other reason, these changes reemphasize the need for, and the demand for, ethnic representation in the retailing workforce. But consider the population projections that the U.S Census Bureau provides, forecasting that by the year 2000, African Americans will exceed thirty-five million and of this number 11%, or about four million will be younger than 25. This is a huge market in that segment of the consuming public that often drives the consumption of many of the retail goods available, from apparels to automobiles. When occupations and job opportunities are considered, retail represents a fast growth area through the year 2000 and beyond. As the economy of the nation shifts to services, most of those services will be provided by the large retailers of this country and the composition of the workforce favors the employment of African Americans in retail, if they prepare now. 

Collegiate Preparation 

How can African-American collegians prepare for these opportunities? The first step is to get jobs in retailing now because the experience and knowledge gained will be considered when you apply for a job upon graduation. Look towards internship opportunities in retailing because if you get a structured internship with a major retailer, the knowledge acquired, assuming you perform well, almost guarantees job offers in retailing upon graduation. Students must take the work experience and the internships seriously, however. All business corporations in the country now expect the employee to assume responsibility for his or her own growth. The assignments given will be varied and it is up to the student trainee to acquire whatever skills are necessary to complete the assignments. As Bob Wery of Sears says, You own your career. Retailers generally place a lot of emphasis on decision making skills, on the ability to interact successfully with people, on teamwork, and on the ability to analyze and interpret computer generated reports. Being able to produce and retrieve information and the ability to interpret and analyze information generated by computers are essential if one is going to work in today's retail environment. More than many other service industries, retailing is driven by computer technologies, and without the technological sophistication to manage that technology, the applicant is placed at a serious disadvantage. For those with the appropriate skill set, advancement within retailing is assured. The problem, says Wayne Easterling, is the difficulty in finding the persons with the skill sets needed. Once we find the needed skills in an individual and the individual is prepared to perform, rapid advancement is guaranteed.  

Compensation 

There are two continuing misconceptions about retail work: 1) the hours are long longer than any other occupational group, and 2) compensation is lower in retailing than it is in other occupational categories. These are indeed misconceptions. In the first case, the perception of long hours is derived mostly from the fact that those in retailing must work on some weekends and on holidays. That part is true; however, when the actual number of hours worked is calculated for those at the managerial level, the hours worked are no different from other occupational groups. Most retail managers average 55 hours of work per week, which is about what most managers work. It must be remembered that there are few, if any, jobs in which a professional can work 40 hours a week and produce the results expected. As for the perception that retail offers only low paying jobs, the reality is quite different. At the entry level, retail-trainees with college degrees, begin in the high 20s to low 30s, but that figure increases very quickly with the completion of training. In most retail companies, college-trained employees can make $50 thousand and above, within five years. When bonuses and incentives, and stock options are added in, the total compensation is often much higher. Paul Wehner of Amoco points out that many young people in his company are making quarterly bonuses of $900 to $3000. This is a factor many college graduates entering the job market do not consider. For the most part, college graduates often look to initial salary only. That's a mistake, says Jeffrey Wells of Circuit City, look for how often you are evaluated because each review usually brings an opportunity for salary increases.  

Passion for Retailing 

Retailing requires passion passion for the business, the customer and success. Without that passion success is difficult. But and it is an important but, passion must be coupled with interactive skills, the ability to make judgments quickly, and an understanding of current microprocessor-based technologies. At Florida A&M University, we try to develop the skill set and cultivate the passion. We think that we have been successful because national retailers have made us a stop on their annual recruiting quests for students talented in retail.