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TUCSON, Ariz. — The National Retail Federation (NRF) has launched an educational campaign designed to improve people’s perception of the retail industry.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has launched an educational campaign designed to improve people’s perception of the retail industry.
"The campaign, This is Retail, will display the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities at home and abroad, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation," says NRF president and chief executive officer Matthew Shay. "Retail has a great story to tell. And NRF is going to do just that."
Shay says too many Americans think of retailing as a low-tech, low-talent industry that offers only low-wage, dead-end jobs.
"If we don’t start to dispel these myths, then we won’t be able to compete for the high-quality talent our industry needs," he said. "And we won’t be able to advance the kinds of policies in Washington to keep retail thriving."
The trade association has set up a website (http://thisisretail.org/) to provide an alternative view of the industry, and is urging its members to share their stories. Among other things, the site points out the 42 million Americans who work in retailing are not all stuck behind a cash register – the industry hires more finance employees than Wall Street and more engineers than Silicon Valley, as well as such creative professionals as photographers, web designers, marketers and writers.
