Assignment 2 _ Carmen Cruz-Nelson

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THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 1 The Retail Industry Carmen Cruz-Nelson UMGC Sociology 305 Study.com 12/27/2023 The Retail Industry For this assignment, I have chosen to focus on the retail industry. I chose this industry because it is one of the industries that we as humans interact with the most in our daily lives. The retail industry is made up of establishments that sell goods and services to customers. Every store we go into, website we shop on, and business we patronize is a part of the retail industry. The industry as a whole is one of the biggest contributors to the global economy as it generates employment, facilitates trade, and helps drive the economy up. The last few decades, however, has seen major impacts on the industry from things such as globalization, immigration, and technology.

THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 2 The typical retail industry worker is statistically a younger, less educated woman (Anderson, 2020) although it is safe to say that teenagers and young adults are generally the type of retail worker that the majority of us interact with. The more flexible schedules of retail establishments tend to appeal more to teens and young adults that are having to balance their time between school, work, and home. Some of the top corporations in the retail industry include companies like Walmart, Amazon, Costco and Alibaba Holdings (National Retail Federation, 2023). Within this industry, there are a number of different job titles and responsibilities. The five most common job titles are cashier, sales associate, inventory associate, customer service representative, and warehouse clerk (Indeed Career Guide, 2023). A cashier is responsible for checking out customers and helping with returns and exchanges of goods. A sales associate is responsible for assisting customers with finding items, checking out customers, and keeping the store clean and stocked. An inventory specialist is responsible for managing, recording, and stocking items in a warehouse or store (Indeed Career Guide, 2023). A customer service representative is responsible for managing online or phone-based customer questions and concerns. A warehouse clerk is responsible for managing, receiving, packing, and shipping goods to customers and stores (Indeed Career Guide, 2023). Each job in the retail industry is important in making sure that customers are able to obtain the goods and services that they are looking for. While this was previously limited to brick-and-mortar stores that were local to you, innovations in globalization, immigration, and technology have changed the vast landscape of the industry in the last thirty years.

THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 3 Globalization is the international integration of businesses in different states' economies (The Effects of Globalization on Labor Conditions, 2017) , meaning that countries from all over the world are able to benefit from the goods and services that each provides. The world is essentially turned from markets that are exclusive to each country, to one giant connected market (The Effects of Globalization on Labor Conditions, 2017) . The goods that are exchanged between countries are not the only thing that globalization has brought though. As the world becomes more connected, immigration is also increasing as migrant workers move from place to place in search of better job opportunities (The Effects of Globalization on Labor Conditions, 2017) . While this mainly pertains to the agriculture sector, the effects can be seen in some areas of the retail industry as well. A 2016 study by the Fiscal Policy Institute's Immigration Research Center shows that immigrants made up 18 percent of small business owners (Stillman, 2021). The study also showed that 65 percent of taxi drivers, 54 percent of laundry businesses, and 53 percent of gas stations in the United States are all immigrant owned (Stillman, 2021). Immigration has led to higher diversity in retail work spaces as well as higher protections for worker exploitation, with legislation being passed governing wage, and safety requirements (The Effects of Globalization on Labor Conditions, 2017) . On the other hand, globalization has led many companies to outsource their production to countries with cheaper labor and less worker protections (The Effects of Outsourcing and Migrant Workers on the World Economy, 2014) . As the world becomes more globalized and immigration in the United States grows, the retail industry continues to change and grow. But globalization and immigration are not the only factors in this growth.

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THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 4 The technological advances of the last thirty years have had a major impact on the retail industry with things like digital marketing, online shopping, and self checkouts becoming more commonplace. Whereas the past limited us to the stores that were local to us, today's retail space includes the entire world. With the invention and advancement of the internet and social media, buying and even marketing goods and services to others is like never before. You can now visit the website of a store that is across the world and have their goods shipped to your house. Social media has also had a unique contribution to the advancement of the retail industry. Take, for example, the app TikTok, which introduced the "TikTok Shop" this year (Escandon, 2023). It is now easier than ever for small businesses to market their items in a video and include a direct link in the video that allows you to purchase said item (Escandon, 2023). In regards to stores like Walmart, self checkouts have been slowly replacing traditional cashiers for the past decade, and increasingly so in the three years. In turn, this changes the traditional roles that cashiers fulfill and takes away a lot of the human interaction between employees and customers that you would get from a traditional check out experience. On the other hand, technology allows for better management of inventory, higher customer satisfaction, and a more efficient supply chain (American Express, 2022). While it is hard to say right now whether that is a positive or negative thing long term, it highlights how quickly the industry is changing with the world around it. When it comes to the changes that the retail industry has faced due to globalization, immigration, and technology, the impact on the industry has been both positive and negative. Immigration has allowed more businesses to open and contribute to the economy. Globalization has connected the entire world along with the help of more advanced technology, however, it has also begun to take the human aspect out of the retail industry with human jobs being replaced by

THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 5 automated machines. This leaves people struggling to find new jobs and support themselves. As the world becomes more connected and technology advances further, it is hard to tell just how the retail industry will continue to be impacted. References American Express. (2022, May 19). Technological Factors Affecting the Retail Industry. https://www.americanexpress.com/en-ca/business/trends-and-insights/articles/ technological-factors-affecting-the-retail-industry/ Anderson, Augustus D. (2020, September 8). Retail Jobs Among the Most Common Occupancies. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/09/profile-of-the-retail-workforce.html Escandon, Rosa. (2023, September 14). TikTok Expands Into E-Commerce With TikTok Shop. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosaescandon/2023/09/14/tiktok-expands- into-e-commerce-with-tiktok-shop/?sh=2e657c41162a Retail Work: The Definitive Guide. (2023, August 7). Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/retail-work Stillman, Jessica. (2021, January 5). Immigrants' Big Role in Small Business. Inc.com https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/immigrants-play-an-outsize-role-in-small- business.html

THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 6 The Effects of Globalization on Labor Conditions. (2017, April 17). https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-effects-of-globalization-on-labor-conditions.html The Effects of Outsourcing and Migrant Workers on the World Economy. (2014, November 9). https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-effects-of-outsourcing-and-migrant- workers-on-the-world-economy.html Top 100 Retailers 2023 List. (2023). National Retail Federation. https://nrf.com/research- insights/top-retailers/top-100-retailers/top-100-retailers-2023-list

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