In this episode of "Tell Me Something Good About Retail," host Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor, and Carol Leaman discuss the post-pandemic retail landscape, emphasizing the critical role of frontline workers. Carol highlights challenges in hiring and training, revealing that 61% of frontline managers report a decline in applicant quality. They stress the importance of effective, engaging training to reduce turnover and burnout. The episode underscores the need for a supportive work environment and the potential for growth within retail careers, advocating for a more human-centric approach to managing retail employees.

1. Introduction to Carol Leaman and Axonify

- Axonify's role in supporting organizations with large frontline populations

- Industries served beyond retail

2. Post-pandemic retail landscape

- Retail's strong comeback

- Challenges in staffing and customer behavior

3. Seasonal hiring challenges

- Decline in applicant quality

- Factors contributing to hiring difficulties

4. Training challenges and solutions

- Issues with traditional training methods

- Axonify's approach to effective, bite-sized training

5. Manager burnout and its impact

- High percentage of managers considering quitting

- Importance of proper training in reducing manager stress

6. Practical ways to reduce turnover

- Examples of ineffective training methods

- Success stories with targeted, engaging training approaches

7. Future trends in retail employment

- Focus on manager support and mental health

- Emphasis on retention and career development in retail

8. Closing thoughts: The good in retail

- Retail's resurgence and opportunities

- Importance of quality customer experience

Key Quotes:

- "Retail has come back stronger than ever." - Carol Leaman

- "35 percent of managers have considered quitting in the last two months." - Carol Leaman

- "The cost of turnover is enormous for retailers." - Carol Leaman

Resources mentioned:

- Axonify's seasonal hiring survey

Call to Action:

- Rate and review the podcast

- Visit Axonify.com or SalesRX.com for more retail insights and training resources

Josh Orr, the founder of Capital Commerce and host of the Retail Initiative Podcast, is one of the leading voices in eCommerce today. He specializes in helping brick and mortar retailers gain traction in their online sales. With his team, he’s helped hundreds of retailers create thriving and profitable eCommerce businesses. Apart from his company’s eCommerce services, you may have seen him on stages at markets and retail events around the US or have taken part in his digital classes or in-person events related to eCommerce marketing.

In this episode of Tell Me Something Good About Retail, host Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor, converses with Josh Orr, founder of Capital Commerce and host of the Retail Initiative podcast. They discuss the integration of e-commerce with brick-and-mortar stores, emphasizing the importance of understanding the customer experience. They also highlight the significance of targeted marketing and creating a seamless shopping experience. The episode underscores the necessity of a human connection in retail and adapting to technological advancements to enhance customer engagement.

CEO and Founder Nolan Wheeler comes from retail loss prevention and store operations with hypermarket, grocery, big box, electronics, and more. Fatigued with the lack of solutions for FLW (frontline worker) and store operations, having watched 25 years of solutions being provided for online shopper, all-while developing few in-store technologies and further creating more friction (locking showcases, display-only, out of stocks), SYNQ went on a mission to respect the customer's time, increase "customer productivity" while making the FLW day more enjoyable and productive.

Bob speaks with Matt Rhodus, Director & Industry Principal NetSuite about the new survey we conducted and the trends in retail pointing the way forward for retail in 2019. 

Bob interviews 28-yr old Nick Molnar, CEO of Afterpay. After starting in the jewelry business he co-founded a revolutionary reverse layaway program for Millennials now worth over $2 billion in just four short years.

Bob interviews Kevin Harwood of Outdoor Voices who explains the brand's AR service that encourages shoppers to venture outdoors, how he jumped from agency work to OV and how investing his time early on paid big dividends. 

Season 2 kicks off as  I speak with Mark Bunny with Ingenico about how to deal with a diner's pet peeve about waiting for a check, Joel Reed CEO, IAM Robots and why there is such a need for robots and I talk data with My Storey-E Co-Founder Idan Sergi about his new app that combines online and offline data for more effective merchandising and selling at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Hilary Blair, CEO Articulate Real And Clear on how to prevent misunderstandings with subordinates, how breath and consonants make a big difference when talking with younger co-workers and much more.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Georganne Bender & Rich Kizer, principals of Kizer & Bender, retail consumer anthropologists on the power of events, merchandising and changes in retail.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Jamie Bettencourt with Mood Media as she shares how music and scent can help create the right mood in a brick and mortar store.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Dean Shulman CEO of Brother as he shares how observing his customers helped him have aha moments, the need to partner with your dealer network if you want to be successful and which reviews he always reads and why.

Latest episode of Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor interviewing Colby Williams found of Parengo Coffee as he shares why smaller rural retailers are successful, why he chose to not carry a staple in the south, the power of online reviews and more.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Becky Tyre, Founder and editor of the Retail Details blog and a Contributing Editor at Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine. She is a shop local advocate and specializes in visual merchandising. She talks about merchandising a pocket of your store that is Instagramable, clutter comes not just from poor buying but also poor fixtures and your need to collaborate with local makers or national companies for unique items that drive margin.

Robert M. Schindler is Professor of Marketing at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. He has researched consumer perception, attitude, and motivation. His papers have appeared in publications such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Consumer Psychology. A focus of his interest has been pricing-related topics, such as the effects of 9-ending prices and price promotions, and he has written the textbook Pricing Strategies: Harvesting Product Value, 2nd edition (Sage Publications, 2023). He has been ranked among the most published researchers in the area of pricing and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fordham University Pricing Center. Professor Schindler received a B.A. in biochemistry and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Massachusetts. He has been teaching courses in marketing, consumer behavior, and pricing at Rutgers-Camden since 1989. He is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the Rutgers University Scholar-Teacher Award.

Bob Phibbs interviews himself about knowing when it is time to change, his background in retail and why he does what he does.

Bob Phibbs interviews Paula Rosenblum Managing Partner and co-founder of Retail Systems Research. She is well known for her pragmatic approach to retail and talks about shiny object syndrome, possible cracks in Amazon's model and how retail continues to evolve.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Whitney Morgan, Owner of Collage in York, Pennsylvania who just received the REA Socially Responsible Retailer Category award. She shares her ideas that you can always purchase more so feel free to wait, retail is a lot of time spent figuring things out and being socially responsible is the best way to show your community support.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Todd Gill, Southern Regional Director for Rockler Woodworking and former Director of Retail for Calphalon. He shares his tips on managing a diverse workforce across multiple states, how to have difficult discussions and what it takes to compete in brick and mortar retail.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Jennifer Grimm, CEO and Founder of Lux Beauty Boutique in Edmonton. She shares her tips on being a small business and how she looks at some retailers who put so much money into a store because they love shoes or clothes or beauty and they don’t realize what they need to love are spreadsheets, systems, and analyzing people.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Patricia Fripp, past President of the National Speaker's Association,as she shared her journey from in-demand hairstylist in San Francisco and salon owner to speaker, speech coach, and sales trainer. She shared important rules of customer service, owning your own business and saying words that make you sound less-than-professional.

Bob Phibbs interviews Tony Post, CEO and Founder of Topo Athletic shoes near Boston. He talks about his journey in footwear with Rockport and Vibram and on to his founding his own athletic shoe company as well as how any brand should build customers partnering with brick and mortar stores.

Bob Phibbs interviewed Melanie Tillett who, along with her two daughters founded Tippett's in the UK just five years ago. Now with a Facebook following of 50,000, she shares how they've added stores and fans across the world.

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor interviews Paul LaPonte, President, Quality Sewing with 13 stores across the state of Washington. Paul shares his sales philosophy that it is all about finding a way to say 'yes,' how a sale does not have a finite limit, and why one store does better than another.

Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor, interviews LaDonna McCarran, Co-Owner The Pantry, Nook & Cranny, Rose & Alice Handcrafted Soaps. She talks about how kismet allowed her to grasp opportunities and run with them, trust your instincts when buying, and how to manage your business from your customers' viewpoint.

Christine Miles is the founder and CEO of EQuipt, an award- winning author, professional keynote speaker, consultant, executive coach, thought leader, entrepreneur, and world- renowned expert in the field of listening differently.

Rachel Doyle CEO of Arboretum is the third ever Lifetime Achievement Award winner (and first woman to win) the Retail Excellence award in Ireland. Three great points you'll hear are that unless people die, anything else we can sort out in lif, an opportunity has to be realized in the lifetime of the opportunity and that entrepreneurs need todare to be different and go outside of the boundaries.

Patrick Bourke is CEO of his namesake men's clothing stores in Country Clare and his wife Imelda has her own restaurant across the street. I spoke to them about Patrick being the fourth generation owners the day after he received the prestigious Retail Excellence award

Roberta Bonoff, CEO of Creative Kidstuff in Minneapolis shares her experiences of being in retail for 30 years, why tasks often get priority over selling, how they started their own TV show, what customers care about and more.

Brian Travilla, Regional & District Leader at PetCo shares how to have those uncomfortable conversations about attitude, what works to get employees to succeed and his trajectory from working at Montgomery Ward when he was in high school to being responsible for about 1000 associates. He joined me from his office in Chicago.

Deanna Renda, the Founder of Naples Soap Company to talk about how she started from humble beginnings as a nurse and trying to solve her child's skincare problem to building her network of 11 stores throughout Florida.

Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor, sat down at Netsuite18 with Hammitt Handbags' Chief Cheerleader Tony Drockton to learn what it takes to be a successful small business in retail in 2018.

In essence store management is trying to solve the problem of increasing the dignity of working in a physical store. Instead of taking steps to distance customers from employees, Sparkplug helps retailers reward employees for doing the job of making more sales - not just moving merchandise or shipping orders.

Colleen Wilson is a retail executive with over two decades of management experience and an established record for driving strategies to increase customer engagement and drive operational and service excellence. In her current role as SVP of Retail and Wholesale at Kendra Scott, Colleen leads the development and implementation of all strategies across the brand’s retail and wholesale businesses. Prior to joining Kendra Scott, Colleen spent nearly 11 years in various retail management roles at Anthropologie, rising to Regional Director of their Western region where she was awarded the DIG Award (Design, Inspire, Grow) for thought leadership in talent management. She also held multiple retail positions for L Brands (Bath & Body Works, White Barn), where she was a four-time Presidents Club awardee for scaling growth and training teams in sales best practices and product knowledge. Colleen developed her passion for retail at a young age, working for a local jewelry store at age 16. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Illinois State University. She resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and daughter.

So many retailers buy what they like instead of buying what they need. Discover the four questions to ask yourself before purchasing anything as well as tips for how to get rid of slow moving merchandise and how buying has changed since the pandemic.

Dr. Janel Anderson is the founder of Working Conversations and a voracious researcher, author, and podcaster. During her conversation with Bob, Dr. Anderson shared insights about her experience of re-engineering dishes from her favorite restaurant. She stated that it was a trial and error process, and getting it right usually takes a few attempts. Dr. Anderson also discussed the labor shortage, and she suggested that it's been sneaking up on us prior to the pandemic. She emphasized that the pandemic has caused the great resignation and reshuffle, and we've also got long Covid-19 in the mix. Dr. Anderson's key insight is to help organizations not be so surprised by these trends and to be prepared for them.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession.

1. Importance of Being Helpful: Being helpful goes beyond being friendly. It's about understanding the customer's needs and providing the best solution, even if it means suggesting a cheaper product.
2. Return on Investment in Training: Training is not a cost but an investment. It has a payback and ROI that can lead to better customer satisfaction and sales growth.
3. Proactive Follow-up: Keeping customers informed and in control of their situation is vital. Proactive follow-up builds trust and loyalty even when there's a problem.
4. Generational Differences: Different generations have varying expectations and tolerances for service quality. Understanding these differences is key to delivering the right experience.
5. Integration of Technology: The merging of technology with human-to-human experiences is enhancing the customer experience. Tools like AI and augmented reality are becoming more accessible and can personalize the shopping experience.
6. Creating Repeat Customers: The goal is to create an experience that makes customers say, "I'll be back." This requires understanding what success looks like and training staff to achieve it.

Dr. Kimberly McGlonn is an advocate for justice & environmentalism, an advocacy that informs her approach to leadership in the fashion industry. As Founder & CEO of the manufacturing start-up Grant Blvd®, she oversees the brand's creative direction and growth strategy. Grant Blvd’s mission is to construct stylish, sustainably sourced fashion by creating living wage jobs for women, particularly those who are formerly incarcerated. Founded in 2017, Grant Blvd is the first Black-owned B Corp in North America in the fashion space. Outside of these roles, Kimberly disrupts via her second company, the thrift/vintage concept Blk Ivy, which tells the story of fashion as activism through a curation of garments that amplify the style of 1954-1972, her podcast “The School for Disrupters”, and her role as a faculty member of Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.

Her work has been featured by Fast Company, Inc Magazine, WWD, and has been funded by Beyonce’s BeyGood Foundation. In 2022 she was a recipient of the Visa’s “She’s Next in Fashion Award” and was honored with the Black Enterprise “Business Disruptor of the Year” award.

Nate Woodbury is a popular YouTuber who creates videos about entrepreneurship and digital marketing. He started his channel in 2016 and has since amassed a large following of over 300,000 subscribers. Nate's videos are informative and easy to understand, making them perfect for beginners who are interested in starting their own businesses. In this episode, he shares tips and tricks for growing an online presence and building a successful brand . Nate is known for his friendly personality and approachable style, which has helped him connect with his audience and earn their trust.

In this episode of Tell Me Something Good About Retail, host Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor, and Nicole Leinbach, founder of Retail Minded, delve into their extensive retail experiences. They discuss evolving consumer behaviors, the critical role of community collaboration for small businesses, and the impact of different generations on retail. Nicole shares her retail journey, inspired by her childhood shopping trips, highlighting the importance of exceptional customer service. They also explore innovative marketing ideas, including Nicole's launch of the first sexual wellness trade show, "Stimulate." The episode underscores retail's dynamic nature and the joy in the journey.

Nicole Leinbach is the Founder and Publisher of RetailMinded.com, a well-respected retail industry resource that has been recognized worldwide for its leading business insight since 2007, and the nation's first B2B trade show + conference dedicated to sexual wellness, STIMULATE. With a core concentration on independent retailers, small businesses, community, technology and how the various touch points of commerce influence modern merchants, Leinbach is a frequent guest and contributor to various media outlets that have included The Today Show, Forbes, Entreprenuer.com and countless B2B publications.

Additionally, Leinbach has supported American Express’s Small Business Saturday as a Spokesperson and is the Author of the book “Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business” from McGraw-Hill. Recognized within the top 10 out 100 worldwide retail thought leaders since 2015 – including having held the #1 spot – and a retail “futurist” for IBM, Leinbach is also the Co-Founder of the Independent Retailer Conference.

In March 2022, Women’s Wear Daily recognized Leinbach as one of the most inspiring 25 women in retail and in October of 2023, Leinbach was recognized as one of the nations top leaders within ESG from WWD for her work with STIMULATE: A B2B Sexual Wellness Trade Show. Based in Denver, Leinbach is a mom of 4 and 3 dogs. Learn more about Leinbach at RetailMinded.com.

From ten years old Clint Pulver knew he had been given a moment. He shares that revelation and how it has informed everything he has done as a speaker, motivator, and performer. Having performed over 1100 undercover interviews with employees in all walks of life, he has culled his learning in to speeches, training, and music. Clint shares the four types of managers - and which is best as well as how to create moments that stick with employees and teams.

We need products that make an impact on us and the world we live in. But how to understand a roadmap for changing your brand? Tiffany’s has done a great job of moving out of the “Breakfast at Tiffanys” lore of Audrey Hepburn who fewer and fewer customers even know about. Brand strategy and advertising has changed whereby marketing professionals, brand strategists, can no longer dictate the brand to the audience, but must be willing to co-create with the audience or else the brand might get canceled. We’ll discuss all of this and more on this episode.

Deanna Wallin, a former nurse turned skincare pioneer, founded Naples Soap Company out of her passion for assisting individuals suffering from chronic skin issues such as eczema and psoriasis. A Southwest Florida native, Wallin earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Barry University. She returned home to earn her LPN certification from Lorenzo Walker Technical College and worked in the healthcare industry in Southwest Florida for 15 years. Following the recession of 2007-08, she was looking to make a career change and was inspired to share her journey to find relief from her own painful, chronic skin conditions. In 2009, she opened a small 300 square foot retail store in Tin City where she sold skin care items including natural soaps and body butters. Today, Naples Soap Company operates 9 stores (soon to be 13) across the state of Florida, offers products nationwide direct to the consumer through a robust e-commerce site (naplessoap.com), and sells products wholesale to retailers including Dillards and the Woodhouse Day Spa. In 2021, Deanna took the company public. Naples Soap Company stock is traded on the OTC markets under the symbol NASO. As CEO, Deanna provides strategic direction for the company while overseeing company operations, product development, merchandising, buying, marketing, investor relations, and talent development.

Naomi Wheeless is the Global Head of Customer Success at Square, a company whose mission is to enable economic empowerment for all. In this position, she leads a team of nearly two thousand associates in 10 countries, each focused on creating stellar customer experiences by marrying technological solutions and fantastic human delivered support. Throughout her career, Naomi has become a highly regarded leader with exceptionally strong operational skills, having built globally adopted businesses, leading both established and emerging companies through mission-critical market launches, mergers, and acquisitions. She also excels at establishing senior-level alliances, leading high-value negotiations, and running businesses with operational, fiscal, risk, and regulatory rigor. Naomi has a proven track record in driving revenue, and helping organizations master their digital transformation journeys. She thoroughly enjoys developing & mentoring other leaders and consistently improving production results. Building upon previous senior-level management roles at companies such as Capital One, TMX Finance & Servicemaster, she continues to implement her operational and people development skills to execute on company goals and initiatives.

Dan Hodges is the CEO of Consumers in Motion (CIM Tours) that provides a service which assesses your company’s place in today’s marketplace. We identify opportunities for innovation, performance improvement and revenue growth. Retail Store Tours ( A CIM Company) offers customized, highly time-efficient programs that provide real-time marketplace intelligence and insights as part of a shared experience. Its programs rely on the Intelligent Engagement Index (IEI), a metric pioneered by parent company Consumers in Motion. Developed using extensive field research, the IEI assesses a company’s standing in the marketplace, focusing on the factors that most directly influence retail sales.

Matt Lafone is the president and general manager of The Athlete's Foot (TAF) North, South and Central America. Lafone joined The Athlete’s Foot with strong experience across branding, retail, merchandising, marketing and franchising. The Athlete’s Foot launched StAART, the Strategic African American Retail Track, in 2020 as an initiative to grow diversity and representation in the sneaker industry through franchising. The Athlete's Foot has 564 stores and e-commerce shops across 32 countries which generated sales of USD 400 million in 2020.

Serge Khalimsky serves as the Senior General Manager of Westfield Old Orchard. In this role, Serge is responsible for delivering Old Orchard’s long-term revenue growth for parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), in addition to leading the asset’s day-to-day business operations, managing complex tenant relationships with more than 150 property retailers and restaurateurs, overseeing taxation and land-use negotiations with relevant municipality and elected officials, as well as directing meaningful community relations initiatives alongside key philanthropic partners and local nonprofit organizations. Notably, Serge was also the driving force behind THE CUBE, Old Orchard’s architecturally stunning glass pavilion hosting dynamic events and activations for premier brand partners such as Samsung, Dyson, Nespresso and Kia. Serge is also proud to actively serve on the Board of Directors for several worthwhile local organizations including the Skokie Chamber of Commerce, the Skokie Economic Development Commission, and the ICSC Illinois Government Relations Committee.

Elizabeth Herbst-Brady is currently Head of Global Revenue & Client Solutions at Yahoo.

Bruce Winder a Toronto-based retail analyst, business instructor and author of the book, Retail Before, During & After COVID-19.

Steve Cook, business owner of Cook Feed and Outdoor and podcast host of The Better Business Podcast.

Chris was involved from the very beginning of Ted Baker in 1988 and headed up the Retail Team for over 30 years as the company's Global Retail Director. During this time, Chris was responsible for many aspects of Ted's unique retail style and is considered one of the leading lights of the drive to create 'retail theatre.' Since leaving the brand in 2017, he has been busy as a Non-Executive Director of several companies and providing retail insight for leading consulting firms' private equity houses. Chris recently launched his sustainable fashion brand, KIT London.