Retail Jobs After #CoronaVirus

Retail stores, “bricks and mortar”, have been an endangered species for a decade. Sears, Gap, Kohls, Macy’s, … are dead or on life-support.

Now with #CoronaVirus, the death rate has accelerated! Not surprising, but more complex than you might think.

“Many employees in the U.S. are holding their breath, waiting to see if their jobs will be the next to disappear as the coronavirus pandemic cripples parts of the U.S. economy. But at the same time, hiring is ramping up in some industries.” - MarketWatch, Published: April 7, 2020 at 11:32 a.m. ET

This sounds almost hopeful. But further down in the article, the truth comes out

Walmart Inc. said last month it plans to hire 150,000 new workers. ... The Walmart jobs will be temporary at first, but many will convert to permanent roles over time, the company said.

Amazon, announced plans to hire 100,000 new employees to handle an influx of e-commerce orders and deliveries as more Americans stay home.

Albertsons Cos., a national grocery chain which owns Safeway and Acme, “is immediately hiring 30,000 new associates,” the company announced late last month.

Lowe’s, stores have also remained open to ensure customers have access to essential appliances like refrigerators and freezers in addition to cleaning products. The company announced late last month that it is looking to fill 30,000 permanent and temporary job openings at distribution centers and in-stores.

Pizza Hut is looking to fill 30,000 permanent job openings. As families eat more meals together, Pizza Hut says it has seen an increase in demand for its Big Dipper pizza, which offers two feet of pizza and 24 slices.

Papa John’s also announced last month it’s aiming to hire 20,000 workers with an immediate start date. 

Domino’s Pizza Inc. says that it’s looking for full-time and part-time workers in a variety of roles, particularly drivers and pizza makers.

While these jobs can be good news for someone furloughed, a closer look shows two kinds of jobs - temporary until #coronavirus is over and warehouse/delivery jobs.

Neither of these will maintain the lifestyle of store managers, middle-management, and especially, marketing people - “get them in the door” type and “make the store feel welcoming” type. 

Time for plan B! or C

The Big Thing

The big thing that’s happening, behind the doom and gloom being pumped into your home by the #MSM is that businesses, all over the world, are finding ways to do business without being in the same room as their customers.

Some can’t - casinos, sports, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, boutique stores … These businesses will survive on cash on hand, or not - it will be tough because people will be leary of being in a crowd for years

Some won’t - businesses run by people who look at their personal financial situation and decide to bail out now

The only thing sure about this fall, when our Nation is again open for business, is that business and how it’s done has been changed forever. 

Plan C for Cloud

People who’ve thought about owning/running a cloud business are ahead of the game. People who started owning/running a cloud business some years ago are waaaay ahead of the game