Calgary Retailers Offer Incentives to Find and Retain Staff for Busy Holiday Shopping Season Expected – Calgary | The Canadian News

The Retail Council of Canada warns that it will be a challenge for retailers to find enough staff this holiday shopping season.

Stacey Selley hopes that this year people will go out and put on more glitter than last year when the COVID-19 restrictions had people celebrating at home.

The owner of the Bamboo Ballroom in Calgary says she has already seen an increase in traffic at her store compared to last year.

“I’m excited. I feel like people are going to have some smaller gatherings. I think this year, people are going to get together a little bit more, so they really want to surprise everyone with their outfit,” Selley said from his boutique clothing store. Sunday.

With more shoppers in Calgary stores, the need for more staff arises. Selley said he’s hiring, but it’s not easy.

“It’s challenging. You need to incentivize and do all kinds of things and find creative solutions to stick with them because there are so many options,” Selley said.

“They could go down the street. They could go anywhere. They have options, so when you find someone great, you really have to make sure everyone is happy. “

The Retail Council of Canada released a report in October showing Canadians are eager to return to physical stores and plan to spend more money than last year.

The report showed that 63 percent of total purchases are expected to be in-store this year compared to 58 percent in 2020. 37 percent will be online.

Before the pandemic in 2019, 72% of total purchases were planned to be made in stores and 28% online.

But finding staff to work in stores could be a problem.

“What we are seeing this year is that it is more challenging than ever. Some of the long-term owners and operators said it’s the biggest challenge they’ve ever experienced in their careers, ”said John Graham, director of government relations for the Prairie region of the Retail Council of Canada.

Graham suggests that the situation is the result of constraints around immigration and a lot of competition for workers between retail and restaurants for jobs.

“You see young people jumping from job to job to gain income and furthermore, with the constraints around immigration and foreign workers, it may not have a direct effect, but rather a domino effect of fewer available employees. in the workforce, “Graham said.

“Creates tougher hiring and retention challenges for retail stores.”

Graham said the concern is that understaffing could result in lost sales.

“We are concerned that we may not be able to adequately meet consumer service expectations in the way that retail brands strive to do,” said Graham.

“Also, the lost sales opportunities. If consumers feel that they cannot get the service they want or that they cannot walk into a store and make their purchase as quickly as they would like, there is also a risk. “

In addition to competitive wages, Graham said employers are offering flexible hours and discount and scholarship opportunities to help attract and retain workers.

As for Selley, he’s been offering a few extras to keep the staff happy.

“We offer a commission structure that just encourages people to have a little energy and try that little bit more because they know it will pay off,” said Selley.

“We take our employees to buy shows. We plan fashion shows and fashion events, and that is starting to get a bit bigger too, so I think there are more opportunities for retailers to get excited again. “

The manager of the Chinook Center in Calgary said Cadillac Fairview has also responded to the need for staff.

“As part of our retail recovery efforts, Cadillac Fairview supported the staffing needs of our retailers by hosting a national job fair, including at the CF Chinook Center. More than 15 retailers participated in the event, ”said Paige O’Neill, general manager of the Chinook Center.