The Reality on the Ground: The Retail Workforce Is Reaching a Breaking Point
Retailers across the country are grappling with a shared pain: Not enough hands in stores and too many tasks to complete.
Store teams are stretched thin, with limited capacity to keep up with the growing volume and complexity of in-store tasks.
In today’s retail climate, even well-planned visual merchandising strategies can fall apart at the last mile — where in-store execution matters most.
For visual merchandising teams and store operations leaders, the implications are clear: The traditional approach to store execution isn’t holding up under today’s labor realities.
It’s time to ask a bold question: What if visual merchandising software wasn’t just for visuals?
What if it became your biggest ally in reducing labor strain and enabling efficiency at scale?
Why the Retail Workforce Is Broken — And Getting Worse
Behind every delayed campaign, missed display reset, or inconsistent store layout lies a deeper issue:
The labor system that supports retail execution is under historic strain.
Recent trends underscore how much the pressure on store teams has intensified:
- Severe Staffing Shortages & High Turnover: At its peak in 2022, the U.S. retail sector faced approximately 5.5 million more job openings than available workers, especially in frontline and part-time roles. Employee turnover remains alarmingly high, reaching 75.8% for hourly positions and 85% for part-time roles. This is driven by low pay, limited career advancement, and a competitive job market.
- Rising Wages, Yet Persistent Churn: Despite wage increases (like Starbucks raising barista pay to $17.50 per hour), the median hourly wage for retail sales associates remains around $16.62, and job churn continues. Higher pay alone isn’t enough to retain talent.
- Structural and Demographic Shifts: From 2017 to 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the apparel retail workforce shrank from 1.8 million to 1.5 million, even as payroll costs increased — signaling ongoing automation, store format consolidation, and hiring instability.
- Labor Instability & Layoffs: In just two months of early 2025, retailers cut 409,000 jobs, contributing to a volatile environment where job uncertainty further impacts morale and execution readiness.
- Employee Activism & Union Momentum: Union activity surged in 2024. With a 31% rise in representation petitions and over a 70% win rate, retail workers are demanding better tools, treatment, and agency on the job.
And major retail leaders are responding.
Two-thirds say they’ll make moderate-to-major investments in workforce strategies this year.
Unfortunately, without new approaches to merchandising execution itself, even the best hiring and training plans can’t solve the daily realities store teams face.
Introducing a New Role for Visual Merchandising Software
Visual merchandising teams have an untapped opportunity to ease labor strain and boost store execution — if they’re equipped with the right tools.
Traditionally, visual merchandising software is seen as a planning tool, focused on design, layouts, and seasonal resets.
But in today’s high-pressure environment, execution support is just as critical as creative strategy.
That’s why forward-thinking retailers are beginning to see visual merchandising platforms not just as creative hubs, but as operational enablers.
They provide tools that reduce friction, improve clarity, and help store teams execute efficiently, even under staffing constraints.
By reimagining visual merchandising software as part of the labor optimization conversation, retailers have an opportunity to make meaningful improvements where it matters most: On the store floor, where execution meets the customer experience.
How Visual Merchandising Software Helps Ease Retail Labor Strain
Visual merchandising tasks can be some of the most time-consuming and complex store responsibilities, especially when teams are under-resourced.
However, the right retail technology can make them dramatically easier to execute.
Here’s how visual merchandising software, like One Door, supports more efficient, effective store execution — without adding more work to already overloaded teams:
Clarity That Shortens Training and Builds Confidence
In high-turnover environments where training time is limited and execution readiness varies, clarity is everything.
One Door’s Store Assistant replaces static PDFs and bulky printed manuals with interactive, step-by-step instructions, tailored to each store’s layout, inventory, and fixture availability.
This reduces guesswork, builds confidence, and enables new and tenured associates to succeed faster — a critical advantage in a workforce shaped by churn and consolidation.
Quick Fixes for Daily Disruptions
Volatile store environments create daily disruptions, from damaged signage and missing shipments to broken fixtures.
The One Door platform empowers associates to log merchandising issues instantly, submit compliance photos, and order content replacements using connected features, like Store OMS.
Instead of waiting for approvals or playing phone tag with upper management, store associates can solve problems fast — reducing frustration, avoiding delays, and maintaining morale in unpredictable conditions.
Autonomy That Builds Morale and Reduces Turnover
When on-the-ground store teams feel micromanaged or powerless, morale drops and turnover rises.
Store Assistant is designed to give frontline employees more control over how they work.
With clear task assignments, real-time feedback loops, and digital tools to act independently, associates gain greater agency and ownership over visual merchandising execution.
And while efficiency is the goal, this is a direct response to growing calls for better tools, more trust, and real transparency on the job.
Instant Access to the Right Materials — No Guesswork
Amid hiring instability and automation pressures, store teams need retail technology that keeps them aligned without complexity.
The One Door platform houses all visual merchandising assets — photos, videos, instructions — in one place, accessible from any mobile device.
Dynamic updates ensure teams are always working from the latest information without reprints, retraining, or confusion.
That’s crucial when every minute matters and teams can change week to week.
Visibility That Helps Leaders Support, Not Micromanage
In a landscape where roles shift and store formats evolve, visibility creates consistency.
Store Assistant offers real-time tracking of task completion, issue reporting, and compliance uploads — giving HQ and field teams a clear picture of what’s working and where support is needed.
Rather than micromanaging, retail leaders can plan smarter, proactively support their store teams, and make data-driven decisions that improve labor outcomes over time.
Bridging the Labor Gap Starts with Better Execution and Communication
In a retail environment defined by labor shortages, high turnover, and operational volatility, visual merchandising software must do more than deliver a plan.
It must support the people who bring that plan to life.
With the One Door platform, retailers can:
- Reduce the time and effort required to execute resets
- Empower store associates with greater clarity, autonomy, and confidence
- Enable real-time visibility, feedback, and issue resolution
- Free up store teams to focus on what matters most: Delivering a great customer experience
When communication is streamlined and execution becomes repeatable and trackable, labor challenges become opportunities for performance gains.
Ready to Close the Communication Gap?
See how better tools can connect HQ and store teams for stronger execution:
Download the HQ and Store Communication Best Practices Guide to discover how the right visual merchandising software:
- Enhances collaboration between HQ and stores
- Improves campaign accuracy and execution performance
- Empowers store teams with real-time support and clarity