How can brands entice shoppers into the store when it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find and retain good workers? How can retailers recondition consumers who DO enter a store to engage with an associate, rather than just reach for their mobile device out of anticipated disappointment? And how do the best retailers plan to continue their brand’s growth and succeed without the ability to offer a compelling customer experience utilizing the resources they have on hand?

For our 2026 benchmark study on the state of workforce management in retail stores, RSR surveyed 100 retail executives, store associates from 100 different brands, and 1,000 US-based consumers to find answers to these exact questions.

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